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Hyde Rugby at Wake Forest University Invitational
9/6/2010
Feb 26-28th
Hyde Rugby took and assortment of novice and rookie players, Coach Bayer and his son, Coach Tobias(Football) and Tyree Reeves(alumnus) down to Wake Forest University for an invitational rugby festival with 3 other teams (Gonzaga/Washington-DC, West Shore- PA, and Chapel Hill-NC)
Following a 6 hour bus ride, the team arrived on the Wake Forest Campus around 11pm and got settled in to our accommodations. The university was gracious enough to offer sleeping space in their gymnasium and we gladly accepted. It was a wonderful team bonding experience. The boys slept together in a converted raquetball court that had been outfitted with wrestling mats to sleep on and used the locker room facilities for showers etc. We were even given our own personal chaperone Dr. Bill Marcum who is the faculty advisor for the Wake Forest Rugby team and an Associate Professor of Finance and Citibank Faculty Fellow.
After hearing the noise that 25 high school kids can make, the coaches and Bill quickly decided to make their sleeping quarters in the Yoga and aerobic studio next door. It was a smart decision as the team was up talking well into the night.
The next morning, wakeup was painfully early 6:45am. It was challenging to say the least to motivate and get 25 kids cleaned up, gear stored and fed in 1 hour. Bill was gracious enough to bring a light breakfast of chicken and biscuits and fruit salad from Chick-Fil-A for team and they gladly accepted.
Following breakfast, we began preperation for the B side game against the Gonzaga at 9:30am. The wind was brisk and the temps were still hovering around 40 so we were a little slow to get going. By kickoff, our new players were excited at their opportunity to play some rugby and came out charging.
The game started off well, with Hyde scoring in the opening minutes. Unfortunately, much of the remaining time was spent playing defense against a well skilled and disciplined Gonzaga side that quickly dominated our younger team with 40 unanswered points. Never one to quit, our boys finished strong and scored on the last play of the game.
Following the B side game, the team headed back to the gymnasium for some quiet time prior to lunch. Speaking of lunch, the Wake Forest Rugby team provided pizza to the participating teams. Thanks WFU Rugby!
That afternoon, our A side faced off against West Shore Rugby Club in what we expected to be a physical game of rugby. Despite a large number of penalties, Hyde scored some outstanding tries from our forwards as well as some long range tries from the wing and through the centers. It was an exciting match that as not decided until the closing minutes when Hyde scored a multi-phase try to win 33-26. The boys really stepped up and finished the day out strong. John Murray stood out with his 60 meter attacks and constant work from the wing. Highlights included, new players like Rico Price scoring their first A side try and old players like Salim Lancaster and Anthony Lewis setting up and finishing tries.
Following the game, we attempted to get 25 kids through the showers and ready for dinner at the WFU Student dining hall. The food was plentiful and excellent and the boys enjoyed the opportunity to check out the campus and the college students. Coach Bayer enjoyed making sure that every girl they players tried to talk to learned that these were all HIGH SCHOOL boys and that they were visiting from their HIGH SCHOOL in Washington, DC… following dinner, we did a walking tour of campus and finished up with free time. Some chose to play basketball in the gym, some played Playstation Madden Football and others just chilled out.
Sunday was another early start with a 9:30am kick off against Chapel Hill. The boys were feeling the effects of the precious days rugby and 2 nights of staying up late so our pregame warm up consisted of “rugby ultimate” games to have fun and loosen up followed with a good stretch.
The game was another back and forth affair, with neither team backing down. The team reduced its penalty count and displayed excellent ball retention as we worked hard and finished the game out once again in the closing minutes for a well earned victory. It was a great team effort that all had a hand in. I was very proud of the improvement from the previous day and the effort and work rate.
Following the game, we thanked WFU Rugby Coach-Pat Kane and our Host, Bill Marcum for their hospitality by giving them Hyde Rugby supporters jerseys. Pat worked overtime ensuring a smooth event for the visiting teams and Bill was a great ambassador for the university and really made us feel welcome. Thanks to also go out to Coach Tobias for helping out on his first rugby trip and Coach Tyree Reeves(alumni) for his assistance. I am sure the boys will remember this trip for years to come!
