Episode 15: Ghislaine Landry

Canada Rugby Sevens Captain Ghislaine Landry talks success, equality and how she didn’t let those who said “no” stop her.

Today, Canada’s Women’s Rugby Sevens captain Ghislaine Landry joins the podcast where she discussed her passion for the game, overcoming the odds and why she had to wear a men’s kit during her first professional year.

Ghis has played the game for more than half of her life, picking it up in high school, but her path towards turning pro was a rocky one. She was cut from Canada’s senior team for being “too small” (she’s 5’3) and told numerous times she wouldn’t make it professionally. That only fueled her fire, as she went on to lead her Sevens squad to gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, while becoming the game’s most prolific scorer along the way.

Today on the podcast, Ghis talks about the importance of self-belief and having a strong support system. She also dives into how tough it was for her mentally when the Tokyo Games were postponed, and shares a few personal notes about being an openly gay athlete and how she’d like to see more equality in the sport.

We also talk about:

· Her career accomplishments & what she loves about the game

· Having to wear a men’s kit when she first started playing

· Tokyo Olympics

· Being an openly gay athlete & role model

· The future of rugby in Canada

Quote:

“Bottom line, I’d like to see equality. Like if the men are going to be treated a certain way then the women should be treated a certain way. If we’re going to call it women’s rugby we should call it men’s rugby…like the default for rugby is men’s rugby, yet we always have to say it’s women’s rugby.”

-Ghislaine Landry

Resources:

Guest Info – Ghislaine Landry

Instagram: @ghis_landry

Twitter: @ghis_landry

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Promotional Content:

If you're enjoying this podcast, be sure to check out two others. For more sports, tune into The Voice & The Coach, hosted by Vancouver Giant Play-by-Play announcer Dan O'Connor and WHL Coach of the Year Mark Holick. For conversation, check out Their Life Story, hosted by Robin Lavigne.