Becky Wallis returned to Canada from the 2013 World Women Championship of football in Finland with a silver medal around her neck.
"It was a fantastic experience," said Wallis who plays for the Regina Riot in WWCFL. "It was amazing to represent my country and get to travel to Finland to play against some really good football teams."
Wallis, who plays defensive line, helped lead Canada over Spain 50-0 and Finland 34-12 in the preliminary action.
"Spain is a developing country in women's football, so we outmatched them by a fair bit," said the Hudson Bay native who now resides in Yorkton with her husband Scott Wallis. "We stuck to our game plan and just stayed focused throughout the game. It was definitely a confident booster to win by that much."
"Finland was a much tougher opponent than Spain. They went onto win the bronze medal. But at the beginning of the game, we struggled to get going. We were down at the half, but had a really strong second half. I'm really happy with how we played in the second half."
In the championship game, the United States were just too much for Canada to handle. They fell 64-0 to the States, who previously beat Sweden 84-0 and Germany 107-7.
Wallis, 27, believes the States' lengthy experience as a country developing women football players is the reason for their dominance in the tackle football tournament.
"The States have been teaching women contact football for a long time," she said. "They have been doing it for a much longer time than most countries. They have some great coaches and football is really big down there. I'm guessing more people want to play and they are a big country."
After the football tournament, which took place from June 28 to July 6, Wallis traveled with her husband around Finland and other nearby countries.
"It was great to get the opportunity to see other parts of the world," she said. "We stayed in Helsinki (Finland) and got to see a lot of the country. We also traveled to England and Whales. It was an amazing experience to get to see these countries."
Before Wallis left for Finland, she wrapped up her second season with the Riot in the Western Women's Canadian Football League. The 3-1 Riot finished the regular-season tied for first place in the Prairie Division with the Saskatoon Valkyries. In the first round of the playoffs against the Valkyries, the Riot put up a strong fight, but couldn't come out on top in the 55-27 affair.
"I was very happy with our 3-1 record in the season," said Wallis. "I thought we had a very successful season. But it was a disappoint to lose to Saskatoon. We were hoping for a better outcome."
Wallis, who was one of five Riot women that cracked Team Canada, gives credit to her team's defensive co-ordinator, former Saskatchewan Roughrider Chunky Adams, for her success on the field.
"He has an amazing grasp on football," she said. "He's a good guy and has taught me so much about the game. He's a very good coach. Regina is lucky to have him."
As far as next year goes, Wallis isn't sure if she will return to the Riot for a third season yet.
"I don't know yet whether I will play another season," she said. "It's a big commitment to play for them. I have to travel from Yorkton to Regina and it takes up a lot of your time. It also depends on whether my husband and I decide to start a family this year or not. We'll see how everything goes."
