A second tour of duty with Canada is too good to be true for a pair of St. Albert premier women’s rugby players.
Sydney De La Mare and Mckenzie Pusch are among 24 players and seven Albertans selected to the U20 national team for next month’s Can-Am series against the United Sates.
The Aug. 3 and 7 matches will be played at Gee-Gees Field in Ottawa.
Pusch is a returnee to the U20 lineup and De La Mare is a graduate of the U18 team.
“It’s very exciting. You never really know if you’re ever going to make it again. It’s very competitive,” Pusch said.
“I’m just really grateful that I actually had the opportunity to do it again,” De La Mare added. “That experience of getting to play for your country in the Maple Leaf jersey was a totally unforgettable moment for me last year.”
De La Mare, 19, is among a handful of players on the U20 roster from the U18 squad that toured England in April of 2016.
The high school rugby product of the Paul Kane Blues was slotted at lock in two matches against the England Talent Development Group.
“That experience will for sure help me, just to be exposed to that level and the coaches and the managers,” De La Mare said. “The biggest thing is just the shock of how much more serious and how much more intense it was. Everyone expects a lot from you, even the players expect so much more from you at that level than playing for St. Albert or in high school or wherever it is.
“You’re representing your country so there is no fooling around.”
The exposure to the high standards of Canadian rugby was also an eye opener for Pusch.
“I realized playing for Canada it’s very, very strict. They have strict meal times, strict practice times, everything is very strict,” said the winger for Canada during the three-game series against U20 England last year in August. “Obviously the girls get excited when they make the team but they don’t realize how much pressure and how much anxiety it can cause but in the end it’s just a lot of fun because all these girls are going through it with you.
“I hope when Sydney comes with me she doesn’t have too hard of a time realizing how stressful and motivating it is at the same time.”
Pusch is a better player because of the U20 experience.
“What I’ve learned is that not everything is going to be sugar-coated and not everyone is going to be nice to you,” Pusch said. “Everyone is in it to win it and you've got to work hard for what you want. You really need to be motivated. I’ve always relied on other people to motivate me, like my dad (David). He used to coach me in high school and U18s so I’ve learned to motivate myself.
“It’s definitely made me a more independent person for sure, a more independent rugby player per se.”
Pusch, 20, expects to see action at outside-centre against the United States.
“They want to put you where your strongest point is and I’m really good at breaking lines and running through them,” Pusch said. “Last year I was a winger because at the time I did a lot of cardio and I was really fast and quick. I had better stepping skills at the time, I guess.
“I weigh a bit more now so I'm working more on tackling and defensive structure and right now this year’s goal is being more of a threat on defence.”
Pusch honed her defensive skills with Westshore Rugby Club of Victoria, winner of the B.C. premier league championship while going 15-0 under the guidance of former St. Albert player/men’s coach Clay Panga before rejoining her home club.
“I learned how to tackle with my shoulder and not my arms. I learned, I guess just to be more defensive. I’ve always relied on being quick and being fast and it’s got me pretty far but I need to be a really good overall good player. I had that brush with reality with Canada last year because the girls were so fast, like faster than me,” said Pusch, who possesses Duncan Maguire calibre speed and is a threat to score every time she touches the ball.
Pusch joined Westshore after racking up the tries with the Central Washington University Wildcats in the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference.
“It was competitive at Westshore because they had Canada players on that team, like senior players,” said Pusch, who played high school rugby with the Bellerose Bulldogs. “They did put me at 13 (outside-centre) but obviously it’s hard to compete with a senior Canada woman so they threw me on the wing.
“A lot of the Canada girls were really nice to me and I learned so much from them and I think it made me a better rugby player just being there.”
Pusch and De La Mare cemented their roster spots for Canada with the Prairie Wolf Pack, a U20 select squad for the Canadian Rugby Championships.
“I’m glad I have the chance to play Wolf Pack and get myself seen and I’m glad Sydney is coming with me too. We work well together,” said Push, one of 11 players back from last year’s U20 team. “You always have girls like Sydney moving up (from U18) so it’s very competitive and I’m excited that I made it again.”
De La Mare was pleasantly surprised by her U20 selection after a lengthy audition process last year to make the U18 team.
“It came as a bit of a shock because I’m younger and I didn’t know how much Jen (Boyd, the U20 head coach) was watching but at the same time it was kind of like I deserve to be here kind of moment,” said De La Mare, who will line up at lock or flanker against the United States. “Hopefully I play U20 again next year and one day make the women’s team and go to a World Cup.”
De La Mare returned to St. Albert for another season with the women’s team after a strong freshman showing with the Lethbridge Pronghorns in 15s and 7s under the tutelage of Ric Suggitt, who died June 27 at the age of 58 from the effects of a sudden brain aneurysm.
“He taught me so much. He was such an amazing coach. This year was really the most growth I had in rugby in my career, especially playing 15s and sevens and for me it was like almost two different games but then to have both that knowledge and to be able to combine it now for this tour it can be really helpful,” said De La Mare, who made the travelling team for every 15s game and 7s tournament and was a starter for the majority of the season. “I hope to progress and I’m only going to get better with the new coaches we have coming to Lethbridge.”
The St. Albert U18 player of the year in 2016 is a pulverizing runner with Brett Kelly strength sticking her tackles. No matter if its 15s or 7s, she is a handful to stop.
“I’m still a bit comfortable at 15s just because that’s what I know the most but I’m hoping to get better in sevens as well,” said the kinesiology student who plans on becoming a physical education teacher.
