On a sunny Sunday a few weeks ago a small group gathered to watch as club President, John de Goede, handed out the club’s youth scholarship awards. Normally, in the Before Times, this is something that we would have done at our Annual Awards Banquet.
We didn’t want everyone to miss out, and we especially wanted to highlight these bright young athletes and the sponsors for these scholarships, so we video taped each award.
The awards are up on our YouTube Channel so you can grab the links and share. We will also be featuring each athlete with separate social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. So stay tuned for that!
Delaney Woods - Jack Patrick Award
Jack Patrick was one of the James Bay pioneers that helped rebuild the Club after the Second World War. He played for the Club as a young man but stayed on in his senior years to mentor young athletes, coaching and playing. He died while playing in a Third division men’s game up at Wallace field. Jack’s friends and family set up the fund to help Junior James Bay members with their education while they were playing rugby.
You can donate to this fund via Canadian Rugby Foundation: Dedicated Funds
Caelyn Huebner - Nick Mathers Award
Nick Mathers was a devoted rugby player; he played at Oak Bay High School and for JBAA. On or off the pitch, Nick was always up for a challenge, always posing questions and seeking real answers. He had a lively, inquiring mind with a deep core of affection underneath and, above all, a sometimes wicked, always irreverent, sense of humour.
Tragically, Nick’s life was cut short when, at only 18 years old, he was struck and killed while cycling down Richmond Road on a rainy winter night, early in 2006. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene, is believed to have been driving while under the influence of alcohol and was later charged with failing to stop at an accident.
The JBAA Nick Mathers Scholarship is sponsored by the Mathers family and honours a young athlete from the club that is graduating from high school and going on to post-secondary education. The selected athlete exemplifies Nick’s dedication to the sport, as well as his warmth, camaraderie, and humour.
You can donate to this fund via Canadian Rugby Foundation: Dedicated Funds
Meyer Family Scholarships
Phil Meyer has a long history with the club, starting when he was only 16 years old and he came to play on the Senior Men’s Seconds team where he was coached by John Kerr. By the time Phil joined JBAA he had already lost his father. The late Dr. Meyer was a generous country doctor, but unfortunately that generousity didn’t result in financial abundance for the Meyers, and his death left the family penniless. At some point during that first year of playing for JBAA, Phil’s Mom went to see Coach Kerr, and while Phil doesn’t know what was discussed, the outcome was a summer job for Phil, working with John Kerr as the youngest BC Paving Inspector in BC.
That summer job led to 3 more summers of working with Coach Kerr. These jobs allowed Phil to make enough money to fund his advanced education. And that education enabled him, over the years, to get a number of outstanding jobs. Phil believes his career success would not have been possible without the support of JBAA and thoughtful coaches, such as John Kerr.
A few years ago, Phil and Nancy decided it was time to pay it forward, in Phil’s words to “pay some of this help for young ruggers forward”. They started by supporting the Tommy Woods Esquimalt Academy and they established the Phil Mack Trophy, along with associated scholarships for First Nations youth.
Then two years ago, with JBAA Juniors again on the rise, Phil and Nancy created the Meyer Family Rugby Scholarships to support two players moving on to post secondary education. Currently the scholarships awarded are $1,000 and $500 - Phil hopes that if all goes well, next season they will double their support for the two JBAA Junior scholarships. In Phil’s words:
Still not close to the help I received from JBAA when I was a kid – but hopefully, with the passage of time, we will get closer.