On May 24, Indigenous students from all around the Comox Valley congregated at Vanier鈥檚 turf to give rugby a try.

The event was fully funded by the Comox Valley school district and the Indigenous Education Program.

Thanks to the combined efforts of Brooklyn Elementary principal Mireille Appelbe and Indigenous support worker Cheryl Graham, with the support and active participation of Comox Valley Rapids (the local youth rugby club), BC Grassroots Rugby, and Thunder Indigenous Rugby, who all generously volunteered their time and equipment to make this day possible.

The collaboration gave many First Nations students, in Grades 6 to 8, a unique chance to experience this sport - many for the first time.

鈥淭he idea is to introduce (students) to the sport before they get to high school,鈥� said Appelbe. 鈥淲e just want to make sure the kids have got their hands on the ball so that they feel confident playing so when they get to high school they can be part of something regardless of whether they played before or not.鈥�

Appelbe and Graham aimed to provide more than just confidence through sport. They wanted to offer students, starting from a young age, the opportunity to practise a sport that many may not have easy access to before high school.

鈥淎 lot of kids get to high school and they think 鈥榳ow, I鈥檇 like to play basketball or volleyball,鈥� but they鈥檝e sort of missed the opportunity because they haven鈥檛 played younger,鈥� added Appelbe.

The reason why the organizers settled on rugby is because of the sport鈥檚 inherent inclusivity.

Widely practised around the province, both boys and girls can play the sport, while also relatively cheap to practise.

Divided into groups in the morning to sharpen their skills through a variety of drills, students teamed up in the afternoon to play a few games of flag rugby supervised by the various coaches specifically summoned to this event.

Coaching one of those drills was indigenous rugby player Taya Gagnon. Native to the small community of Alert Bay in northwest Vancouver Island, she highlighted the impact that such an initiative can have on young lives.

鈥淚 mean, having access to a sport at a young age can change the way you look at life,鈥� said Gagnon. 鈥淩ugby has opened up many doors for me being an Indigenous youth facing many challenges. It changed my life. Through rugby, I鈥檝e travelled to Vietnam, Thailand, Portugal and Spain. I鈥檝e gone all over Canada and the U.S.

鈥淚t is great knowing that there are people out there that are willing to help indigenous youth in sports.鈥�

READ MORE: Comox Valley Kickers advance to men鈥檚 provincial rugby championship

olivier.laurin@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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