Coach works to increase rugby’s popularity among youth
By Tamika Matthews
Sports editor
Every year, children flock to baseball diamonds around the country or shoot basketball on the hardtops, dribble soccer balls on green fields or duke it out on the football gridiron.
But another sport is flying under the radar - rugby.
Jeff Rupp, commissioner and coach of the Springfield Youth Club rugby program, is working to make it a more viable option for area youngsters.
The program started at Rupp’s hands 10 years ago, and is the oldest rugby program in the area. “What’s great is that a lot of the people who coach other clubs now got their start right here in the SYC program,” he said.
Rupp estimates 45 children formed three SYC rugby teams in its inaugural year. Today, the number is closer to 150 children on 10 teams.
Athletes range in age from 6 to 16, and both boys and girls play tackle and two-hand touch. Girls can opt for a coed touch team or all-girls tackle team.
“The girls who play really enjoy it,” Rupp said with a laugh. “Those girls love to get out there and have a chance to get dirty.”
Rupp considers rugby to be a lifetime sport. “I was 17 when I started this sport, and now, I’m a 42-year-old man,” he said. “Once rugby gets a hold of you, it’s something you can stick with.
“If you play football, eventually, there aren’t going to be as many opportunities out there for you to play,” he continued. “With rugby, you can grow with the sport and adapt. You can always find a way to play.”
Tish Ash has been bitten by the rugby bug since her 16-year-old son Josh took up the sport. A rising junior at South County High School in Lorton, Josh started the touch program at age 7 and recently decided he’d like to continue playing through college.
“He absolutely loves the sport,” Ash, an EEO specialist with the Department of the Army EEO headquarters, said. “He plays football and wrestles, but he’s really leaning toward rugby in college. He wants to play.”
According to Rupp, many of his players have gone on to collegiate programs at state schools like Virginia Tech and the College of William and Mary, as well as other institutions such as the University of Kentucky.
“The best thing is when you find these kids are still playing in high school, and their parents call me and tell me they’re still playing beyond that,” he said.
Tish admitted being nervous when he started because of rugby’s reputation as a tough sport. “I was scared at first, but Jeff does his best to train the kids and make sure they’re doing things right. They learn to tackle the right way, and don’t usually come away with more than a few bumps and bruises.”
Most injuries beyond that, Tish added, occur when children use incorrect techniques to tackle.
“It has a reputation for being rough, but it’s safer than football,” she said.
Another aspect of rugby lost on many people is the camaraderie and respect between teams. She said it’s never a big deal, during Josh’s football season, for her to be found on the other side of the field, conversing with the parents of the opposing team she remembers from rugby season.
“Football can be a game of ego, but with rugby, there’s a lot of handshakes and respect,” Tish said. “Win or lose, you shake hands and there are no grudges.”
Rupp agreed. “That’s the way rugby’s always been,” he said. “So many of my best friends play for other teams. We play hard on the field, but at the end of the day, we’re all buddies. You can travel and play teams anywhere in the world, and you develop these instant friendships.
“We do it on a smaller scale here. We ask the kids to bring snacks, not just for their team but the other team as well. And we try to socialize and talk after the games.”
Mark Sward, who works with DTRA as acting chief of the modeling division in the Research and Development Enterprise, wrote in an e-mail that his daughter Alix got involved after attending a SYC rugby open house last year.
“Her older brother played for three years at about the same age, and I think she remembered him having fun playing the game,” Sward wrote. “But in the end, it was her decision.”
Sward had no concerns about his daughter’s involvement in the sport, having seen his son go through the program as well. “I knew it was coed, and I knew the coaches and referees protected all the players from any unsporting behavior,” he wrote.
Sward wrote he feels his daughter exhibits a great deal of mental toughness, especially since she wants to play girls tackle rugby next year.
“I hope she continues to love exercise, and she continues to not be intimidated by what others think,” he wrote. “She’s braver than she knows, and I hope she comes to appreciate that part of her character like her mother and I do.”
Sward wrote that Alix has developed additional skills from the sport. “Rugby has really helped Alix’s spatial reasoning and planning skills - where I am now and where to I have to get in time to achieve my goal,” he wrote.
Tish said she wants more people to know the merits of playing rugby. “I wish we could get more people out there to play,” she said. “There’s really nothing like it. It definitely helps athletes in other sports, too. I try to tell Josh’s football teammates to come out because it helps with footwork. It’s just a great sport.”
Editor’s note: The summer season concluded Sunday with the Rugby Virginia Youth Tournament at Franconia District Park in Springfield. SYC Rugby took home championships in five of eight age groups. For more information, visit www.sycva.com/rugby.
