Shawnigan Spotlight

With a father whose former Canada national rugby teammates include Shawnigan Athletic Director Tim Murdy and Head of Physical Education Jeff Williams, Maggie already had strong connections to Shawnigan’s rugby program when she was invited to tour the School for the first time.

The leap from public school to boarding school wouldn't be the last time that the Canadian Rugby Sevens player would step out of her comfort zone.

“My parent said to me ‘You have this opportunity, why not take it? You have nothing to lose,’” she shares. “I was really anxious about making the transition from public school to boarding school. I grew up surrounded by boys and have two brothers, so the thing that scared me the most was moving into a house with 60 girls!”

Her fears, happily, proved to be unfounded. As a natural ‘people person’ and a born leader, Maggie quickly made friends and grew to love the supportive, nurturing and close-knit boarding community in Renfrew, carving out a clear leadership role for herself in the House and on the rugby fields.

“Even without a formal title, I think I am considered to be a leader in most things I do. That’s been second-nature to me,” Maggie reflects. “I’m a big believer in leading by example: You do what you say you’re going to do.”

Further cementing her conviction that the move to Shawnigan was the right one, the Shawnigan girls’ 1^st XV rugby team won the Provincial Championships her first year at the School.

“That was really exciting and rewarding because I had made this big decision to come here for rugby. It came full circle and became one of the best things,” she reflects. “That was a big moment.”

From that initial victory at Shawnigan, her trajectory of rugby success has continued to move steadily upwards, including her first tour with the Rugby Canada Senior Women’s team in March 2017 where the team beat Australia in the final in Las Vegas. Most recently, her rugby adventures took her to Japan with an under-18 Rugby Canada development team. Although her team finished fifth, the overall playing experience combined with some free time spent exploring Nagasaki and Tokyo was memorable.

“Getting to play against different countries was amazing,” she says. “We are all playing the same game, but every country and culture plays it a little differently.”

Different experiences of rugby are also on offer back at home, as Maggie plays both for Shawnigan’s Girls XV and for Rugby Canada’s Senior Women’s Rugby 7s team. While going back and forth between the two teams could be perceived as a challenge, Maggie is quick to point out the benefits.

“Playing at the provincial level and school level has really helped build my confidence,” she says. “Here at Shawnigan I’m lucky enough to play with some of my best friends, and playing at this level at high school has taught me leadership skills that I believe have been essential in my broader rugby career so far.”

In addition to her Shawnigan rugby experiences giving her the confidence to pursue her high-performance rugby goals, playing at a high level for Rugby Canada has installed in Maggie technical skills, a strong work ethic and an air of professionalism that she, in turn, is able to bring back to Shawnigan.

“It sounds like a cliché, but I honestly consider my rugby team my family, my sisters. I think that’s amplified because it’s such a physical game and you’re putting your body on the line for your teammates. That strengthens the bond. Coming from such a high-intensity training environment, it becomes second nature to do everything at 100%. When I’m putting in 100% at Shawnigan and keeping the pace and energy high, everyone benefits from that. Not only has my Rugby Canada training experience made our skills better, it’s made our team as a whole more connected.”

Working at such a high level across the board is not without its challenges, and Maggie credits her teachers for helping her stay on-track in the midst of a demanding routine.

“It obviously is very hard to keep up when I’m away so much, but my teachers have been amazing,” she shares. “They are very understanding of my commitments and what it is that I’m pursuing. I honestly don’t think I could manage it without their support.”

Making up for lost class time and managing the logistics of assignment deadlines and tests aside, Maggie also has to deal with the emotional and psychological demands that go along with playing a high-performance sport. She’s fortunate to have the support and understanding for her parents, both of whom played rugby for national teams. Even though she didn’t start playing rugby until Grade 6, she admits she “pretty much grew up with a rugby ball in my hands.” Her dad has also been on hand to help coach her through bouts of sports anxiety and pre-games nerves.

Living away from her Coquitlam-based family, she credits the essential everyday support and motivation that her friends, teammates, classmates and housemates provide as another key factor in her success, in addition to the close connection she shares with her advisor, Shawnigan rugby coach and national XV captain Laura Russell.

“I’ve been extremely lucky to have Ms. Russell as an advisor. It’s good to have someone who understands what I’m going through,” she explains. “We both play for a national team but are both slightly isolated from the training environment. She also understands having to balance a high-performance rugby commitment with something as intensive as Shawnigan because she lives and works here too.”

This broad base of motivating support and encouragement means Maggie already has her sights set on attending the Youth Olympics in Argentina in October and is committed to representing Canada at a future Olympic Games. Where this latter goal is concerned, it’s not a question of “if” but “when.”

“The next summer Olympics are in 2020, the year after I graduate,” she explains. “One possible plan is that I take a year off after graduation and train full-time in hopes of making the Olympic team. The other is that I go straight onto school, play university rugby and come back to training in the hope of making the 2024 games.”

In the meantime, she is looking forward to another year at Shawnigan, pursuing her rugby passion alongside the elevated academic and leadership expectations of her Grade 12 year. Finalizing her Olympic strategy will take place alongside her planning for a career in neo-natal or labour and delivery nursing.

For Maggie, personal connections are at the heart of everything, from her athletic endeavours to her professional aspirations. With her growing sense of confidence, the wisdom of experience and the support of the Shawnigan community behind her, her dreams seem well within reach.