August 19th, 2021

(WHITBY, ON) - Rugby Ontario spoke to Canadian Olympian Olivia Apps about her first Olympic experience, how she became involved in the sport and her rise to the National Team. Read below to learn more about Olivia!

Q: Congratulations on your Olympic selection and competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics! How would you sum up your Olympic experience? 

Olivia: After having some time to reflect, it was defiantly a whirlwind experience. A lot of us weren’t really sure it was going to even happen until we stepped on the field. It happened really fast, we were in and out of the village after we competed. It was really exciting to be there in the village with so many amazing athletes, people I have watched on TV dozens of times. Being there with them, in that community, it was a really honour to be part of that.  

Our team is a really close group. To share that experience with them was great. We’ve been through a lot this year, and no matter what happened on the field it was just great to play with them and experience it all together, that was really special for me.  

Q: What is it like representing Canada in a global sporting event like the Olympics? 

Olivia: For me, the feeling of representing Canada has evolved over time. It is a huge honour to wear the maple leaf on my chest, to make my family proud, and to express myself through playing rugby. When I was younger, it was big deal to make my country proud and be a good person while wearing the jersey. There is a lot that comes with representing your country, especially as a female in sport. It means a lot to me to come back home to my local club and see so many young girls playing and getting involved in the sport. For me that is a big part of it, encouraging younger kids to continue to play the sport.  

There is also another aspect to it. You are given this platform to use your voice and our team has really prioritized that. There are a lot of people who aren’t heard. So now, having the opportunity to represent my country, and to give voices to those marginalized groups and communities around Canada and raise awareness in any way I can is really important for me and really important for all of my teammates. 

Q: Going back, how did you get started in rugby? Was there someone who encouraged you to try the sport? 

Olivia: I started playing rugby in Grade 10 (15 years old). I switched high schools to IE Weldon SS in Lindsay. I usually played soccer, but rugby was offered in the fall season, so I tried it. My high school coach, Kirk Wilson, was really supportive and encouraging. He encouraged me to get more involved and try out for the Provincial team. He was someone who really showed me the ropes and taught me how to play. Brad Norris from Lindsay, he trained me, and he really supported me all through high school and into my National career. I wouldn’t be where I was without those two.  

I played provincial in the summers and from that I got asked to play for the U18 Canada team. Then I went to the Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa in 2015, and that was where I was put on the depth chart for the National Women’s Sevens Team. I was then asked to go to more tournaments and by the time I graduated high school in 2016, I was offered a full-time carding with the centralized team in Victoria. I was joining the team right after they came back from Rio, so I was joining at the beginning of a new Olympic cycle. 

Q: You mentioned your high school coaches, was there anyone else who had a big impact on your career on the field?  

Olivia: Another coach that comes to mind is Sandro Fiorino (Canada Women’s 15s coach). He was my coach at the Youth Commonwealth Games and that was kind of my first experience playing for Canada. He is a really inclusive coach, he makes everyone feel supported and he is really positive. He doesn’t worry too much about mistakes, and at that level the fear of making a mistake can be intimidating. Being introduced to the National side with him as my coach, I couldn’t have asked for better person for that. Having him rejoin the program and have him with us in Tokyo was really special.  

Q: I know you came to sport a bit later, but the rise from starting at 15 to playing for the National Team at 20 is impressive. Did the sport come to you easy or was it just a perfect match for you? 

Olivia: I always loved playing sports and I always had my eyes focused on soccer. I always had the natural running ability speed wise. When I got to rugby it clicked a bit and I was like “Okay I’m decently fast” and that helped me when I first started. I quickly found my confidence in rugby, and I was able to use that to carry me throughout my career. Rugby gave me a lot of opportunities and I was able to play with my friends. I think that was a big part of it for me. My friendships with a lot of my teammates really pushed me through, I love the community aspect of the sport. 

Q: The community element of rugby is what a lot of us love about the sport, do you think the people and the community are things that set rugby apart from other sports? 

Olivia: I think so. The community and friendships you make are the parts of the sport that is closest to my heart. In the National Training environment, it’s hard. It’s a grind, going through it every day. A lot of the motivation to show up every day is for my teammates. I love to see them and what we can create on the field. It’s the camaraderie, the magic that happens between us, it helps me bring my best every day. Rugby is great because there are so many different personalities, so many different positions and it really comes out on and off the field, which is different from other sports.  

Q: You spent your club time with the Lindsay Rugby Club and the Aurora Barbarians. Speaking about the club environment, what did you takeaway that has helped you in your career? 

Olivia: What is really valuable for me is being able to go back to my club and teach and coach a bit. Share some skills I had learned from Ontario or the National side, it was big part of my learning. To be able to teach and master those skills. Being able to get as many playing minutes as possible is the best thing you can do for your game. Playing for your club there is less pressure, and you have a lot of confidence, it’s about teaching and having fun, it does a lot for your game. With the National side, there is a lot of pressure, there is that side of it. Club is so valuable; I wish I could continue playing club while playing with the National side if I could. 

Q: As a young exciting player who has inspired other to get involved in the sport, What would you say to someone who is thinking about trying rugby? 

Olivia: The first thing I would say is you immediately find yourself in a special community. No matter what, you make a lot of friends and that is really special. It’s so fun and it’s a sport that still has so much growth to do in Canada. There are so many possibilities and ways to travel around the world with rugby. The more people playing rugby in Canada, the better.