By Sarah Tone, Communications Coordinator
A history-making moment took place today at Brock University’s Alumni Field in Niagara ON, Team Manitoba played in the first-ever female rugby sevens game to take place at the Canada Games.
The team has been training since January and the final squad was selected just one month ago. The Games are a 19U tournament and our players range in age from 16-18. The team is well-rounded and brings strength from clubs all across the province.
Brooklyn Zemliak (Rivers, MB) was honoured to be named to Team Manitoba, and knows she’s fortunate to have the opportunity to play in this historic game.
“I felt very excited but nervous at the same time, because it’s such a big event, but I’m very blessed to be here.”
The game is growing, and though sevens is a newer variation on the game, the significance of it being added to the program these Games isn’t lost on this team.
“I think having the female rugby sevens events in the Canada Games will make it a bigger sport. It’s a great sport, so I think that more people need to enjoy it and love it as much as everybody else does,” said Zemliak.
Team manager/coach Kathleen Muirhead added, “women’s sevens in Canada has been growing and growing so with this in the Canada Games now I think it’s just going to keep escalating that way.”
Muirhead has been coaching rugby for 27 years and her pride was undeniable as she reflected on participating in an event of this magnitude.
“I was a little nervous, wondering if I was ready for this coaching level. I’ve coached high school a lot, and the game’s a bit different with sevens, so learning curve, but it’s been a really good learning curve.”
Team Manitoba is in a pool with BC, Quebec, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The preliminaries wrap up tomorrow, with the finals taking place Wednesday, August 10.
