Muirhead, George to coach at Canada Games

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This article was published 21/01/2022 (1522 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A mixture of thoughts swirled through Kathleen Muirhead’s head when she was approached about coaching at the Canada Games.

“‘Am I ready for this? Can I do this? How do I do this?’ and excitement,” said Muirhead, who lives in Minnedosa. “It’s a mix of emotions but it’s going to be exciting.”

Muirhead accepted. She joins Manitoba Rugby Hall of Famer Paul Harland as co-head coaches for Manitoba’s girls rugby sevens squad heading to Niagara, Ont., this summer. Brandon’s Jamee George is on the staff as the strength and conditioning coach, and Guy McKim, who started the Brandon Barbarians, is the consultant coach.

Harland won a bronze medal at the 1981 Canada Games and later suited up for the national team. He coached at the Canada Games in 1993 before rugby was removed from the multi-sport event in 2009.

Muirhead grew up in Lynn Lake, a few hours northwest of Thompson, and moved to Winnipeg in 1986. She cracked a handful of provincial team rosters and has two national championship silver medals.

She made a name for herself as a coach, guiding the Minnedosa Chancellors girls team to three straight 15s provincial titles from 2017 to 2019. That group featured Jordan McLeod, who started every game for the UBC Thunderbirds as they captured the 2021 Canada West title and won the consolation final at the U Sports championship.

So the track record of this coaching staff speaks for itself, and its connections run deep.

McKim was one of Muirhead’s first rugby coaches, and she met Harland while they played for the Winnipeg Wasps and Lady Wasps.

The decision to include George, a Crocus Plains alum and U Sports standout as a forward for the St. Francis Xavier X-Women, was easy.

“She’s awesome,” Muirhead said. “… She’s done a lot of training with Jordan McLeod and everybody you talk to is impressed with her. She loves what she does and she’s passionate about it. When we were talking with Paul and (McKim) and I brought up her name to bring onboard I thought ‘Yeah, this makes sense.’ She’s played at a higher level, she’s refereed and her personal training background, it’s a real no-brainer.”

Muirhead has also coached the Rivers Rams sevens team that has dominated the past few Westman High School Rugby fall seasons, though she admits she still has a lot of “homework” to do on the sevens game.

Niagara 2022 is rugby’s return and the first time sevens is on display at the Games. It’s an ultra-fast-paced game, both in duration and the on-field product. Halves are seven minutes each instead of 40, and with seven players per side compared to 15, speed often trumps size.

“It’s a lot more speed. It’s still just as powerful or more because there’s more speed,” George said. “They need to be able to move fast, react fast, read the field fast and make decisions fast.”

Muirhead agrees.

“Fitness is 90 per cent of that sevens game so … hopefully they’re not on the couch but we have to get them off the couch,” Muirhead said. “We have to get them going now because we’re a little behind.”

Muirhead and George already feel a sense of urgency as the six-and-a-half months between now and the Aug. 6 opening ceremony will go by fast.

Muirhead’s priority is finding interested players to select a team from. She said she has 12 on her list now. It’s an under-18 event (2004-born or later), but all provinces and territories except Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia are allowed up to five 2003-born athletes on their 10-player rosters.

The goal is to have camps in the next few months: some with Westman players, some with Winnipeggers and some combined.

Muirhead and Harland are also working on an exhibition schedule to get game experience with Alberta, Saskatchewan and some club teams.

For George, the upcoming challenge is finding ways to not only improve the girls’ fitness but get them in rugby shape. Training virtually makes it much more difficult, but starting as soon as possible is crucial.

“Everyone was used to going to their sport, in the zone, COVID hits and they’re sitting on their butts doing nothing … they go back to that 100 per cent and we see injuries,” George said. “What the coaches were thinking is we need girls who are safe to play rugby, and that’s where strength and conditioning come in.”

George said her key focuses are on strengthening shoulders, improving balance, stabilizing knees and some plyometrics to make the athletes more explosive. It’ll take about three months to complete a strength and conditioning block, so they need to get a team together soon.

Those interested in competing can contact the coaching staff at girlscanadagames@rugbymb.ca.

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