>> SPORTS Rugby star recovering from injury in Sun Peaks EMILY PERRINS CAMERON PIERCE STRIKES AN IMPOSING PRESENCE at six feet seven inches. It’s not difficult to picture him on the pitch as one of Canada’s top rugby players. He played rugby internationally for six years but stepped back following a string of concussions, during which time Sun Peaks has provided a good retreat. Pierce has remained busy off the field, even in recovery mode, currently coaching the Kelowna men’s rugby team. “Coaching has become a bit of a passion,” he said. “It’s a good way to stay in the game without (getting injured).” Inspired by his own negative experience of “pushing through headaches” to stay in the game, Pierce has also helped establish a non-profit organization called the Rugby Safety Network (RSN), which aims to heighten awareness among rugby players about concussions and head injuries in the sport. Recently he worked with RSN and their partner, Headcheck Health, to work with B.C. provincial teams to tighten con-
cussion rules, baselines and proper testing. Having already experienced a serious neck injury and multiple concussions, it was a particularly bad “head knock” in October 2016 that sent the 26-year-old into recovery for 19 months. “It’s been a hard pill to swallow,” Pierce lamented about the break from rugby, but addded support from close friends and family has made it easier. The recovery time has also allowed him more time with family in B.C. It was Pierce’s Kamloops-born wife Paris—who he met in the Czech Republic—that first introduced him to the village. “Her family has had a place up there since it was Mt. Tod. “Every time we get back to her neck of the woods, we always make the effort to spend as much as time as we can up at Sun Peaks. It’s such a hidden gem,” adding the pair chose the location for their wedding last summer. “I like snowboarding, though it’s different now because I have my limitations and I go very easy. I love playing hockey as well … and I really enjoy the golf course.” Born and raised in Vernon, Pierce became interested in
rugby in high school and quickly excelled in the sport. He played for B.C. and Canada before the age of 20 and scored a contract with the prestigious ASM Clermont Auvergne Academy in France in 2011. Pierce was promoted through the French leagues, eventually reaching the Top 14 premier league with Pau in 2015, which allowed him to play at a higher level than the Canadian national level. “Canada is not like other (rugby playing) countries. There are no (full-time) professional contracts,” he said. Pierce is still officially under contract in France until 2018, but beyond that, anything is possible. “We’ve been looking into real estate in Sun Peaks. We’re definitely interested in investing up there.” Meanwhile, regarding his future career: “Between my neck and my head, time to pick a more subtle profession,” he said with a laugh. “What I want to do, I actually want to be a firefighter. Perhaps not the most “subtle” pick, but not a bad fallback for someone over six and a half feet tall.
Cameron Pierce is spending his summer in Sun Peaks as he recovers. | PHOTO SUPPLIED
5K Foam fest makes bubbly return JEAN STRONG LOOKING TO START YOUR SUMMER with a slippery, muddy and active bang? The 5K Foam Fest will return to Sun Peaks on June 16. All are welcome from hardcore runners to beginners walking the course. The five kilometre course travels up and down the mountain over more than 22 obstacles from mud pits to slippery slides and rope climbing. Those with a
fear of heights may want to skip the world’s largest inflatable waterslide. Kids seven years and younger may not run the course but they can take part in the Kid Fun Zone for free. After conquering the course head to Masa’s Bar + Grill for a beer garden from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and an after party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com and will be less expensive than the $85 at the gate day of.
Focus is required for tough obstacles between sections of running. | FILE PHOTO
Vol 16 Issue 5 May 18 — June 14
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