By Nolan Boivin
This spring, Gulf Islands Secondary School (GISS) has decided to expand its athletic world by introducing two new and exciting programs: ultimate frisbee and rugby.
For someone like Mike deRoos, the head coach of the ultimate frisbee team, initiating this program is more than personal.
“I started playing ultimate when I was in high school and totally fell in love with the sport. It was a very positive part of my youth,” he said.
Last year, after the school approved a student-led club for the sport, deRoos took the initiative to evolve the group into a competitive team. His goal is to create a fun, inclusive and welcoming environment for the players, while being guided by ultimate frisbee’s focus on “spirit of the game” — a code of conduct that values respect, fairness and sportsmanship, and the ability to play without referees and the intensity of cutthroat competition.
The students have so far embraced this spirit. Senior player Clement Dahle, who resides on Mayne Island, was immediately caught by ultimate’s accessibility, the challenging aspects of the sport and its cohesiveness.
“I liked the fact that there was going to be a competitive team, unlike the rugby program,” he said.
Dahle, an experienced athlete who has played soccer and baseball and practised numerous martial arts, strongly appreciates the sport’s relaxed and welcoming vibe, calling ultimate “a fun, less aggressive and easy-to-learn version of football.”
Ryleh Campsall, another senior player at the school, couldn’t agree more with her teammate.
“It doesn’t feel as competitive because everyone is new to it,” she said, emphasizing the team’s mix of ages and genders creates a supportive and low-pressure environment. Ultimate frisbee offers a new, yet relaxed, entry point to athletics at the school, which is beneficial for students who may not have found their place in traditional high school sports.
While ultimate promotes a more lighthearted approach to competition, the rugby scene at the high school provides a more traditional and rugged experience, seldom encountered by students at GISS. Head coach and teacher Douglas Clayton, who has a lot of experience in rugby, once worked at a prestigous rugby school in New Zealand. Clayton believes that the sport can become a cornerstone for GISS.
“It’s been a sport that has been denied to the kids of the Gulf Islands for too long. I used to work at one of the fanciest rugby schools in the world, Auckland Grammar in New Zealand, and when it was time for a home game, there were swarms of people waiting outside, always there to support the boys. It’s such a fun sport to watch live, with the kind of atmosphere you’d find in a movie, so I think there is a lot of potential for community involvement.”
Despite the encouraging environment in New Zealand, starting the rugby program hasn’t come easily for coach Clayton, as equipment shortages and a complete lack of experience among players who signed up meant the team had to start almost from scratch. But for Clayton, those challenges have only added fuel to the fire and helped strengthen his long-term vision for the sport at the school.
“It’s been fun watching people learn completely new things,” he said.
Beyond the addition of the physical game, Clayton sees rugby as a potential answer to a broader issue found in the school’s athletic offerings, especially the barrier for boys during the spring season.
“Boys have holes in athletics in the springtime, considering how soccer, volleyball and basketball are played in the winter. Unless you want to golf or sail, rugby is the perfect opportunity for a team sport. I don’t see how it couldn’t grow,” Clayton explained.
He believes that rugby could become “a potentially community-unifying spring sport, especially — but not limited to — for boys,” finally patching that hole in the schedule.
Grade 9 player Cohen McArthur, another multi-sport athlete, has found the challenge of rugby rewarding as the team builds itself up.
“My favourite part is that you can kick the ball a lot,” he said.
It’s clear that both programs emphasize inclusivity and their coaches share the same hope that these sports will become long-term fixtures at GISS. While ultimate offers a welcoming, laid-back environment, rugby hopes to bring back the intensity and grit missing at the school and across the island after being congested by the more “chill sports” like soccer and volleyball. It’s exciting to finally add some new flavours to the athletic diets of the students.
Whether you want something fun or fierce, there’s now something new and fresh waiting on the field. With both programs growing, this could be just the beginning of many more sporting opportunities at Gulf Islands Secondary School.