Rugby Co-Captain to Join Mustangs Next Fall

Grade 12 prefect and captain of both the girls prep basketball team and the senior girls rugby team, Gala Holm ‘22 will be joining the University of Western Ontario Mustangs women’s rugby programme next year! A leader within our School community since Grade 9, Gala found that Huron College at Western offered the perfect balance of small class sizes within a larger university context. “I was drawn to Western from the moment I started looking into it, and after my tour I knew it was where I could see myself” offered Gala. To top it off, she will join an upstart rugby programme that went undefeated in the OUA’s Russell Division this past season. “[Western Coach, Katherine Baer] has already made me feel such a sense of community at Western, and it feels like the perfect fit for me.” Gala, who has been on the Headmaster’s Honour Roll every term since joining our School, is on track to complete three IB courses this spring, and she will study governance, leadership, and ethics (GLE) next year at Huron College at Western.

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Gala has been a member of our boarding community since she began at the School and has become an exemplary leader within boarding and is currently a house captain prefect for Vair MacLellan House where she has lived the last three years. Her houseparent and head of female boarding, Judy DesRoches ‘02, described her as “one of the best, who is very helpful, a team player, and someone the girls know they can talk to.” While on campus, Gala has made a tremendous impact to our boarding community and has earned the trust and respect of her peers and campus-life staff alike.

Athletics have also been a pivotal piece of Gala’s contributions here at King’s-Edgehill. She was a member of the inaugural prep girls basketball teams in her Grade 9 year when she also led the junior girls basketball team to a successful season earning MVP honours. Gala decided to give rugby a try in the spring term of her Grade 9 year in what she describes as “one of the best decisions I have ever made” and it was the “amazing, welcoming rugby community” that got her hooked. Over the last three years, Gala has established herself as a leader on and off the pitch and was named co-captain last season. The same commitment and care she brings to her academic commitments and responsibilities in our boarding community are apparent in her leadership role on the rugby team. Gala’s humility and desire to provide validation and support to her teammates make her a natural leader and one whose impact will be felt long after she graduates. On the field, Gala’s athleticism and vision have made her one of the best scrumhalfs in the province, and she is in the running to make the Nova Scotia Canada Games 7s roster which will be named this June. This past summer Gala suited up for the Halifax Rugby Football Club (HRFC) while also balancing a busy summer basketball schedule. With HRFC, Gala led her under 19 team and also had the opportunity to train alongside some of the best senior women players in the province.

Western Mustangs’ head coach Katherine Baer, who was the OUA Russell division coach of the year winner, was very pleased when Gala accepted the offer to join their programme and noted, “We are excited to have Gala joining us next year. Her hard work, drive, and dedication to excellence is something that will bring her great success in our programme. She has shown to be a leader on the rugby pitch as well as on the basketball court so we can’t wait to see how she will progress over the next four years!” By joining Western, Gala follows in the footsteps of alumna Jill Payne ‘02, Monica Munro ‘06, Carla du Toit ‘16, and Raissa Badibanga ‘17 who all went on to play for the two-time national champion Mustangs after leaving King’s-Edgehill School.

With the start to her fourth and final high school rugby season just around the corner, we are very excited to see Gala continue to lead us on and off the pitch here at KES!