Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Good morning, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. You've tuned into the Mac CD morning show. I am your host Elliot Pierre, and we're going to start the show off the same way we start every show off with a moment of gratitude. I know you could be doing a million other things with your time. So the fact that you're spending with us really does mean the world to me. And I really do mean that. So thank you very much on that note, Tanner.
Speaker 1 00:00:23 Oh, she caught me, loves your listen to the next anymore.
Speaker 0 00:00:32 All right. Well, I'm excited for today's episode because I'm sitting across from a complete stranger and that is my favorite person to meet for the show. So as per usual, I do not introduce my guests because they could do a better job at that than myself. And if I wanted to, I couldn't today. So on that note tack, can you please introduce yourself to the people?
Speaker 2 00:00:51 Uh, yeah, my name's Hillary Lee. Um, I am a mother of two boys and I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant with my third. Um, I'm also the president of Fort McMurray Knights rugby club.
Speaker 0 00:01:05 There we go. I think that's why, uh, one of your friends got in contact with me, uh, or the show and said, Hey, I know this cool person. Can you reach out to them? I'm like, yeah, sure. And then out of the blue, I was just like, Hey, how are you doing? And you're like, good. Who are you
Speaker 2 00:01:20 Basically? So you
Speaker 0 00:01:21 Have a rugby past though. So let's hear, let's hear all about rugby. I'm fascinated by the sports.
Speaker 2 00:01:27 Yeah. Um, gosh, I've been playing rugby since I was, I think a 15. I started in high school. So 22 years I've been playing rugby or been involved with rugby somehow. Um, started in high school, uh, played rap rugby high school in Vancouver, played rep rugby, played for BC, um, played for Canada, but to the world cup in 2014 where I earned myself a silver medal. Yeah. I made it all the way to the final, um, which was huge for Canada. And it was super exciting for women's rugby in general. And I played a couple of years overseas in England, a couple of years overseas in New Zealand. And now I ended up here in Fort McMurray as the president and I do play on the women's side here.
Speaker 0 00:02:17 Okay. Yeah. So when you say like, cause I know zero zilch about rugby, um, you played professionally then, so this was like a legitimate career you got paid. This is what you did as you're living when you
Speaker 2 00:02:29 Overseas. Yeah. Um, so now I could say that it's professional rugby for women and 28 21, but when I played, so I went to England in 2010, 20, 10 to 2012, I played and it was as professional as women's rugby gets like, um, we didn't get paid, but it was, I played for the Saracens, which is a professional
Speaker 0 00:02:53 Team now. Right. Um, but we were just kind of paving the way for, for now, which is it's huge
Speaker 2 00:02:59 For women's rugby that they got paid now.
Speaker 0 00:03:02 Yeah. Yeah. Very cool. Wow. Yeah. Okay. So we're going to get off the rugby topic for a second or maybe we'll get back on it. Um, playing rugby around the world, world cup. This is what you do. How did you end up in Fort McMurray?
Speaker 2 00:03:20 Right. Uh, good question. Um, my boyfriend, uh, lives here. He works here and he lives here. So we met in Victoria, uh, BC and we had our first baby in 2017 and we didn't want to commute with a baby anymore, so great.
Speaker 0 00:03:38 I came up here. Okay. And he's been here for a bit now.
Speaker 2 00:03:41 Yeah. His family, uh, he's fallen Asian. He's from Fiji and his family came here
Speaker 0 00:03:48 In the late nineties. That's right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:03:52 So he's been, um, he's been here since then. So he went to, I think he went to high school grade 11.
Speaker 0 00:03:57 Yeah. I think he went to Westwood. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I bumped into him once or twice. He's hard to miss.
