UNews - Ric Suggitt

Boulet gift establishes permanent endowment for Ric Suggitt Women's Rugby Memorial Award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 May 2023 17:32:16 +0000

The Ric Suggitt Women’s Rugby Memorial Award has received a gift of $20,000 from Bernadine (Bernie) (BEd ’88) and Toby Boulet (BEd ’89, MEd ’04), establishing a permanent endowment and ensuring future generations of student-athletes will receive this meaningful support in perpetuity. Much more than a monetary scholarship given annually to a women’s rugby player at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, the original award is a tribute to former Horns rugby coach Ric Suggitt and his legacy of selflessness and contributing to a better society.

Toby and Bernadine Boulet

Ric Suggitt coached just two years with the Horns (2015-2016) before his tragic passing in June 2017, and while his time as head of the program was short, the impact he made on campus, throughout Pronghorn Athletics and in the community was massive. His sphere of influence was wide and extended far beyond the rugby world — something that would become evident following his untimely death and the chain of tragic events that ensued.

“Ric was very special to our son Logan, and he offered to train Logan and his three buddies,” says Toby of his hockey-playing son. “He did a great job with them just out of the kindness of his heart and Logan really took to that — Ric was a larger-than-life personality.”

Suggitt was an organ donor and upon his passing, a tragedy turned into a miracle for those transplant recipients who benefitted from his ultimate gift. That last act of selflessness and giving resonated with Logan and he told his family he was signing up as an organ donor as well. What seemed like a symbolic gesture at the time eventually proved prescient, as Logan was one of the 16 people who died in the April 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash.

As the story emerged that Logan was able to save six lives through the donation of his organs, The Logan Boulet Effect was born, with hundreds of thousands of people signing up to be organ donors. The genesis of it all was Suggitt and his relationship with Logan, thereby making it easy for Bernie and Toby to choose to support the Ric Suggitt Women’s Rugby Memorial Award and continue to tell their story.

“You can never talk enough about a child who has passed away, and then it gives us a chance to talk about Ric and Ric’s influence on Logan and how he inspired him to become an organ donor,” says Toby.

Bernie echoes that sentiment and, as a co-chair of the Campaign for Students, encourages others to find an award that resonates with them if they are considering donating.

“I was never that person who would go out and ask for donations and then I thought back to when I was a student here and how fortunate I was to get scholarships and not have to worry about having to work while I was playing soccer and taking a full course load,” she says. “Those scholarships made a huge difference for me and when I took on this role, I thought about how hard it has been for students the last few years. It hasn’t been an easy road for them, and I see this campaign as an opportunity to build some positive connections again for our students to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and our community.”

Any donations to the Ric Suggitt Women’s Rugby Memorial Award, or any other new endowed student scholarship, will be matched by the ULethbridge Board of Governors as part of their $10-million pledge to student awards.

Keegan Brantner (BA ’21), a previous recipient of the award, which was established in 2017, says the scholarship was invaluable in helping her maintain focus on her schooling and her sport, rather than worrying about financial issues.

“Receiving the Ric Suggitt Women’s Rugby Memorial Award was a tremendous honor,” says Brantner. “The financial assistance is greatly appreciated but the meaning and legacy behind the award is what matters most to me. This award continues to honor Ric and his legacy as well as the values of selflessness, kindness, community and giving, which is what makes receiving this award so special.”

That the award bears Ric Suggitt’s name and will forever be connected to Ric, Logan and the Boulet family is heartening to Neil Langevin (BA/BEd ’91, MEd ’10), executive director of Pronghorn Athletics.

“This award isn’t just about the money, which of course is important and can be life changing for a student-athlete, it also speaks to everything we value in Pronghorn Athletics,” says Langevin. “The story behind this award and why it came to be is about making the world around you better, about impacting people’s lives and creating a legacy of giving and community. Each scholarship recipient will know that story and the responsibility that comes with this award and that’s a powerful lesson to learn. We couldn’t be more appreciative of the Boulet family and all the donors to this award who have made this happen.”

Those interested in donating, can give by visiting the Ric Suggitt Women’s Rugby Memorial Award webpage. To give to any other student scholarship, visit Campaign for Students.

Culture of Achievement

trevor.kenney — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 21:25:27 +0000

Nearly 20 years after the program was founded, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns Rugby knows what it is, having confidently carved out a recognizable identity.

