Jason Kerr
Daily Herald
When coach Danette Senterre and her charges practice, they do so not only in hopes of winning their next game but of increasing rugby’s popularity in Prince Albert.
Senterre is coach of the Prince Albert Panthers, a women’s rugby club that enjoyed a strong 2019 season before shutting down due to COVID. Since then, a few remaining players have continued to play with Saskatoon-based clubs, but they haven’t given up their dream of organizing a full women’s team in Prince Albert.
“The biggest thing is women’s sport just needs a lot more support behind it and awareness,” said Kora Brick, one of five Prince Albert Panthers practicing on Thursday. “That’s a big thing. For me personally, I would love to see just a lot more players on our team so we’re not travelling so much to practice. I love travelling for games, but for practices it can be a lot.”
Brick has been playing rugby for the past three years. She’s one of the few Panthers who did not graduate from Prince Albert junior women’s rugby program, which is also trying to rebuild after COVID.
“It sounds cliché, but it’s one big family,” Brick said when asked about her experience with the Panthers. “Especially since COVID, it’s somewhere that we can gather and meet. We all have similar interests in fitness and becoming better at a sport.”
Ideally, Brick would like to see Prince Albert field a full 15-woman rugby team. To do that, however, the Panthers will need around 20 players on their roster.
“It’s a slow building process,” Senterre said. “We’ve got players from different working capacities, different friendship circles, so they can reach out to their peers (and) reach out to their co-workers and have them come out and try it.”
Senterre coaches the Kirin WRC, one of two women’s rugby clubs in the Sask. Rugby Senior Women’s Division. Most of the Prince Albert Panthers play there too.
“It’s a very different experience when you get to Saskatoon,” she said. “We have the opportunity to practice and play with 20 other players, but ideally, we do want our own women’s team.”
With that in mind, the Prince Albert Panthers have started a recruitment campaign. Senterre travels to Prince Albert for work, so she’s happy to keep coaching here. The rest of the Panthers are committed, she said. They just need more players.
Senterre stressed the sports versatility. She said players enjoy how aggressive and active rugby is, and like how players come in all shapes and sizes.
“There’s 15 different positions on the field and we have 15 different body types to play those positions,” she said.
“We want quite a wide variety of strengths and sizes and builds on the team.”
For more information on joining the Prince Albert Panthers Senior or Junior Women’s Rugby Teams, email papanthersrugby@gmail.com.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
