Sports | DrumhellerMail

Girls rugby back at DVSS

   The DVSS girls Rugby team is back on the field for another season, building camaraderie and having fun.
   DVSS has fielded a team since 2014, although last season they teamed up with a Strathmore team because they were short on numbers. It was opportune as they went on to earn a provincial silver medal. They are back on the pitch and enjoying the game.
   “They love the contact! It will surprise you how quickly they adjust to the physical aspect of the game. They also love the team aspect, you are taking girls from all different walks of life and getting them to work together on a common goal,” said coach Ryan Hatch. “I love how this game breaks down the barriers that divide so many of our kids these days, they have to work together to be successful and they get to know each other on a much different level.”
   The popularity of the game has been on the rise over the last few years, especially in the women’s ranks. Coach Hatch attributes that to international success.
   “I think there have been quite a few things that have raised interest but the most prevalent would have been the Canadian women’s 15’s making it to the Women’s Rugby World Cup Finals in 2014-2015,” said Hatch. “It showed a lot of these young women that this game is attainable for each of them. Quite a few of the girls on that team came through programs here in Alberta.”
   He says one value that is learned on the rugby pitch is teamwork.
   “I tell the girls that rugby is the ultimate team sport because no one person can win the game for you, teammates are critical,” he said.
   “This team is a melting pot of cultures, we have a few girls that grew up here in Drumheller on the team but then we have a young lady from Mexico and a few girls from Nigeria on the team.”
   While there is no league, they have been busy organizing exhibition teams from throughout the area.
   “A league is something that we are looking at doing in the next year or so, but right now we are just playing exhibition games. Yes, it is hard to find games when you are outside of a major center like Calgary,” he said.
This Thursday the team is hosting Hanna. Game time is 5 p.m. After that, they are arranging an exhibition match versus a Calgary team the following week.

Drumheller netball claims second at Strathmore tourney

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With less than a year of experience under their belts, the Drumheller netball team participated in their first ever tournament over the weekend and claimed 2nd place.

The team traveled to Strathmore for the four-team tournament, which included the Goslings, The Cygnets, and a Calgary team.

The Goslings went undefeated and came out with 15 points and first place in the tournament. Drumheller finished with a 2-1 record for seven points. It notched 39 goals, for a second place finish. Calgary finished with 37 goals and the Cygnets scored 29 goals for fourth place.

April Harrison of the Drumheller team explains there was great camaraderie among the teams and after the tournament games were over, they mixed teams and had a game just for fun, all together.

“I am so incredibly proud of our team and not just because we came second, but because even though we were nervous at the start we really pulled together as a team and put lots of what we'd practiced into action,” she said. “We got better each game we played. We never gave up and our efforts really paid off in the last game, which we won. Most importantly though, we all had fun!"

She says it has been a real privilege to see how everyone has improved over the months and to have the chance to come together as a 'proper' team this weekend.

“We had a great day and met many fantastic people who really welcomed us into the netball 'family.’ We can't wait to play them all again in the autumn and we plan to make the Strathmore tournament an annual event,” she said.

“It's hard to believe that less than a year ago netball didn't exist in Drumheller and yet here we are, second place in our first ever tournament and we're already looking forward to seeing how the sport continues to grow this coming autumn.

Schools team up to field soccer team

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   DVSS and St. Anthony’s have teamed up to put a team on the soccer pitch.
   Last week tryouts were held for a senior boys soccer team at DVSS. The team is being coached by St. Anthony’s teacher Davis Easter and DVSS teacher Michael Lee.
   “There was pretty solid interest, especially given that there hasn’t been a team like this in the past,” said coach Easter.” There’s definitely some strong talent, and the key is going to be figuring out how to get the team to play together as a team since most of them have never played with one another before.”
   He said they came up with enough players to form a squad, although there are still spaces if others wish to join to add depth and strength.
   The team has a diverse group of players with a combination of international students as well as local players.
   While there is no local high school league to play in, the team will be playing in the Adult Coed Recreational soccer league as well as organizing some friendlies with U18 teams from the area.
   “The pinnacle event for the season will be Zones, which are on May 24-25 in Cochrane,” said Easter.

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