Rocker's Athletic Club - Women's Rugby

a and the United States). Maggotfest was dominated by male teams; however the tournament did involve the first women’s rugby team in northwestern America, the ‘Missoula Better Side’. Formed in 1976, the Missoula Betterside faced a challenge that many women’s rugby clubs faced: finding competition. Although the ‘Happy Hookers’ (woman’s rugby club from Saskatoon Saskatchewan) were developing in the late 1970s, no other competition from Canada had yet to be established. The Missoula Better Side’s encouraged the visiting Edmonton women to establish a rugby team back in Alberta. The team’s first competition took place at Edmonton rugby’s premier event, Rugbyfest. From the core group of women who were in Missoula for Maggotfest, the squad grew to 18 women, including individuals foreign to Edmonton’s rugby community. In 1977 this group of Edmonton women formed the city’s first female rugby club, the Edmonton Rockers. The growth - The Rockers began an informal recruiting drive, gathering friends and fellow athletes from the Edmonton area. During the early years of the club, players ranged in age from 16 to 28. Many of these women were high-school or university students from NAIT and the University of Alberta. The athletic and aggressive nature of rugby was a large draw. Many Rockers enjoyed rugby “as an aggressive, exhilarating sport which involved fitness and skills.” Several early Rockers came from sports in which they were considered elite athletes. Founding member, Shirley Bergland, was playing field-hockey at a provincially competitive level. Laura Jackson, Susan Campbell, and Marilyn Scott were local track athletes that were recruited within the first month of the inception of the club. Their sheer athleticism transferred well into rugby and they quickly immersed themselves in the newly discovered sport. Still, not all early Rockers displayed such athletic skill. “[There were] some superb athletes and some that were really struggling and turned out to be not so bad athletes after some training." The general consensus amongst early Rockers was that the novelty of participating in a new sport was an attractive element of rugby. Despite the sports rapid growth in the 1970s, rugby itself was, and still is, a fringe sport in Edmonton. Participating in a new sport was exciting and many of the women were curious. This curiosity was largely fulfilled once the women began to play. Veteran Rocker’s quickly realized that various aspects of rugby were a large draw for many of the players. To this day, training sessions, games and of course the parties still remain an enticing aspect of joining a rugby team. The Rockers began practicing twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at their current clubhouse location, the Argyll Velodrome, as early as 1981. The Rockers were guided through basic rugby skills and rules by various Edmonton rugby players (Greg Ball, Stan Dillworth and Scotty Wright) who also operated as coaches. Largely by their own motivation, training and determination allowed the Rockers to evolve into skilled rugby players.

“We [were] all stubborn and determined people. The game brings that out; if you want something you have to work hard to get it.” Individuals such as Shirley Bergland provided crucial motivation and drive for the team, tenaciously hounding players to come out and participate and providing encouragement. As the Rockers were the first women’s team in Edmonton, there was a lack of competition within the municipality. Thus, their first international rugby match was against the Missoula Better Side’s at Rugbyfest. The two teams met again in Lethbridge on the weekend of September 3, 1977 at the city’s annual “Whoop-up Days” rugby tournament. Despite their short existence, the Rockers won two out of three games against Missoula. The Rockers played squads wherever they could find them and began to gain momentum. In their first meeting with the “Happy Hookers”, the Rockers split the two games. But as a sign of their increasing skill, in their next match-up (two months later) the Rockers dominated with a commanding 40 – 0 win. Eager for competition, the Rockers played a women’s netball team in Red Deer (who were mainly comprised of English-born women). Competition slowly appeared in Alberta, with the Red Deer Titanettes (later renamed Titan Fillies) and the Calgary Renegades arriving on the rugby scene in 1979 and 1980. The Rockers determination, relentless pursuit of competition, improving skill level and obvious love of the game contributed to the realization that the Rockers were a ‘legitimate’ rugby team. The Edmonton rugby community quickly began to recognize that these women were worthy of respect and that the Rockers were an organization that was there to stay. Gaining Momentum - By their own admission, the Rockers were originally an inexperienced team that was not skilled in the high-contact sport of rugby. The team quickly developed through practice and an eagerness to embrace the sport.

“You would go to practice, we would practice hard and afterwards you would sit down…and we could talk about [what we wanted] to work on, what we wanted to improve on. Then because we probably didn’t have a game, we would go and watch the men’s game and we would pick a position and ask ‘what is that person doing properly, what is that person doing incorrectly?’ We would hang-around and talk about rugby.”

Veteran rugby players in Edmonton began to recognize the continued interest and drive. The Rockers willingness to travel to other cities in search of competition showed their determination to improve their team. This dedication and overt display of love for the game helped male critics realize that the women took the game as seriously as they did. The Rockers were extremely competitive, and were continually the victors in women’s rugby, whether it be in local or inter-provincial play. Edmonton male rugby began to revel in the fact that the Rockers were talented athletes. The Rockers success on the field only added credence to their position as ‘legitimate’ rugby players. The organization and fundraising efforts of the Rockers club helped the team to tour abroad. The Rockers were drawn to overseas matches through their desire to travel and to seek-out competition. In the first 10 years of their time as a club, the Rockers traveled to San Diego, Boston, New Orleans and Vancouver.

“It was a great way for the girls to come together.”Whether it was the matches, the partying, or sight-seeing that accompanied, the Rockers looked forward to touring. On October 6, 1983 the Rockers began their extensive United Kingdom tour. The Rockers traveled throughout England and Wales, and shut-out every team they encountered. Breaking Ground - In 1995 the Rockers achieved yet another first; On September 22, the Rockers broke ground to build the first women’s rugby clubhouse in the world. Rocker: Laura Jackson became the world’s first female president of a branch of the rugby union when she led the Edmonton Rugby Union in the 1980’s. The Rockers also continued their success, as they were instrumental in the development of high school women’s rugby programs in both Edmonton and Sherwood Park. All these firsts stand as a testament to the determination, strength, and aggression that these women possessed and brought to the sport. Fun Facts - From the team’s inception, the Rockers have been one of Alberta’s dominant rugby teams. To date the Rockers have earned 25 provincial titles and continually contribute players to Alberta’s provincial and Canada’s national teams. In 1999 the University of Alberta began their rugby program. More than ¼ of the team was comprised of Rockers. The team won 7 national championships between 1999 and 2005. In 2006, four Rockers represented team Canada in the 2006 Rugby World Cup: Heather McDonald, Anna Schnell, Summer Yeo and Jill Harris. Rocker, Jen Kish will be the first women’s captain to represent Canada, as rugby 7’s is introduced to the summer Olympics in 2016!!