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Rugby players of all ages gathered at the Apple Bowl on Sunday to participate in the “80 Minutes” event in support of local cancer services at the Sindi Hawkins Centre.
For 80 minutes, 82 players, coaches, referees and rugby fans walked around the Apple Bowl’s new track supported by friends and family donating money to the participants.
The local rugby community enjoyed the 80 minutes of continuous exercise while raising over $14,000 for the cancer centre.
The idea for the 80 Minutes event came from Cam Pierce, a professional rugby player in France who grew up in Vernon and played for the Kelowna Crows. His mom Susan was overwhelmed with the quality of service at the Sindi Hawkins Center and wanted to do something to recognize them. Cam presented the idea to the Central Okanagan Rugby Enthusiasts (CORE) Board of Directors, and the event was born.
“This event has reminded me of why I fell in love with the sport 10 years ago with the Crows," said Pierce. "Rugby offers a sense of belonging to something that is much bigger than any individual. To see numerous Okanagan teams and rugby fans of all ages, men and women, participate towards a common goal has been extremely refreshing."
CORE president Doug Manning added that he felt the same way as Pierce, adding that it’s always special when the community gets together.
"We liked the idea of our whole rugby community doing something together," said Manning. "Rugby is a team sport. We get the value of a team or community working together to make good things happen. We are very pleased with the results of the 80 Minutes fundraiser."
The 2018 80 Minutes fundraiser is the first of what is planned to be an annual event. Manning explained that CORE has many ideas for attracting even more participants in future years.
"When you see 80 people spread out on a quarter-mile track, you realize how many more people could participate in this 80 Minutes initiative. It is our goal to get 200 rugby enthusiasts out there next year."
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