Reflected in the championship banners that hang in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, on the Pronghorns Hall of Fame wall that celebrates its three successive national titles, in the eight Academic All-Canadians on the current roster, with the five players elected to the 50 Greatest Pronghorns list and throughout southern Alberta as coaches, managers and stewards of the game in virtually every high school program — the identity is rooted in fundamental values that breed success.

“We did not foresee this, no, truly not,” says Neil Langevin (BA/BEd ’91, MEd ’10), who along with Toby Boulet (BEd ’89, MEd ’04), are credited as the principal architects of the program. “We thought we were creating an opportunity for local girls to play rugby and, to be honest, we didn’t see too much beyond that.”

Their philosophy was simple enough. With a mantra that preached process before results, they implored everyone in the program, from players to coaches to athletic therapists, to simply try and make Pronghorns rugby better today than it was yesterday — and then do it again tomorrow.

“At the end of the day, we are judged by results but you can’t get those results unless you are focused on the day-to-day process,” says Langevin, who recently returned to the program in the wake of the tragic death of head coach Ric (Sluggo) Suggitt in June 2017. “That mantra has persisted since the beginning and I’m proud to say I now work with girls who have come through the program and continue to use that approach in everything they do today.”

Success came relatively early for the program. After debuting in 1999, the Horns captured Canada West bronze in 2001 and two years later had a first appearance at nationals. A run of five successive Canada West titles would follow and from 2007 through 2009, the Horns reeled off three straight national titles. In a short 10 years, Horns Rugby became the national measuring stick.

Coaches Ashley Steacy, left, and Neil Langevin epitomize the Pronghorns Rugby ideology.

Even more significant than what was taking place on the field was the ripple effect of Pronghorns Rugby throughout southern Alberta. Initially a fringe sport, it took time to move into the mainstream and begin attracting the region’s best athletes. Even southern Alberta’s greatest rugby product, Olympian Ashley (Patzer) Steacy (BSc ’15), had to be coaxed into taking up the game in her high school years.

“When I was in high school you weren’t getting any of the best athletes playing rugby,” says Steacy, who has returned to the program as a coach. “You were getting those who’d heard about it from a friend, or were maybe curious and wanted something new to play, but the best athletes played the more traditional sports.”

Steacy was dragged to the pitch by a close friend and implored by coaches to be more than just a practice player on her first exposure to the sport. Once she hit the field in a competitive setting, the game hooked her. She enjoyed the contact, its empowering nature and the sport’s welcoming culture.

“The camaraderie between your teammates, between you and the opposition, between you and your staff, I feel like there’s so much respect within the sport,” she says. “It’s an aggressive, fast-paced, crazy game but you’re still friends with your opposition and at the end of the day, you shake their hands and you respect them.”

Langevin says a major factor in the growth of the game, aside from the success of the Pronghorns, was the simple fact that its varsity sport status at the U of L gave it legitimacy in the southern Alberta sporting community.

“Just the initial move of having the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recognize rugby as a varsity sport and giving scholarships was huge,” he says. “There’s a competitive nature with southern Alberta athletes and this gave them another legitimate avenue for athletes to play at a high level. What’s also happening now is we’re not just seeing our athletes recognized at the university or provincial level, they’re being recognized nationally, so it’s much easier for girls today to see themselves in the sport and say, yes, that’s the sport I choose.”

In 2008, the Pronghorns hosted the national championship tournament and parlayed it into a showcase of the women’s game. Perfect weather, coupled with a championship performance by the home side pushed the game to the forefront and local area high schools jumped on board.

The Pronghorns hosted the U SPORTS National Championship during a snowy November weekend.

“If you look at the number of high school programs that now have both a junior and senior varsity team, even the small schools, it’s impressive. Look at the complete dominance of our high schools at the provincial level, I think that’s evidence of what was achieved through that 2008 tournament,” Langevin says of the exposure it gave the game.

When the Horns played host to the 2017 USPORTS National Championship tournament, the focus was less on educating the public about women’s rugby and more on celebrating its strengths. Both Langevin and Steacy see a completely different rugby landscape now than 10 years ago.

“It used to be where we would have maybe one or two players from the provincial team come to the program and now, the vast majority of our players have been playing for five or six years, and they’ve played at the provincial level or national junior level,” says Langevin.

The challenge now is mining the depth of talent found throughout western Canada and the centralization of national programs on the west coast. With the National Sevens program based in B.C. and talk of the 15s also centralizing on the coast, much of the country’s elite-level players are gravitating to B.C. schools.

For the Pronghorns, it translates into an even sharper focus on growing the game in southern Alberta and strengthening the home base.

