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San Jose 7s tournament

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The Battery

The Barracuda Rugby League team are making some big moves ahead of their new League start. They've made connections with the MLR team San Diego Legion and have hosted a women's combine, proving once again that in America rugby League and Union can and should work for the betterment of both codes and player development.  Even though the club is young they have made some wonderful power moves. As founding members of the PCRL they look to help expand the code of Rugby League not just in the city of San Diego but across the west coast and to be stewards of top quality rugby for American players to strive for. Ben Calverley,  head coach, from the Barracudas answered some questions I had and I hope you all enjoy in return. I highly suggest checking out the team store online and picking up some awesome swag, logo is great and color scheme is very unique.  

LLR- The Barracudas recently submitted an application to join the USARL, how soon till we hear news if you along with the others from the PCRL have been accepted?

B-The Barracudas have applied to be a full member of USARL, playing under the PCRL umbrella as an official affiliate league to USARL. We're confident we will hear good news very soon hopefully!

LLR- What other programs do the Barracudas offer besides a senior men's team ?

B- We currently offer both men's and women's teams. We are very keen to build a youth section in the coming years - we have a plan developing, but need to get some more coaches qualified down here in order to start delivering that and creating a sustainable future here. We are a small band behind the scenes, but growing! Now that we are back up and running again this year, it's certainly something we will be looking at.

LLR- Are there efforts being made to spread the game amongst the youth in San Diego and the surrounding area?

B- See above

LLR- What's the reception been with union clubs in the area?

B-We have quite a few of our players who also play union, and I think their union clubs have seen the benefits to their players' skills of playing league too. In our first year, we didn't really have too much interaction with the clubs themselves, but this year we are building a good relationship with the MLR side here, the San Diego Legion - we just put on a full day event with them up in Long Beach on December 10 that was a roaring success (despite the men's game result for us!).

LLR- The Cooney-Calverley cup was last weekend, for those who don't know like myself, how did the name come to be?

B- The Cooney-Calverley Cup is a nod to the two founding head coaches of the LA Mongrel and the San Diego Barracudas, Ady Cooney and Ben Calverley. They are both Englishmen who grew up playing rugby league only about 20 miles apart in Yorkshire - a real rugby league hotbed. There is a lot of mutual respect between the coaches and clubs, but it's a fierce rivalry as we saw at the weekend. Unfortunately we weren't able to get the result this time out, but we're confident the next iteration in 2023 will see the cup come home to America's Finest City for the first time.

LLR- Will any matches be shown live anywhere?

B- All our matches will be available on the PCRL youtube channel (youtube.com/@pacificcoastrl).

LLR- Where do you see the code of League in the USA at in 5 years along where the Barracudas will be?

B- It's no secret to anyone that League in the USA over the years has had a rocky journey. However, we're really excited about the structures and pathways we are putting in place with PCRL, we believe in growing the game and being as transparent as possible about how we do things - all of our clubs are a part of our family and have a voice in the league. We hope that in 5 years the PCRL will be an established league on the West Coast with strong men's and women's conferences (and maybe even wheelchair clubs?) aligned to USARL, the national governing body. That will improve the pool of talent that the national teams can draw on, and hopefully we can start to see that translate to the USA moving up the rankings.

LLR- What are the best ways for fans locally and afar to follow along with the journey?

B- Fans can find us online at sdbarracudas.com, on twitter, instagram, and TikTok at @sd_barracudas, and on facebook at @SDBarracudas. All of our games will be on the PCRL youtube channel, youtube.com/@pacificcoastrl.

LLR- Lastly, will USA qualify for 2025 and what is the PCRL doing to make it happen on their end?

B-We certainly hope so! On the women's side, our head coach Ben is also the assistant coach for the USA Hawks, so we're fully invested in seeing them make it to France in 2025. We're uncovering some talents over here on the west coast in both the men's and women's game, and we believe there are due to be talent ID camps on the west coast this year that we will be getting our players into peak condition for!

Ben C Calverley

Head Coach

San Diego Barracudas RL

@sd_barracudas

sdbarracudas.com

#GrowtheGame #RugbyForAll

Dead Birds Fly Together.

    In one of the hot beds of rugby union in America is a rugby league club that looks to be the first step to also making the Bay Area rugby leagues hot bed. Located in the north side of the San Francisco bay area are the Dead Pelicans. Only a few years old they are looking to make some big moves as they prepare for the 2023 season and beyond, they move over from the California Rugby League and join the newly created Pacific Coast Rugby League and the 4th California team. As someone who was born and raised in the bay area I am excited to see a rugby league club growing the game and having such a impact in their community, I hope there will some day be a club in San Jose (my home town). Along with EPA razorbacks and SF Savage the puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place. Thank you very much to Robert Beasley from the DP's for taking the time to answer some questions I hope you all enjoy. 

