A local teen and elite athlete, who was well-loved both on and off the field, is being mourned by friends, family and teammates after her unexpected death last week.
Jaydn Sage, 16, died on Monday Oct. 2 at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. The family is opting not to share the details behind the cause of death.
Family friend Kat Harding set up a GoFundMe page — more than $30,000 has been raised for the family — saying she created the page to try to help her friends cover some expenses while dealing with this sudden and tragic loss.
“I just know they’d do the same for me. To have such a shocking loss, that’s something no one can ever be prepared for. So I just wanted to make sure that they had something to get funeral arrangements started,” said Harding.
Harding and her family had been friends with the Sage family for the last seven years after getting to know them through a shared love of rugby. The teen had been a member of the Aurora Barbarians U16 rugby team for the past three years, she shared, adding Jaydn had also been a member of Barrie Rugby, Nantyr Shores Secondary School Tritons and was even recently invited to play at the provincial level with the Toronto Reds. Prior to transferring to the high school in Innisfil to be part of the rugby program, she attended Maple Ridge Secondary School in Barrie’s south end.
“Rugby was definitely a passion and something that she loved to do. She put all of her heart and soul into that sport. She really enjoyed the community of the sport,” said Harding, saying Jaydn was a forward on the team and a real leader.
Talking about Jaydn in the past tense was strange, Harding admitted, describing the youngster as being passionate, dedicated, driven, funny and local.
“She had a tight circle of people close to her. She was a very tough competitor on the field, but your best friend off the field. She stood up for what she believed in and she used her voice in positive ways,” said Harding, adding you would never wonder what Jaydn was thinking. “She would let you know.”
In addition to her passion for rugby, Jaydn loved animals and was known for creating delicious gourmet meals for her family on a regular basis. She was also the kind of person who could be counted on to be there for not only her loved ones and teammates, but for anybody who needed it.
“At just 16, she truly was that kid. She had a big heart and a lot of (compassion) for people. She would have anybody’s back that needed it.”
Jaydn will also be remembered as being not only a determined and driven athlete, but also a funny and loving friend.
“She was very dedicated to her sport, to her teammates, to her coach. She was a very coachable athlete and player. It’s definitely a big loss,” said Harding. “She had a big personality … and you never had to wonder what she was thinking about. She’d let you know, so she was good at being a leader for her teammates and for people in her life.”
Teammates past and present have been honouring the teen by wearing their Aurora jerseys while playing for their varsity teams.
“It is going to be a loss that is deeply felt because she made such an impact in her sports community. She was magnetic," said Harding. "You lose anybody in your family, and then you lose them unexpectedly, it’s definitely a devastating loss. Just her presence and energy in general is going to be missed."
An email to the The Aurora Barbarians went unanswered, however a post on the team’s Facebook page made note of the team’s tragic loss.
“We lost a member of our family yesterday,” said an Oct. 4 post.
“I always loved her passion for the game. She was exciting to watch and she was a true leader on the field. Jaydn you will be missed,” wrote Stacey Roncone Barron on the team’s page.
A public celebration is scheduled to be held later this fall, and the family is asking that in lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jadyn be made to ‘For the Love of the Game’.
