Clad in black rugby uniforms, the young women who played alongside Shaina Ridenour trembled as they placed white roses on her casket.
During a celebration of her life in Drayton Valley on Wednesday, Ridenour was remembered as a feisty young woman, a firecracker with an infectious laugh and a fearless game on the rugby pitch.
“No amount of game plays and training can prepare us for the loss of the unexpected passing of a teammate and a child,” said Lesley Gigg, coach of the FMHS Amazons rugby team.
Ridenour, 16, died on Dec. 21 after being found unconscious in the passenger seat of an idling car. Her boyfriend, Gage Bogart, died four days later of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
RCMP are describing their deaths as a tragic accident.
The team is a family, and Ridenour’s death has left them reeling, said Gigg as she addressed a hushed room inside the MacKenzie Conference Centre.
“We eat together, practice together, go to school together, sweat on the field together and celebrate our wins together, but sadly we are here today, struggling through our team’s biggest loss — that of our child and family member, our dear Shaina.
“There is an energy of devastation in the room today … I’m not sure it gets easier with time.”
More than 300 people gathered to pay their respects.
A funeral for Bogart will be held Jan. 3 at the MacKenzie Conference Centre. A private interment will follow at Riverview Cemetery.
‘A heart so kind’
Wednesday’s memorial for Ridenour began with a song written by Krissy Feniak, called Just Too Young.
Feniak broke down in tears as she sang about her friend.
Gage Bogart, 17, died on Christmas Day after he and his girlfriend were found unconscious in his car. (Bogart family)
After words of remembrance from the family, Ridenour’s 25 teammates on the Frank Maddock High School Amazons stood to give a cheer in her name before her casket was carried out of the room.
The young athlete, who attended Drayton Valley Community Outreach School, was filled with passion and heart for the game of rugby, Gigg told the crowd.
As a winger on the team, she was known as a “roadrunner” for her speed and was a ferocious tackler.
Ridenour was a bit smaller than most players, but that didn’t stop her, said Gigg.
She could outrun most of her opponents, and once she caught them she would wrap her arms around them, take them down, or latch on for a wild ride.
“Wingers are the fastest players, being able to break away from the rest … and act precisely and decisively, this was so in Shaina’s character and performance on the team.”
Gigg recalled how, at a home tournament last year, Ridenour tackled an opponent twice her size, with her usual determination and sense of humour.
“She took the player down in front of me with great form and force,” recalled Gigg.
A photo posted to the Drayton Valley Riggers Youth Rugby club. (Thinus Van Staden/Facebook)
“When Shaina came out of the grass, after the successful tackle, she jumped up but had a mouth full of mud and turf.
“After cleaning, and spitting out was in her mouth, she came up and said, ‘Well, I guess I won’t need feeding later,’ and then … she took off and tackled another.”
‘She was so full of life’
Ridenour’s fearlessness and infectious sense of humour extended beyond the rugby field.
An obituary, written by her mother Bonnie Stapleton, was recited by Ridenour’s aunts. It painted a portrait of a powerful young woman, a social butterfly who was “strong, proud and extremely beautiful.”
Known as Snoop to her three brothers and six sisters, she loved camping, horseback riding and road trips with her father.
She dreamed of one day living on a ranch in the country. She was her “mother’s shadow,” and the glue that kept their large blended family together.
“She was so full of life,” wrote her mother.
‘Shaina will live on in the telling of your stories’ – Dwayne Henley
“She will be remembered for her big, beautiful smile that would light up any room and there was her unforgettable laugh that would carry long away. It didn’t matter was she was, you knew it was her.”
Dwayne Henley, the master of ceremonies for the memorial, urged those who loved Ridenour to take comfort in their memories.
“Let us remember that a well-written story, no matter or how long or how short, is inspiring to tell over and over again,” said Henley.
“Shaina will live on in the telling of your stories.”