Victoria – University of Victoria second-year women's rugby player Krissy Scurfield, 19, grew up a multi-sport athlete playing competitive hockey and rugby through her senior year of high school. When it came time to decide her post-secondary path forward, Scurfield says a gut feeling led her towards rugby. It turns out that gut feeling was spot on.
Scurfield recently solidified her place training with Canada's senior women's national sevens team after outstanding back-to-back performances resulting in a selection to the HSBC Dream Team following the Canada Sevens tournament in Langford. The youngest player on the Canadian side and the only Canadian selected to the star-studded dream team, Scurfield was a last-minute addition to the tournament, getting called up just two days before kick-off.
"It was pretty surreal; the weekend was definitely a roller coaster of emotions," said Scurfield, whose father Al made a last-minute trip from Alberta to watch her play.
"We (team Canada) got home from the Bahamas on Monday, and I found out on Thursday that I would be playing that weekend. It was a whirlwind, but I was really excited for the opportunity."
The late addition to the roster turned out to be a good one for Canada, with Scurfield's speed being a key factor in the team's run to a fifth-place finish. She was Canada's joint-top scorer with four tries in the tournament, ultimately landing her on the HSBC Dream Team— chosen from the players who performed best during the Langford leg of the tournament and voted on by players and fans.
A newcomer to the national team's senior ranks, Scurfield is among an era of young athletes in the program's rebuilding phase following the Tokyo Olympics. While last weekend was only the third appearance for Scurfield, it certainly will not be the last as the second-year UVic Vike starts to find her 'very fast' footing in the sport.
Relatively late to the game, the Canmore Alberta product picked up rugby for the first time in Grade 9 after stepping away from competitive gymnastics. A self-proclaimed 'grinder,' Scurfield brings the explosive power of a gymnast combined with the speed and toughness of a hockey player—a natural fit for rugby.
Athletically gifted from a young age, Scurfield says it runs in the family.
"My parents are both athletic—my dad was a high diver who competed in the Pan American Games, and my mom was an athlete as well. My older sister (Annika) and I are close in age, so we were always extremely competitive growing up. She plays hockey at Carleton University."
An undeniable talent, Scurfield quickly climbed the ranks, representing Team Alberta and attending camps where she was scouted for the Rugby Canada Maple Leaf Academy (MLA).
The MLA exists to provide an environment that supports up-and-coming female rugby players in achieving their aspirations of competing for the national senior women's teams. Aspiring athletes from across the country come together to train full-time in Rugby Canada's high-performance environment at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC.
While training with the Maple Leafs, it made perfect sense that Scurfield would join a number of her MLA teammates at the University of Victoria to play for the Vikes. During the 2021-22 season, she helped the Vikes to a fourth-place finish at the U SPORTS National Championships in 15s and their fourth straight Canada West title in sevens.
She also earned herself RBC Future Olympian funding through the 2021-22 RBC Training Ground talent search that sets out to identify young athletes between the ages of 14-25 with Olympic potential and provide them with the resources they need to achieve their podium dreams.
As Scurfield gets set to join the Vikes for a second season, there is no doubt her future in the sport is bright.
"The sky is the limit for somebody like Krissy to someday become a rock star in our sport," said Rugby Canada women's head coach Jack Hanratty after last weekend's tournament in Langford.
Scurfield and the Vikes will look to have their best season yet as they get set to host the U SPORTS National Championships Nov 2-6, 2022.
