JENNIFER MacLENNAN
An open letter to Stephen Gallant, executive director, Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation:
Dear Mr. Gallant,
I’m sure that mine is not the only email that you have received, or will be receiving, over the recent announcement by the NSSAF board of governors to remove rugby from the school sport calendar.
I apologize in advance for what I expect will be a lengthy letter.
I’m a mother of two boys who’ve played multiple sports throughout their lives, but since taking up rugby in Grade 9, they’ve developed a true passion for it. In addition to this, they have also been instrumental in encouraging many of their classmates, both male and female, to become involved in the sport.
My youngest, Justin, is graduating this year from Northumberland Regional High School and is captain of his rugby team. He helped lead his team to victory last year at the NSSAF provincial championships. It was a year they will never forget, as the team went undefeated.
He will be present at the NSSAF awards banquet accepting the male athlete award for his school. I suspect that, after this decision to cancel rugby, he will be accepting the award with a bitter taste in his mouth. I can’t say I blame him. He will be quietly protesting by proudly wearing his rugby jersey and jacket to the banquet.
My older son graduated two years ago now, but he loves the game and continues to support it by helping coach the NRHS girls’ team. This is quite an accomplishment for a student who was rarely interested in applying himself at school.
Both boys play for their local Pictou County Men’s League, as well as the Nova Scotia rugby teams (U18 and Men’s Super League). This sport has given them many wonderful talents, skills and opportunities. They have been able to travel to several other provinces, as well as to Ireland, thanks to their involvement in rugby. We have a great respect and love of the sport in my family.
Needless to say, the mood in my house has been very glum since this announcement. I, too, find myself with an upset stomach and am highly frustrated by what feels like a very rash decision by the NSSAF. I’d like to think that it was not.
I hear that a student was seriously injured during a rugby game in Cape Breton on Wednesday and was airlifted to Halifax. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. No doubt, this had a huge impact on the board’s decision.
My understanding is that there have also been a large number of injuries among rugby players, considerably higher than for any other school sports, undoubtedly increasing the cost of insurance for the board, and most likely the major factor in its decision to remove rugby from the school sport calendar.
The incident involving the Cape Breton student does bring back those tragic memories from last year at the P.E.I. tournament, when young Brodie McCarthy was injured. He later died as a result of his injuries.
I still remember seeing the ambulance pulling away just as we arrived to watch my son play his first game of the tournament. It was later the next day, when I was waiting to go to see my son’s team play in the championship game, that we learned Brodie’s parents had made the decision to have him removed from life support and to donate his organs, so that others would have a chance to live.
It is every parent’s worst nightmare. It crosses our minds every time we watch our kids play any sport. We all say prayers that the students get through the games unscathed, but we know the inherent risks involved. We make the decision not to keep our kids in a bubble so they can live healthy lives, learning important life skills that help them grow into adults who are able to deal with the challenges of the world. Isn’t that what the motto of the NSSAF is meant to convey: Education through sport?
I have to honestly say that there is something about the sport of rugby that I just cannot seem to capture in words. It is like no other sport I have ever watched before — and believe me, my children have played everything from soccer, to baseball, hockey, frisbee, golf, basketball and track.
I wish you could see the excitement that comes over my two boys (who are now young men) when they get together here at home. If they’re not watching rugby on TV, then they’re tossing the ball around together, or they’re trying to teach their neighbourhood buddies how to toss the ball, or they’re discussing different plays and strategizing about the game. They even stay out after their practices, discussing the game with their coaches.
I have watched my youngest son go from a Grade 9 player who was timid and unsure of himself, to a Grade 10 player who began to develop great skills both on and off the field. Now he’s a champion of the sport, literally encouraging kids of all grades at his school who he feels would make an excellent addition to the team.
In just a few short years, he helped encourage well over 50 kids (both male and female) to try out for the sport at the school. I’ve watched these young athletes, many of whom were very passionate about hockey, change their attitudes — and now they consider rugby to be their favourite sport.
My son has gained a great deal of confidence as well as strong leadership skills as a result of his involvement in this sport. I have seen the same thing happen with many other students as well.
It is a sport that has the largest number of team members (generally close to 30 players compared to 12-18 for most other sports), creating more opportunities for kids to be part of a team.
Many of these students, to look at them from afar, based on their build, would not generally be considered athletic. But that is the beauty of rugby! There is a place on the team for all types of athletic builds and abilities. These dedicated students put in long hours of practice, and they play in tough conditions, out on wet, muddy fields and on cold days.
They come out covered head to toe in mud, with bruises and banged up knees and elbows, making us parents question why on Earth they want to play. But through it all, even for those who have lost a game, you can still see their white-toothed smiles peeking through those muddy faces, because they still feel they’ve accomplished something!
My son has given me some interesting insight that is worthwhile for your board to consider. He has suggested to me, that it is because of rugby that so many of the kids (I suspect the boys, in particular) continue to participate and attend classes as they get closer to the end of the school year. The students know that they will not get an opportunity to play if they don’t go to their classes. Without rugby as an incentive, it will be interesting to see how many of these students just give up and start skipping classes because they feel they have nothing more to work for. I hope that won’t be the case, but I suspect rugby has given many of the students reason to apply themselves academically.
One other comment I thought I’d share, which my son made last year upon learning of Brodie McCarthy’s passing: He asserted that Brodie was fortunate. I couldn’t understand why he had said that until he explained to me that there was no better way to leave this world than by doing what you love the most while playing with your buddies. It brought a tear to my eye, as I hate the thought of ever losing him — but he’s right. I do not want to ever have to see him lying in a hospital bed suffering from a disease, and should he be injured playing a sport that he loves — to the point that his quality of life changes, or that he loses his life — we will deal with that if and when it happens.
The kids who play the sport have a choice. They know the inherent risk that comes with playing, but they are willing to take that risk, because rugby is a true team sport that involves camaraderie. There’s general respect, not only for one’s teammates, but for the competition as well. It is the one sport in which I rarely hear someone yelling at the refs. It’s a sport where I rarely see physical fights breaking out between teams. It’s a sport where men accept and mentor boys as part of their team (and I assume the same happens for the women’s teams).
By taking this sport away from the students, you are also eliminating a major opportunity for females, in particular, to obtain athletic scholarships, which so many of them need to be able to afford their education. Rugby is the female equivalent of football in university athletics. Are you going to take that opportunity away from a gender that already faces so many obstacles?
We can appreciate the fear in having to deal with severe injuries like the one that occurred the other evening, but don’t make a rash decision and end a season that only has a month left till its completion.
Look at finding ways to make the sport safer. Work with Rugby Nova Scotia to develop coaching clinics and training sessions for the athletes. Enforce game cancellations when the weather is wet and cold, as it’s these types of conditions that increase the number of injuries. Have the students play games on indoor turf if this is a better alternative. And if the price of insurance increases, then hike the fees required to play the sport. Don’t let one tragic event ruin it for so many.
I certainly don’t envy your position right now, and I wish you great luck in dealing with the aftermath of this decision. I’m sure this won’t be the last that you will hear from the rugby community, and I, along with many others, do hope the board will reconsider this decision.
Sincerely,
Jennifer MacLennan, Scotsburn
RELATED: Nova Scotia high school rugby brought to a halt mid-season, insurance concerns cited
