WINDSOR, N.S. — There was nary a dry eye Thursday afternoon as Avon View High School’s athletic director broke the news that their rugby season had been cut short.
Much like her Avalanche teammates, Jobean Boyd, one of the Grade 12 senior girls’ varsity team captains, is still reeling from the news.
“We went for a team meeting to get our (new) t-shirts... and he read the email to us as he received it. It was just a huge surprise for everyone,” said Boyd. “It’s really just heartbreaking, especially in our Grade 12 year.”
The Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation’s (NSSAF) board of governors issued a memo requesting high school rugby cease being played effective noon on May 2. All scheduled games were pulled from the calendar.
"After a thorough review of incident report data provided by the School Insurance Program, the board has decided to take this action," the memo said, citing student safety as the “top priority of the federation."
Jim Bryan, Avon View High School’s director of athletics, has been coaching rugby since 1999 and has helped grow the sport in the region.
“Rugby is a very popular sport in the Valley and Nova Scotia. At AV, it is a large part of our school culture. Therefore it is a significant disappointment for our students and coaches,” Bryan said in a prepared statement following the announcement.
“We respect the decision-making of the NSSAF in particular around keeping our athletes safe. We would hope that the NSSAF will continue to provide athletic opportunities for all students, especially those students who may not find success in other sports but who have been able to compete and contribute well to a rugby program.”
For Boyd, and her teammates, NSSAF’s decision is devastating.
“It’s more than just the sport. It’s a team – a group of girls that are just always there to support you,” Boyd said, adding that she’s made friends with a diverse cross-section of athletes thanks to the sport.
Co-captains Maya Cochrane and Alison Dill were equally upset about the news.
“When I initially heard it, it was so shocking – that something so important to my life just got ripped away like nothing,” said Cochrane, as her teammates gathered for a pre-planned bonding supper May 2. The news certainly put a damper on that evening meal.
“Rugby has shaped me as a person, like inside and out, and made me who I am. It’s so heartbreaking to see all of my girls suffer,” said Cochrane.
Cochrane said she considers her teammates to be family – something that, when navigating the often tumultuous time that is high school, is beneficial for all.
“Our rugby team is your family. It creates such a strong support system for all the girls,” Cochrane said.
“They’re my family. I care so much about them. No other sport is like that. I’ve played soccer, softball, snowboarding and this team is so different from all of them. They just have that supportive family vibe.”
Dill said rugby truly helps connect the student body.
“I’m talking to people that are in Grade 9 and 10 that I wouldn’t usually because you wouldn’t see them anywhere else. It kind of connects the different age groups and shows you that we are really a lot alike,” Dill said.
As for the safety concerns cited in the NSSAF memo, the girls see it as a knee-jerk reaction that will have serious implications.
“I’ve been injured playing soccer, volleyball, but never rugby,” said Boyd.
“I feel like it’s going to cause a chain reaction. If you take rugby out of high school, then in university, it’s going to be hard to put together a team if no one has ever played in high school before.”
Dill said unlike other sports where you learn the rules as a child, rugby doesn’t start until you’re a teen. By removing it from the school athletic system, many students will never have the chance to play.
Avon View’s senior girls’ varsity rugby team is a perennial favourite at provincials, having won six titles in the last decade, plus several other strong showings. Players are often scouted by universities, some receiving sizeable scholarships, as well as by provincial and national teams. By not offering rugby in high school, the girls wonder what will happen to those opportunities.
Michelle Jodrey, the manager of the senior girls’ rugby team, says her daughter, a Grade 10 rookie, thoroughly enjoys the sport. Her two children have played multiple sports – from swimming, soccer and hockey to horseback riding, paddling and snowboarding – and said there is a risk of injury associated with all sports.
“As parents/ guardians, we sign those forms knowing that our children may get injured and may even lose their lives doing those sports and activities they love,” Jodrey said in a Facebook conversation with the Journal.
