Rugby A Big Hit With Charlotte-Area HS Students
Thursday, April 24, 2008 – updated: 11:49 pm EDT April 24, 2008
CHARLOTTE, N.C. --
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Rugby for teenagers in the Charlotte area is relatively new. The first organized teams started only eight years ago. Now, there are 22 teams and around 400 kids in the scrum.The sport is too small to be an "official" high school sport. A sport must have participation from 25 percent of the state's public schools to be recognized by the N.C. High School Athletic Association.This recognition means funding for gear, fields, coaches and everything else that makes other high school sports so accessible.Still, kids are getting involved, despite the added costs and issues that come with doing it outside of regular school sports arena.
Click Here To See Video Highlights And Player Interviews From A Myers Park HS Rugby Practice.
The organization that is helping them is Carolina Youth Rugby.The organization's president, Neil Aldridge, told WSOCTV.com their mission is clear."We want more schools dedicated to rugby. We want to be a recognized sport," said Aldridge.Three Charlotte Mecklenburg schools do have their own rugby teams. Myers Park, East Meck and West Meck teams are all made up of players specifically from their own schools.Other CMS schools do have rugby players; they play on area club teams that take players from multiple local schools.In many cases, more high schools could field their own teams because they have enough interested players to form their own side.The problem isn't finding interested teens, it's finding enough qualified coaches and officials.Case in point, Phillip O. Berry High School had a rugby team. Their coach moved to East Meck. Now, East Meck has a rugby team and Phillip O. Berry has Rugby players but no one to coach them, so the team fizzled away."It's not just about going out their and teaching rugby. It's about introducing the culture, involvement by the school; it's about the kids," said Aldridge.One issue he said contributes to this shortage of rugby knowledge is the American sports menu.Most grow up watching and playing football, baseball, basketball, and even soccer. Not many Americans have the life experience or knowledge of what rugby is all about and don't know a scrum from a hooker"It really is developing; the quality is getting better. I think it's because kids are starting earlier and have some of the basic skills, and they don't have to start from scratch when they get to high school," said Aldridge.To continue this trend, Carolina Youth Rugby has programs for kids under 15, girls of all ages and even flag-rugby. The hope is all this will pay dividends as these teens get older and move into high school, college and beyond.Aldridge would like to see a generation of Americans with life long experience, familiarity and love for the game.In the interim, old dogs are learning new tricks.The Charlotte Rugby Association holds classes, seminars and training sessions for adults who want to coach or officiate rugby."We're getting parents involved with coaching and helping to administer teams," said Aldridge.The last stumbling block for rugby's acceptance will be its bad rap as dangerous and violent."I'd like people to have a more open mind to it. It is a hard game, a physical game, but it's no different than football," said Aldridge.One difference you notice right off the bat is there are no helmets or pads in rugby. Aldridge takes this to be a pro, not a con, for the sport."If you've got a helmet on, you have far less respect for your own safety and the person you are hitting than when it's just your head," said Aldridge.
Click Here To See The Extended Interview With Carolina Youth Rugby President Neil Aldridge.
If you've ever seen a ruby match, you know it is no game of chess. It is full contact and physically demanding.Still, Aldridge said injuries are comparable to most other high school sports, and good coaching and officiating make it safer all the time.The Charlotte area adds an average of two rugby teams each year. In the state, our area has the largest concentration of teams.To learn more about the Charlotte Rugby Association, visit CharlotteRugbyClub.com.To see a slideshow of some rugby action, check the sidebar of this article.
Rugby for teenagers in the Charlotte area is relatively new. The first organized teams started only eight years ago. Now, there are 22 teams and around 400 kids in the scrum.The sport is too small to be an "official" high school sport. A sport must have participation from 25 percent of the state's public schools to be recognized by the N.C. High School Athletic Association.This recognition means funding for gear, fields, coaches and everything else that makes other high school sports so accessible.Still, kids are getting involved, despite the added costs and issues that come with doing it outside of regular school sports arena.
The organization that is helping them is Carolina Youth Rugby.The organization's president, Neil Aldridge, told WSOCTV.com their mission is clear."We want more schools dedicated to rugby. We want to be a recognized sport," said Aldridge.Three Charlotte Mecklenburg schools do have their own rugby teams. Myers Park, East Meck and West Meck teams are all made up of players specifically from their own schools.Other CMS schools do have rugby players; they play on area club teams that take players from multiple local schools.In many cases, more high schools could field their own teams because they have enough interested players to form their own side.The problem isn't finding interested teens, it's finding enough qualified coaches and officials.Case in point, Phillip O. Berry High School had a rugby team. Their coach moved to East Meck. Now, East Meck has a rugby team and Phillip O. Berry has Rugby players but no one to coach them, so the team fizzled away."It's not just about going out their and teaching rugby. It's about introducing the culture, involvement by the school; it's about the kids," said Aldridge.One issue he said contributes to this shortage of rugby knowledge is the American sports menu.Most grow up watching and playing football, baseball, basketball, and even soccer. Not many Americans have the life experience or knowledge of what rugby is all about and don't know a scrum from a hooker"It really is developing; the quality is getting better. I think it's because kids are starting earlier and have some of the basic skills, and they don't have to start from scratch when they get to high school," said Aldridge.To continue this trend, Carolina Youth Rugby has programs for kids under 15, girls of all ages and even flag-rugby. The hope is all this will pay dividends as these teens get older and move into high school, college and beyond.Aldridge would like to see a generation of Americans with life long experience, familiarity and love for the game.In the interim, old dogs are learning new tricks.The Charlotte Rugby Association holds classes, seminars and training sessions for adults who want to coach or officiate rugby."We're getting parents involved with coaching and helping to administer teams," said Aldridge.The last stumbling block for rugby's acceptance will be its bad rap as dangerous and violent."I'd like people to have a more open mind to it. It is a hard game, a physical game, but it's no different than football," said Aldridge.One difference you notice right off the bat is there are no helmets or pads in rugby. Aldridge takes this to be a pro, not a con, for the sport."If you've got a helmet on, you have far less respect for your own safety and the person you are hitting than when it's just your head," said Aldridge.
If you've ever seen a ruby match, you know it is no game of chess. It is full contact and physically demanding.Still, Aldridge said injuries are comparable to most other high school sports, and good coaching and officiating make it safer all the time.The Charlotte area adds an average of two rugby teams each year. In the state, our area has the largest concentration of teams.To learn more about the Charlotte Rugby Association, visit CharlotteRugbyClub.com.To see a slideshow of some rugby action, check the sidebar of this article.
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