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Red Deer Titans U18 girls build winning season behind culture and character

For the Red Deer Titans U18 girls rugby team this season, winning was always a side note.
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For the Red Deer Titans U18 girls rugby team this season, winning was always a side note.

Sure, they did plenty of it, like a 107-0 shutout of the undefeated Edmonton Nor’westers in the provincial final.

Six of their players won a national rugby gold medal with team Alberta U18 and one was the tournament’s leading scorer. Still, their coaching staff looked back on it all and said the wins were secondary.

“It was a special season for everyone. They came together really well. Was quite surprising the affect,” head coach Kenton Poelzer said.

“The main premise we built the team around was culture. Making it a fun and positive environment for the players. That really became attractive for new players and we’ve grown from there. That was the main component to building where we’re at today.”

The historic season is no doubt one of the best in U18 female rugby in the province and undoubtedly Central Alberta. That tends to be the case when you outscore opponents 722-81 over the course of the year. That number, even more impressive considering only a few seasons ago the Titans were coming off a winless season. The girls program shutdown five years ago, then restarted with Poelzer helping lead the group.

“During the year, I kept reminding them that four years ago, we really didn’t have that much of a team, but we had each other and this is where we’re at today. We just kept on focusing on how to improve and kept on playing for one another. I’m hoping those values translate long term,” he said.

Although Poelzer wasn’t exactly sure how to rate this season historically, he said a good indication was in the league semi final against the Irish, a program out of Calgary. They also had six players on the U18 Alberta team, including two that played for Canada. The score: Titans 55, Irish 15.

“That was probably our biggest struggle all year. After that game, the Irish coaches and a couple university coaches and Canada coaches mentioned it’s the strongest (U18) team they’ve seen,” he said.

One of the Titans stars, Courtney Holtkamp competed for Team Canada U18’s in international play in Ottawa this summer against U.S.A. U18’s in a 15s competition. She recently returned from France where she competed with Team Canada U18’s in a Rugby 7s event. Her U18 Titans teammates that won gold at nationals were Jada Holtkamp, Leah Brunner, Gwen Fillinger, Lora Lee and Rachel Sever. In all, the Titans team was made up of 28 players from five different communities (Red Deer, Rimbey, Rocky Mountain House, Lacombe and Byemoor).

“If you look at how much each one of these players improved in the last year– it’s pretty neat to see how far along they’ve come. From players who were largely off the provincial radar, to players in the provincial team in the final,” Poelzer added.

So how exactly did they become a such a powerhouse? Poelzer said it took an immense commitment off the field and dedication to becoming a cohesive unit that made the difference in the end.

He pointed to two rugby programs where they looked for guidance– the highly successful New Zealand All-Blacks and Raymond High School. The key for those two places: culture.

“Basically the core of those programs is building around strong character. The concept we really worked on was character, culture and continuous improvement,” he said.

“Even where we’re at now, what are we doing well and what do we need to improve on. Then keep focusing on that, not the wins and losses. Even after the provincial championship, we sat down and did our debrief. For me, the biggest thing we’ve got to work on now is not to just settle with this. We have a long way to grow as players and individuals.”

While a repeat of what they accomplished this year is unlikely, Poelzer just hopes for sustained growth and ultimately helping build a foundation of good people.

“We have a graduating class of about 12 players and they’re all very strong players. but the upcoming players have just as much potential. I think the culture is going to be there for them to grow as well,” he said.

“Whether we win provincials next year or be as dominant, I don’t know. We’re just going to focus on continuous improvement as individuals and as a team and the outcomes with take care of themselves.”



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Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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