West Shore resident and member of the NextGen Sevens squad, Courtney Sims, will be representing B.C. Rugby in Las Vegas this week.
Sims started playing rugby when she was in Grade 7 because her older sister Brittany played, and the two of them were very competitive, she said. Brittany is four years older than Courtney, but that didnB次元官网网址檛 stop the little sister from wanting to show she could rival her big sister. Sims fell in love with the culture of rugby. ItB次元官网网址檚 a sport so inclusive, she said, and thereB次元官网网址檚 a position for everyone.
B次元官网网址淚 realized very quickly no matter where you go in the world, as long as there is a rugby club, you have a place where you can find friends and feel at home,B次元官网网址� she said.
She also possesses the physicality and skill needed to excel in the sport, but Sims credits her first rugby coach, William Hayworth, and her first teammates for helping her stick with it. Hayworth was an advocate for womenB次元官网网址檚 rugby, very passionate about the game, and her teammates were strong, confident, fun and encouraging, she said.
Sims was on the NextGen Sevens team in 2016 that won the first championship that has started the notion of a hat trick. She wasnB次元官网网址檛 able to make it to Las Vegas last year for the repeat in the womenB次元官网网址檚 open division because she had commitments to the University of Victoria womenB次元官网网址檚 rugby team.
NextGen Sevens is looking to win its third championship in a row at the Las Vegas Invitational, but this year they are in a much tougher division of competition.
NextGen women used to compete in the womenB次元官网网址檚 open division, which she described as more fun play and for developmental rugby. This year the team collectively decided to play in the elite division, a faster pace and higher calibre of rugby, she said. Teams in the elite division include the Maple Leafs and the Eagles, the Canadian and American developmental rugby teams respectively.
B次元官网网址淚n the past we havenB次元官网网址檛 really been tested, we went undefeated every time,B次元官网网址� Sims said. B次元官网网址淭his time, itB次元官网网址檚 going to be hard, weB次元官网网址檙e being tested at every aspect of the game: contact tackling, rucking, skill, passing the ball.B次元官网网址�
NextGen women have five returning players from previous yearB次元官网网址檚 teams: Demi Stamatakis, Jessica Piotrowski, Kaitlyn Cumming, Allison MacCormack, and Sims.
She is excited for the challenge of winning this division with some of her close friends. The five of them have played 15s and sevens B.C.B次元官网网址檚 together and club rugby with the Westshore RFC, so they know each otherB次元官网网址檚 tendencies, but they also get along well, she said. Sims is excited to add the talent of some 18- and 19-year-old up-and-comers to their team for the tournament.
The entire NextGen team are 15B次元官网网址檚 players and Sims said they are going to have to be more disciplined playing sevens, and spread the field to make it to the championship game in this new division.
B次元官网网址�15s is contact driven. Sevens is all about open play and passing instead of running into the defender,B次元官网网址� she said.
ItB次元官网网址檚 a quick turnaround for the team as they arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon and played three games Thursday morning.
They will play in Sam Boyd Stadium that can hold 40,000 people and is one of the stops on the circuit for the world menB次元官网网址檚 teams.
Even though sheB次元官网网址檚 been on this stage before, she still feels honoured to represent B.C.
B次元官网网址淓very time you put on that B.C. jersey you think about the people who put it on before you, Barbara Mervin or Andrea Burk. These international players that have all played for B.C. before. ItB次元官网网址檚 kind of exhilarating to think that youB次元官网网址檙e doing the same thing that they started doing,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭he three-peat would be the cherry on top.B次元官网网址�
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