Lethbridge Rugby Club alumni reminisce at weekend celebration

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on July 20, 2022.

The Lethbridge Rugby Club held its 50th year celebration over the weekend and brought in nearly 100 alumni and it gave them a chance to reminisce about their time at the club.

LRC held its 50th festivities a year later due to COVID-19.

Bernie Ontkean was an LRC player and coach from 1971 to 1999.

“It was awesome,” said Ontkean.

“From what we started at to where we eventually ended up, it was nice to see the growth. Like when we started, it was a bunch of guys that got together. We had three ex-Pats come over and kind of got it going and they recruited guys and where they came from, I don’t know. And then one of the guys I knew played rugby and took me out to a game, saw it, and then I got involved with it and liked it (and) enjoyed it.”

A couple of memories that came to mind were landing the current location was the first one and starting a high school rugby league.

“We used to go up to Calgary with nine players and have to pick up four or five in Calgary to play games,” he said.

“It was hard just to kind of get everybody together and running a practice with seven or eight guys was just not feasible. So we said we had to get in the high school and we did. The other big one was we got bingos because all that money was straight to the club.”

Cindy Rogers played with the club from 1998-2010.

Rogers played rugby at Winston Churchill High School and it was at University of Lethbridge while playing for the Trolls that she heard about LRC.

“It was everything,” said Rogers.

“All of my best friends to this day are from my rugby days and yeah (the Rugby Club) is just an amazing community of people.”

Rogers said it’s so great to have the alumni out.

“People have families and it’s really hard to come out and see your friends and cheer on and support the young crowd coming through. So it’s really nice,” she said.

“And we see my kids starting mini-rugby and it’s really nice to see the progression.”

“It’s a big celebration of the longevity of the club and perseverance and the volunteering efforts of people in the past,” said Rory McKeown, LRC president.

McKeown grew up at the LRC and it is a big part of him.

“It’s good to see some of the older guys and the gals as well that essentially raised you and now I’m 40-years-old. So I’ve been around this club for nearly its existence, 10 years short, but it’s great. It’s great to have the guys come back and they get to rekindle friendships — like some of these guys probably haven’t seen each other for 10 to 15 years.”