UNews - Las Vegas

Three Horns named to Canadian squad

trevor.kenney — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:36:36 +0000

Canada, the defending champions of the Hong Kong Sevens and reigning IRB Sevens Challenge Cup holders, have named their roster for the upcoming IRB event in China, which kicks off on Mar. 23.

Head Coach John Tait, having recently guided the Canadian women to a second consecutive victory at the USA Sevens in Las Vegas, has named a strong side full of speed, power and experience.

Leading the Canadians in pursuit of their sixth consecutive major tournament win will be experienced veterans like Kelly Russell, who played every minute of every game for Canada at their previous IRB Challenge Cup win, in Dubai. Russell makes up one twelfth of a squad that features a dynamic and exciting core of talent. Powerful runners like Alberta's Jen Kish and Manitoba's Mandy Marchak will look to punch holes in opposition defences and make room for the raw speed and creativity embodied in the likes Ghislaine Landry and former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Ashley Steacy.

Steacy, one of the most decorated players CIS women's rugby history was a part of the 'Horns three CIS Championships teams and was a two-time CIS Player of the Year.

Joining Steacy from the 'Horns program are Kelsey Willoughby and Kayla Moleschi, who both helped the 'Horns win a sixth consecutive Canada West title last fall. Willoughby was the Canada West MVP and All-Canadian, while Moleschi stormed on to the CIS scene last year, winning the Canada West Rookie of the Year award and being named both a CIS All-Canadian and CIS Championship All-Star.

Selection for the Hong Kong tournament has been a process unrivaled in the history of Canadian women's rugby. Having assembled talent from Europe, the national club scene, as well as the Canadian university game, twenty committed athletes have spent months working on their speed, fitness and skill at Rugby Canada's Centre of Excellence in Langford, British Columbia. The Canadian coaching staff has been able to gather an unprecedented amount of data on their players and have had the opportunity to witness athletes in head-to-head competition for extended periods of time. Funding from the Canadian government's "Own The Podium" program has meant that Canada's sevens stars are benefitting from the tools necessary to maintain their status as the world's number one team. Such funding enabled opportunities like the recent clinic put on at the C.O.E. in Langford by legendary New Zealand kicking coach Mick "The Kick" Byrne.

Horns' trio helps Canada to gold

trevor.kenney — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:05:10 +0000

Former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby standout Ashley Patzer, along with current Horns Brittany Orr and Kelsey Willoughby, helped Canada to a third straight gold medal in international women's sevens rugby action this past weekend.

Patzer scored a pair of tries and added two conversions in Canada's 29-10 victory over Samurai International in the final of the Amsterdam Sevens Tournament. The victory capped off a run of three consecutive tournament wins for the sevens team as they also won events in Las Vegas and Hong Kong.

Orr played a big role in the Canadian team's semifinal victory over the host Netherlands team. She pitched the ball to a sprinting Arielle Dubisette-Borrice to produce an overtime try as Canada prevailed 26-19 in extra time. Patzer also had a try in that victory.

For a full recap of the tournament, visit this link.

Horns' Willoughby added to national roster

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:34:01 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns rugby player, Kelsey Willoughby, will join former Horns standout Ashley Patzer in Hong Kong at the end of the month as part of the Canadian Senior Sevens squad.

Following a successful Rugby Canada camp in Las Vegas in February, both Willoughby and Patzer were named to the roster that will play in the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, beginning Mar. 22.

While Patzer has become a fixture in the senior national program on both the full squad and Sevens teams, second-year Pronghorn Willoughby is one of two new faces added to the Sevens team for the tournament. Brittany Orr was also named a non-traveling reserve for the Hong Kong tournament.
A total of 50 players from across the country were invited to Las Vegas for the tryout camp and tournament, with four teams created for two separate tournaments. The top 12 players played for Canada and the next 12 played for the Maple Leafs in the International tournament, while the remaining players played in the open division for Maple Leafs Red and Maple Leafs Black.
Willoughby, the 2010 Canada West player of the year and 2009 rookie of the year, earned her first look at senior level play at the Las Vegas camp and, despite not making the top team for the international tournament, she made an impression while playing for the Maple Leafs. This past summer, Willoughby starred for the Canada U20 team at the 2010 North American Caribbean Rugby Association regional tournament.
Patzer, the most decorated rugby player in Pronghorn history, was part of the Canadian team that won the Las Vegas International, defeating the Netherlands 22-17 in the final. The two-time CIS player of the year won three CIS and four Canada West titles over her Pronghorn career.
Patzer played for Canada in the Women's World Cup of Rugby this past summer, and was Canada's leading scorer and the tournament's fourth leading scorer in the last Sevens World Cup in Dubai in 2009.
With the inclusion of Sevens rugby in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, events such as the highly competitive Hong Kong tournament take on added importance in terms of player development. The team assembles in Victoria, B.C. for a training camp, Mar. 18-21, before departing for Hong Kong on Mar. 22.

Discussing harmful effects of the sex trade

trevor.kenney — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:20:57 +0000

Breaking down the sex trade and its harmful effects on a marginalized population of sex workers is the focus of a Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group presentation Tuesday night.

Fourth-year nursing student, Chantelle Fitton, will present, Sex Work and Society, at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 14 in Galileo's Gallery. This free-admission event is open to everyone.

Synopsis

This summer I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Las Vegas entitled Sex, Power and Politics, funded by LPIRG and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union. It centered on the sex trade in Canada and the U.S., with a focus on current legislation and the implications for sex workers, as well as activism and harm reduction strategies.

I went with the intention to learn about harm reduction strategies, as I am a fourth-year nursing student, preparing to enter the world of community health nursing. I left with an entirely different view of the sex trade in general, and with anger over the violence, mistreatment, and blatant disregard for basic human rights that is allowed against this segment of our population.

I will present what I learned from the many sex workers and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ who spoke at the conference about the moral-based policies that shape our current views and treatment of sex workers, as well as some realistic harm reduction and outreach approaches that can be effective to truly pave the way for empowerment and agency.

UNews - Las Vegas

Three Horns named to Canadian squad

Related Topics

Horns' trio helps Canada to gold

Related Topics

Horns' Willoughby added to national roster

Related Topics

Discussing harmful effects of the sex trade

Related Topics