Photo By Morgan Modjeski Metro Saskatoon
The Saskatoon Valkyries have won their fourth straight Western Women’s Canadian Football League championship — but for veteran quarterback Candace Bloomquist, the victory is bittersweet.
Bloomquist, who completed 21 of 30 passes in Saturday’s title game — a 53-0 romp over the Lethbridge Steel — at Saskatoon’s Griffiths Stadium, told reporters after the match that she’s hanging up her helmet and cleats.
“It’s just time,” Bloomquist, 35, told Metro of her retirement from football, as the rest of the Valkyries celebrated with the championship trophy to cap off their undefeated season.
“Four in a row is good and I want to pursue other things, so it’s time to move on.”
Bloomquist, an in-motion consultant with the Saskatoon Health Region, has been a critical part of the team since the WWCFL was established in 2011. She proved that again on Saturday, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns in being named the game’s most valuable player.
“I want them to continue to be as successful as we have been,” she said of the Saskatoon team in future seasons.
“Five in a row — that would be quite the run and … I think they can do it.”
Valkyries head coach Jeff Yausie said he’s sad to see Bloomquist go, adding that she has all the qualities a coach can ask for in a leader.
“Are we going to miss her? Absolutely,” Yausie said.
“There’s a list of about nine or 10 things that you want in a quarterback — and she’s got all of them,” he added.
“We’re going to miss her as a Valkyrie,” he said.
“She set the bar pretty high for the future quarterback, and all we can do is try to mimic that.”
