Long-term dreams have become a short-term reality for a budding Okotoks rugby star.
Long-term dreams have become a short-term reality for a budding Okotoks rugby star.
Holy Trinity Academy Grade 10 student Brogan Mior will trade in her Knights and Foothills Lions jerseys for one with the maple leaf this summer after being selected to Canada's U18 women's rugby roster for a pair of international fixtures with the U.S. in August.
“I am surprised. I was hoping to represent Canada in a couple years, but it happened this year,” said Mior of wearing the maple leaf. “I think it will be really crazy because I've dreamed of it and a lot of people have dreamed of representing their country and I'm just really excited and proud to do it.”
It's been a meteoric rise from club to national rugby.
Mior, part of a prolific rugby family in the community, jumped into the sport at the age of 11 with the Foothills Lions U13 boys and quickly found an acumen.
“When I first started playing with the boys I felt like I understood what was going on and that I was a decent player,” she said. “It was a little more difficult and I started with that.
“I was a little timid playing with the boys, but once I got to girls rugby I felt like I improved a lot.”
Two years at the U15 level then led to opportunities to play at nationals, stoking the hopes of one day wearing national colours.
“Once I had the opportunity to play for Alberta and once I was at that age I knew I wanted to achieve being on Team Canada,” Mior said. “It was when I was old enough to play and realized I was decent at rugby and thought I could go places with it.”
Over the past year alone, Mior captained the U15 Lions to city and provincial championships, led the Calgary Mavericks to titles in sevens and fifteens, won silver at the Alberta Summer Games and recently took home the bronze at the U18 Sevens championships in Vancouver.
“The amount of rugby I've got to play in the past year and been able to experience has been really great,” she said. “I've grown as a player throughout all those experiences.”
There for a good amount of her growth has been the biggest influence on her young rugby career, Lions coach Jim Ryan.
“He knows a lot about rugby, is super knowledgeable and is a great coach by telling you exactly what you need to work on,” she said. “He definitely wants you to succeed and that's really important.”
Succeeding in landing one of the 24 spots on the Canada roster was an exercise in determination.
Three evaluation camps were held since the fall before the roster was finalized.
“I tried to show that I was coachable and that I could listen and adapt to what they were telling me,” Mior said. “Everything they showed me I tried to implement it into the game play we had. My confidence has improved a lot from all the camps, especially the last one.”
The Top 40 camp in Vancouver in March was uber-competitive with prospects scratching and clawing for the final 24 spots on the roster. Mior saw time at fly-half as well as inside and outside centre.
“It's the top 40 in Canada and I felt like everyone was kind of at the same level so it was the little things they were looking for,” she said. “They were looking for someone who is coachable and who had potential.”
The Canada-U.S. series runs Aug. 1 and 5 at Gee Gees Field in Ottawa.
For more information go to rugbycanada.ca
