Despite a chilly and windy Saturday, the Lake City Falcons girls rugby team is leaping back into the spring season with both feet.
The Falcons were playing teams from across the zone in an icebreaker style exhibition games as they shake off the cobwebs from the winter. In attendance on the opposite side of the field were teams from Fort St. John, Smithers, Houston and Prince George who all brought a spirit of friendly, but tough, competition.
Coach Morley Wilson, who has been coaching the girls rugby team since 2012, said the purpose of the day’s series of exhibition games was twofold. Firstly, both he and the other coaches wanted to get their girls back on the field and ready for the coming spring season, but secondarily they needed to get their new batch of referees some hands-on experience. Wilson said most of those had been previously certified, in the Williams Lake area, had their registration expire all around the same time in December, leaving them with no official referees until now.
“In my opinion, (rugby is) the very best game for girls that I’ve seen. It allows the contact that a lot of girls thrive on, there are the incredible friendships, not just with their teammates, but with their opponents,” Wilson said. “Studies show it builds confidence within females and it’s not that risky of a sport.”
Read More: Falcons finish second at Kamloops Sevens Tournament
Wilson said that he enjoys coaching girls rugby because of their different approach to the sport than boys. Girls, he said, tend to listen more and will follow plays exactly the way he tells them to, while boys will if they see an opening, often go off play.
Still, he said he likes coaching both teams and looks forward to doing so for the short spring season and next school year during the fall. Wilson added that he and the team feel blessed to continue to receive support from the lakecity community throughout their season.
“We’re hoping to do well, we’re shooting for the top three if not the top team in the province, that’s our major goal,” Wilson said.
Wilson encourages any interested girls from the lakecity community to sign up for the team, regardless of what school they go to.
The Falcons will be playing next weekend at the 2019 Kamloops Rugby Fest.
patrick.davies@wltribune.com
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