Kowalski wins silver with Team Canada

Impact player in Game 2 before tearing ACL and MCL

Katie Brickman, Moose Jaw Times

Aimee Kowalski of Team Canada came home with a silver medal at the 2013 IFAF World Women's Football Championship held in Finland over the past two weeks.
(Photo credit: Jari Turunen, wwc2013.com)

Not only did Aimee Kowalski learn and grow as a quarterback and teammate over the past two weeks, she was an impact player.

The Moose Jaw native recently returned home with a silver medal after spending time in Vantaa, Finland competing for Team Canada at the 2013 IFAF World Women’s Football Championship.

“It was really nice and I learned a lot from the coaches,” she said. “There were lots of new plays and we had to incorporate a whole new playbook. We ended up playing and practicing 14 days straight.”

Team Canada started off strong, going 2-0 in the round robin before losing in the gold medal game to the United States. They were shutout 64-0 in the final game.

In the first game, Canada crushed Spain 50-0.

“Spain is new and this was their first year,” she said. “They didn’t score in the tournament, but they had lots of heart and (were) very proud. They enjoyed themselves.”

In the second game, they played host Finland. Team Canada was down 12-6 at the half before coming back to win it 34-12, landing them a spot in the final.

“We were actually losing in the first half. I just punted in the first half and I didn’t go in as QB until the second half. We ended up winning,” Kowalski said. “It was nice to be able to make an impact in that game and lead us to the gold medal game.”

After being a big component in helping send Canada into the final game against the United States, Kowalski didn’t even make it out of the first quarter.

“I actually blew my knee out in the first quarter. I was taken away halfway through the first quarter. I went to cut and my knee just gave out. I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus,” she stated.

She is scheduled to have surgery at some point this summer and the recovery time is about six months.

“I am a personal trainer, so from that perspective, it is just another journey and I have another experience on my resume,” she explained.

While Kowalski waits for surgery and a new Western Women’s Canadian Football League season to begin, she is already focused on bringing what she learned from this experience to the Regina Riot.

“I am really excited to apply what I learnt as a QB. I think one of the biggest things was that I have become more effective as far as footwork when handing off or when I’m throwing or on the run. I’ve really become better as a QB,” she stated.

Despite tearing her knee, the experience was positive and an honour to wear the Canadian jersey in a competition. She made sure to soak in as much as she could with all her teammates and coaches, a highlight of the trip, even if she faced some disapproval.

“I think there was some criticism if I should have made the team or not as far as my  coachability,” Kowalski said. “My quarterback coach really enjoyed working with me, so it was nice to come out and learn.”

Shelby Moran Emerging as Future Leader on Defense for Regina Riot

Mark Staffieri, Bleacher Report

As the Western Women’s Canadian Football League continues to grow, players like Shelby Moran will serve as the foundation for the next generation of stars. Competing with the Regina Riot, Moran is working tirelessly to help the franchise attain its first championship.

While the WWCFL is shattering barriers and expectations as to the role of women in football, Moran was accomplishing a reputation as a great competitor in high school. Like fellow peer Alexa Matwyczuk, Moran played high school boys football.

“Playing football in high school was an amazing experience.  I first played for my high school during the ninth grade in Dryden, Ontario. I had so much fun and got along so great with the guys, that when I moved here [in Regina] I had to play. Then I played a year at another school because I had a friend that really wanted to play and she wanted me to join her.”

As the remainder of her high school playing career was in football-mad Regina, Saskatchewan, Moran continued competing against the boys. Competing on the Winston Knoll Wolverines varsity football team in high school, she was a defensive back. Standing only at 5’2”, Moran was a spitfire of remarkable energy and strength who not only earned the respect of her coaches, but held up her own against the boys.

“After that, my coach at the high school asked if I was going to play for them. Then next year came, and of course I was going to play, no questions asked. I had amazing coaches here and a great head coach [Kelly Adams] which really made playing more enjoyable. When I was on the field there was not any difference between me and the guys; I was just a player.

That was the best part, being treated 100 percent equal when I was playing. The guys were of course hesitant at first to hit me, but once you hit back...they soon forget and hit me just the same as any other player. Overall playing in high school was great, and I learned so much from playing which has really helped me now. It has also made me more confident in my tackling now because before I was able to take down big high school guys.”

Like many women competing in the WWCFL, Shelby Moran is also a two-sport star. While at Winston Knoll Collegiate, she won the 2008 provincial wrestling championship in the 65-kilogram weight class. She would also represent Saskatchewan in wrestling at the 2009 Canada Summer Games, finishing in sixth place.

