P.E.I. rugby players won’t let health challenges slow them down at this year’s Canada Games

Rugby is known as a tough and scrappy sport, but that hasn’t deterred two young Prince Edward Islanders who’ve faced health challenges from diving into the scrum.

Mya Roberts from Charlottetown and Owen Connolly from Crapaud are both representing the Island as members of rugby sevens squads getting underway this week at the Canada Games in St. John’s, N.L.  

Playing on the women’s team, Roberts said she has loved rugby ever since she got a taste of it heading into Grade 10. 

“I just love everything about it,” she told Heather Barrett of CBC’s Weekend AM in St. John’s. “Running, tackling – like, you just get it all.” 

That kind of constant cardio and contact means she has to take extra steps to manage her Type 1 diabetes, diagnosed eight years ago, when she was 10. For one thing, she can’t use her insulin pump during competition, so she has to keep on top of her insulin levels the old-school way.

“It’s a pretty heavy job.… You don’t get a break from it,” she said. “I have to constantly monitor my blood sugar, and watch for highs and lows.” 

That involves pricking her finger for blood tests before and after every game, counting carbs to make sure she is properly fuelled up to play, and having lots of small snacks with her in case of a sudden change. 

“It’ll often run a bit higher, my blood sugar, because of all the adrenaline and stuff during games.”

Roberts said her teammates don’t treat her any differently because of her diabetes, and that’s just the way she likes it. 

“I know if I did ever need help with anything that they’d be there to help me for sure.”

Her advice to other young people with diabetes who might be leery of getting involved in contact sports: “Don’t think that you can’t do it.… You can and it won’t stop you from being successful in whatever you’re doing.”

Connolly is in St. John’s as men’s rugby sevens returns to the competition for the first time since 2009. 

“I liked the physicality about it … and the team dynamic of it,” he said of the sport, which he played at Bluefield High School starting in Grade 10. 

“I feel like rugby is probably one of my best sports.… It’s a very complex game but it’s a very simple game at the same time.”

There was no guarantee that he’d be in shape to return to contact sports after a major setback in Grade 12, though. 

“It was a Monday night and I was headed up to hockey, and I turned left out of my driveway and then woke up in the hospital about a week and a half later,” he said. “I ended up getting in a car crash.” 

As well as breaking a rib that punctured one of his lungs, he sustained a moderate traumatic brain injury and had trouble with his legs as well.

The road to recovery involved a lot of rehab. But Connolly said being “a bit of a patriot” helped him get back into shape, especially with the Canada Games approaching.

“I was just very motivated to try out and play,” he said. “I really wanted to represent my province.” 

Along the way, he worked on safer tackling habits — “where to put my head, brace for getting hit” — and wore a scrum cap for a while to protect his head and ears.  

Just keep going. Stay in motion. You can’t let your life come to a standstill.— Owen Connolly

Connolly said he doesn’t talk much with his teammates about his past injuries, but just concentrates on improving his game. 

“It is all about respect.… I do not hold back and neither do they,” he said. 

As for members of the opposing teams they P.E.I. squad will be facing at the Games, he expects the standard amount of sports respect they would show anyone: “They’re your opponents, not your enemies.”

When rugby sevens action starts on Monday, he’ll be ready — and one particular fan on the P.E.I. mission staff will likely be cheering extra hard. That’s his dad, Mike, who played rugby 40 years ago at the 1985 Canada Games.  

Owen Connolly’s advice for other athletes coming back from serious injuries? 

“Just keep going. Stay in motion. You can’t let your life come to a standstill.”