Boys and girls aged 12 and under hit the rugby pitch at Don Ross Middle School for a friendly exhibition event featuring teams from Squamish and the Vancouver area.
Altogether, about 100 players from Squamish, Capilano, the Vancouver Rowing Club and East Vancouver tested their limits on Sunday.聽
It was a great way to see how well their practice sessions have been paying off, said Sean Carter, coach of the Squamish Youth Rugby Association.
鈥淭hey want to know where they measure up against other kids and other clubs,鈥� he said.
The event was a friendly gathering where no official winners were crowned.
Kids were divided into age categories under 12, nine and seven.
The eldest age group were allowed to tackle each other, but the younger two divisions played flag ruby.
The sport鈥檚 a great alternative to football, said Carter, because energetic kids craving a contact game will get their fix.
At the same time, rugby doesn鈥檛 have the same amount of head-to-head collisions, which could reduce the risk of head injuries, he said. Rugby is generally easy on the wallet, he noted.
Carter also wanted to extend his thanks to the event staff and the sponsors who made the exhibition possible.
Anyone interested in joining can check out squamishyouthrugby.com.
The club is associated with the Squamish Axemen, the local adult rugby team.
