It was supposed to be a secret. Well, sort of. When the Saskatchewan U18 women’s rugby 7s team was finalized, all the players selected were told to keep the choices under wraps for at least a week, until an official announcement was made.
Easier said than done.
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“It felt pretty good,” said Daryl Levitsky, one of four Lloydminster players in the Team Sask mix for the Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, N.L., in August.
“We weren’t allowed to tell anyone, though, as soon as we got word, because the rosters weren’t official yet.
“But it was pretty good. It was so cool, because the Canada Games is such a great opportunity and there’s so many different athletes there. So, I think it’s going to be awesome.”
As enthused as they were to be selected, the girls had to wait another week before sharing the news with friends and others outside their immediate family.
In her case, “the only person who knew was my dad,” said Levitsky, entering Grade 12 at Lloydminster Comprehensive High School.
She and three other Lloyd Comp Barons are training with Team Sask as it prepares for the opening week of the Canada Games, set for Aug. 8-16.
Levitsky, Heidi Bedwell and Ginger Newstead were named to the 12-member final roster, while Kaitlyn Cunningham was selected as one of the three reserves ready to step in if another player is injured and unable to participate.
Newstead tried to contain her euphoria when she learned she was part of the provincial team.
“It was so exciting,” she said. “I wanted to tell my friends, but it was just your family that you could tell about the roster.”
Before long, the girls received congratulatory messages from all corners, especially throughout the vibrant rugby community of Lloydminster and area.
LLOYD RUGBY EVOLVING
The girls were happy for each other, as much as themselves.
“It was really exciting,” said Bedwell, a graduate from the class of 2025 at Lloyd Comp. “It’s nice to have people that you’ve been playing with for a long time, that also made the team, just for that connection.
“There’s definitely been a lot of hard work that’s gone into all of it, and it’s just showing how much rugby is growing in Lloyd and evolving, with how well the athletes are coming out.”
One of those friends that Bedwell has known for most of her life is Cunningham.
From rodeo to rugby, “me and Kaitlyn have been friends forever,” Bedwell said. “We’ve known each other since we were little through mutuals and
parents.”
Streamstown’s Bedwell is undecided about her immediate post-secondary school plans. She hopes the well-scouted Canada Games might lead to opportunities for rugby or university, or both.
“I know for sure I want to keep playing rugby,” she said. “Whether that’s just with a club team or whether I travel to a different country and play rugby, or attend university and play university rugby, I’m for sure wanting to stay on that path. See where it takes me.”
Bedwell’s journey has already taken her from the rodeo trail and the dance world to high-level rugby.
INJURY RECOVERY
Cunningham defied the odds when she earned a reserve spot on the Canada Games roster even after suffering a major knee injury this past high school season in just her first year of playing rugby.
“I was out for about three weeks, and I didn’t expect to make any part of the (provincial) team, at all,” Cunningham said. “I was, like, ‘OK, this is my injury year. I’m just going to recover.’ And then, I was asked to be a reserve player and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, this is an amazing opportunity.’
“Initially, I was assessed with an ACL tear, and then a week later a PCL tear, and then I got an MRI the week after that, and it was just a bone bruise in my left knee.”
Now, if one of the Saskatchewan players is sidelined with an injury, Cunningham would be eligible to make the trip to St. John’s for the Canada Games.
Either way, she’s delighted to be in the equation, playing in the recent Calgary 7s tournament and practising with the club each Wednesday in
Saskatoon.
“I definitely do (feel equally excited),” said Cunningham, who will captain the Barons in her senior year at the Comp.
“I’m very much a team player, so I love just supporting my girls and seeing what they can do. It’s super cool that they allow the reserve players to practise with the team and be involved with the team the entire time, so if there were to be an (injury) issue, we could jump in right away because we’re all so bonded.”
Cunningham believes that kind of willingness to accept any role, big or small, “is such a big part of sports.”
Her varied sports background includes competitive softball, along with rodeo and other horse-related activities.
The Barons competed in the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association rugby provincials this year in both the 7s and 15s competitions.
“They were both really good experiences,” Bedwell said. “This year was a great group of girls with the Barons rugby team. We did pretty well for being Lloyd, a smaller community.”
Newstead, going into Grade 11 this September, concurred that Lloyd Comp made headway, even against high school heavyweights from Edmonton and Calgary.
“I think we played really well,” she said. “We didn’t place good. It’s hard to compete with the really big schools in the (larger) cities. But we had fun. We played well.”
IMPACTFUL COACHES
As they represent Saskatchewan on a national stage next month, the Lloyd girls are thankful they’ve had coaches back home who have helped them develop and reach the provincial program.
Coaches like Jason Ross, a familiar face in rugby and hockey circles in Lloydminster. He and other coaches have given the rugby girls the direction they needed and wanted.
“I would say that Jason Ross definitely helped us out along the way, especially as backs, through the school season,” Cunningham said. “He was always super encouraging and showing us plays that he had done when he was younger. He helped us and built our confidence. He was willing to put in the time for us to build our connections, especially with Daryl (Levitsky) and I. We needed the timings to work out and he was a big part of that.”
Newstead spoke of another coaching influence on her rugby path.
“For me, Chris Scramstad introduced me to rugby,” said the second-youngest member of Team Sask. “He’s really helped me grow and he’s been a really good and supportive coach all the way through. He still comes and watches our games. He’s from Lashburn (Sask.). He’s my club coach.”
On Saturday, July 12, Lashburn hosted a UBC regional skills camp, with Canadian U20 women’s coach Dean Murten leading the way. Team Sask athletes were also involved.
FUNDRAISER SUPPORTS ATHLETES
The Lloyd girls encourage supporters to participate in a 50-50 cash raffle that’s open for bidding on saskrugby.com.
“You can pick certain players and select them, and you can donate towards us,” Newstead said. “It should be right at the top of the website.
“It funds all of our training leading up to the Games, so it’s really helpful.”
STEYL ON SASK MEN’S TEAM
Male rugby is also part of Week 1 action at the Canada Games. The U20 men’s rugby championship will include a Saskatchewan team that has one player — Jaru Steyl — from Lloydminster.
Steyl is a graduate of the Holy Rosary Raiders high school program.
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