FOR LOVE OF THE GAME Rugby at Shawnigan

GAME Love of theFor

STORY BY JENNY DUNBAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARDEN GILL

ON A COLD, GREY DAY ON CANADA’S WEST COAST, AS THE FIRST HESITANT SIGNS OF SPRING APPEAR, A SMALL GROUP OF ATHLETES AND COACHES HUDDLE TOGETHER ON SHAWNIGAN’S CANADA FIELD.

The wet ground squelches as their feet hit the soggy grass. Their kit is muddy, and their muscles ache from running repetitive drills. Looking closer, you can see that their chests are heaving and many of them have scrapes and bruises. And on every face is the same expression: contentment. You can see it in their eyes. There is nowhere else they would rather be. These are Shawnigan’s senior rugby players, most of whom are now in their fourth or fifth year at Shawnigan. Many of them began as Grade 8s or 9s in Shawnigan’s robust rugby program, and in these formative years they have grown to love the sport. They have access to world-class fields and facilities and are led by some of the sport’s top coaches in a program that spans Grades 8 through 12, a far cry from rugby’s humble beginnings at the School. Rugby has a storied history at Shawnigan, beginning in 1928 – 12 years after the School’s founding – when Captain “Tiny” Levien first introduced the game to Shawnigan and convinced the founding Headmaster, C.W. Lonsdale, to change the School’s primary sport from soccer to rugby. At the time, Shawnigan was still an all-boys’ school, and the enrollment had increased from the original six students to nearly 200 – enough to form one senior team. That first year, their only competition was each other and the School staff. The following year, they played games against nearby Brentwood College School (which had just been founded a few years previously) and Victoria College (the predecessor to the University of Victoria). Shawnigan’s first girls’ rugby team was introduced in 1993, a few short years after the School became co-educational in the fall of 1989. Coached by Marius Felix, an accomplished player himself, that first generation of female players burst onto the local rugby scene with great success. The team was blessed with several powerhouse athletes, and in their inaugural year they were a formidable force, becoming the top team on Vancouver Island and one of the top teams in the province. That

first group of female players called themselves the “Iron Women” – a name that the program still uses to this day. Nearly 30 years later, Shawnigan’s girls’ rugby team remains one of the top programs in the country. Their success joins the decades of dominance the boys’ program has seen. These achievements haven’t come by accident – they have been bred by hard work, a positive team culture, and buyin from both coaches and players, which combine to draw out the best in each student, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. “We always tell the guys that if they put the work in, they’ll earn the rewards,” says Jeff Williams, whose current coaching portfolio includes Shawnigan’s boys’ 1st XV (top boys’ senior team) as well as Rugby Canada’s U20 team. “How hard they work, the hours they put in, and their commitment to the sport, skill, or position – they’ll be better for it.” “For years we’ve given up our Spring Breaks and our May long weekends to run camps and tours, and the guys train at 7:00 in the morning or 8:00 at night,” adds Andrew Doyle, long-time coach in the boys’ program. “If you put in the time, you get the rewards by going above and beyond the minimum requirements.” In other words, Shawnigan’s athletes are able to consistently perform at a high level thanks to the long, unglamorous hours spent on the rugby pitch in the wintertime, setting the foundation for the in-season practices that take place when competition is more immediate. Part of the equation, of course, is the coaches who are right there with their athletes through the unpleasant weather, long hours, and highs and lows of a rugby season. Over the years, Shawnigan’s program has become a magnet for talented coaches from around the world, many of whom have either played or coached at a high level. “The foundation of the program is built upon the phenomenal coaches who are consistently uplifting you and pushing you to be the best athlete you can be,” says Denise Banks, captain of Shawnigan’s 2021–2022 Iron Women. “From the moment you meet your coach, they are in your corner as your biggest cheerleader.” The coaches’ support comes from their genuine affection for and dedication to the team – which is the only way that this partnership can work. “I didn’t know I wanted to coach high school. I was a coach at a university and a high-level athlete,” shares Laura Russell, one of the coaches in the girls’ program who is also a current member of the senior national team and has earned an astonishing 50 caps for Canada. “But watching students have those lightbulb moments as they do something that they didn’t know they could do or that they

