MACDOWELLRUGBY Announces the Inclusion of Two Inspirational Athletes to their New INSPIRE AMBASSADOR Program.

Robin MacDowell is proud to announce that Saskatchewan’s Carissa Norsten and Krissy Scurflield of Alberta have been named the inaugural MACDOWELLRUGBY Inspire Ambassadors. As talented up-and-coming rugby stars, Krissy and Carissa were named to the Rugby Canada Sevens team who competed in Australia at the January 26-28 HSBC SVNS event.

Carissa Norsten discovered her love of rugby while attending the MACDOWELLRUGBY Prairie Academy. She represented Saskatchewan before moving to Vancouver Island in 2019 to pursue her goal of playing for Canada. Part of her path to Rugby Sevens has included spending two seasons with the Premier Rugby Sevens Loonies (earning a silver), as well as earning 2022 USports Rookie of the Year accolades and Pan-American Games silver. Fast and powerful, Carissa is a force to be reckoned with. Proud and honoured to be the one of the first two athletes named to MACDOWELLRUGBY’s initiative, Norsten says “I am excited to join the MACDOWELLRUGBY Ambassador Team so I can help young rugby athletes achieve their goals the way MACDOWELLRUGBY has helped me achieve mine.”

Krissy Scurfield is an all-around sports enthusiast, first succeeding in AAA Hockey before transitioning to rugby full time. Krissy represented Alberta provincially before being called up to the senior women’s team. She has played both 7s and XV’s for Canada, winning silver with the XV’s team in New Zealand. Krissy has appeared on the World Seven’s Dream Team and Team of the Week for her ability to outrun and evade tacklers, and has been impactful on any pitch she appears on. “I am very proud to become an Inspire Ambassador with the MACDOWELLRUGBY program,” Krissy says. “Having the opportunity to mentor the next generation of Canadian athletes is super exciting and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!”

The ultimate goal for both of these amazing Inspire Ambassadors is to represent Canada at the Paris Olympics later this year.

The Inspire Ambassador program’s ultimate goal is to help our athletes achieve success both on and off the pitch by offering multi-level support to them. For development, one-on-one coaching and skills sessions as well as rugby gear from our global partners are offered. We will also promote their journeys to the rugby community, and engage them in youth programs to help them give back to the sport and inspire the next generation.

Robin MacDowell, head coach and talent ID specialist, says “both of these Canadian Flyers embody what our program is based on. Having discovered Krissy in Alberta and Carissa in Northern Saskatchewan – both at 15 years old and at their humble beginnings – has been such a joy. Our goal is to support each of them on and off the field in their pursuit to become the best players in the world while inspiring the next generation of girls and boys across Canada.”