What is the Rugby Community?

People always talk about the rugby community and how it is like family. So far from all of my experiences in rugby I have found this to be true. What exactly is the rugby community? To me, the rugby community encompasses everyone involved in rugby as players, coaches, administrators, fans, and supporters. And everyone in the rugby community LOVES rugby. And they get it. Rugby isn’t just a hobby or a fun thing on the side where you play games on the weekend, its a way of living. They understand why you go to kicking practice on Monday, scrumhalf training on Tuesday, touch practice on Wednesday, the guy’s touch practice on Thursday, and 7s practice on Friday. People are passionate about this sport, and want to help grow the game in any way possible.

Here are a few of my own experiences of the rugby community:

My high school started a girls rugby team in my sophomore year. We barely had enough girls to practice, let alone field a full 15s side for a match. Luckily for us, the best girls high school rugby team in the state was just next door. During pre-season they even let us practice with them in the indoor field house, which they had paid for (it’s cold in Minnesota!). They even let us use 3 of their best players in our first match. I still remember playing along side the veteran players, even though everything was chaotic, the 3 players led us on the field and we managed a tie, with a final score of 17-17. Why would the best team in the state help a brand new team start up? The answer is simple. To grow rugby, and to help out fellow members of the rugby community.

Another example from my high school days was when the Minnesota Valkyries did a few clinics for my high school team. It sounds cheesy, but ever since Jen Sinkler and coach Barb Fugate did a clinic with my high school team, I’ve been star struck with the USA Women’s Eagles. I didn’t fully comprehend how involved they were with the Eagles, until I emailed Barb and invited her to one of our high school matches. She politely declined and informed me that she would be busy that weekend, coaching the USA Women’s U-23 squad in another country. During college, when I came home to Minnesota for the summer, I would look forward to going to summer touch practice with the Valkyries every Thursday. For me the Valkyries are role models as individual players and coaches, and as a solid rugby club and organization.

When I played in college at the University of Michigan, I witnessed complete dedication and passion to the sport and our club from our coaches Herb Reich, Fred Keeling, and Kelly McMahon. Our coaches would sacrifice evenings three times a week, and weekends with their families to spend time at practices and travel to games with our team. Herb would travel during the week for his job, arrive at the airport at 5PM and drive straight to our field on campus and conduct practice in slacks and dress shoes. In the winter the coaches came to our 12AM-2AM practices at the indoor turf field, and went to work at 7AM in the morning. All of our coaches volunteer their time and knowledge because they want everyone to grow as rugby players and teach the best rugby they can.

Michigan is also fortunate to have former Eagles flanker Kelly McMahon and flyhalf Kristin Baja as resources, while they both pursue their graduate degrees at the University of Michigan. Besides being an assistant coach for the team during the school year, this summer Kelly has offered to run 7AM sprint sessions on Thursdays with players who want extra speed training. Outside of normal practices, Baja has been tutoring the backs once a week in kicking, decision making, and reading the game. Both Kelly and Baja are willing to meet with players individually to talk about how to improve their rugby skills, fitness levels, rugby and career networking, and how to get to the next level.

Although everyone has their own unique experiences of the rugby community, I am sure they are all in similar in the way that the rugby community is totally unselfish and always willing to give advice, share experiences and best practices, and spread the word about rugby, all for the good of the game.