Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - Submitted by Tom Kennedy

Pat Riordan knows all too well that, paid or unpaid, there are no amateur athletes at elite levels of sport.

Regardless of whether an athlete is paid for the their services at the test level, they must all work equally hard to ensure they perform their best.

The 30-year-old front rower with 36 caps for Canada also knows that youth development is the future of the game.

And finally, he knows how important it is to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer, a disease which will effect more than 24,000 men this year alone.

Because he knows all this, Riordan felt it was the least he could do to strip down to his underwear and pose for the Rugby Canada calendar, the sales of which will support all of these worthy endeavours.

“For me it was a bit unusual,” Riordan said. “I don't really like having my picture taken, but when you look at the initiatives, they're great to be involved with.

“One of the challenges with prostate cancer is being manly enough and actually going to talk to your doctor, so compared to that, getting your picture taken isn't that bad.

“This initiative also allows money to come in while players are away on tour. Even though you're on tour, the mortgage still needs paying. Money shouldn't be a part of the problem.”

Sales of the 18-month calendar have raised $3,000 to date, which was donated to the Canadian Rugby Foundation to support Canadian under-20 rugby.

“The Canadian Rugby Foundation is very thankful to have the support of our Rugby World Cup squad in sponsoring a member of Canada's National Under-20 program,” said its Director, Matthuw Ronald Jones.  “It truly demonstrates the impact that the Canadian Rugby Foundation's U20 Player Sponsorship program has had on our national program for the past 3 years.”

The fundraising project is ongoing, with plans to donate the next  sum of money to Prostate Cancer Canada, as the team members involved felt these two initiatives were good ways to support the rugby community.

Riordan and Ryan Smith said several organizations and individuals worked particularly hard to make the donation possible.

Those organizations/individuals are:
Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
Greg Gilding
Meraloma Rugby Club
Rick and Linda Romsa of Winnipeg
The Saskatchewan Rugby Union
Jo Reinbold of Edmonton
Jennifer Blain of Calgary
Mount Royal University Men’s Rugby of Calgary
Gail Lavendar of Calgary
Macquarie Financial/Dave Lougheed of Calgary
Lisa Kondle of Calgary