High school hosts rugby tournament in ongoing effort to rebuild program in Medicine Hat

He said it meant a lot of high school players didn’t have the opportunity to participate.

“These past couple of years we’ve really tried hard to rebuild the program,” he told CHAT News Saturday.

“This year we’ve switched from a fifteens format to a sevens format, and it’s been highly successful with a ton of energy.”

Black said the past couple of years MHHS tried really hard to rebuild the rugby program. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Head coach of MHHS rugby Quinn Skelton is retiring this year after teaching at the school for 35 years.

Skelton said he will continue to coach with the school, however.

“It’s pretty hard to hang it up after that much time,” he said.

“Stay involved with the kids. It’s always such a positive experience,” he added.

“It’s just too hard. It’s hard to quit.”

Skelton said rugby is a game that a lot of students don’t get to start until high school, so there’s a lot to learn in a short period of time.

“Every tournament is just another step forward for them, and lots of fun kids really enjoy it,” he said.

Skelton said every rugby tournament is another step forward for players to learn the sport. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

MHHS rugby player Jaxin Crosschild said the high school is losing a piece with Skelton’s retirement as a teacher.

“He’s been here for a while. He’s a well respected figure- as a teacher, as a coach, as a person,” he said.

Crosschild said in his first year of high school, rugby wasn’t as popular of a sport.

“But the group of grade tens we got to go in really bought in to Mr. Black and Skelton’s philosophy of the team,” he said.

“Building us as characters, and as rugby players, and they really did a good job with that.”

Crosschild said the high school is losing a piece with Skelton’s retirement as a teacher. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

MHHS rugby player Divyne Mandel said she’s hoping to play professional competitive rugby after graduating.

“After high school, I’m hoping some of the colleges accept me to their teams to play competitively with them,” she said.

Mandel said Medicine Hat and the high school have been a good jumping off point for rugby, and the girls have put their whole hearts into representing their team.

“A better, stronger team for Medicine Hat High School. So yeah, we work pretty hard.”

Mandel said Medicine Hat and the high school have been a good jumping off point for rugby. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Rugby player Laure Poulman is an exchange student from Belgium, and never expected to play rugby when she came to Canada.

“I was more like trying maybe famous games, like curling, or skating, skiing- because I never have before. But never rugby,” she said.

“It’s really a good moment of my exchange here.”

Poulman said she never expected to play rugby when she came to Canada from Belgium. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Black said rugby is an amazing character building sport with a lot of camaraderie.

“I just love to see the game keep growing in Medicine Hat, and keep building off the energy that the boys and girls have brought this weekend,” he said.

Medicine Hat High School will be hosting the zone championships for rugby on May 17.

The results of the tournament on Saturday are yet to be shared with CHAT News.

by Jayk Sterkenburg

High school hosts rugby tournament in ongoing effort to rebuild program in Medicine Hat

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