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Howlers spread love of the game in Colombia

Three members of the Foothills Lions took more than a rugby trip of a lifetime back with them.
Okotokian Thomas Isherwood hangs out with local children in Medellín, Colombia on tour with the Dog River Howlers
Okotokian Thomas Isherwood hangs out with local children in Medellín, Colombia on tour with the Dog River Howlers

Three members of the Foothills Lions took more than a rugby trip of a lifetime back with them.

Sport came second to community as Lions Thomas Isherwood, Brogan Mior and Larissa Little quickly found out on a rugby tour with the Dog River Howlers sharing the game with the less fortunate in the infamous city of Medellín, Colombia.

“The trip itself was beyond amazing,” said Little, a Grade 12 student at Foothills Composite. “I know I went for rugby and that’s the main thing I was there for, but there was so much more than that.

“All the people that we met, everything we did was so much more than rugby. That’s the motto of the (Howlers) organization, it’s more than a game, it’s a way of life.”

The Howlers make the trek to the South American nation every year.

Though Mior has seen and heard about the tour from a friend who previously took in the experience, she wasn’t quite prepared for what she saw with her own eyes.

“I kind of knew what I was going into,” said Mior, a Grade 11 student at Holy Trinity Academy. “But it was definitely not what I expected. At first it was kind of a shock to see the amount of poverty that most of the country lives in. Medellín, pretty much everywhere we went was in the slums.

“When I got home it was a reality check, it made me realize how lucky we are to have everything we do.”

That this was not a typical rugby tour become immediately evident.

The first day in Medellín saw the Howlers visit the Life for Life foundation.

There they interacted with locals, sharing dancing tips, playing volleyball and rugby.

“The second I got off the plane and landed in Medellín it was different,” Little said. “When we took the bus tours it’s so sad because all these kids and these people compared to us really have nothing. They have the minimum and they’re just so happy with what they have.

“It was really upsetting to see that some of these kids aren’t going to have a bright life at all.”

The Howlers all brought gently used rugby equipment – jerseys, shirts, socks, balls, backpacks - to donate to their new friends in Medellín.

“It was pretty sweet seeing the smiles on the kids faces after giving them just a couple pairs of shoes or socks,” Isherwood said. “They were pretty grateful for everything they got.”

The Foothills Lions’ sharp orange black and white kit was a particular hit with the Colombian kids.

“One of the boys was crying because he said he’s never seen a jersey so nice,” Little said. “It was so amazing to see that our second hand stuff was just beautiful for them.”

Known primarily as a football loving nation, the Colombians turned some heads with their abilities with the oval shaped ball.

Rugby Colombia has put an emphasis on using the sport to direct children away from the drugs and gangs lifestyle.

“We travelled a long way to play against them and they were pretty excited to play against someone from another country and so were we,” Isherwood said.

“I’m grateful for everything I have here, to have the people around me who help me develop. I have a much better life here than there.”

The Howlers won in just one of its four divisions, the U16 girls team featuring Mior, against some surprisingly strong opposition.

“I was impressed how good they were,” said Mior. “The level was really good.”

The Howlers are an eclectic group that defy geographic borders with players from Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Netherlands with team staff from as far away as South Africa.

Rugby was the international language for the athletes.

“We had a girl from Holland, two Spanish girls who spoke no English so we had to communicate all our plays using hand gestures,” Mior said. “Going to experience playing with girls from different places, girls who don’t speak the same language and playing girls from a different country was really amazing.”

One of the Howlers knew first-hand what a life raised in the slums of Medellín felt like.

The largest city in the Antioquia province is infamously known as the base of the Medellín cartel led by former drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

“When you land and see the mountain top it’s one of the prettiest cities,” Isherwood said. “But when you get down to the streets it’s really bad. One guy on our team used to live there and got brought to Canada and he now goes to school here. He showed us where he used to live, it was really bad, he said could have been killed, there were guns there all the time.”

The 10-day journey to South America more than anything gave the young athletes a healthy dose of perspective to take back into their lives in the Foothills.

“On our last day of the tour when we each had little speeches I said I know that us going there and spending time with the locals was supposed to benefit them, but I honestly think I benefited more,” Little said. “Because taking that point of view back to the life I live now makes me realize that even my worst type of day is something they strive for.

“I can never not be grateful for the life I live because compared to theirs it’s so amazing.”


Remy Greer

About the Author: Remy Greer

Remy Greer is the assistant editor and sports reporter for westernwheel.ca and the Western Wheel newspaper. For story tips contact [email protected]
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