Vancouver, BC: The Under-16 Men's British Columbia Elite Youth Sevens team is headed to Kamloops this weekend to compete in the 2011 Western Canada Summer Games.

Western Canada Summer Games
Rugby Dates: August 10-14, 2011
Location: Kamloops Rugby Club (471 Chilcotin Rd)
Division: Under 16 Men (Players born in 1995 and '96)
Website: www.2011wcsg.com

BC in the hunt for Gold
Just as the Olympics will debut sevens in 2016, the Games in Kamloops will feature the abbreviated, high tempo version of rugby.

Head coach of the BC Elite Youth Sevens program Shane Thomspon will be patrolling the sidelines at Kamloops Rugby Club, in his first opportunity to test the province's Under-16 male athletes against teams from outside of BC.

Thompson has had a busy year with the Elite Youth Sevens program, identifying and preparing young athletes for high performance rugby sevens environments. In February, two Under-17 provincial teams competed in the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens. This past June, two Under-18 provincial teams competed in the first ever Victoria International Sevens event. The weekend of junior rugby also featured the inaugural Boys Under-14 BC Rugby Elite Youth Sevens.

"Sevens competitions are sprouting up across the country and this is just another example of how the game is changing," said Thompson. "At the senior levels our guys are preparing for the PanAm Games, our U18s are gearing up for the Youth Commonwealth Games, and here in BC, our players are about to compete in a high profile multi-sport competition. When has that ever happened before?"

The BC U16 squad had their first run out as a team this past weekend in the Youth Burnaby Lake Lighthouse Sevens, a competition featuring older, Under-17 teams.

Thompson's squad were pushed to the brink in the final game by the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club U17's, but eventually won the championship game 19-14. Luke Zandbergen, a member of the Surrey Beavers Rugby Club scored the winning try to see the BC U16s clinch the title.

"Everyone was able to play and we were very fortunate to use this as our final preparation ahead of the Games," said Thompson. "We came out without picking up any injuries and they will be much better prepared with this experience. We certainly found out what we need to work on before we play again, but overall they did very well."

In Kamloops, Thompson's young charges will be up against provincial sides from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The round-robin kicks off on Thursday morning with BC facing Saskatchewan. The tournament wraps on Sunday, August 14th, with the final slated for 10:00am.

BC U16 Roster
After months of selection camps and open trials where hundreds of athletes turned out, Thompson had to narrow down his traveling roster to just 10 players for the Summer Games. Those 10 will be a part of an event that will welcome over 2,300 athletes, coaches, managers and team staff to Kamloops.

"These games will be a great opportunity for these players to participate in a multi-sport environment," added Thompson. "International Rugby Sevens events are usually held over several days and this competition will be a great taste for these guys that could one day go on to compete in high profile international events."

With limited exposure to seven-a-side rugby for most of his athletes, one of Thompson's most experienced players will be Yale Secondary School's Spencer Loughlin, a key member of BC's entry to the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens held last February. Loughlin will be joined by Yale team mate Spencer Miller for the competition. Both Tomasi Vataiki and Harjun Gill are standouts in 15-a-side rugby, having recently captured the 2011 Under-16 Men's Lower Mainland club championship with Richmond RFC.

Other selections from the Lower Mainland include Surrey Beavers Athletic Association's Luke Zandbergen and Capilano RFC's Marshall Fuller. Fuller recently played a key role in Collingwood School's double-AA provincial rugby championship run.

Four of the players hail from Vancouver Island, which has proven to be a hotbed of sevens rugby in recent years. Guiseppe Du Toit and Spencer Soltan are both members of the Shawnigan Lake School rugby program. Noah Dobson, a standout in the Cowichan RFC Junior Piggies program was named, and the lone Victoria selection was Evan Cambridge, a member of the Castaway Wanderers Rugby Football Club and Oak Bay High School Barbarians programs.

For more information on the Western Canada Summer Games visit www.2011wcsg.com.

WCSG Rugby Schedule:

Thursday, August 11th
10:30am: BC vs Saskatchewan
11:15am: Alberta vs Manitoba
2:00pm: BC vs Manitoba
2:45pm: Saskatchewan vs Alberta
5:00pm: BC vs Alberta
5:45pm: Manitoba vs Saskatchewan

Friday, August 12th
10:30am: BC vs Saskatchewan
11:15am: Alberta vs Manitoba
2:00pm: BC vs Manitoba
2:45pm: Saskatchewan vs Alberta
5:00pm: BC vs Alberta
5:45pm: Manitoba vs Saskatchewan

Saturday, August 13th
1:00pm: Semifinals
2:00pm: Semifinals

Sunday, August 14th
9:00am: Bronze Medal Game
10:00am: Gold Medal Game
11:15am: Medals Ceremonies
3:00pm: Games Closing Ceremonies

British Columbia WCSG Roster
Player (Club/ School/ Region)
1. Evan Cambridge (Castaway Wanderers/ Oak Bay High School/ South Island)
2. Noah Dobson (Cowichan RFC/ Cowichan Secondary School/ North Island)
3. Guiseppe Du Toit (Shawnigan Lake School/ North Island)
4. Marshall Fuller (Capilano RFC/ Collingwood School/ Vancouver North)
5. Harjun Gill (Richmond RFC/ St. George’s School/ Vancouver West)
6. Spencer Loughlin (Yale Secondary School/ Valley East/ BCRU Provincial team)
7. Spencer Miller (Yale Secondary School/Valley East)
8. Spencer Soltan (Shawnigan Lake School/BCRU Provincial team)
9. Tomasi Vataiki (Richmond RFC/ Hugh McRoberts Secondary/ Van West)
10. Luke Zandbergen (Surrey Beavers Athletic Association/ Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary/ Valley West)

BC Team Staff
Head Coach: Shane Thompson
Manager: Graham Hawkins

BC Elite Youth Sevens
As a result of rugby sevens being included into the Olympic Games for 2016, the BC Elite Youth Sevens program was developed by the British Columbia Rugby Union to identify, train and develop athletes who can go on to represent their regions, provinces and national teams at age grade and international competitions.

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