Speaker 2 00:04:05 Yeah. And he was working up here and we just didn't want to, we didn't want to commute, so
Speaker 0 00:04:10 Yeah. Awesome. I know. Oh no. The local rugby scene here in Fort McMurray, we were talking very briefly before we started filming. Like I remember when that all started here in Fort McMurray really did get big after you had more Polynesian fudgy and people move here in like the early two thousands. It became a real scene here in February and continued and has continued to grow. So can you tell the people at home who may not be aware of it? Like what's it all about? You're in Fort Mac. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:04:38 Um, so, well, I can't tell you the year it started, but um, we've had a men's team. I want to say someone's gonna get mad. I think since the eighties. Um, yeah. And our women's team just picked up the whole four years ago. Again, it, it was in the, um, they did have a team, I think in the nineties and then a little bit in the two thousands. There's always women playing rugby here, but to have an actual team, like I know I've been a part of it now for four years. Um, and we're in the Edmonton rugby union. So we travel a lot to Edmonton to play. It's kind of 50, 50. They'll come up here. We'll go down there. Right. Um, yeah. So we have a men's team, a women's team, a junior program and mini program. Wow. Yup. Yup. Or junior and mini program, um, is, is really big. Actually. We just started it back up, um, at Mac island, we were offering some free sessions, so yeah. Yeah. But we
Speaker 0 00:05:38 That's awesome. So now in regards to rugby, how many players are on a team? Like once again, I know nothing. I like to watch it. I'm fascinated by it. I can kind of follow what's happening maybe, but like, yeah. I don't nothing. So how many players on it?
Speaker 2 00:05:51 So 15 players, um, per side and then you've got some subs up, maybe 22 players per game. Um, but yeah, 15 players aside and eight backs, sorry. Eight forward seven backs.
Speaker 0 00:06:07 Okay. Yep. And what's the duration of a game?
Speaker 2 00:06:10 It is 40 minute halves. Two 40 minute, half. So 80 minutes
Speaker 0 00:06:14 When it comes to subbing people in and out, like how, how do you sub cause it doesn't seem like there's timeout.
Speaker 2 00:06:21 Yeah. When, when there's a whistle, you can sub someone off. There's always like a blood sub too. Like he puts up a blood sub. So if there's blood may have to go off and get taped up, comes on and then, and I've led some means that that person can come back on. But if you're subbed off, you usually can't come back on.
Speaker 0 00:06:36 Okay. It's an extremely like physical, rough sport. It is. Yeah. It really is. And like the padding is minimal to say the least like maybe some guys I see they wear helmets. Like those not even helmet like the soft. Yeah. That's
Speaker 2 00:06:54 It. Shoulder pads. Some guys wear shoulder pads, some girls.
Speaker 0 00:06:56 So how do you, how does your body hold up to that after so many years of playing it? Like there's gotta be a lot of wear and tear.
Speaker 2 00:07:02 Yeah, totally. I think, and I say this all the time. I think rugby has done more good for me than it has bad for my body. Like, it's just, it is a physical sport, but I'm, I've just always, you know, I've always been working out and running around and yeah, I've, I've broken some bones and gotten some stitches and I definitely had my fair share of black eyes, but I think it's done more good for me. Yeah. But as I get older, it's definitely a bit, a bit harder to get up from some of the hits.
Speaker 0 00:07:34 Yeah. You don't bounce back as fast anymore. No, I snowboard. And I know like in my twenties, when I used to fall, I'd just be like, yeah, whatever, shake it off and get going. Now when I fall, it's hard to get up sometimes totally in
Speaker 2 00:07:46 Your twenties. You're like, oh, let's go out and have some beers. And then now it's like, oh, I'm going to go home and have some water. Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:07:54 For anybody in the community. And I know things are probably different with COVID. So if they wanted to get involved prior to, or like when things were like relinquished, like how do they get involved? Where do you play? How do they get in contact? It must be a page or something. Right. Totally. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:08:09 A Facebook page for Macquarie nights. Rugby club. Um, Instagram. Yeah. Facebook page is probably the easiest way. Send us a message. But we play if we were to play this summer, which I don't think there's going to be any contact sport. Um, but if we were to play, we play, we, we, uh, Tuesday, Thursdays we'd we'd train and um, Saturdays are games and the season goes about may to September.
