Two Sooke athletes are headed to the B.C. Games this month.
The Games will take place July 19 to 22 in the Cowichan Valley.
One of the Sooke athletes competing is 16-year-old Maggie McKinnon, who will be playing for the women’s rugby team at the games.
McKinnon was asked to try out by the team’s coach, who she knew from Shawinigan. She has played for Team B.C. before, as well as Team Canada at the Youth Olympic Games qualifiers in March, where the team won gold.
McKinnon said she is excited to compete at the B.C. Games, as she expects the team to be strong.
“I am a little nervous because we’ve only had three practices, but I am really looking forward to the experience,” she said, adding that her goal is to take on a leadership role on the team.
McKinnon hopes the B.C. Games will be good training for her, as she plans to try out for Team Canada again and compete at the Youth Olympics in October, and eventually to one day play for the senior Team Canada team.
“I really want to come out of the B.C. Games having an impact on the team,” said McKinnon. “And I want to make sure all the other girls on the team are comfortable and have a good experience.”
The other Sooke athlete competing in the Games is lacrosse player Nicholas Swan, who could not be reached for comment.
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Another Sooke athlete who has also recently found success is rugby player Rori Wood, who made team B.C. for the U20 Women’s XVs 2018 Canadian Rugby Championships.
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The championships will take place from July 16 to 22 in Saskatoon, where team B.C. will face off against the Ontario Blues, Prairie Wolf Pack, Équipe Quebec and the Nova Scotia Keltics.
Team B.C.’s first game is on July 16 at 3 p.m. against Ontario.
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