By Marelle Reid

Mission Record

For its first international tour, Heritage Park Secondary School’s senior boys rugby team will be heading to the UK in 2010.

The school hosted a team from England a couple of times in the last few years, and now it’s Mission’s turn to see what high school rugby is like on that side of the world.

During spring break next March, 25 players in Grades 10 to 12 and four coaches will go to England and Wales to play a series of games.

Students will be billeted with host families of students from the King Edward VI in Stratford-Upon-Avon school, where Shakespeare studied in his youth.

Coach Jivan Dhaliwal said the trip will offer students a chance to experience the sport in an exciting setting and learn about the culture and lifestyle of the host countries.

The last tour for Heritage Park was to the Okanagan two years ago, and the international circuit is the next step for the team.

Dhaliwal said he hopes the team will eventually do an international tour every two years.

The UK was chosen for the 2009/2010 school year because of the school’s connection to King Edward VI, and because with a 10-day spring break, somewhere like Australia would be too far to travel.

While students in England and Wales have rugby in their blood, the sport is not as ingrained in our culture, but is rapidly gaining popularity.

Every year more students at Heritage Park have become interested in playing rugby since it was first offered in 2004.

Out of 800 students enrolled, HPSS has 145 students playing on five teams.

“When something is successful people want to be part of it,” said Dhaliwal.

Coach Jim Nattrass said he has seen players from the boys and girls teams tossing the ball around together on the field during breaks, and appreciates the way the sport is inclusive of both genders and all body types.

There are Grade 8 teams for both boys and girls, a junior team for boys, and senior teams for both boys and girls.

Nattrass suggested the sport offers students an extra-curricular activity that can keep some students on track if they would otherwise have difficulty with academics.

“Rugby and all school sports provide reasons to stay in school,” he said, and noted character development and school spirit are also fostered through involvement with school sports.

Heritage Park is the only high school in Mission that offers rugby as part of its athletic program.

Mayor James Atebe said he fully supports rugby in Mission, and has been involved in encouraging the school program as well as local recreational sports in general.

“I think there is no more engaging venues for youth to provide them opportunities to learn to work together [than school sports], but also to get life skills and being involved so they don’t get into other anti-social behaviours within our community,” he said.

This year Atebe helped promote an international Rugby Sevens tournament involving 16 teams at Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford.

Atebe made a friendly wager with the mayor of Abbotsford, George Peary, that if the Kenyan team lost to Canada he would wear a shirt that said “I Love the District of Mission” for a whole day, but in the final game Kenya beat the Canadians and took the trophy.

“I am still waiting for Mayor Peary to accept my wager to wear the shirt,” he said with a laugh.

Atebe said he saw an opportunity for Heritage secondary students to have a scrimmage with international teams, and a team from the West Indies was here this summer.

“I am hoping that by exposing our Mission youth to these international-calibre players, and getting the coaching staff to work with the organizers of Abbotsford Rugby Sevens, our kids can be exposed to a very high level of competition, and hopefully inspire them to do well not only at the community level here but at the provincial level.”

Promotion of minor sports is important to the community because it encourages youth to be engaged with and have pride in their community, Atebe said.

Having exposure to international-level sports teams is another way to inspire local players to reach for greater goals, he suggested.

Atebe said he would encourage individuals or businesses in the community to support the Heritage Park team in fundraising for the upcoming tour because, “It may be the beginning of big things to come for these kids.”