Speaker 0 00:08:37 Okay. There was a gentleman that used to live in Fort McMurray used to be a radio host here. His name was Brad Karp. No Bradley. Yeah. So he, I never came to see him do his, his job, but he was a water boy is what he used to say was,
Speaker 2 00:08:53 But I don't know, did played, he definitely played, but he definitely ran the water out just as hard as he plays,
Speaker 0 00:09:02 Because he would always talk about like being the water boy and he'd put it on social media. And so in my head, cause he's not a huge guy by any stretch,
Speaker 2 00:09:09 Actually a good team player though. He's yeah. So
Speaker 0 00:09:12 I was just like, maybe he's just the water boy. No, he played,
Speaker 2 00:09:16 He got in and played and yeah, but he didn't, he didn't run the water a lot. I think he took his job very straight
Speaker 0 00:09:23 As he does. He's a character for sure. But okay. So he did play. Yeah, he did. All right. Well we're at the part of the show where Tanner, this is Towner segments. It's called the Mac city minute. Okay. Tanner is going to ask you five questions. I have no idea what he's going to ask. So that's the luck
Speaker 3 00:09:40 Question. Number one. What is your favorite part of traveling the world? Playing sports?
Speaker 2 00:09:47 Um, God, the people I meet that I'm still friends with. Yeah, definitely. The people I meet
Speaker 3 00:09:54 Question number two. What is your favorite fast food item you've tried in your travels that isn't available in Canada. Hmm. Good question.
Speaker 2 00:10:03 I was talking about this the other day in New Zealand. You can get a burger and it's got beets in it, like a hamburger at McDonald's. I can't remember what it's called, but it's so good. Question.
Speaker 3 00:10:15 Number three. What is one thing you've noticed about rugby in Fort McMurray that you haven't noticed in rugby anywhere else?
Speaker 2 00:10:23 Hmm, good question. Um, I think the, the willingness to try, cause there's not a lot of rugby players up here. Right? We get so many people just wanting to get involved and wanting to make friends and wanting to make connections with people. So we got a lot of new girls and guys out here, um, which is nice, which is a hard thing to do at our age to start a new sport. So yeah, the willingness to try, I think
Speaker 3 00:10:52 Question number four. What do you do to celebrate a rugby, win? Um, a boat, race,
Speaker 0 00:11:02 Boat, race, go into detail. I mean, you
Speaker 2 00:11:06 Do a boat race if you win or lose, I guess, but, uh, it's where you there's like, I don't know, four or five people on each team and each person has a beer in the first to start. And as soon as you're done your BA put it on your head and then the next person goes and yeah. And then there's a winner at the end. There's the winter.
Speaker 3 00:11:25 So we definitely, I drink here. And your final question, what is your best memory from rugby off the field,
Speaker 2 00:11:37 Off the field? Um, all the tours I've been on, for sure. Like, I'll talk about this all day is the people that I meet, but like get in the lead up to the world cup. I, I, we went on quite a few tours and, and just the relationships that I got to, to, um, to create with all those girls are something that I will never forget. Yeah. Yeah. Those have been your five questions.
Speaker 0 00:12:04 There we go. So let's uh, let's go back and talk about one of these questions a little bit in depth. Will you talk about beats in the burger? Like did they put the beats in the burger and the meat or is it like cut like a tomato on top? Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:12:15 It is. And it was so good. And it was at a McDonald's in New Zealand. I mean, I was in New Zealand in 2007. I lived there, so this is a while ago, but it just is like such a memory in
Speaker 0 00:12:27 My means on their burger. Huh? Yeah. I wonder if you could re like recreate I, you
Speaker 2 00:12:32 Totally could. And I feel like there was maybe something else on there that I'm missing, but yeah,
Speaker 0 00:12:37 Of we're going to have to look into this. You gotta make it before anybody beats us to it. Yeah. So speaking of McDonald's, I love to hear people's like McDonald's orders. Cause everybody, I feel everybody has like their go-to gym. So when you go to McDonald's, what's your, what's your
Speaker 2 00:12:53 Go-to jam. I'd get a McChicken. Let me
Speaker 0 00:12:56 Check it. Yeah. That's it just a sandwich? Well, I've got like the meal and fries. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:13:01 For the McChicken. That's like, I don't really eat their hamburgers. I'd eat chicken
Speaker 3 00:13:05 Fries. What? To drink? Medium fries.
Speaker 2 00:13:07 Um, probably a diet Coke.
Speaker 0 00:13:10 Okay. Yeah. I'd be the first person that I've ever met that their go-to order is the minimum. I know, you know what I
Speaker 2 00:13:17 Used to like with two cheese, we're going to be on, but I don't know if they have that anymore. So I did eat burgers, but this was a while ago. No, it's been a McChicken for years. Wow. Don't eat us that much. But if I were to, yeah,
Speaker 0 00:13:29 I've never heard it. I've I've met some weirdos who like the fish filet?
