SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — As of Monday afternoon, the field for the 23rd annual David Voye Memorial rugby tournament was still up in the air.
Originally, the senior AAA-calibre event, which is hosted by Three Oaks Senior High School in Summerside, was scheduled to attract 19 teams – 12 girls and seven boys – from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
But last week’s surprising announcement that the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation (NSSAF) was suspending rugby immediately due to injury concerns threw organizers an unexpected curveball. Montague player Brodie McCarthy died as a result of a head injury suffered during the 2018 Voye tournament.
However, news broke early Friday evening that Nova Scotia Education Minister Zach Churchill called for rugby to be reinstated by the NSSAF. At that time it appeared things would go ahead as normal. But a memo issued Monday morning stated that NSSAF board of governors had not yet resolved the issue.
Will go ahead
Nonetheless, the Voye tournament, which honours a former music teacher and driving force behind the formation of the rugby program at Three Oaks, will go ahead this week regardless of what happens with the Nova Scotia teams. Three Oaks athletic director Joel Arsenault noted a Plan B is already in place, despite the fact 10 of the 19 teams are from Nova Scotia – seven girls and three boys.
“We are planning to proceed with the tournament with all Island teams and go with five girls and four boys teams if the Nova Scotia teams are unable to come,” explained Arsenault. “We will go with a round-robin type of tournament.”
It is clear members of the host Three Oaks teams are hoping the Nova Scotia teams are able to participate. The original schedule called for a busy slate of games at Three Oaks on Friday and Saturday.
“It would be a big hit to the tournament only having Island teams in it,” said 17-year-old senior Alex Compton, who plays standoff with the Three Oaks senior AAA boys. “We have a lot of teams coming from Nova Scotia and it brings a lot of excitement back to the school.”
Jordyn Connell, a Grade 12 second row player with the Three Oaks senior AAA girls, said the Axewomen always look forward to playing Nova Scotia teams.
“We saw them (at RugbyFest) in Rothesay (in late April) and we wanted to have a chance to play them again,” said Connell, 17.
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