“We have all held our breath, closed our eyes and have made trips to the ER. I feel just as scared seeing my teenagers get into cars, seeing them laughing while eating popcorn and walking across crosswalks in busy streets,” she continued.
“We cannot worry ourselves into our homes, lock ourselves away from doing what we love, and how dare our own province take something so loved from our children?”
Jodrey said many children cannot afford private sport clubs, while others wouldn’t have access to them. “Sports in school, like rugby, offer kids an opportunity that can change their lives. It makes them want to go to school, it gives them a sense of belonging, teaches them leadership, how to work with others, respect, and the list goes on. I had no idea I would be a rugby mom, but I am now and I will fight for my daughter to play; I will fight for her whole team, her coach, her fans.”
Rugby Nova Scotia’s president and provincial coach issued a joint response to the NSSAF memo and is requesting a meeting to better understand the decision.
“This will affect thousands of students, parents, coaches, match officials and supporters,” the press release read.
“Both Rugby Nova Scotia and Rugby Canada are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all participants and we will work together to find an appropriate solution to the current situation.”
NSSAF has not yet responded to the Valley Journal Advertiser’s request for comment.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Catie Dauphinee, a Grade 10 rugby player at Avon View, said rugby provides a “super supportive community” where rivalries don’t spill over after games are finished.
“I know first hand how difficult it is as a girl to make real genuine friends in high school. The people you meet at rugby are the nicest and kindest people you’d ever meet,” she said via a private Facebook message.
She said rugby is special as it is inclusive.
“No matter what shape, size, race, gender or athletic abilities, there will always be a place for you on a rugby field.”
Selena Gilbert, a rugby mom, said she’s upset her daughter, Abbey Gilbert, cannot continue to play a sport that she loves.
“This is totally ridiculous; my daughter loves this sport and has excelled in her everyday life and other sports since starting to play, from the confidence she's gained,” Gilbert says.
Her daughter played on the junior team last year, and as a Grade 10 player this year, was meeting new people and really enjoying playing as as fullback.
Gilbert says the risk of allowing the girls to play is far outweighed by the alternative.
“The risk of injury is far outweighed by the multitude of benefits these players gain. In an era when we have to literally force children away from electronics, how can we start taking away the outdoor activities these children love? There is risk involved in any sport. I've seen more ambulances called to soccer games, than rugby,” she wrote.
Devon Koeller said she’s seen a marked change in her daughter, Olwynn, who joined Avon View's junior varsity team this year.
“Rugby is the first sport to really click with my daughter; honestly, it's completely changed her outlook on life, and brightened her entire high school experience. It means the world to her,” Koeller wrote, noting that she finds it “dumbfounding” that the NSSAF would single out rugby, while still permitting contact sports like football and hockey.
“Rugby is such an empowering sport for young women - it really showcases how strong and capable they are. It's troubling that there is an apparent double standard, since stereotypically ‘masculine’ contact sports, like football, have been permitted to continue.”
Koeller, and her daughter, would like the NSSAF to consider adding more safety measures so that the students can keep their sport.
“It was really hard for me to see all of my teammates upset and crying. It means the NSSAF thinks that our coaches, teammates, and everyone involved with rugby aren't playing safely, and I know that we are,” added Olwynn.
READ MORE:
- SPORTS CHAT: How important is high school rugby?
- Cape Breton students hold rally over suspension of high school rugby
- Follow the bouncing ball: Nova Scotia high school rugby games could go ahead Tuesday
- NSSAF defends rugby ban decision in memo to school principals
- Truro coach breathes sigh of relief after rugby is restored
- Valley athletes celebrate as word circulates that high school rugby will resume
- CEC coach says players were devastated by NSSAF’s decision to cut rugby
- Provincial minister calls upon NSSAF to reverse decision, reinstate high school rugby
- Truro Rugby Club president ‘shocked, disappointed’ with NSSAF's decision to cut rugby
