Shalaya Valenzuela’s athletic career already includes winning a medal at the world’s most prestigious multi-sport competition.
Valenzuela, a member of Tseshaht First Nation, was part of the Canadian women’s rugby sevens squad that captured the silver medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics in France.
Valenzuela, who is 25, was actually an alternate on the Canadian club in Paris. But she participated in all team activities and was also presented with an Olympic medal.
Valenzuela’s focus has now turned to winning a national championship. That’s because she has decided to resume her schooling.
She’s studying at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. And she’s suiting up for the UBC Thunderbirds women’s rugby team.
Valenzuela is now getting adjusted again to playing the traditional version of the sport, which features 15 players per side. Rugby sevens is just what it sounds like, seven players on the field per team.
“I definitely lean towards sevens because I have been concentrating on that,” Valenzuela said when asked which version of the sport she prefers. “But I’m really excited to get back into the 15s.”
Valenzuela last played on a traditional rugby team when she was in high school.
She had previously spent two years, from 2017-19, taking criminal justice classes at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.
She also spent a semester playing for the University of Victoria women’s rugby sevens team before putting her studies on hold to concentrate furthering her athletic career with the national team program.
With the next Olympics four years away now – the 2028 Games will be staged in Los Angeles – Canadian team officials made the decision not to have its players centralize in one location for the time being.
National team members were encouraged to find other places to continue playing.
“I believe it will just be for this season and maybe next year,” Valenzuela said.
Even though she enjoyed her criminal justice studies at the University of the Fraser Valley and was originally keen to finish off her degree there, the school does not offer a rugby program.
Thus, Valenzuela made the decision a couple of months ago to apply to UBC so she could play at a school with a reputable rugby club.
The UBC Thunderbirds are the four-time defending Canada West league champions.
Valenzuela is obviously hoping to help the Thunderbirds win another league crown this fall. But more importantly, she’s also hoping the club can capture a gold medal at the national USports women’s rugby tournament this fall.
That event, which will be staged at the University of Prince Edward Island, will begin on Oct. 30 and continue until Nov. 3.
“That will be a really big goal that we’re going to go for,” Valenzuela said.
Though she is a newcomer to the Thunderbirds’ program, Valenzuela is rather familiar with three of her teammates.
That’s because the UBC club includes three other women that were also on the Canadian roster which captured the silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Piper Logan and Florence Symonds previously played for UBC. And like Valenzuela, Charity Williams will be a rookie on the UBC team this season.
Valenzuela said Thunderbirds’ head coach Dean Burten was ecstatic when he found out that he would have four Olympic medalists on his squad this season.
“Dean is really excited about it,” She said. “He was trying to keep it quiet until it was officially released.”
The news broke this past Thursday when the Thunderbirds had their first practice of the season.
Though it has been a few years since she was in school, Valenzuela doesn’t think it will be too difficult for her to get back into the swing of being a student/athlete.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I just love learning.”
For now Valenzuela will work towards a bachelor of arts degree before deciding what she wants to specialize in.
Valenzuela and her UBC teammates will play their first regular season game of the year this Saturday, Sept. 7, on the road against the University of Victoria.
The Thunderbirds’ home opener is scheduled for Sept. 15, versus the University of Lethbridge.
UBC will be hoping to win a fifth straight Canada West championship next month. The conference tournament will be held in Calgary from Oct. 17-20.
Valenzuela has also set her sights on representing Canada at the Los Angeles Olympics. She believes that squad will be capable of earning some hardware as well.
“It’s a very realistic goal,” she said. “We’re going to want to get back to that gold-medal game and win it this time.”
New Zealand defeated Canada 19-12 in this year’s Olympic gold-medal match, which was held on July 30.
Following the Paris Olympics, Valenzuela and Symonds and some other friends decided to stay in Europe and travel to a handful of other countries. They visited Spain, Croatia and Greece.
Valenzuela and her friends watched the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics while they were in Greece.
“It was nice celebrating there,” she said. “That’s where the Olympics all started.”
