The Canadian Rugby Foundation is pleased to announce Tabitha Stavrou of the NSWT as the 2010 recipient of the George F. Jones Scholarship.

The George F. Jones scholarship was named in honour of a very passionate and dedicated rugby volunteer who has ties within the sport across the country thanks to his nomadic nature.

George is one of the seven founding members of the Canadian Rugby Foundation and has made countless contributions to the sport of rugby throughout his life. George’s insistence was for his award to be given to “a person with tremendous potential to positively influence the direction of our sport in the future”.

Matthuw Ronald Jones of the Canadian Rugby Foundation travelled to Shawnigan Lake School, where the NSWT are currently in camp, to present the scholarship. The scholarship is normally open to the public, but it being a World Cup year, both Joneses decided it would be beneficial to support the NSWT by awarding the $750 scholarship to one of its members, says Matthuw.

“George Jones and the Canadian Rugby Foundation felt it was important to award the 2010 George Jones Scholarship to a member of the National Senior Women’s Team as they prepare to represent Canada at the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup.  The difficult decision was identifying a winner, as every member of the squad is very deserving.”

Stavrou, from St. Catherine’s, Ontario, is a relative newcomer to the NSWT who first appeared for Canada in the 2009 Nations Cup, but since then, the 23-year-old has already earned six caps.

Like any high-level amateur athlete, Stavrou juggles real life with the demands of national sport, but it was her ability to do it through adversity that made her an ideal candidate for the scholarship.

Assistant Coach Kris de Scossa says Stavrou’s character amidst difficulty is what made her a clear candidate in the coaches’ eyes.

“Tabi is a product of the Canadian school, club, provincial and national rugby process. She is a success story in many ways, though having at the same time dealt with many ups and downs. Not unusual, some might say, however her courage, determination, passion and commitment are exemplary. She by no means thinks she is perfect and she is aware she has work to do, but with a wry smile, gets down to it. She is a very deserving recipient of this award.”

Stavrou was surprised by the presentation, but very appreciative of the award.

“I was really caught off guard with this award, but I’m very grateful for it. The money will go directly towards helping me pay for my rugby debt. Thank you so much to George and the Foundation.”

The George F. Jones scholarship will be open to the Canadian public again next year. In 2008, the award was split between Charlotte Vallières-Villeneuve (Quebec) and Jesse Hayman (Ontario). It was not awarded in 2009.

For more information about the Canadian Rugby Foundation, please click here. http://www.rugbycanadafoundation.ca/

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