Photo Courtesy: BC Rugby
BC Rugby

Trio of Prince George rugby players land on Team BC

Jul 7, 2022 | 4:51 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Three Prince George girls were selected for this year’s U16 BC Bears Rugby team. Out of just over a hundred athletes, only 48 were chosen and with not even a year’s worth of experience, Keira Gordon, Madeline Hesse, and Carmen Aubichon managed to make their mark in the world of rugby. Both are thankful to have gotten this opportunity to play with such high-calibre athletes.

“I’m really proud of myself. I’m really fortunate,” said Gordon.

“My dad and my mom both played rugby, so I’ve had all the opportunities. Jeremy Cundy [and my other coaches] are great, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them. And of course, playing with the Victoria Tsunami team, I got even better. So, getting to be acknowledged as one of those players, I couldn’t believe it.”

With the sport making a comeback in Prince George, coaches throughout the city are seeing just how big of an impact it’s having on young athletes in the community.

“Just as in this last year,” said Daniel McMurray, a coach with the Northern Matrix Rugby Academy. “It’s been really nice to see how much it’s growing, and every weekend there are new girls coming out and just starting to see a lot of really good talent. There’s a lot of good athletes in the North and it’s nice to be able to have something for them to represent.”

Gordon sees the potential that can come from playing for Team BC, especially after watching two of her friends secure spots on the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) roster next season.

“Both of them are extremely skilled and getting to play alongside those girls was really eye-opening to how much of a community is growing out here. All the girls are so talented and I love to see the entire sport grow up north,” said Gordon.

“If I could take this into university or even further, that would be pretty sweet.”

Being able to watch this sport progress shows optimism when it comes to growth within the program going forward.

“I would like to say this is just the start. And then, with all of the hard work and everybody’s volunteering, it can only grow bigger. There’s a lot of great athletes in Prince George,” said McMurray.

The BC Bears are set to take part in a Camp at UBC in Vancouver next weekend and then will proceed to host the Washington Loggers U16 Girls team for a match at UBC on July 16.