Meet the four girls from the Lloyd Comp selected to Team Sask for rugby 7s
Four rugby girls from Lloydminster Comprehensive High School were in the Team Saskatchewan picture at the Canada Summer Games this month in St. John’s, N.L.
Read more: Lloyd girls prominent on provincial rugby team
Three of those Barons — Heidi Bedwell, Daryl Levitsky and Ginger Newstead — were among 12 players named to the final U18 women’s roster for the Canada Games rugby 7s tournament in the first week of the Games. A fourth Lloydminster player, Kaitlyn Cunningham, landed a reserve spot with Team Sask.
Bedwell has just graduated from Lloyd Comp, Cunningham and Levitsky are going into Grade 12 and Newstead enters Grade 11 this September.
Each of the girls spoke with the Meridian Source on the Comp grounds before the Games tournament began.
DARYL LEVITSKY
Age: 16 (turning 17 in September 2025).
Position: forward (prop or hooker).
On her Lloyd Comp rugby background: “Our school program has brought a lot of connections,” Levitsky said. “Rugby is a big family part. You build so many connections. You meet so many different people that you probably wouldn’t have met before. Rugby brings it together. There’s a whole bunch of different cliques, and then you guys all click together, so it’s awesome. You make a lot of new friends.”
On visiting Atlantic Canada for the first time: “I heard it’s so cool and that everyone who goes there loves it, and it’s a great experience.”
On her goals for the Games: “My goal is to play every game, leave it all on the field and not have a regret about any game. And to just have fun, honestly. It would be cool to win, but it’s also such a good experience (regardless).”
GINGER NEWSTEAD
Age: 16 (turning 17 in January 2026).
Position: forward (prop in scrums).
On her rugby travels: “For rugby, I’ve been all over North America, so I think it will be cool to see other parts of Canada,” Newstead said. “I haven’t been to the East, ever. I’m excited. I like to see new places. I’ve been to B.C. to play, and I went to Florida one year for a 7s tournament, and last year to Utah.”
On her provincial team background: “I’ve been playing rugby for Sask for a really long time and it’s a really good community and experience. Everyone is really close. It’s just a good environment to play in. I played 15s with them the year before last. I was too young to play in the tournament last year in Manitoba.”
On going to the Canada Games with her Comp friends and teammates: “It’s exciting that all of us made the team. We all worked so hard all season, so to get to do it together is special. It’s awesome.”
HEIDI BEDWELL
Age: 18 (turning 19 in February 2026).
Position: “I usually play anywhere in the backs,” Bedwell said. “I’ve been playing more so wing and scrum half, but I also play a bit of 5, which is fly-half, and centre.”
On making your first trip to Atlantic Canada: “The farthest (east) I’ve been to is Manitoba. So, I’m really excited for the experience to see what it’s like out there.”
On the culturally rich background of Newfoundland and Labrador — and the Canada Games: “I think that’s a huge part of it. Even our coaches have been telling us, we’re going to play rugby and that’s our main goal and mission, but also just to enjoy the whole experience and take everything in. Just enjoy every minute of it.”
On getting to know teammates from elsewhere in Saskatchewan and Canada Games athletes from other teams and sports: “There’s even one girl from the Northwest Territories who’s playing with us. She went to school in Notre Dame, in Wilcox, Sask., so I think that’s pretty cool, too. Just meeting girls from all over and making new friends.”
On the outlook for Team Sask: “I would say it’s definitely a really good team dynamic. A lot of different elements — everyone is really strong at their respective positions. The more we play together, the more we click and flow well. The Wednesday training sessions just started up (in mid-July), but we’ve had some other rugby. We had a few training days in Saskatoon and then went over to Calgary and played in the Stampede 7s tournament.”
KAITLYN CUNNINGHAM
Age: 17 (turning 18 in January 2026).
On your summer job: “I’m doing landscaping with Daryl,” Cunningham said of teammate Levitsky. “We work together.”
On your forthcoming senior year at the Comp: “I’m really excited for Grade 12. I’m the captain for the next season of rugby at the Comp, and then I’m one of the leadership presidents at the school, too. So, it’ll be a busy year.”
On adapting to rugby in just your first year of playing: “I immediately fell in love with it. We started our practices at school at the multiplex, inside, not really knowing much about the sport. Our first tournament out, I felt amazing. I loved the running and the physical aspect, as well as the way you can match up with your other teammates to make switch plays and pop-off plays.”
On your Grade 11 visit to Atlantic Canada: “I went to Nova Scotia last school year to tour post-secondary institutions. I made the trip up with my mom. I went to Acadia, Dalhousie and St. F.X. universities. I fell in love with their campuses. It was beautiful.”
On your diverse sports background: “I have done rodeo in the past. English riding as well. I’ve played higher-level softball — I went to nationals and Westerns a couple of times. I’ve played club and school volleyball. We’re hoping to get a flag football team for school in the fall. (Rodeo-wise), I used to do barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying and a lot of whacky gymkhana events. I was quite heavily into it.”
On your connection with teammate Bedwell: “We’ve always kind of crossed paths between friends and school and rodeo. We’re very similar in a lot of ways.”
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