never expected out of themselves – that’s the coolest part. That’s the sweet, really special part of it. Especially at high school level.” Shawnigan’s exceptional facilities, outstanding coaches, and history of success are merely the backdrop for what makes this program so special. The unquestionable magic in team sports is found in that very word – team. The unity that is developed through the shared experiences and emotions of a competitive athletic season is formidable. Through victory and defeat, in the daily grind of practice, or in the adventure of an overseas tour, students form powerful bonds with their fellow athletes and coaches. While this is a common occurrence in most sports, rugby players will insist that there is something extra special developed within a rugby team. “I may be biased, but I feel that the brotherhood formed through rugby is stronger than any other team on campus,” says Grade 12 student Darwin Douglas. “Something about putting your body on the line for the person next to you makes everyone so close. Even off the rugby pitch, we are all close in class, Marion Hall, and all over campus; the boys on the team have become some of my closest friends.” “Rugby at Shawnigan is an experience like no other,” agrees Denise. “There is so much love and positivity for each other, and we are consistently encouraging each other. While some came into the team as friends, we all left as a family.” Cultivating community within the program is clearly something that Shawnigan’s coaches prioritize, across all ages and levels. “I really don’t think it’s about winning. Everyone likes to win, but there’s more to it,” explains Jeff. “The Grade 8s who stick with rugby in later years do so because of the culture, because of the camaraderie. The boys and girls go back to their dorms and talk about it, and those are the stories that they remember, and it becomes a bonding thing – and that’s what’s been the biggest capture for the program.” The Iron Women have made team culture a high priority in recent years, choosing to keep their junior and senior players together for practices and games even though the group has grown to such a large size that, logistically, they should be divided.

“We love having all of the girls train together. Some people separate the seniors from the juniors, but we find that when they’re together, they all improve much more quickly,” explains coach Shannon Atkins. “Their skills get better but also their leadership skills get better and their camaraderie gets better, and when you have that compassion for everybody across the team, it makes you play better, perform better, and want to do better for them, and I think that’s part of our little bit of magic that makes our team strong.” Camaraderie is not merely developed through time spent together. Key to its formation is a genuine sense of inclusion and belonging, something that Shawnigan’s coaches and players all say is characteristic of the sport. Certainly at Shawnigan, the program welcomes players of all ages, backgrounds, experiences, and fitness levels. “I would say that rugby is known as a sport for all,” says Andrew. “It doesn’t matter your shape, your size, your weight – there’s a place for you on the rugby field, and then that transforms into a sense of belonging, because you are part of something bigger than yourself.” “Rugby is unique in that it’s the culture of the sport that will keep most people around,” expands Laura. “Any shape or size, any person, it doesn’t matter who you are or how you identify, you’re welcome on a rugby team.”

This is something that is felt profoundly by many of the athletes in the program, with some citing this as their reason for staying with the sport. “Four years ago I fell in love with rugby because it was a place where anybody – no matter their size, speed, or fitness level – with dedication and effort can have fun playing the sport,” shares Denise. “With so many players there is a position for everyone, and various skills are required. It truly is an inclusive sport.” While coaches bring to each practice a set of clear training objectives such as safety, fitness, skills, and competitiveness, the sense of inclusion that Denise talks about is one of the most important things that they impart. It joins other core values that are fundamental to the program such as compassion, respect, resilience, and confidence.

“As a coach, it’s my job to make someone believe in themselves. And I think that’s what we’re good at – we make students believe they can do something that they never would have thought they could do before, from tackling to sprinting to supporting to communicating,” shares Shannon. “Making a student athlete believe in themselves is very empowering, and I believe that’s part of our success.”

“Rugby has definitely helped me with my leadership skills,” observes Darwin. “It has given me so much confidence and has given me the opportunity to practice my social skills and be very comfortable meeting new people.” Another ambition at all levels of the rugby program is to instill a deep love of the game. A passion for rugby not only keeps students in Shawnigan’s program, where they can continue to learn and grow as athletes and as people, but it also gives them the opportunity to remain part of the rugby community – and the support and camaraderie that it provides – long after they graduate. Whether students go on to play at the club, university, national, or professional level – and Shawnigan currently has graduates playing at each of these levels – the School’s coaches are delighted to know that their former charges are continuing in the sport that they learned to love at Shawnigan, building new connections, acquiring new skills, and cementing existing values. Regardless of whether they choose to pursue rugby after graduation, the lessons that students learn through participation in the School’s program can have a profound and lasting effect – and are often instrumental in preparing them for the future. As she contemplates her four-year rugby career at Shawnigan, Denise’s observations reflect the heart of the program. She says, “Through rugby, I have become the most confident version of myself. Though rugby is the hardest to let go of as I prepare to graduate, it has given me the confidence to go into the future with excitement and curiosity for what's to come.”