‘I’ve tried every sport under the sun’: U of R nursing student chosen for RBC Training Ground finals

Anderson will be among 100 athletes competing in Saturday’s RBC Training Ground national final

Published Nov 30, 2023 • 3 minute read

Gracie Anderson going through vertical testing at the RBC Training Ground event in Saskatoon on March 25, 2023. Photo by Liam Richards /Electric Umbrella

Gracie Anderson tried so many sports, looking for the special activity that best suited her personality and talents.

Turns out it’s rugby.

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“I’ve tried every sport under the sun and loved everything, but not enough to really pursue it,” said Anderson, who plays centre/back with the University of Regina’s seven-a-side rugby club and has been chosen as an RBC Training Ground national finalist.

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“I wrestled, played soccer for 10 years from five to 15 or 16 years old. I did biathlon for one winter and I love that, but just didn’t have the time for it. I actually did speed skating when I was younger for a brief moment. Once I saw rugby, I really decided at the beginning of this year that it could maybe take me somewhere.”

That’s where RBC Training Ground entered the scene. An eight-year-old initiative, according to its press release “RBC Training Ground is the Canadian Olympic Committee’s official cross-country talent search, designed to identify and fund future Olympians.”

Anderson, 21, was chosen as one of 100 national finalists during a preliminary event in Saskatoon earlier this year. She will now be among 100 athletes from across the country competing in the national final on Saturday in Toronto.

“I feel like I thrive off chaos,” said Anderson. “Every part of my day is taken up, down to the hour. When I don’t have that I kind of lose my groove.

“I’ve always been so busy, running from school, doing my homework, to sports to everything in between. And, I know, I kinda love it.”

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Mya Kolach, who competes in softball and volleyball at Wadena Composite School, will also be attending the final event in Toronto at the invitation of Luge Canada, a sport she had never tried before RBC Training Ground.

The program assesses an athlete’s strength, speed, endurance and size to determine the best sporting match for their attributes. Thirty athletes from the final could earn funding, “a spot on Team Canada with one of 12 partner National Sports Organizations and an accelerated path to the Olympics.” There were 2,200 athletes between the ages of 14-25 at this year’s local qualifiers. Anderson is now on Rugby Canada’s radar as a prospective future member of the national team.

“The only problem is that I’m still in school,” said Anderson, who is four years into a five-year nursing program. “I can’t really move away or do anything for the next couple of years, so I’d have to wait to actually start training.

“I think this is more to get my foot in the door, get invited to camps, some training sessions then see where it goes from there because right now I have to finish school.”

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The university women’s club team regularly attends conference tournaments, but with a lull in its schedule the athletes are still training twice weekly. Anderson also plays regular, 15-a-side rugby “for fun” during the summer.

“Sevens is super-fast,” said Anderson. “It’s only seven-minute halves, so the game is done so quick. It’s basically like doing burpees and sprinting back and forth for the whole 14 minutes.”

Anderson started playing rugby at O’Neill High School, where she had also been on the wrestling team, but had to take a break from her newfound sport because of the COVID-19 pandemic. O’Neill didn’t have its own team so the players combined forces with their cross-street rivals from Thom Collegiate.

“I wrestled because the aggression of it, but I like more of a team aspect and I missed working with a team,” said Anderson.

“Rugby has the perfect combination for all my best abilities like speed and power, plus it’s a great sports environment. Everyone is so accepting of everyone else, even after you’ve taken each other out on the field.”