LLR- First thing is first, the name is amazing. How did Dead Pelicans get chosen as a team name?

RB- Thank you! We pride ourselves on being a player-run organization and taking polls amongst our players is how we make most of our decisions. Which is how we got our name and our colors. The Dead Pelican name was created by a player and it was the option that got the most votes by a long shot. The name also made sense because the Nor-Cal Select side for HS, Collegiate, and men's club is called the Pelicans. And our first team ever, had nothing but players who were at some point in their career Pelicans. Thus, we were all Dead Pelicans.

LLR- You are located in the North Bay , where exactly on the north side are you located?

RB- We went by North Bay in the past but we are actually changing our location to be more exact. We will be switching to the Santa Rosa Dead Pelicans. We are located in Santa Rosa, CA, the heart of wine country.

LLR- How often are practices held, and where do you plan to hold matches?

RB- We will be practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Santa Rosa, CA. We will start practices in April 2023.

LLR- Will games be streamed on any platform?

RB- Yes. We have some of our past games on Youtube already. But PCRL will be streaming our matches during the season.

LLR- How many players are currently registered to play and how has recruiting been?

RB- Our player pool in Northern California is about 100 deep and about 150 Nationwide. But for the PCRL season we plan to be very selective in our recruitment to ensure that we put forth the best team possible every round. We will welcome every player who wishes to be a Dead Pelican to participate and have a fair chance at earning their way onto our roster every round as well. 

We have a great core group of players who have been playing together for over 2 years, who have already committed to playing in the 2023 season.

LLR- Will the Dead Pelicans field a womens side also?

RB- We will not field a women's team for the 2023 PCRL season but we will attempt to field a women's side to play a match or 2 in 2023.

LLR- How has the reception been with the local Union Clubs?

RB- All of our players play for union clubs and a good amount of them are officers for their home union clubs and they are fully supportive. We are currently in discussion with For Pete's Sake (FPS) NPO about using the FPS field as our practice and game field.

LLR- You once were associated with California Rugby League and I assume the Commision also, why the move to the PCRL ?

RB- As it pertains to CRL, It just did not work out.

As for the move to the PCRL, their mission aligns with ours in growing the game on the west coast of America.

LLR- Do the Dead Pelicans plan to play matches against teams from the commission for rugby league?

RB- We have very long and tremendous relationships with both the East Palo Alto Razorbacks and the Sacramento Immortals, so we foresee many matches being scheduled and played with them in 2023.

LLR- Are there plans to bring on more teams throughout northern California and western states?

RB- From our conversations with PCRL, the hope is that more teams from Northern California and Oregon join the fold as well.

LLR- What can we expect in 2023 from the Dead Pelicans , how can people interested follow along?

RB- You can expect the Dead Pelicans to play a fast, hard hitting, High flying, and exciting brand of rugby league that is only going to come from a team based in Santa Rosa, CA. Follow us on Insta and also follow PCRL for league updates.

LLR- What's the best way for potential players, coaches and sponsors to get a hold of someone from the team?

RB- They can contact us directly by email at Deadpelicans@gmail.com. They can also private message us on Instagram @DeadRugby.

LLR- What do you say to those who are looking to a club to support , why the Dead Pelicans?

RB- Well as mentioned previously, we play a very fast, hard hitting style of the game. I think we are the closest thing to the Penrith Panthers in the US. I know that is a very bold statement... but we are a very bold team!

Who says League and Union can't get along?

Special things happening in San Diego.  

Breaking News!

All players from regardless of which team or league they play for in the USA, if you are an American player. You can apply, and you can be selected to represent the All Stars during the matches. USARL, Pacific Rugby,Championship Rugby, all players are welcomed. 

Womens World Cup

Kneel before the Royals

*This Blog and Life Love Rugby (LLR) on all social media accounts will never degrade anyone , rugby community or not, based because of their sexual orientation, religious beliefs and even political beliefs to that extent. All are welcomed #RugbyforAll 

The power of rugby as a sport has a way of changing lives forever and it can not be measured. In the city of San Jose, CA. , population over 1 million.  There is a lot of youth sports programs happening. there are so many options for kids of all ages from soccer, to basketball swimming and lacrosse. However, it is an absolute shocker that the largest city in Northern California has only 1 girls high school team let alone only 2 boys high school team. Almost seems like a utter knock on from Rugby NorCal to not have invested more into having at least 4 teams of each boys and girls playing with in the city limits alone.

Like many of you who find new rugby clubs at various levels Overfelt Royals, a high school girls team, came across one of my social media platform's and I was intrigued right away. Upon learning they are from my home town I had to begin to fallow them. Still relatively new to the scene there isn't much on the young club. these girls as you are about to read have endured some of the ugliest things that unfortunately are still happening in society today. I encourage every one to visit The Rugby Breakdown to read about their incredible journey thus far and the pure hate the Royals have endured. 

