“Oh my gosh … I don’t believe this just happened to me,” exclaimed Mikayla Evans. She was in front of a packed Esquimalt High gymnasium on Wednesday and had just realized why the U.S. national rugby team was there.
It was to present the Grade 12 student and rugby player with a surprise all-expenses-paid trip for two to Chicago, including two sideline seats at Soldier Field for the U.S. Eagles Test match Nov. 1 against the defending World Cup champion New Zealand All Blacks.
Evans has dreamed of watching the storied All Blacks play. The gift means she will get to see New Zealand’s third game ever played in the U.S., and first in 34 years. She will be accompanied by her mother, Angela Evans.
Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma last Christmas, Mikayla Evans was in need of a lift. She got a big one from the local Golf for Kids Charity, which annually raises about $500,000 for Island children’s charities through a golf tournament at Bear Mountain.
Evans volunteers annually at the event.
When organizers heard of her situation, they jumped in to make her dream come true by funding the airfare, hotel and tickets to the All Blacks-U.S. Eagles game, to which more than 55,000 seats have been sold.
She will also attend an NHL game Nov. 2 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets.
The U.S. team is here for the Americas Rugby Championship at Westhills Stadium in Langford. When the team heard her story, all the players agreed they would help surprise Evans.
Evans hugged every American player, but said she would still be cheering for Canada in Wednesday night’s Americas Championship game.
“These U.S. players are just so amazing … and, of course, the All Blacks are amazing,” said Evans, who plays school rugby for Esquimalt and club for Velox as a fly-half.
Evans was attending what she thought was a regular awards ceremony, with the rest of the Esquimalt student body, when the U.S. team entered the gym unannounced and shocked her with the gift.
Her love of rugby is helping her through a hard time. She has undergone six months of chemotherapy. The family meets with doctors this week to discuss her latest scans.
“It was a bit rough,” said Evans, who plans to go to law school.
“I was scared but tried to stay positive through the whole thing. I said to myself: ‘If this is my time, it’s going to happen.’ My parents have been so incredibly supportive.”
Mom Angela said sport has helped her daughter cope. “Mikayla became fascinated with rugby and started to play, and it’s now become an addiction.”
The Evans, who have family connections to New Zealand, appreciated the U.S. players showing up for the presentation and will now have a rooting interest in both teams in the Eagles-All Blacks Test.
“It’s unheard of, on a game day in international rugby, for a national side to show up beforehand for a public-service appearance, but the American team did it for Mikayla,” said Tom Woods, a former Canadian team player who is the U.S. team’s local liaison during the Americas Championship.
In doing so, they made a young Victoria rugby player very happy. “This was such a surprise … I still can’t believe it,” Evans said.
Asked if she is more excited about watching the All Blacks or Blackhawks, Evans didn’t hesitate: “All Blacks, of course.”
