Jen Kish never let up, whether it was training at Westhills Stadium, or performing on the Olympic pitch in 2016 in Rio.
That all-out approach was bound to take a toll on body and mind. But the former Canadian women鈥檚 rugby sevens captain walks away from the pitch without any regrets, and as one of the greatest players of all time.
鈥淚t was something bigger than myself to be representing sa国际传媒,鈥� said Kish, who announced her retirement from the sport Monday.
Although she became associated with the Island as a full-time athlete with the Langford-based national team, Kish is from Edmonton.
鈥淩ugby was super foreign to me . . . I had no idea what it was . . . but I am so glad I gave it a shot,鈥� said the 29-year-old, by phone from the Alberta capital.
鈥淚 got to be part of so many historical moments.鈥�
Chief among them was rugby sevens鈥� first inclusion in the Summer Olympics, where Kish captained sa国际传媒 to the bronze medal at Rio in 2016.
Kish said she was proud to be representing her hometowns 鈥� both of them.
鈥淕reater Victoria is a great community and it supported our national team and helped us so much,鈥� said Kish.
鈥淎nytime you had on national team apparel, people would stop you around town in Victoria and want to chat about the team. We appreciated that support.鈥�
Kish had earlier announced this would be her final season. But she has been unable to play and missed out when women鈥檚 rugby sevens made its Commonwealth Games debut recently in Gold Coast, Australia.
鈥淚 have to heal my body and let it recover,鈥� she said.
The ailments include two bulging discs in her neck that could be degenerative, a broken pelvis and torn labrum.
鈥淚 had to make a decision: To retire now or potentially leave my body in an even worse state,鈥� said Kish.
Such are the physical demands at the elite level of sport.
鈥淭he injuries were as challenging mentally as physically,鈥� said Kish, who captained sa国际传媒 to the gold medal at the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games.
鈥淏ut today makes retirement real and brings closure. I鈥檓 at peace with the decision.鈥�
It brings closure to Kish鈥檚 outstanding career but not to what she meant to the women鈥檚 sevens program.
Canadian head coach John Tait of Mill Bay described Kish as a 鈥渇oundational鈥� player: 鈥淛en didn鈥檛 start where she finished. She had the resilience, the drive and the belief in herself to learn from failures and became a world class athlete and person. She has empowered a lot of young people who don鈥檛 necessarily fit the moulds of normalcy in what they鈥檙e passionate about or the expectations of others. That is what makes her so special.鈥�
Kish plans to be at Westhills to cheer on her former teammates during the 2018 sa国际传媒 Sevens on May 12-13 in Langford.
鈥淭hose bonds are never broken. Only now, I get to be a fan and sit in the stands and brag about my teammates,鈥� Kish said.
Kish is planning a post-playing career as a personal trainer.
鈥淚 also want to be an ambassador for the sport and inspire the next generation to join rugby,鈥� she said.
