Sydney De La Mare will embrace the moment with Rugby Canada’s U18 women’s team in England.
Canada will scrum down against England’s U18 side twice in five days, when the tour kicks off April 5 at Bicton College, near Budleigh Salterton, Devon.
“It’s a great opportunity to represent my country. Not everyone gets that chance and I want to make my country proud,” De La Mare said. “My goal for England is to take in the experience. This is really such a huge opportunity and I don’t want to take anything for granted. I get to wear the Maple Leaf jersey and I want to take it all in and enjoy my time there.”
De La Mare, 18, is one of six Albertans on the 24-player roster, consisting of nine from Ontario, seven from British Columbia and one each from Nova Scotia and Manitoba.
The St. Albert Rugby Football Club player was selected to Canada’s long list of 60 females for a week-long identification camp in Kingston, Ont., last October in preparation for finalizing the U18 touring side. Five different regional camps were held in late January and early February before the squad was declared.
The Grade 12 Paul Kane High School student was too sick to attend the regional camp in Red Deer but left a lasting impressive in the October tryouts for a spot on the U18 team.
“It’s a really good accomplishment. It means a lot,” De La Mare said. “I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to show what I could in the camp in October and they were impressed enough with me to take me even though I didn’t go to the regional camp.”
An MCL tear last summer almost derailed De La Mare’s selection to the ID camp. It forced her to miss a trip with the Prairie Wolfpack to Kelowna for a tournament against Rugby B.C. and development sessions with Rugby Canada selectors in attendance.
“I wasn’t able to play so I didn’t think I had any chance at all to make this team but luckily my coach (Randi Ross Hamre for U18 Alberta) put in some footage to the Canada coach and (Dan Valley) was really impressed,” De La Mare said. “So when I got the call (about the ID camp selection) I was just overwhelmed. I was really shocked actually.”
De La Mare was back on the pitch in late August for SARFC and in the Edmonton Rugby Union U19 junior final scored two robust tries in the loss to the Nor’Westers that was decided on drop goals.
De La Mare expects to be used at eight-man or lock on the England tour.
“I have size and I have speed, which is a weird combination. I’ve never really been a super great tackler or a great passer so my role has always been kind of get the ball and run,” said last year’s MVP for Paul Kane after scoring more than 20 tries in league and tournaments.
The only drawback to making U18 Canada was the tour coincided with the Canadian Ringette Championships, April 3 to 9 in London, Ont., for the centre/defenceman for the St. Albert Mission U19AA belles.
“I could balance ringette and rugby the whole year and that was OK but then I got the call for this team. We would leave around the same time my team is leaving for nationals and so I had to make a decision and I made the choice to go with rugby. It was really tough,” said the returning player from the 2015 national bronze-medal winning Mission. “I just had to give it up and focus on rugby. Also, it would be a bit unfair to my other team if I kept playing but didn’t go to nationals.”
De La Mare spent the offseason training two to three times a month with the Edmonton Gold rugby academy.
“I also train a lot on my own. I go to the gym and do interval training but it’s a lot of self motivation training.”
De La Mare and Alexie Pusch, a SARFC product who is attending the Shawnigan Lake School Rugby Academy, competed for U18 Team Alberta at the recent Vancouver 7s tournament. Alberta lost to Team B.C. in the final that was staged in front of a packed house at B.C. Place.
“The experience was so cool. It didn’t really matter that we lost,” said De La Mare, who props but also lines up on the outside in 7s and matches are two seven-minute halfs.
“Sevens is so quick. It’s over before you start it,” added De La Mare, who has no preference playing 7s or 15-a-side rugby. “They’re just very different. It’s like you’re almost playing two different sports. I like them both.”
After the England tour, De La Mare will join her Paul Kane teammates for another run at a metro Edmonton championship.
“It’s always a good time at Paul Kane. It’s always fun and relaxed,” said De La Mare, who attends the same high school her dad, Corey, a golden boy in the backs for SARFC way back in the day, graduated from. “I’m really excited to get started this year. We have lots of new Grade 10s and it looks like we’ll have a great season ahead of us.”
When the high school season ends, she aspires to play for the SARFC women’s team.
“I’m hoping to do that and get exposed to that level,” said De La Mare, who plans on attending the women’s outdoor training sessions this season.
De La Mare is also seeking sponsors for her England tour and donations are being accepted online at http://donate.rugbycanada.ca/e/sydneydelamare. Her target is $3,500 and so far $450 has been raised.
