Laroque takes unique sports path to Valkyries

Saskatoon hosts WWCFL final against Calgary on Saturday

Mykayla Laroque has settled at DB with the Valkyries.

A long and winding road from wrestling with a stop in cheerleading brought Mykayla Laroque to football with the Saskatoon Valkyries.

Laroque, who graduated with her education degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 2022, had been coaching with the wrestling team at Marion Graham Collegiate for five years and coach the wrestling team at Centennial Collegiate one year prior. In June of 2022, she was given The SSSAD Spirit of Service Award for her involvement with athletics at Marion Graham.

Prior to being a coach, Laroque was a member of Centennial’s wrestling team for her four years in high school leading to her graduation in June of 2017. While coaching wrestling this past season, the 23-year-old got the itch to be an athlete once again.

“I was coaching and then I realized I just kind of missed being around a team that I could play on and contact sports a little bit,” said Laroque. “I thought, ‘Why not football.’

“I had been interested in it in high school. For me, it wasn’t really an option. It was mostly guys’ teams.

“There weren’t a lot of girls involved in football, so I stuck with the wrestling side of things. I decided to branch out finally.”

Laroque also had the urge to play tackle football when she was a member of the Saskatoon Hilltops Cheerleading Team in 2018 and 2019. In both those campaigns, she got to see the Hilltops football team win CJFL titles and had an urge to be on the football field as a player.

“I would definitely say that being on the sidelines as a former Hilltop cheerleader did kind of ignite that,” said Laroque. “I miss being in the contact sports, being on the field and being a little bit more aggressive.

“Cheer was a wonderful, wonderful experience. Then, I just kind of watched the football and got really into it and decided that maybe in the future when I settle my education stuff a little bit it would be something I’d be interested in.”

Laroque joined the Valkyries this season as they embarked on a quest to win three consecutive WWCFL titles. She found a home at defensive back and played all the way as a rookie on defence this past Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, when the Valkyries downed their provincial rivals the Regina Riot 19-9 in the Prairie Conference Championship Game. Laroque picked up two solo tackles and a pass knockdown in the win.

Mykayla Laroque (#83) hangs behind Valkyries HC Pat Barry.

Looking back at that outing, Laroque kind of graded her play from the view of a coach.

“It was tiring,” said Laroque. “It took a lot of effort, energy and at points sometimes the mental overrides the physical a little bit more in those situations.

“I would definitely say that it took a really big defensive effort and offensive effort on everything and supporting each other as a group. Hearing the cheering on the sidelines from the ‘O’ and then cheering on the ‘O’ from the sidelines just that big team effort really helps on that.”

With the win, the Valkyries advanced to face the Calgary Rage in the WWCFL title game, which Saskatoon hosts on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus. The Valkyries were 4-0 in regular season play and sport a 7-0 mark overall, while the Rage were 3-0 in the regular season and 4-1 overall.

Playing in the league’s championship game will be another new experience for Laroque, and it is one she wants to soak in being a part of.

“It is an unreal experience,” said Laroque. “(There are) a lot emotions obviously.

“I am nervous, excited, ready and just having my teammates’ support 120 per cent, having that close knit bond really helps.”

Valkyries head coach Pat Barry has been a wrestling coach for a lengthy stretch. When Laroque decided to join the Valkyries, Barry was curious to see what she could do in football.

“I knew her from wrestling, because I’ve coached wrestling for many years,” said Barry. “I’ve seen her around in wrestling circles as an athlete, and of course, as a coach now with her being in education.

“I was excited to see her come out to our winter practices. She is a positive person, and she does a lot of things well. She has learned the position of DB.

“We’ve kind of thrown her into the fire, and she has done well.”

Mykayla Laroque will play in her first WWCFL final on Saturday.

Barry said Laroque has picked up things quickly and was impressed with her improvement as the season has progressed.

“It is a significant amount,” said Barry about Laroque’s improvement. “I don’t think she has ever played tackle football before.

“To have someone come on to our team which is pretty veteran in a lot of places to come in and compete and contribute like she has, it is exciting for our coaching staff.”

Laroque said there are skills she learned in wrestling transferred over to football.

“I would say the tackling side of things,” said Laroque. “It is a little bit like a double leg (take down), if you look at it that way.

“I definitely say certain intensities, training hard, staying focused and both are really mental sports. Engaging the physical side and the mental side is something that I would say is the cross over definitely between the two.”

She also received extra motivation to join Valkyries after seeing one of her former Hilltops Cheerleading teammates suit up for the WWCFL powerhouse in Breanna Allegretto. Allegretto played really well substituting on to the offensive line helping the Valkyries win their seventh WWCFL title in team history last season.

Allegretto didn’t return to the Valkyries this season as she is starting a family with former Hilltops star centre Luciano Jolly.

“I did definitely see her play, and it did kind of persuade me kind of a little bit seeing one of my former cheer teammates out there getting in there,” said Laroque. “I would definitely say that she had a big impact on me getting out to the Valkyries.”

Once she was with the Valkyries, Laroque said her teammates have gone the extra mile to bring her into the group. That has provided a big lasting memory for the entire 2023 campaign.

“It was really different, but the energy was amazing,” said Laroque. “The ladies were really, really welcoming the second I walked into the change room.

Mykayla Laroque (#83) does a break down with her teammates.

“I was greeted with smiles, introductions, and they made sure that I felt comfortable and understood what I was doing taking the time to explain things. They were just taking that extra time helping me out on little things here and there or walking me through things with the help of the coaches as well. That was really, really awesome.”

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