Ondrus gravitates to leading role for Horns rugby

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:09:37 +0000

Her official title is interim head coach and former head coach Neil Langevin will still be riding shotgun as an assistant, but make no mistake, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby team knows who will be calling the shots when the 2013 Canada West season opens this fall.

JJ Ondrus (BSc/BEd '04), who has been with the program since its inception, first as a player, and most recently as Langevin's assistant coach for the past 10 years, is taking the reins of the perennial national contenders.

"This was a goal of mine probably since the first couple of years being an assistant," says the 34-year-old Ondrus as she assumes the head role in the wake of Langevin's one-year leave. "I just never thought Neil would give the position up, I figured I'd have to move to get an opportunity to be a head coach at a university level."

Ondrus is coming full circle with the program she first helped build as a player. A soccer player through high school, she graduated out of Catholic Central High, earning a soccer scholarship at the U of L. She played just one year of high school rugby, having to suit up for rival Lethbridge Collegiate Institute because CCH didn't yet have a team of its own.

Three years into her post-secondary career, Horns rugby was born and she switched sports.

"I was OK at soccer but more of a bench player than anything," says Ondrus. "But in rugby I was pretty much the quarterback as a fly half. I was on the field all the time and we played a kicking game and I was the kicker, so I was important and I loved it."

The Horns new interim head coach, JJ Ondrus, has been with the program since its inception.

In her two years as a Pronghorn she experienced just one win, but it's a memory she relishes, and it was the first brick in the construction of the Pronghorn dynasty that would emerge years later.

"That is still Neil's favourite win, and I have the newspaper clipping where he says that," smiles Ondrus, recalling the team's bronze medal victory over the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia at the Canada West championship tournament. "I still remember him jumping out of the end zone he was so excited, because we were not supposed to beat anybody that year."

Ondrus earned her education degree and started her teaching career at Winston Churchill High School. She also went straight into coaching, both at the high school level and as one of Langevin's assistants. She has never left the program.

Over the ensuing years, Ondrus taught at Nobleford, then Fort Macleod and eventually returned to Churchill, where she is in her fifth year as a science teacher. At every stop she helped build the sport of women's rugby and like her Pronghorn brethren, played a big role in establishing the vibrant rugby culture in southern Alberta.

"If you look around the high school league, I'm pretty sure every program has a Pronghorn player on the coaching staff," she says. "People are surprised when they come to our community and see the level of support we get and especially the balance between boys and girls rugby. To see 12 girls teams to six boys teams really speaks to the strength of girls rugby in southern Alberta."

Ondrus admits she is somewhat overwhelmed with her new position. She is heavy into recruiting for the new season, knowing the Horns graduated six players last season and two others are not returning to the program. She's also acutely aware that the Horns are coming off what is for them a down year, failing to win the Canada West championship for the first time in seven seasons.

"I'll admit it, I'm a little nervous about that but the coaches and players accept that responsibility and pressure to be the best, we set the bar high and set that expectation on ourselves to go to nationals and compete for a national championship," she says.

Having been a part of the program since its outset, it's hard to imagine anyone else better prepared to take over for the only head coach the Horns have ever known. Ondrus is ready to go.

"I've been with the program since it started in 2000, so it is near and dear to my heart," she says. "I am very excited for my new role and cannot wait to bring my energy and ideas to the table. Neil has set the bar pretty high, but I know, as he does, that I am ready!"

This story first appeared in the February 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Reaching out to those in need

trevor.kenney — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:40:40 +0000

It may seem like a small gesture but ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's soccer players have discovered that it can make a world of difference – they need only look at the smiles.

An innocent act of recognizing need has turned into an annual program of giving for the club, resulting in Horns soccer gear making its way around the world.

"Three years ago, one of our players, Cal Campbell, was going to do volunteer work in Thailand," says men's head coach Randy Bardock. "He made some comments about the underprivileged areas he visited and how they had none of some of the most basic things we take for granted. So we got the guys together and packed up a bunch of gear that either didn't fit, or we had no use for anymore, and sent it off to Thailand."

It wasn't long before they received photos from these communities of children proudly wearing their Horns paraphernalia, broad smiles adorning their faces in appreciation.

"We've just kind of carried that on since then," says Bardock.

Children from a community in Nepal proudly display their Pronghorns men's soccer gear.

Former Pronghorn player Mike O'Brien (BSc '10) was the next to take the Horns' message abroad, traveling to Arusha, Tanzania for two months where he volunteered at a local hospital. This past summer, team trainer Dave Hall took shirts, shorts, cleats, runners and a variety of other soccer-related items to Nepal.

"I think it's important for the guys to realize how fortunate we really are here in Canada, and this is a way to drive that message home," says Bardock. "What we consider as old or out of style, these people cherish as valuables."

The philosophy of engaging with the community and contributing by giving back is something that the men's program has practiced for years.

"For as long as I've been involved we've tried to give back to the community through sponsoring schools and sponsoring a family at Christmas – this was another way to make a difference," says Bardock. "I think when the guys see the pictures come back, it really makes them more aware of just what is going on around the world. Sometimes we get so focused on our own issues, we tend to forget that there are a lot of people in much more challenging situations than we face."

A brand new shirt is a treasure in any size.

As rewarding as it is for the children who receive the gifts, the program also reaps rewards back home.

"The three individuals who have done it, the feeling they had when they saw these kids getting the gear, I think it was something that made a life-changing impression on them," says Bardock.

O'Brien concurs, saying it had a real impact on his perspective on life.

"It really gave me a better appreciation for the opportunities we have here in Canada and the opportunity I have to go to ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," he says. "It also re-affirmed my desire to go to medical school and become a doctor."

Bardock says that the program will continue to look for ways to push the ideal of community engagement going forward.

"If guys have opportunities to volunteer somewhere and do the same sort of thing, we'll definitely encourage them to take advantage of those," he says. "The experiences you gain from that are incredible, and something you won't get from a classroom."

This story first appeared in the December 2011 issue of the Legend. If you'd like to see the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

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Ondrus gravitates to leading role for Horns rugby

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