10th Annual Rugby Academy

For 90 years, rugby has been a central part of the athletic program at Shawnigan Lake School. Introduced in 1928, rugby quickly became one of Shawnigan’s flagship sports, central to the School’s mission of leading young people in the pursuit of personal excellence. This year also marks another rugby anniversary in the form of the 10^th annual Rugby Academy. Running from July 2-7, the program offers an unparalleled athletic experience for boys and girls aged 11-16. This year’s prestigious coaching team can count victories at the national, international and Olympic levels among their many successes.

Leading the camp is Canada's current women's 15 captain and 2016 Senior Women's Player of the Year Laura Russell. Ms. Russell was a two-time CIS all-star while playing at the University of Western Ontario and represented Canada as part of the U19 and U20 junior national program. Ms. Russell has 43 caps, and played in both the 2014 and 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cups, bringing home a silver medal in 2014. A coach and academic advisor at Shawnigan, she led the Girls XV to the AA Provincial Championship in 2016 and the AAA title in 2018.

With 52 caps, a silver World Cup medal, bronze Olympic medal and Pan Am gold medal under her belt, Ms. Russell is one of Canada’s most decorated female rugby players. Having earned her first cap with Canada’s Women’s Fifteens Team in 2007, she went on to make her debut with Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team the following year. Ms. Russell was captain of Canada’s Women’s Fifteens Team from 2011 to 2014 and led the team to a 2013 Nations Cup title. She was named Rugby Canada’s Women’s Fifteens Player of the Year in 2013 and was a finalist for the 2014 IRB Women’s Player of the Year.

Currently the head coach of the Castaway Wanderers Senior Women’s team, Ms. Gaudry-Dovanne was part of the Canadian squad that won the 2013 Nations Cup and the sevens team that took the 2013 Hong Kong Sevens title. She went on to represent Canada at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup where the team brought home the silver medal. She is both a certified referee and NCCP Level 1 coach and has coached at senior club and youth levels. She is also experienced in fitness testing and elite athlete development.

Mr. Panga was selected to the BC Bears provincial team in 2009 and went on to win the National Championships. In 2010, he was awarded a professional contract playing for Maidenhead RFC in England. On his return to Canada, he played for the Calgary Hornets, winning three Alberta Provincial Championships between 2011 and 2014. During this time, Mr. Panga was selected for the Prairie Wolfpack, winning the National Championships in 2015. He became Westshore RFC’s executive director in 2016 and earned his 15th cap for Canada at the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship.

For more information about the 2018 Rugby Academy or to make a booking, please email camps@shawnigan.ca or visit our booking website.