“Even in the last two years, the way that Sluggo recruited, that was our philosophy,” says Langevin. “We don’t ever sell our soul looking for the high-profile recruit, we don’t promise extra stuff. We really believe that once we get players here, something magical happens in the community and at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. We try to pick people with good character and those people find each other and we grow from there.”

Steacy says this philosophy created the platform for the national powerhouse teams of which she was a part. As much as she is wont to admit, she was the lone star of her recruiting class, but rugby success in particular isn’t predicated on individual talent.

“I think back to 2005 when our group of eight came in, there weren’t a lot of big names in that group, and through developing together and having that bond throughout the years, we found you don’t necessarily need all those big names to be successful,” she says. “It’s about establishing a culture, a trust, and a belief that you can do something special.

“There’d been about five years building the culture and defining what Pronghorns Rugby was all about before we came in. Those women really built the program and helped transfer the values of what the program stood for and set the tone for what Horns Rugby was all about from the very beginning.”

It’s a culture that is alive and well today and an identity that Steacy and Langevin are proud to nurture, not just internally but throughout southern Alberta.

“If you look at every high school program in the community, maybe with the exception of one, there is a Pronghorns rugby alumnus associated with them, and to see that legacy is very satisfying,” says Langevin. “To see the profile of our program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, throughout the city and southern Alberta, to be able to come into the gym and look up at those banners and what they represent, it absolutely feels awesome and is a testament to everyone who has been a part of Pronghorns Rugby over the years.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ mourns passing of women's rugby coach Ric Suggitt

trevor.kenney — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 17:53:23 +0000

It is with great shock and a heavy heart that Pronghorn Athletics and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge inform the campus community of the sudden passing of Pronghorns Women's Rugby Coach Ric Suggitt. He passed with his family by his side early Tuesday morning.

Ric, or Sluggo, as he was affectionately known, was only with our program for a few short years but his impact has been profound. He was a coach of the highest calibre, a colleague, a mentor, and most importantly a friend to all.

He was a larger-than-life figure that demanded the best from all of us and gave back all he had in return. His energy was contagious. Ric’s passing is heartbreaking for all of us in the Pronghorn family. Our hearts and thoughts go out to Jen, their children, family and to all those whose lives he touched.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ faculty and staff can access free, confidential counselling services, including grief counselling, through the Employee and Family Assistance program and Homewood Human Solutions by calling 1-800-663-1142 (available 24/7) or www.homewoodhumansolutions.com.

This will be a tough time for many of our students, athletes, staff and faculty. Students or student athletes have access to counselling through Counselling Services on campus http://www.uleth.ca/counselling/content/about.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will lower its flag in honour of Ric on the day of his memorial service. Further details about a funeral or service will be shared when available.

Local donors jump on board to assist women's rugby program

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 17:56:37 +0000

The Pronghorn women’s rugby team will see a significant increase in the program’s Athletic Financial Awards (AFA) thanks to the commitment and generosity of a local couple.

Lorne and Diane Patzer, CI Financial and Assante Financial have collaborated to create up to 10 new awards per year with a donation of $20, 000 over the next two years.

“"We are happy to support Pronghorns women's rugby,” says Lorne Patzer. “Few, if any, other sports embody all the skill sets, body types and camaraderie that we have found so evident in rugby.”

“We have watched and marvelled these embodiments while following our daughter, Ashley (Patzer) Steacy, from high school, to club, to age grade rep teams, to university and finally to the national team.”

Over the next two years, awards will be given to the Horns' top back, forward and rookie in addition to the CI Financial/Assante Financial women’s rugby awards, which will be awarded to two to seven players that meet specified criteria.

“We consider it to be an honour to help several members of the women's rugby team advance their education while at the same time they give their all to make the Horns the best they can be," says Patzer.

Pronghorn Athletics and the women’s rugby team are honoured and very grateful for this generous scholarship gift and support of Pronghorn athletes.

“We are privileged to be supported by the Patzer family, CI and Assante and this provides a big boost to the program,” says head coach Ric Suggitt. “The faith that they have demonstrated in our program will assist in attracting top level athletes.”

“This, in turn, will translate into excellence on and off the field as it will allow our players to focus on what is paramount for our student-athletes to be successful.”

The Patzers are no strangers to the Pronghorns women’s rugby program, as their daughter Ashley starred for the Horns from 2005 to 2009. During her famed Pronghorn career, Ashley was twice named the Canada West and CIS player of the year (2006, 2009), was the Canada West and CIS rookie of the year in 2005 and was a four-time CIS All-Canadian.

