Christina Strynatka
Contributor
Every day, Tiera “Tee” Thomas-Reynolds walks the halls of York University, often to an international studies class. And, every day, people walk by her thinking she’s just a regular student.
Thomas-Reynolds is not a regular student.
At five foot two, Thomas-Reynolds stands tall as the star winger and top scorer of York’s women’s rugby team, with nine tries under her belt.
Years ago, before the rugby world had heard of Thomas-Reynolds, she spent most of her time playing sports such as basketball and track and field. That all changed when a high school teacher and rugby coach convinced her to give the sport a shot.
The brutality, the physicality and the athleticism of the game quickly left a strong impression on the young athlete as she decided that this was the sport she would pursue. Her participation in the Saracens rugby football club solidified it all for her, and would make for a segue into a new chapter of her life as she became a part of the York Lions.
“I wanted to go somewhere that was close to home,” she explained, “and a lot of the girls that played for the Saracens, they also played for York. So I decided to come here, give it a shot, and see if we can sort of turn the team around.”
Completing an international studies degree is often hard enough for most students, but try throwing in playing varsity sports and leading Ontario’s U23 women’s rugby team: Thomas-Reynolds life is a busy one that requires a lot of balance.
“I write everything down. I’m a super freak,” she laughs. “I make time on the weekends for my family and friends and I think [you should] just make sure you balance everything out. If you focus too much on one thing, then you’ll go insane.”
Down-to-earth and intelligent, Thomas-Reynolds has become a role model for many of her teammates. Many are amazed by the speed and tenacity she uses to power through every single match.
“If you’re not going full out, you’re actually more prone to injury,” she advises. “You don’t want to second-guess yourself.” Each year, Thomas-Reynolds tackles a new obstacle in the sport and, despite her ongoing battle with a sustaining ankle injury that developed early in her career, she never wavers when it comes to taking a challenge head-on. At the moment, her most difficult task is making people aware of the game’s growing popularity and helping the sport grow in terms of participation.
Although Thomas-Reynolds devotes a lot of time to her improvement as a player, she is still committed to her team. Though she’s the third top scorer on the Ontario University Athletic scoring board, the star athlete still remains humble.
“I feel like we’re all working together,” she said of this season’s progress. “We’re all working as hard as we can. I may have scored [all] of the tries [against Wilfred Laurier University] but it was the defence that got us a lot of the possession of the ball.”
As loyal as Thomas-Reynolds is to both York University and the Saracens RFC, her ambitiousness leaves her constantly wondering how far she can take her skills, especially in countries where rugby competitions are more revered.
“I’ve definitely considered Australia,” she offers. “I haven’t [gone to Australia] but I want to, once I graduate.”
Though she longs to play professional rugby, she is quick to point out her heart still lies in Canada; if she did visit another continent, she says, it would be to hone her skills and bring back knowledge to strengthen the game on home soil.