Speaker 3 00:13:34 No, that's my mom. She likes to fish there. That would be too as well.
Speaker 0 00:13:38 I have no problem calling them weirdos. So give me the hate. I'm just saying fish at McDonald's
Speaker 3 00:13:45 You ever heard of the mic gang bang? No. Yeah. So you go to McDonald's and it's a chicken sandwich inside a double cheeseburger,
Speaker 0 00:13:54 A chicken sandwich inside a double cheese.
Speaker 3 00:13:58 And it's a secret menu item. And you could actually go to the, McDonald's say that phrase and they will make it
Speaker 0 00:14:04 Wow. Or are they gonna laugh at you?
Speaker 3 00:14:06 Oh, it's on, it's on Google. I got it on
Speaker 0 00:14:10 Google a few weeks ago. I was on I'm online and I back in the day like me anyways, you could go to McDonald's for your birthday. Like this was a thing going to McDonald's or like even a and w for your birthday, like, was a thing. Right. And supposedly you can still go to McDonald's and ask them for birthday cake and like, they'll come out with like a proper old school looking birthday cake for you. I've never tested this. I don't know. But yes, there was some videos on like Facebook and tick talk and whatnot. If people actually go into McDonald's mind you, this is in America and saying like, Hey, can I get a birthday cake for nine bucks? And they come out with like a proper 1980s, birthday cake for her. Oh, I don't know about here, but thought, well, I'd have to try this out of the mic.
Speaker 0 00:14:58 What the mic, gang bang and a birthday. So anybody when you're watching this, if anyone is anybody wants to try this out, maybe me and Tanner will. I don't know. But, uh, yeah. McDonald's, that's my go-to fast food joints. Yeah. Yeah. I love McDonald's. So one more question, or because we're running out of time, um, when it comes to rugby playing on the stage that you played on, like, how did you get to that level, especially in a sport that you said, like there wasn't really, women's rugby, wasn't a big thing at the time. Um, how did you get involved in, how did you even prepare for that level of competition? Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:15:36 Um, so I was also a wrestler actually in high school. I went to school for wrestling in Missouri, but I think wrestling made me the rugby player. I am like, it made me a better rugby player for sure. Okay. So I did play a lot of sports growing up and, um, yeah, like the physical aspect of rugby. That's just kinda what drew me in. And I think, you know, Gordon and played two years in London and then a couple years in New Zealand, uh, really helped grow my game. Um, the culture over there, just learning so much about the rugby game and how they play. And yeah. And then I moved, um, as soon as I kind of got the, um, like I from one of my coaches is like, you know, you could play for Canada. So as soon as I kinda heard that, I was like, that's it, I'm going to do everything I, I can do to play for Canada. And I moved to the island where rugby is, um, centralized in Langford Victoria. And, um, just train, train my train, my butter. And yeah, once I made my first tour, I just kinda kept learning, kept training. And I never ever thought that I didn't have anything else to learn. Right. I think like, I always, like, I still am learning about rugby, especially my position. So yeah. But yeah, I just, I trained really hard, played a lot of rugby and yeah,
Speaker 0 00:17:06 That's great. Okay. Well, listen, let's see. Under the show short and sweet 20 minutes flies. Thanks for having me not a problem, but before you leave a one, shout out, please let everybody at home know who you are again, how they can get in contact, how they can get involved in rugby in the community when things pick up.
Speaker 2 00:17:25 Yeah. Um, my name's Hillary, I'm the president for McQueen eights rugby club. And if you want to get involved, um, go to our Facebook page for Macquarie nights, easy to find, and we also have minis and juniors. So if your kids want to get involved, um, reach out, cause it's a great sport. It's a great sport to be a part of and to play. So
Speaker 0 00:17:48 No sweet, awesome. Well, everybody at home for Ms. Maria, with Buffalo and the rest of the world, that's been another episode of the Mac city morning show. Once again, I'm your host, Elliot Pierre. And thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch a show on that note. Have a great day and we'll see you tomorrow. Peace.
Speaker 4 00:18:25 Talk about quenching your ugly thirst.