She was also part of four consecutive Canada West Championships (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) and three straight CIS Championships (2007, 2008, 2009), including the 2008 CIS Championship hosted in Lethbridge, where she was named the CIS Tournament most valuable player.

Ashley has gone on to star with the Canadian Women’s Sevens team, winning bronze at the Rio Olympics, and was named to the 2015 IRB Women’s Sevens Series dream team, recognizing the top seven players of the season series.

Horns rugby program brings in national team recruit

trevor.kenney — Tue, 03 May 2016 21:10:14 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s rugby program received a boost today with the commitment of national and provincial team member Sydney De La Mare for the 2016 season.

“Sydney has high praise from all the coaches involved in her brief rugby experience,” says Horns head coach Ric Suggitt. “In speaking with a number of them, we find all the qualities that we are searching for in a student athlete; Sydney is intelligent and thoughtful and that does not surprise me. Her physical attributes are also second to none, she is big, strong and fast.”

De La Mare, a St. Albert, Alta. product, just returned from a tour in England with the Canadian U18 team. De La Mare started the first game at lock and was a reserve for game two.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was a perfect choice for me,” says De La Mare. “First, the school is ranked #3 by Macleans for undergraduate degrees, I was accepted into a combined degree program in kinesiology and education, and the rugby program has been growing tremendously. I am also very excited to be playing for Ric and I can’t wait to get to work.”

De La Mare has also suited up for the Alberta U18 team and is a member of the St. Albert Rugby Football Club. The 5’10” lock or number 8 also played at Paul Kane High School in St. Albert.

“Syd is a fantastic addition to our rugby program and we are expecting her to excel to the highest level of rugby in Canada,” says Suggitt.

The Horns will continue to add to this year’s recruiting class in the coming months and will host the Canada West Championships in the fall.

Outstanding season earns Ronsky a spot on Maple Leaf roster

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 17:53:33 +0000

Following a season in which she was named a second team All-Canadian, a Canada West All-Star and a CIS Championship tournament all-star, fourth-year wing Nicole Ronsky of the Pronghorns women's rugby team has been named to Canada's Maple Leaf roster for the opening round of the 2015-16 HSBC Women's Sevens Series to be held in Dubai Dec. 3-4.

The Maple Leafs, a developmental team, will play in the International Invitational portion of the Dubai tournament and will face South Africa, the Belgium Rugby 7s and Tabusoro Angels during day one of the tournament.

Nicole Ronsky, here in action against the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, will play with the national developmental team at the 2015-16 HSBC Women's Sevens Series to be held in Dubai, Dec. 3-4.

"It is an outstanding opportunity for Nicole and I think that it is great for Canada West and CIS to have our athletes make that next step and get an opportunity to represent Canada," says first-year Pronghorns head coach Ric Suggitt. "Our team getting into the playoffs was a bit of a surprise to most people, but what was no surprise was Nicole's ability to perform in high pressure situations."

Ronsky, who turned heads two weeks ago with her performance at the CIS Championships in Kingston, will make her first appearance with the national sevens program and will head to Victoria on November 24 to prepare with the team for the Dubai tournament.

"I am overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude for this amazing opportunity," says Ronsky. "It wouldn't have been possible without my amazing coaches, teammates and administrators and the continuous support from my incredible family. It's so good to be a U of L Pronghorn."

This season, Ronsky was named a Canada West All-Star for the third year in a row and finished tied for the team lead in tries.

At the Canada West final four, Ronsky scored twice in the Horns' semifinal win over the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos, which secured a berth in the CIS Championships. She scored another try in the Horns' loss to the Victoria Vikes in the Canada West Championship game.

At the CIS Championships in Kingston, the Calgary, Alta. product led the Horns in tries, scoring three times in three games. She scored twice in the team's final game, a loss to the Vikes in the fifth-place consolation contest.

"Not only does Nicole have the ability to break it open and race to the goal line, she is also a fierce tackler," says Suggitt. "I think it was her tackling count that caught the eye of National Team Coach John Tait."

Former Pronghorns Ashley Steacy (nee Patzer) and Kayla Moleschi are also members of the Canadian National Sevens program, which has already qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Steacy will miss the Dubai tournament due to a knee injury.

UNews - Ric Suggitt

Boulet gift establishes permanent endowment for Ric Suggitt Women's Rugby Memorial Award

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��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ mourns passing of women's rugby coach Ric Suggitt