32 Players Attended Rugby Canada’s Next Gen Women’s 7s Top 32 Performance Camp

32 Players Attended Rugby Canada’s Next Gen Women’s 7s Top 32 Performance Camp

Held over July 7 to 20 at Shawnigan Lake School, the camp was led by Jocelyn Barrieau, Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team and Iain Monaghan, Assistant Coach of Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team.

The Next Gen Women’s 7s Top 32 Performance Camp involved two weeks of intense training and games for the Junior Pan American Games squad as well as Next Gen players and young talent identified through Rugby Canada’s age grade programming, provincial partners, and U SPORTS. 
 
“The bridge between our senior team and our Next Gen teams has been reinforced over the course of the camp this month,” says Jocelyn Barrieau, Head Coach of Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team. “Over 32 players have definitely pushed each other in all areas of the 7s game and our U20 Junior PanAm team has gotten some great preparation for their upcoming competition. 12 coaches, with representation from coast to coast, worked alongside our national team coaches around attack and defence principles to help build and push our Canadian style of play. Overall, we are very happy with our Next Gen Summer Showcase and we look forward to seeing some of these players in the upcoming World Series.”
 
The camp also served as a coach development opportunity for 12 provincial coaches (listed below) who all added valuable expertise as well as different skills and perspectives. We thank our Provincial partners for supporting this initiative.

“Having been involved in rugby for many years and across various levels of competition, I can confidently say that this camp was the most rewarding experience I’ve had,” said Ontario coach, Darrell Devine. “The national staff were not only approachable and transparent but also demonstrated high performance standards in an inclusive and supportive way. Collaborating with coaches from across the country provided a tremendous learning and growth opportunity for all involved.”
 
The camp combined 16 Next Gen Women’s 7s players and the 16 U20 Women’s Sevens players selected to represent Canada at the Asunción 2025 Junior Pan American Games.

The second-ever edition of the Junior Pan American Games will take place August 9 to 23, 2025, in Asuncion, Paraguay, with more than 4000 athletes from 41 countries competing in 28 sports. This will be the first time that rugby sevens, which is scheduled for August 16 and 17, is included in this international multi-sport event for young rising athletes. Canada’s U20 Women’s Sevens Team competing in the Asunción 2025 Junior Pan American Games, coached by Brittany Waters and Robin MacDowell has been announced here.

“The camp was a huge success, bringing together the top 32 Women's 7s Next Gen players from across Canada for 14 days at Shawnigan Lake School, supported by Own The Podium (OTP),” says Iain Monaghan, Assistant Coach of Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team. “The camp included field rugby training, gym sessions, nutritional and mental skills workshops and four competition days that mimicked the World Series format. In year one of our LA2028 quad, it was important to have this time to work with these players. It was inspiring to have provincial coaches alongside us, shaping and nurturing Canada's future national players. Together, we are building a formidable future for women's rugby in Canada!”

Own the Podium’s mission is to enhance Canada’s high-performance sport system by providing advice and support to national sport organizations, delivering strategic priorities and providing funding recommendations that align with our funding partners’ priorities. More information can be found here.
 
CANADA’S NEXT GEN WOMEN’S 7S TOP 32 PERFORMANCE CAMP GROUP
1.    Emily Clark - Ontario
2.    Olivia Sarabura - Ontario
3.    Larah Wright - Alberta
4.    Camille Arvin-Bérod - Quebec
5.    Brogan Mior - Alberta
6.    Ella O'Regan - British Columbia
7.    Megan Allard - Quebec
8.    Vanessa Chiappetta - British Columbia
9.    Savannah Bauder - British Columbia
10. Aurora Bowie - Ontario
11. Ava Van Santen - British Columbia
12. Eden Kilgour - Ontario
13. Tia Jordo - British Columbia
14. Maddy Donnelly - Ontario
15. Rachel Cullum - Ontario
16. Justine Blatt-Janmatt - Nova Scotia 
17. Bomi Lawal - Calgary, AB
18. Kiki Idowu - Toronto, ON
19. Jiggy Schonfeld - Ottawa, ON
20. Olivia Newsome - Calgary, AB
21. Adia Pye - Victoria, BC
22. Zina Umeh - Calgary, AB
23. Ivy Poetker - Calgary, AB
24. Kennedi Stevenson - Georgetown, ON
25. Adelaide Holmes - Waterloo, ON
26. Charlotte Hilton - Fall River, NS
27. Elle Douglas - Saskatoon, SK
28. Kelsa Kempf - Langley, BC
29. Delphine Champagne - Québec City, QC
30. Laruen Cheng - Toronto, ON
31. Guinevere O'Hara - Toronto, ON
32. Grace Jenkins - Port Hope, ON
 
CANADA’S NEXT GEN PROVINCIAL COACHES
1.    Darcy Patterson - British Columbia
2.    Darrell Devine - Ontario / Newfoundland and Labrador
3.    Emma Delory - Nova Scotia
4.    Jessie-Anne Gibson - Ontario
5.    Julia Sugawara - British Columbia
6.    Kate Pasic - Ontario
7.    Khalil Ajram - Ontario
8.    Lorissa Johnson - New Brunswick
9.    Rosalie Authier - Quebec
10. Shannon Atkins - Prince Edward Island
11. Stephanie Chin - Ontario
12. Tahnee Grosskopf – Manitoba

More information on the Asunción 2025 Junior Pan American Games can be found here, with the event streamed live on the Panam Sports Channel.