Concordia Stingers assistant rugby coach Sommer Christie is one of five women selected for the Coaching Association of Canada’s women in coaching national team apprenticeship program (NTAP).
Christie will join rowing mentor Michelle Darvill, athletics coach Carla Nicholls, Cassandra Smith from Snowboarding and canoe/kayak coach Lynn Dagenais in the elite program. All began work on the program as of Nov. 1.
NTAP provides opportunities for women coaches to work with their national team programs leading up to and during major international events such as the Olympic Games, the Pan-American Games or a major international event such as a world championship that falls within the timeframe of the apprenticeship.
A member of the Canada's women’s rugby World Cup team in 2002 and 2006, Christie was voted the top female rugby player in the nation in an online Rugby Canada poll. She was a member of the World University sevens team in 2004. The scrum half was also captain of Canada’s under-23 team in 2002.
Christie played five seasons with the Concordia Stingers, earning all-Canadian honors in 2001, 2002 and 2003. She won a Women In Sport award in 2002 as the outstanding women’s university athlete in Canada.
When her university career wound down, Christie started coaching with the Stingers. She is currently the backline coach and designs, implements, and evaluates plays and systems. In 2007, she helped Concordia win the Quebec university championship and participate in the national championship where the Stingers finished fifth.
