ESTEVAN — Sports fans in the Estevan area likely remember Frances Aceron as a talented young basketball star whose talents earned her a spot on Team Saskatchewan's U18 women's team for the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara Falls.
After completing Grade 10 in 2022, Aceron went to King's-Edgehill School in Windsor, N.S., to further her basketball skills.
"I had a strong start, but there was a change of management under the program ... after my first year," said Aceron.
She decided to stay for her Grade 12 year and continued to play basketball, but it wasn't at the same level. She was also the captain of the volleyball team and experienced new things, such as wrestling and rugby. Aceron won a provincial title in wrestling and has secured a scholarship in women's rugby to Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S.
Aceron said she decided to try rugby after she was encouraged by one of the teachers and coaches at the school. There weren't a lot of opportunities for the sport in Saskatchewan.
"I found it's such a different culture," said Aceron. "I found it so much fun, and it's very inclusive to all kinds of athletes, so I loved it just from having it as a spring sport."
There are some similarities with Canadian and American football in terms of scoring and contact, but other rules are different.
The physicality is her favourite part of rugby.
"I love making tackles and hitting … but also running and being able to run into contact is super fun," said Aceron.
She was drawn to Acadia because Wolfville is a small town with a population of under 5,000 people. She will be studying nursing for an accelerated three-year program.
"It was a really good opportunity to pursue a post-secondary sport as well as the degree program I really wanted to be in," she said.
The rugby program has a rivalry with St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., which is another university in a small town. Acadia is a good program, she said, and two coaches from her high King's were from Acadia.
Aceron said she is going to have to work on her speed and strength, especially since she will be in a sport with strong, fast athletes. With her size and stature, it's going to be particularly important to gain muscle and strength so she can compete safely. Conditioning will also be important.
"Unlike other sports, rugby is kind of like 80 minutes full out, with 40-minute halves and no stop times. It's very physically demanding."
Aceron competed in eight-player rugby last season. When she was in the Prairie Cup for Team Saskatchewan this summer, she played an inside centre role. Once she gets to Acadia, she said there would be positions she could adapt to, but she predicted she would be a winger.
She also hopes she can continue with other sports at the intramural level, and she wants to keep coaching at her previous school, giving back to a sport that has opened so many pathways for her.
"There are a lot of opportunities, especially in a small town," she said.
Aceron hopes rugby can continue to grow and develop in Saskatchewan. She's grateful for the opportunity to play for Team Saskatchewan, and she looks forward to doing her part to promote the sport.
