The sacrifice and countless hours of hard work paid off for Bracebridge resident Ethan Jurgeneit who was rendered practically speechless upon learning back in February that he made the Canada U18 Rugby team.
“I was full of joy, and very excited,” Jurgeneit said. His proud parents showed up at his school with a big sign which read ‘Congratulations Ethan you made the U18 Rugby Canada Team.’
Reflecting on that magical afternoon, he went on to add, “I think the whole thing was scripted. I was with my friend and he wanted me to come out to his car with him, and when I turned around by the doors there they were.”
“We travel one hour for practice in Barrie,” Jerrilyn Jonathan said. “He loves the sport. He learned a lot from some great coaches in New Zealand.”
While excited about making Canada U18 Rugby team, he recently suffered a setback when the team’s Summer Series scheduled for July in B.C. against the USA U18 team, was officially cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“I’m a little disappointed, but I’m going to keep training,” he said. Naturally making the U18 team is a major step towards that ultimate challenge of international play.
