A Williams rugby player has been selected to play with the BC Bears U18 Girls 7s squad in Australia this December.
Gabrielle Knox, a student at Williams Lake Secondary School, is one of 12 athletes chosen for the team.
She will be joined by Brooklyn Roddham (DW Poppy Rugby Academy), Piper Jorgenson (Castaway Wanderers), Gwen King (Castaway Wanderers), Emilie Brett Frank (Abbotsford RFC), Kelsa Kempf (Langley RFC), Saylor Pickrell (James Bay AA), Sierra Hamilton (Langley RFC), Isabella Anderton Teasdale (Cowichan RFC), Taylor Gotto (James Bay AA), Hailey Hibbs (Langley RFC) and Kamryn Howlett (Abbotsford RFC).
They will be coached by Darcy Patterson and assisted by athletic therapist Randy Hunter
The tournament is the inaugural Global Youth Sevens Gold Coast 2023.
It will be held just outside of Brisbane, Dec. 9 and 10.
Formerly known as the World School Sevens, the Global Youth Sevens is an international 7s rugby tournament for U18 girls and boys teams that originated in Auckland in 2016.
Competing there will give B.C.’s best youth 7s athletes an exciting opportunity to showcase their talents and compete at a high-level event on the global stage, said BC Rugby in a news release.
Attracting teams from all over the world, the Global Youth Sevens is an international, cultural festival of 7s Rugby. Participants not only get to experience a high level of competition on the field, but also soak in a week of amazing culture and hospitality off it.
The selection process for the BC Bears U18 Elite Girls 7s team was very competitive and took into account key events throughout the BC Rugby season, including the 2023 Provincial Regional Championships (PRCs), 2023 Western Canadian Championships and the 2023 Kamloops 7s.
Gabrielle was one of four Williams Lake rugby players who competed in the PRCs July 7 to 9 as part of the bronze medal winners the Thompson/Okanagan Rugby Alliance.
READ MORE: ZONE 8: Gabby Knox is a 2nd-generation BC Summer Games competitor
READ MORE: Williams Lake rugby players compete at Provincial Regional Championship
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