Rugby Ontario brings Rookie Rugby to Hockey Canada camp

July 18, 2017

Rugby Ontario brings Rookie Rugby to Hockey Canada camp in Parry Sound

(PARRY SOUND, ON) - On Monday, Rugby Ontario participated in a Hockey Canada camp held in Parry Sound. Hockey Canada invited Rugby Ontario to participate, as part of their increased focus on the benefits of being a multi-sport athlete.

This was a great opportunity for Rugby Ontario to build a mutually beneficial relationship with Hockey Canada to provide a variety of sporting experiences and opportunities for the youth of Ontario. It was also a great opportunity to introduce rugby to youth from around the Parry Sound area.

Rugby Ontario held a morning session with the athletes which included modified rugby games (Flag tag, British Bulldog, relays, passing channels, circle passing, 5-10 try) and an afternoon session of Rookie Rugby flag matches.

Rugby Development Manager David Patterson and Rugby Development Coordinator Safa Khan were in attendance to provide Rookie Rugby activation for the campers. Through this Rookie Rugby activation, Rugby Ontario was able to introduce rugby to 70 athletes aged 7-13.

Although avid multi-sport athletes, only a couple of the campers and one staff member had played rugby before. Both campers and staff were happy to try something new and to kick off their week-long camp with Rookie Rugby. The week-long hockey camp will continue to feature other sports hosted by National Sport Organizations (NSOs) including the Canadian Lacrosse Association, Canada Ultimate, and Athletics Canada.

Rugby Ontario looks forward to partnering with Hockey Canada and other NSOs to grow the game of rugby.

ABOUT ROOKIE RUGBY

Rookie Rugby is the nation-wide introductory rugby program for ages 6 to 14 that provides both teachers and coaches with a safe, fun, and inclusive non-contact curriculum to introduce children to rugby.

Rookie Rugby is a game-based curriculum built on national guidelines for Health and Physical Education curriculums.

The program provides open-access, easy-to-follow game modules for leading a variety of activities that build introductory, non-contact rugby skills and provide teachers - including those that are unfamiliar with rugby - with new methods to promote physical literacy and practice Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS).

For more information, go to www.rookierugby.ca.

ABOUT RUGBY ONTARIO

Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to establish a stronger identity for rugby in Ontario by promoting the sport’s core values and by fostering a culture of inclusiveness and excellence on and off the field of play.

To learn more, visit https://www.rugbyontario.com/