In university, Moran continued to compete in wrestling. With the University of Regina Cougars wrestling team, Moran ranked in fifth place in the 82-kilogram class at the 2010 Canada West Championships. While football was her first love, Moran found similarities between the two sports. The toughness and skills acquired on the gridiron transferred well to her wrestling endeavors.

“Wrestling has definitely helped in some areas for sure. The main part it has helped is with tackling. Really, it is all the same concepts as a running double leg takedown. The intense training has helped with fitness. In wrestling, you have to recover fast and catch your breath quick between periods so that also has helped me be able to recover really fast between plays.

I originally played football before I ever wrestled, so football also helped me wrestle as well, especially with takedowns. Wrestlers make great football players, and I would love to see more wrestlers playing football because they are usually the better tacklers.”

The defining moment in her young career came in a historic moment in WWCFL lore. Heading into the 2013 WWCFL campaign, the Regina Rage had an ambitious goal of usurping the Saskatoon Valkyries as the finest team in the league. With the Valkyries having never lost a game in league history, Regina handed them their first loss on May 12, 2013.

As the hard-earned victory came on Moran’s 22nd birthday, it would provide with a series of treasured moments that would last a lifetime. In the 15-7 final, which was a defensive showcase throughout, Moran registered four tackles.

“The win against Saskatoon was amazing! I could not ask for a better birthday present that is for sure. It was so intense and our defense just came together as one it was awesome!

That win really helped our team’s confidence. We always knew we could beat them. It was just a matter of coming together as a team to do it. This year we had the right coaches and it just seemed to work out. I think beating them also broke that mental block that our team seemed to have whenever we face them.”

Another milestone for Moran and her teammates on Regina was the opportunity to host the Prairie Conference championship game in 2013. Having claimed the regular-season title for the first time in franchise history, the opportunity at the elusive WWCFL championship seemed all too real.

Despite the fact that the Valkyries managed to defeat the Riot in the Prairie Conference final and advance to their third consecutive WWCFL title game, Moran and her teammates made significant progress in 2013. While the offseason will certainly provide Moran with motivation, she is confident that the future will provide the much desired championship result. In discussing what it will take to win the coveted championship, Moran declared,

“To win the championship, our team all has to come together and play together. Football is the ultimate team sport. You have to completely trust that everyone on your team on that field will do their job. If you have full confidence that the person next to you is doing their job, then you can do yours. That is the key, to trust the person beside you. Everyone just has to play hard, make their tackles and blocks and then we will be successful.”

Saskatchewan set to dominate Canadian female football

Morgan Modjeski, Metro Saskatoon

Jessie Buydens, left, a Saskatoon Valkyrie and an offensive line for Team Canada can be seen running to give support against the Regina Riot during a May 26, bout between the two teams. Buydens is just one of 15 players from Sask. WWCFL teams on the Team Canada roster.
(Photo credit: Morgan Modjeski, Metro)

Jeff Yausie, head coach of the Saskatoon Valkyries, will lead Team Canada at the upcoming International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women’s World Championship — and he’s taking many Saskatchewan players with him.

A total of 15 players from Saskatchewan’s two teams in the Western Women’s Canadian Football League — nine from the Valkyries and six from the Regina Riot — have made the cut for Team Canada. But despite Saskatchewan’s strong showing on the 45-player roster, Yausie said it’s important to look ahead.

“It’s funny because you focus on your team and your league and everything else, and really that’s what we’ve been doing up to this past weekend,” Yausie said.

“But now we’ve got to focus on Team Canada. It’s got nothing to do with Saskatchewan players or Quebec players … we’ve all got to come together.”

Facing Germany, Sweden, Spain, Finland and the United States, competition at the tournament will be fierce. The Saskatchewan players, though, appear ready to tackle the pressure.

“It’s really an honour to wear the Maple Leaf and represent your country on an international stage, especially doing something that you love to do,” said Valkyries player Jessie Buydens, an offensive lineman for Team Canada.

“It’s not something people get to do very often.”

Claire Doré of the Riot, a slotback with Team Canada, echoed Buydens’ excitement.

“Particularly for us as women football players in such a new sport,” Dore said, “that we can champion this cause and bring equality to women’s sport in a new way, is just incredible.”

The tournament will run from June 30 to July 6 in Vantaa, Finland.