Redmen Ready to Rumble; Girls Rugby

By Lindsay K.

Every spring, Western Canada High School (WCHS) assembles many different teams to compete under the redmen name. WCHS is known as one of the top athletically inclined high schools in Calgary and surrounding areas. But what team should you really keep your eye on this season? Western Girls Rugby.

This year, we had over 60 girls try out for the team, and have been able to create a squad of 33 girls to challenge the opposition. These girls represent all three grades at WCHS, and will be competing in
division one again this year – along with St. Francis, Centennial, Churchill, Bishop Grandin, and Diefenbaker.

The start of spring sports at Western is an exciting time for the redmen community, as well as the student body and staff. The year seems to be moving by more quickly than ever as we surge into the
2013/2014-spring season, and the rugby girls are raring to go. This year’s squad competed in their first game last Wednesday and shut out St. Francis with 30 points, 6 different tries, and six different try scorers. If this is any indication of how their season is going to go – the other teams better watch their backs.

Not only do these girls already have a fantastic start to their season, but girls rugby at Western has won cities four out of the last six years, including their victory as city champions last year. Last year, the girls continued onto provincial championships and placed second overall. This year the goal is to take home not only the city championship, but the provincial championship as well. The western girls will prosper this season through incredible work ethic, extreme athleticism and good sportsmanship.

There is no doubt that we have a talented team, but what really makes this team so special to be a part of? The close-knit, passionate atmosphere. When asked to comment on what being on WCHS rugby was like, grade twelve veteran Delaney Schofer said “I'm basically in it for the team breakfasts. Just kidding. Seriously though, we have a great group of hard-working, athletic girls that I have no doubt will win us City Championships again this year.” As you can see, these hard working athletes know how to have a great time, while getting the job done!

The team is comprised of a pretty equal ratio of rookies to veterans, which is a strategic play, by coaches Claire McCann, Shauna Zwicker, and Ryan Quaife. The equal ratio is designed to ensure that
each year we are able to carry girls forward, and continue success, while our veterans graduate.

Here is to another fantastic season of western girls rugby, another fantastic coaching staff and another great team of redmen athletes.

*Western plays a game next Thursday against Bishop Grandin. Come out and support your redmen, Western!

Boys of the Fall

By: Drake C.

Redmen Football. That name doesn’t seem to carry much weight in Calgary High School football, compared to the teams from Notre Dame or Saint Francis. Well, at least on the scoreboards, anyway. Despite the numbers, there is more to our team than meets the eye. The Redmen underwent a rough season in a tough division, which our small team could hardly manage. A disappointing season of no wins and seven losses, which included two forfeits due to lack of players, left the team devastated. The Redmen were bent but not broken.

Through all the turmoil, what held this team together? Perhaps it was the bond created by the core players who were at practice every day, no matter how cold or how sore they were. Many of us knew that this year would be our last season of football, so we couldn’t turn our backs on the game. Furthermore, the leadership shown by key players such as Misha Drury and Nolan O’Reilly gave others an emotional boost when it was needed the most, after a tough loss or even after a rough practice. We grew to count on these guys to be there for us the next day and for the next week.

Now, don’t get me wrong, our team boasts some fairly skilled players, such as running back Jared Pitzel, defensive end Henry Suh, and cornerback Perry Yung, as well as the previously stated linebacker, Misha Drury and safety/receiver Nolan O’Reilly. Our only downfall was that with capable players like David Choi playing on both sides of the ball, we simply didn’t have the number of players needed to field a team properly, and that was shown by our two forfeits.

Despite our many losses, this past season was a great one. Ask any player and he can easily tell you a story about the season, be it achieving personal success on the field, breaking tackles or making them. Or perhaps it’s the memories of the coaches, who, on a side note, volunteered for their positions and stuck them out with us the whole season. Football is about more than winning. It is about being part of the team, having dozens of brothers by your side, for the coveted three-month season throughout the whole year. Football is about learning discipline, and overcoming obstacles. Thinking of Redmen football in that light, our team was a grand success.

This season has left room for opportunity. Take our grade eleven’s for example, not to be too cliché, but there is nowhere to go but up. Players like Eric Britton and Sage Sharma, our two grade eleven captains, will do all they can to secure a larger team next year. We all pray for our remaining players to have a better season next year, and in saying so I vouch for all grade twelve’s sadly leaving the Redmen Football program. Hopefully they can pass on the lessons we have learned to our prospective grade ten’s joining the senior team next year and have just as many stories and memories as we do.

An Interview With Carly W.

This week’s Sports article features an interview with Carly W., a prominent participant in Redman athletics. She is a track and field athlete as well as an outstanding soccer player, and is currently the captain of Western Canada High School’s senior girls’ soccer team.

Maria C.R.: Tell me about yourself

Carly W.: I am a grade twelve student at Western Canada High School, and I am captain of the girls’ soccer team. I play sweeper, which is the last defender back. Also, I run track and field. As well as playing soccer, I also coach soccer. Next year, I want to take a year off, then afterwards attend the University of Western Ontario.

MCR: When did you start playing soccer?

CW: I started playing when I was five years old, just in a small community league. Back then I didn’t really enjoy it, so I stopped playing until I was ten. I’ve been playing ever since. However, this year I have decided not to play club soccer, only school soccer.

MCR: Why is that?

CW: Even though I still love soccer, I have decided to take on track full-time. It was a tough choice!

MCR: What was your most memorable school soccer game?

CW: Last year, during school soccer, we were playing William Aberhart. It was a regular season game, but they were one of our biggest competitors. It was really close, but we won in the end. This game is memorable because I was playing defence and I got knocked over inside of our box. I was so stressed because I feared that I might cause a goal, so rather than try to get up, I launched my body in front of the other player’s foot to block her shot! Luckily, the girl backed off and my teammate swooped in and took the ball away from her. I’m just thankful that I walked away without a broken nose, or worse!

MCR: How about the worst soccer game?

CW: This one’s easy: City Finals this year. It was probably the hardest moment of my athletic career. I went in thinking “they’re tough competition, but we can win if we work hard.” We were playing against Ernest Manning [High School]. As defence it’s hard, because often times your mistakes will cause goals. At the beginning of the game, I made a mistake that resulted in a goal. Immediately, I became rattled. Unfortunately, things just went downhill from there. We couldn’t seem to get a goal, and I started to worry too much about how the other girls were playing rather than doing my job. Consequently, I lost focus, and two more goals were scored. It was fifteen minutes into the game, and the score was already three to zero for Manning. Seeing how frustrated and panicked I was, the coach pulled me out of the game. As team captain and a player who usually plays full games, this shattered my confidence and made me even more nervous. However, it made me realize how bad of a state I was in, and that I had to calm down in order to set an example for my teammates and get back in the game.

MCR: What did you take away from this experience?

CW: I learned that you can’t put a ton of pressure on yourself because it will shake your confidence and ruin your focus. I also learned that while it’s important to be aware of how your teammates are doing, your main focus should be your own game, and how you’re playing, not how they’re playing.

MCR: How was your experience as a member of the WCHS girls’ soccer team?

CW: In club soccer, I had been playing with the same girls since I was in grade six. Also, my soccer club was never very serious. Thus, it’s fun and challenging to be a part of a team that plays at a high level, with teammates who work their butts off every game. I love getting to be a leader, and getting to bond with a whole new group of girls.

MCR: What’s your favourite soccer team?

CW: Manchester United!