Vulcan gets into Olympic spirit, supporting local rubgy star Keyara Wardley
Vulcan, Alberta may be known as the “Official Star Trek Capital of Canada” but with the Tokyo Olympics about to begin many residents are turning their focus to an out of this world athlete, Keyara Wardley.
“We’re bursting with pride,” said Keyara’s mother Lisa Wylie. “We’re just anxious, and excited and it’s pretty awesome.”
Wylie’s daughter is a member of Canada’s female rugby team based in Victoria, and was among a dozen players selected to represent Canada in the rugby sevens in Tokyo.
The community has been openly displaying its pride, with businesses along Main Street displaying signs proudly proclaiming Wardley as a home town Olympian.
Vulcan sign July 20, 2021
“I’m super-excited to watch that, and to watch the Olympics now when you got a personal connection with it,” said family friend Cody Debolt.
Chiropractor Dr. George Liscombe said he has known Keyara since she was a little girl, and treated her during her sporting activities.
"I just said to Lisa, she's only got one speed, and that's wide open," added Liscombe. "We're pretty proud of her right now."
Wardley was an all-star with the County Central High School Hawks in Vulcan and burst onto the international rugby scene at the age of 16. She has been centralized with the national sevens program since 2017.
Keyara, Wardley, Vulcan, Alberta, Spock
Corey Ramer is owner of the Life Med Pharmacy, where Keyara had a part time job, starting when she was only 13.
“We’ve seen her growing up and developing as an athlete and a student,” said Ramer. “She’s an extremely hard working individual and I think that shows now, where she made it with the Olympic team.”
Ramer is looking forward to watching some of the games. “You’re more invested when there’s somebody you know whose there competing.”
While Olympic athletes are chasing gold, many are forced to make a financial sacrifice in order to follow that dream.
Vulcan residents are supporting their local hero through several fund raisers, including the sale of t-shirts, featuring an action shot of Wardley and the message “GO KEYARA GO!”
Family friend Jeannine Tucker of Black Diamond came up with another fundraising idea, selling 118 cases of steaks in just six days, to help Keyara with some of her expenses.
Selling steaks in Vulcan, Alta., to raise money to support Olympic rugby player Keyara Wardley
“These girls don’t make a lot of money and they’re expected to do these amazing things,” said Tucker, who knew Wardley through local rugby connections.
“She has been away from home training since she was 17,” added Tucker. “Our girls need as much support as they can get for rugby.”
While training in Victoria Wardley has been working in a bowling alley part-time, while continuing her schooling online, with the goal of getting into forensic science.
Main Street Vulcan is plastered with signs offering support. A large banner has been placed in Bell Park, next to a bust of Spock, made for Leonard Nimoy when he visited Vulcan in 2010.
Many people are stopping by to write messages on the banner, offering well wishes and good luck as Wardley prepares to compete on the world stage.
“We were just overwhelmed when we saw all the support from businesses and people on the street,” said Ken Wardley, Keyara’s grandfather.
“Amazing stuff,” added Wardley’s grandmother Verena. “I thought she was really too pretty and too small to play rugby, but look at her now.”
The proud grandparents live in High River, but made a drive to Vulcan Tuesday to pick up some more tee-shirts that have been purchased by a circle of friends they met while wintering in Arizona prior to the pandemic.
Verena said a number of their friends found out they had a granddaughter who made the Olympic team, “And they just called out of the blue and said we want to support, how can we do that?”
The couple said they have mailed t-shirts to friends in Wyoming, Wisconsin, Colorado and Winnipeg, “It just goes on and on,” added Verena.
Wylie said a group family and friends had purchased tickets to the Olympics and arranged for accommodations in Tokyo before a decision was made to ban spectators due to the COVID emergency in Japan.
While disappointed, Wylie said they are looking forward to watching the rugby sevens games on television, with the rest of the community.
The town of Vulcan is planning to set up a large screen downtown where residents will be able to watch the games. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, there are plans to move the screening indoors at the Vulcan Lodge Hall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6961922.1720810444!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Video released of wild police car chase involving white Lamborghini north of Toronto
Police north of Toronto have released dramatic video of a car chase that led officers across York Region in pursuit of a Lamborghini SUV that was clocked at speeds in excess of 200 km/h.
Ontario driver has licence suspended for 13-year-old traffic ticket
An Ontario driver was shocked to get a letter in the mail saying her licence had been suspended over a traffic ticket she received 13 years ago.
An Indian billionaire's son is married after lavish celebrations that spotlight his global clout
The wedding of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has been a global spectacle. Not only has it brought the world’s most famous celebrities, powerful politicians and business tycoons under one roof, it has also highlighted the immense clout of the Indian billionaire.
All-night journeys for some fleeing roaring wildfire near Labrador City
Residents of Labrador City were ordered to evacuate on Friday night after a day of what forestry officials described as "extreme fire behaviour."
What a geriatric doctor wishes you knew now for healthy aging
Longevity isn’t just about living a long life but also about living well. More than one in five Americans will be 65 or older by 2040, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects.
Inside the courtroom as case dismissed against Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting of cinematographer
A nearly three-year legal saga for Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer ended Friday without a verdict but with tears of relief for the actor and a small coterie of family who had settled into a somber daily routine on wooden benches inside a windowless New Mexico courtroom at trial.
Work friends can be hard to find. Here's how to combat loneliness in the workplace
As North America navigates what U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy described last year as a loneliness epidemic, employers and employees are trying to address what for many people is a lack of real friendships at work.
Family members devastated by death of Toronto man allegedly swarmed by teens
Family members of a homeless Toronto man who died after police allege he was swarmed and stabbed by a group of teen girls say the thought of his last moments haunts them.
The latest from Gaza: 71 killed in Israeli attack said to target Hamas military leader
Israel said it targeted Hamas' shadowy military commander in a massive strike Saturday in the crowded southern Gaza Strip that killed at least 71 people, according to local health officials. Hamas immediately rejected the claim.