Provincial lift for women’s rugby event
Grade 8 Shoreline Community Middle School rugby player Delaney Woods gets a lift from Canada Sevens rugby players Tia Svonoda, left, and Rio Olympics bronzemedallist Charity Williams at a tournament funding announcement made at the legislature on Tuesday.
Charity Williams never gets tired of putting on her bronze medal from the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, as she did Tuesday outside the Legislature.
“You can see people’s faces light up. They want to know you and want to know your story,” she said.
Williams was part of the announcement as the provincial government committed a $130,000 funding boost for the women’s Canada Sevens rugby tournament May 27-28 at Westhills Stadium in Langford. It follows the momentous box-office success last weekend of the men’s Canada Sevens, which attracted more than 76,000 fans over two days to B.C. Place Stadium.
“When a crowd gets behind you like that, it is amazing,” said Williams, of the public response to the men’s tournament.
Both the Canadian men’s and women’s teams are based in Langford.
“I love sevens . . . it’s fast,” said Shirley Bond, provincial minister of jobs, tourism, skills training and labour, during the news conference.
“We are very proud these tournaments are held in B.C. Investing in events like the Canada Sevens Series in Langford helps us draw visitors to British Columbia.”
The emerging post-Rio generation of Canadian female stars includes Victoria players Caroline Crossley and Sophie De Goede, and also Tia Svoboda from Belleville, Ont. This is the group that will be coming into its own in May at Westhills Stadium as the quadrennial leading to Tokyo 2020 has begun.
“I’ve moved here to the national training centre in Langford and live with four other players . . . I just love the energy and commitment among all the players based here,” said the talented 18-year-old Svoboda.
“I was so motivated watching the team win an Olympic medal at Rio, and thinking, that could be me one day.”
Svoboda and the rest of Gen Next will take another step toward that goal in May at Westhills Stadium.