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In 2012, Elissa Alarie quit her accounting job, sublet her apartment and packed up her 2010 Honda Civic to drive cross-country to Victoria.

The native of Trois-Rivieres, Que., was going all-in on rugby.

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Alarie had no invitation to join the Canadian women’s sevens team but had played for Quebec. She knew the players recently centralized in Victoria and believed she could compete with them.

“I didn’t want to wake up 15 years later and be like ‘What if?”’ she said.

Alarie emailed the coaches to see if she could join them. The answer was lukewarm at best — “If you don’t slow up the group, you can show up a few times.”

But an injury opened up a spot on the squad at a tournament in Dubai. Then Rugby Canada offered Alarie a centralized spot.

“And I haven’t really looked back,” she said.

Now back in the 15s game, the 31-year-old Alarie is on the eve of her second Women’s Rugby World Cup. She and fellow former sevens star Magali Harvey are two of Canada’s top strike runners.