For several Williams Lake and Columneetza secondary students, the opportunity to share their love for the game of rugby was a chance too good to pass up.
The students, as part of a combined rugby class between the two schools at WLSS, have been working tirelessly putting together a Rugby Canada Skills Camp which will see 70 elementary-aged children from grades 4-7 hit the pitch to learn the game at WLSS on May 13 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
WLSS Grade 11 students Kaleb Carpenter, Kate Neufeld and Robert Pedersen are three individuals and rugby players at the school whose efforts have gone into putting the camp together.
“The money from the camp goes into a bursary fund that supports Williams Lake players who will go on to play for Team B.C.,” Carpenter said.
“It’s going to be a great experience to play with all the kids and pass on past experiences and teach them how to play and teach them ideas they can take with them,” Pedersen added.
The camp will key on non-contact drills and games introducing running, passing, ball handling and kicking skills.
Camp instructors include former Team Canada player Matt Weingart, current Team Canada player Kayla Moleschi, Premier League player Riley Ilnicki and current Team B.C. players Alexis Myhre, Erica Pfleiderer and Carpenter.
All registered participants will be given a camp T-shirt, a rugby ball, a camp photo and provided lunch.
Participants in the camp will also be provided free buses including pick up and drop off at Mountview elementary, Chilcotin Road elementary, Cataline elementary and 150 Mile elementary.
Neufeld said everyone’s excited and looking forward to the camp, and added it’s a great way to introduce the sport to elementary-aged kids.
“Rugby isn’t in the elementary schools so this is a great opportunity to get them thinking that rugby is a fun sport and you make a lot of friends,” she said.
The rugby class at WLSS has devoted near 50 per cent of its time putting together the camp, even travelling to elementary schools throughout the city holding coaching sessions.
Cost of the camp is $68 and registration forms are available at WLSS, Mountview, Chilcotin Road, Cataline and 150 Mile elementary schools.
For more information call WLSS at 250-392-6284.
