VICTORIA, BC – The Canadian Sport School Victoria (CSS) is proud to recognize alumnus Charity Williams, who became the first program graduate to be nominated to an Olympic team.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Williams was among the 12 athletes nominated on July 8 by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Rugby Canada to represent Team Canada in women’s rugby sevens at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from August 5 to 21. She graduated from the CSS in 2013 after relocating to the B.C. capital to centralize with the Rugby Canada program and finish her final year of high school.
The youngest member of the team, Williams made the jump from the club level to the national team program in just three years. Williams was named to the Canadian Women’s Sevens Youth Olympic Team that finished in second place at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. She then made her Canada Women’s Sevens Team debut during the 2014-15 World Rugby Women’s Sevens World Series season at the Sao Paulo Sevens.
A Canadian Sport Institute Pacific initiative, the CSS was created in 2011 to help to alleviate the pressures experienced by high performance secondary school athletes and ensure that future Olympians, Paralympians and National Team members have all the skills and resources needed to continue to progress as high performance athletes, while excelling both on the playing field and in the classroom.
“This is an exciting time for us to celebrate an amazing accomplishment for Charity and also to see the CSS reach yet another milestone for our program,” said CSS Coach Jennifer Joyce. “We will be cheering hard for Charity and the women’s sevens team in Rio.”
“Charity moved across the country in grade 12 to pursue her dream of competing at the Olympic Games,” added CSS Teacher Christina Kadin. “Her road has not always been easy but her relentless pursuit has paid off. We wish Charity and the women’s seven’s team all the best in Rio, we will be cheering from afar!”
Williams is one of three CSS alumni to convert onto senior national team programs. 2014 CSS graduate Alexis De Armond is a member of Field Hockey Canada’s women’s squad, while recent graduate Caroline Crossley is part of Rugby Canada’s women’s sevens program.
The Rio 2016 Olympics begin on Friday, August 5, followed by the Paralympics on Wednesday, September 7. Follow along with CSI Pacific on Facebook and Twitter for news and information about BC-based athletes competing at the games.
