Courtesy Stacy Malloch, Rugby Canada   
 
Ottawa native Asya Bartley is one day away from chasing her second consecutive appearance in the gold medal game of the 2009 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) women’s rugby championship. A second-year X-Woman representing St. Francis Xavier University, Bartley is also a member of the U20 national program in Canada.

Steadfast and focused, Bartley is determined to do a job alongside her teammates at this year’s CIS championship and avenge their loss in the finals to two-time defending champions Lethbridge University.  Bartley was selected as a tournament all-star at last year’s championship and will look to make a similar impact over the next three days against the nation’s top competitors.

“I want to do my part for the team at the CIS Championship. As a team we want to win the CIS Championship because we are family and we put our bodies on the line for each other,” explains Bartley on the verge of the event kick-off.

Bartley was named a 2009 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) all-star prop just last week and her humble demeanor shines through as she alludes to what playing for her university means to her.

“The thing I love about CIS rugby is the intensity. I love how you get to represent your school and be a part of something that is bigger than I am.”

Although Bartley started out playing other positions in the sport, inside centre and 8-man at Bell High School in Ottawa, Bartley is a prop through and through. An immensely powerful athlete, strong runner with the ball, she easily dominates the front row and sets an aggressive tone with her ferocious, fearless tackling.

U20 Assistant Coach Beth Barz comments on the impression Bartley makes both on and off of the field through her strong, fit exterior and her calm nature:

“At Asya's first provincial tryout for the U17 team, one of the returning U17 players mistook her for a much older athlete and asked her if she was looking for the senior team tryouts. Her strength is obvious, yet she is gentle and fun-loving off of the field,” comments Barz, exuding the utmost respect for the young Bartley.

Barz also noted how Bartley’s dedication to training, in addition to her efforts on the field, are great attributes and ones that will help to determine her future with the U20 program and ultimately the National Senior Women’s Team (NSWT).

“Asya is very quick on her feet and requires only a few strides to get to pace. If she does get into open space she causes a serious amount of trouble for whatever defenders are unlucky enough to get in her way,” Barz adds.

In spite of these well-groomed aspects of Bartley’s game, she is set to continually evolve and play the sport to the highest of her potential. Whether through physical training, adopting an even healthier lifestyle or gaining experience on the pitch, Bartley is determined to climb the ranks to reach the pinnacle of her capabilities.

“My ambition as a player is to persist through challenges in order to achieve success. My goal is to use my determination and dedication to rugby to become the best player I can be and ultimately represent my country at the senior level,” says Bartley with a grounded, yet ambitious tone.

U20 Head Coach Kris deScossa sites Bartley as a young athlete, spilling over with potential and on a road of continued development and success. deScossa references her display at the U20 Nations Cup held in England earlier this year as a clear indication of the player she is and the one she is capable of being.

"Asya can be a real prospect for the future National program. With the U20’s this year at the Nations Cup she performed very well, taking on the much bigger and more experienced players from Wales, USA and England. She showed her strength, courage and determination, and in fact she was one of the determining factors leading to a great win over Wales in that tournament.”

“Asya is a part of the national long term player development program – with this high performance pathway, she has a real chance to figure in the future on the global scene,” concludes deScossa.

If the future for Bartley is shaped anything like her early beginnings in rugby, she will undoubtedly be a force in years to come. Bartley took up the sport in high school when her friends and coach encouraged her to join and she hasn’t looked back since.

Following her first year of rugby at Bell High School she attended tryouts for the U17 Ontario team and was then selected to represent her province at nationals. Due to her fine display amongst Canada’s best youth players, as a U17 team member Bartley received an invite to the Canadian U19 training camp. Again, Bartley’s work ethic and athletic prowess were recognized as she became a member of the national program at the age of 17.

“My current focus is to help my team win the CIS championship. My other focus is to train for Nations Cup this summer,” Bartley explains, not losing site of the task at hand with the X-Women while keeping longer-term goals in mind.

When asked what kind of impression she wants to leave upon her graduation from St. FX, albeit still two years down the road, Bartley reiterated, “I hope to be known as a strong and fierce competitor and role model to upcoming players.”

Surely a second CIS medal will only enrich the budding career Bartley has started at the AUS-champion institution. It seems she has barely scratched the surface of her playing career; one that is shaping up to be highly-respected and admired, just as the off-field Bartley is regarded.