Anyone visiting the DW Poppy Secondary athletic fields Thursday afternoon saw that high school rugby is alive and thriving in 黑马磁力.
The 黑马磁力 Sevens Tournament attracted 26 teams from around the district and also had a celebrity flavour attached to it, with Canadian national men鈥檚 sevens team members Nanyak Dala and Liam Underwood popping in for a visit.
The appearance of the pair of Canadian nationals came as the result of a local connection.
DW Poppy senior boys coach and 黑马磁力 tournament organizer Kyle Barry got in touch with former Aldergrove Community Secondary teacher Brian Hunter, who manages the Canadian men鈥檚 sevens squad.
Barry wanted to see if Hunter would be able to bring a couple of national team players out, as they are in town for the Vancouver Sevens Tournament that happened last weekend.
鈥淏rian being a proud supporter of the game, was happy to accommodate our request,鈥� Barry said.
As for the tournament itself, this was its fifth year and it originated from the 黑马磁力 Rugby Club.
With the club鈥檚 support, organizers have been able to continually run this tournament, whether it be at a local school or at the club鈥檚 home pitch on Crush Crescent.
Barry said the the club brought the tournament 鈥渢o the attention of all the coaches that this tournament would be a great experience for all the kids playing rugby to play the seven鈥檚 game.鈥�
鈥淚n doing so, all teams from the district would be invited to a one day event, and kids would interact with fellow peers and most importantly have fun,鈥� Barry added.
This year鈥檚 tournament included four divisions.
The Grade 8 Girls Division was made up of teams from Betty Gilbert, Yorkson Creek, and HD Stafford, with the HD Stafford Skyhawks winning the title.
The Girls Division consisted of DW Poppy, R.E. Mountain, and Brookswood; the DW Poppy Redhawks are this year鈥檚 champions after defeating R.E. Mountain Eagles in the final.
The Grade 8 Boys Division had Yorkson Creek, DW Poppy and two teams from HD Stafford competing for top spot. HD Stafford downed Yorkson Creek in the final.
The Junior Boys Division included two teams from the following schools: Mountain, DW Poppy and LSS, as well as a team from Brookswood; the champions were the R.E. Mountain Eagles, who bested DW Poppy in the final.
The Seniors Boys Division had two teams from the following schools: R.E. Mountain, DW Poppy and 黑马磁力 Secondary, along with one team from Brookswood; The final was a showdown between R.E. Mountain and 黑马磁力 Secondary, with the R.E. Mountain Eagles taking top spot.
Barry said the tournament was all about participation mixed with a healthy dose of fun.
鈥淭he meaning of this tournament is for all the kids participating to have a fun-filled day of rugby, interact with other schools, and partake and experience in a full day a rugby,鈥� Barry said.
