A group of Shuswap rugby players enjoyed a dream spring break in the Cayman Islands that included sun, sand, swimming and competition.
Over the break, the Yeti Rugby Club’s U18 boys and girls, along with coaches and parents, were at Grand Cayman where players had an opportunity to train with the coach of Bermuda’s national rugby team.
“It was an incredible experience and skills learned to take to the games,” said coach Greg Seed in a Yeti media release.
The boys and girls teams also had the chance to play three games each versus Grand Cayman rep teams.
In their first game, the U18 Boys played well, despite facing off against opponents conditioned to the sweltering heat that the Shuswap players weren’t used to. Koda Gunn earned the Ironman Award playing prop, while Kale Goodman was named the Wrecking Ball by the announcers. All three of the boy’s games were shared on YouTube. Final score was 15 - 15. Yeti tries were scored by Jute Norlin and Kale Goodman.
For the boys’ second game, the men of the match were Tyson Allard playing 2nd row, who continuously stole the Cayman ball on almost every line out; and Aidan Hickman for the backs, as his quick speed and burst of brilliance helped put points on the board for the Yeti. George Frey played extremely well with try saving tackles and scoring 2 tries plus 1 conversion. Final score was 25 for the Grand Cayman team, and 18 for the Yeti.
The Yeti boys’ last game of the trip ended 20-31 for Grand Cayman. Man of the Match was Grayson Tolsdorf, while Forward Player of the Game was Nixon Rolf and Back Player of the game was Andrew Steinwand, followed by Kai Wilson in the back line.
The U18 girls dominated their first game with a final score of 24-5. Contributing to the tally was a hat trick from Louisa Imolele. Louisa Imolele was recognized as Most Valuable Back, Fiea Marsh as Most Valuable Forward and Keira Jaeger as Hardest Worker.
The second game for the U18 girls was successful again, with the Yeti tallying 27-10. The commentators of the live games expressed how impressed they were as, “the U18 (girls) played a very structured game.”
Most Valuable Back was Ally Ursulak, Most Valuable Forward was Carly McBeth, while Elail Celesta was recognized as Hardest Worker.
The final game for the girls team ended 36-17, with another hat trick for Imolele. Most Valuable Back: Louisa Imolele; Forward: Ruby Kaltiainen; Hardest Worker: Sarah Moore.
Reflecting on the trip, coach Jenna Elidoros said it was an amazing for the boys and girls teams, “filled with lots of fun and a great experience in rugby.”
The girls had trained the last few months in a gymnasium and it was their first time on grass this season and won all 3 of their 15’s games.”
“Most importantly, we really bonded as a girls team and a club,” said Elidoros. “I think the girls grew stronger together overall, and it sets the tone for what the season ahead looks like.”
Following the Cayman Islands trip, on March 29 Imolele travelled with the u16 BC 7s team to Tampa, Florida to represent British Columbia.
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