For 34 years, the mandate of the Wasp Women’s Athletic Association (WWAA) was to “Promote Women In Sport”. This unique Canadian organization encompassed various sports with women of diverse ages, skill levels and abilities. It provided an opportunity for women to play organized sports after high school. There have been hundreds of women who have enjoyed the benefits of participation in sport over the years thanks to the WWAA.
Over the lifetime of the WWAA there were 6 different sports in the organization: baseball, team handball, rugby, volleyball, soccer, and touch football. It was one of the first clubs to be grandfathered into working Bingo fund-raising events. In 1985, the WWAA was one of the founding members of Maple Grove Rugby Park (MGRP) and was an active member there for many years. The association also supported members from Club level at both Provincial & National levels. Members were always the first to volunteer for many rugby events such as the Western Canada Summer Games (1990), the Canada Rugby Cup (2000), and hosting the Venezuelan women’s rugby team.
The WWAA was founded in 1976 with the sport of baseball. The camaraderie experienced by that team led to the addition of Team Handball. The popularity of Team Handball grew and there were up to 4 teams at one point. The team participated in out of town tournaments as well as hosting a number of local outdoor handball tournaments at MGRP. In 1980-81 a group of WWAA members also played Volleyball. Soccer and Touch Football were two more sports that were added to the WWAA’s endeavors with MGRP serving as their home field.
In 1979, WWAA team handball members Betty Wilson and Karen Campbell Rhoda, with help from others, took on the challenge of recruiting two women’s rugby teams. The formation of these 2 teams, the Wasps and the Wanderers, signified the birth of senior women’s rugby in Manitoba. That first WWAA rugby team had four courageous coaches, Riley Barkman, Rob St. Germain, Cole Summers and Ian Murray, who were tasked with coaching an entire team of rookies.
The WWAA Rugby team thrived. They captured a number of Manitoba Women’s Provincial Championships (1985–1988, 1990–1992 and 2001) and were always well represented on the Manitoba Senior Women’s side from its inception in 1983. A number of players have represented nationally as either first 15, travelling reserves or long listed members of Canadian National Women’s teams including: Doreen Whalley - 1987; Simone Ramdwar, Colleen Horton, Heather Miller and Barb Dawes - 1988; Brenda Treleaven - 1988-89; Val Gompf - 1988-91, April Gobert - 1990 and U-19 listed Crystallee Grouette and April Tremblay in 2000. The club also went on many tours in Canada and North Dakota, and in 1987, ventured overseas to England, Wales and France for games against Oxford, Blaneau-Gwent, Loughborough, London Wasps and Chilly-Mazarin.
The WWAA has been instrumental in developing women’s rugby over the years. In addition to mini/youth rugby development, many members have been involved in coaching at both rural and city high schools including: Springfield, Fort Richmond, Dakota, Glenlawn, Elmwood, Vincent Massey (Brandon), and Minnedosa Collegiate. The club can be proud to see their lineage in many of the teams and clubs (Brumbies) the WWAA members have helped to develop.
The WWAA was a great organization that promoted women in sport for 34 years. Regrettably it was dissolved after the 2010 season. The women’s rugby team continues to thrive and has found a new home with the Wasps Rugby Football Club.
Because of its role in developing and promoting women in sport, and specifically women’s rugby in Manitoba, the Wasp Women’s Athletic Association is a worthy inductee to the MRHOF in the category of Builder.
Over the lifetime of the WWAA there were 6 different sports in the organization: baseball, team handball, rugby, volleyball, soccer, and touch football. It was one of the first clubs to be grandfathered into working Bingo fund-raising events. In 1985, the WWAA was one of the founding members of Maple Grove Rugby Park (MGRP) and was an active member there for many years. The association also supported members from Club level at both Provincial & National levels. Members were always the first to volunteer for many rugby events such as the Western Canada Summer Games (1990), the Canada Rugby Cup (2000), and hosting the Venezuelan women’s rugby team.
The WWAA was founded in 1976 with the sport of baseball. The camaraderie experienced by that team led to the addition of Team Handball. The popularity of Team Handball grew and there were up to 4 teams at one point. The team participated in out of town tournaments as well as hosting a number of local outdoor handball tournaments at MGRP. In 1980-81 a group of WWAA members also played Volleyball. Soccer and Touch Football were two more sports that were added to the WWAA’s endeavors with MGRP serving as their home field.
In 1979, WWAA team handball members Betty Wilson and Karen Campbell Rhoda, with help from others, took on the challenge of recruiting two women’s rugby teams. The formation of these 2 teams, the Wasps and the Wanderers, signified the birth of senior women’s rugby in Manitoba. That first WWAA rugby team had four courageous coaches, Riley Barkman, Rob St. Germain, Cole Summers and Ian Murray, who were tasked with coaching an entire team of rookies.
The WWAA Rugby team thrived. They captured a number of Manitoba Women’s Provincial Championships (1985–1988, 1990–1992 and 2001) and were always well represented on the Manitoba Senior Women’s side from its inception in 1983. A number of players have represented nationally as either first 15, travelling reserves or long listed members of Canadian National Women’s teams including: Doreen Whalley - 1987; Simone Ramdwar, Colleen Horton, Heather Miller and Barb Dawes - 1988; Brenda Treleaven - 1988-89; Val Gompf - 1988-91, April Gobert - 1990 and U-19 listed Crystallee Grouette and April Tremblay in 2000. The club also went on many tours in Canada and North Dakota, and in 1987, ventured overseas to England, Wales and France for games against Oxford, Blaneau-Gwent, Loughborough, London Wasps and Chilly-Mazarin.
The WWAA has been instrumental in developing women’s rugby over the years. In addition to mini/youth rugby development, many members have been involved in coaching at both rural and city high schools including: Springfield, Fort Richmond, Dakota, Glenlawn, Elmwood, Vincent Massey (Brandon), and Minnedosa Collegiate. The club can be proud to see their lineage in many of the teams and clubs (Brumbies) the WWAA members have helped to develop.
The WWAA was a great organization that promoted women in sport for 34 years. Regrettably it was dissolved after the 2010 season. The women’s rugby team continues to thrive and has found a new home with the Wasps Rugby Football Club.
Because of its role in developing and promoting women in sport, and specifically women’s rugby in Manitoba, the Wasp Women’s Athletic Association is a worthy inductee to the MRHOF in the category of Builder.