May 14, 2009

Playing on the 1st XV is an honour. I've played for the premier rugby team at Shawnigan for the past three years. It's hard and it's a long journey to the provincial final. Having been in it last year, I understand what it takes to win. You must put the hard yards in and you have to work out. But most importantly, you have to believe in your teammates and yourself. In these last two weeks, we have played our two biggest rivals in the high school rugby world—beating Brentwood 18-6 and St. George's 36-29 ultimately winning the Derek Hyde-Lay Trophy. There is no other feeling like stepping onto the field where countless teams before you have and going on to play your heart out. It's a great accomplishment to win the trophy, but our journey ends on May 30th when we play in the AAA finals.

– Rick S., grade 12