Banff rugby celebrates 40 years and it’s promising to be one helluva reunion.
The bash in the mountain town is scheduled for June 9-10 and anyone and everyone associated with the club and its culture is invited.
On Friday (June 9), members will meet at Banff’s Rose and Crown at 4 p.m., then an outdoor barbecue at the Banff Rec Grounds, weather permitting.
On Saturday, the reunion moves back to the Rec Grounds at noon, where three 30-minute matches will play out (touch, grapple, and tackle).
Later that evening, the gang is off to Wild Bill’s.
“Banff has become a real rugby town – it always was,” said Jamie Darroch, a member of Banff’s inaugural men’s team in 1977, known then as Banff Rugby and Football Club, and he coached from 1985-2002.
A common tale in Banff, Darroch found himself heading west in the summer of 1977 with no real direction as to what was next.
From Montreal, Darroch was greeted with some timeless Bow Valley weather on his first day in Banff in August when the skies dropped down some of that cold white stuff.
The 19-year-old looked at his friend and said, “I think we’re home.”
Having played rugby in Montreal, Darroch signed up for the upstart mountain club, which was made up of many expatriates (expats).
“What had happened was the local bars and store owners and Sunshine workers, all these guys got together and put together a team and organized exhibitions,” said Darroch.
“We weren’t good at it, but we were good at having parties … the parties afterwards were always a big deal.”
Banff RFC’s inaugural match saw the men of many accents defeat the Edmonton Clan.
The men’s team, now named Banff Bears Rugby Club, captured its first provincial title in ’85 by defeating the Fort McMurray Knights, 13-0.
The team found success at provincial championship success afterward in ‘94, ‘98 and ‘09.
The men have also taken a southern Alberta Division 3 title in ‘83, and southern Alberta Division 2 titles in ’85, ‘94, ’96, ‘97, ‘98 and ‘09.
Banff rugby isn’t just for the fellas, though; as women’s teams have been present in the mountain town, with the most recent being a 2014 season resurrection.
BANFF YOUTH JOIN THE ATTACK
In ‘83, an important milestone happened for Banff rugby when the local high school initiated its boys program under the eye of John Petroff, a phys-ed teacher at the school and a men’s team member.
The high school program essentially created a feeder system for the men’s club.
“The inaugural (high school boys) season was, shall we say, interesting, in that they had a lot of myself and others from the men’s club that helped (coach),” said Petroff.
“There were a lot of big, strong young athletic boys who never played rugby before, but they played other sports and they were quite a formidable team.”
A coaching highlight for Petroff was going to the men’s matches and seeing graduated players representing Banff on the pitch.
“I’d go to a game and see seven or eight (former high school) players on the team,” said Petroff. “It was particularly a strong team in the ‘90s when they won two provincial championships.”
Petroff coached the boys up until his retirement five years ago and has remained a consultant to current boys coaches Ian Higginbottom and Alex Boston.
“The culture continues and the high school program is stronger than ever,” said Petroff.
In 2011, the inaugural girls high school team was formed and under the guide and vision of current coaches Cody Skrine and Maya Capel, the team has produced standouts on the pitch such as Ashah Payson and Holly Phillips in its brief time.
Payson, a wing, was a member of the University of Victoria Vikes’ team that won its first Canadian University Sevens title in program history this past March, and Phillips is a two-time Under-18 Team Canada member.
“The girls head coach (Skrine) is a former high school boys player whose done an amazing job of fostering a rugby culture among the girls,” said Petroff. “Like the boys program, the boys want to play, and now it’s same with the girls’ side – the girls want to play from when they first step into Banff high school.”
THE BLACK SHEEP OF ALBERTA RUGBY
Banff is a transient place. It’s the nature of the mountain resort town beast. So, with new faces coming through every season to man the slopes and shops, the same happens with the rugby club.
Fortunately, Banff seems to be on the sunny side of stellar overseas imports whom grew up with a rugby culture already embedded into their DNA, much like Canada’s hockey culture.
Because of this, said Mark Hooper, Banff Bears Rugby Club president, and an Englishman himself, Banff usually has a target on its back every year.
“Everyone loves to try to beat Banff and we like that,” said Hooper. “If people want to come with a chip on their shoulder, we’ll send them back with their tails between their legs.
“We’re the black sheep of southern Alberta rugby. There are lots of Brits, Aussies and Kiwis who join the club, but we also have like 40-45 Banff-born players that have played for us, and that’s not including the rest of Canada.”
Being a transient town adds to Banff’s uniqueness and rugby family atmosphere.
“It’s a great bunch of guys and we welcome people with open arms,” said Hooper.
“On June 10 (at Banff Rec Grounds at noon), it’s going to be the good old boys, and, I guess, the good young boys, on the pitch.”