Id like to thank Julissa Deanda , current team president, for taking the time to answer questions and for being so honest and a shinning example on being a true leader. I deeply encourage if you are a coach in college, or anyone from USA Rugby to reach out to Julissa, outside of these questions we had a bit of a exchange through messenger and what an absolute passionate, encouraging and all around amazing young woman and you to will enjoy getting to know her very much! 

*coach Susanna Guardado has given some more insight into some of the questions. 

LLR- What year was the rugby club founded, what inspired the formation?

JD-  Our Royal Rugby club was actually founded just last year in 2021 but has been in the works since 2019. It all started when a simple game was introduced to a jv soccer team back in 2019, when our rugby coach, Coach Susanna Guardado or Coach G, was actually our soccer coach. She sort of just said “Hey want to try something new?”, during our final practice and we went at it. Our team became enthralled with the game and when our coach proposed actually starting a new team, no answer was needed; We were in. Unfortunately, soon after, Covid-19 hit and most of the team members had no idea what would happen with the sport. However, our coach was working hard behind the scenes from 2020 up until 2021 and fought for our club to become a reality. And although many people doubted us, in 2021, the same year we became a team, we became bowl champions. 

LLR- When someone talks about youth rugby in the bay area, there’s mostly talk about the boys side of things. How has the reception been so far from the school and local clubs of the Overfelt girls rugby team? 

JD- Well, personally, outside teams never seemed to be the problem. We actually made friends with a lot of them and raised 11k in donations from asking within the community. Rugby itself is a very respectful community because it’s built on connections to balance the toughness of the sport, so to our surprise it wasn't the outside clubs who put us down, it was our own peers. When it was first speculated that the girls would have a rugby team, an anonymous post was made on an instagram account. From what I can remember, it said something along the lines that we “ lesbians got a rugby team” and now we think we’re “the shit”. Under it were many tasteless homphobic comments such as being called “ran through'' for liking multiple genders or “sensitive” for standing up against their disrespect. Most of these comments were left by boys football team members . The post created a bigger chain reaction than I thought because by defending our team in the comments, I myself got into an argument and had a falling out with a friend because I called her out for defending them. And it wasn't harmful only to me, but to many of the girls on the team who also identify somewhere on the LGBTQ+ scale. To be stereotyped into one category once again was frustrating as women themselves are already underpaid, underestimated, and disrespected not only in sports, but in day to day life. Our response after the dilemma: don't react, just prove them wrong. My personal response: “Where’s their trophy?”.

LLR- In a mass city like San Jose, the Royals have seem to become a bacon for the potential of girls rugby in the area, is there a sense of pride amongst you and your teammates for carrying the torch thus far for girls youth rugby in a blind spot of NorCal Rugby?

JD- My teammates and I are flattered to be seen as an inspiration to the younger athletes who want to play rugby someday. We realize our “rags to riches” story opened up a door full of opportunities such as articles and interviews that tell our story, or when we raised 11k+ from our community to fund our team, but those victories weren’t just handed to us, we had to earn it by having the grit to want better for ourselves constantly. However, we realize we wouldn't be here without our community's support so we are humble and grateful for that. We try to return the kindness by inspiring the new generations to continue the East Side rugby legacy. We hoped to inspire them by running workshops in the summer and we accomplished exactly that. In fact, many of the kids who went still refer to some of the players as “teacher” or “coach”! We have also volunteered with the BAWSI girls at sporting events and enjoyed seeing the smile on their faces when we were repeating a chant. At the core we are a community and family-oriented team, so yes we are proud of our accomplishments, but because we worked hard for it and would like to inspire the younger generations to do the same. 

SG- Of course it does! As the head coach of the program and founder of the team, I have bigger goals, bigger dreams for the program’s future. I strongly believe Rugby is a sport that San Jose needs, especially East Side San Jose!

Currently, there is so much collaboration and partnership being establish with our program. For instance, the SJSU WOMENS RUGBY program collaborates practices. Some of the San Jose Seahawks Women players come out (from time to time) to help during practices. As for next level work, I have 3 players who will be going to the U18 Mexico national tryouts in October!

LLR- In the article from The Rugby Breakdown posted towards the end of last year, it was stated that there was a lack of support from the school in helping with supplying practice space and proper time set aside to do so. Have things changed since then?

JD- Unfortunately, it is true that we had and still have an overall lack of support from the school. It’s just not as bad as it used to be. From the beginning, we realized we would have to share the field with the football boys, but we did not realize that we would be getting pushed off the field as well. We originally aimed for half of the field considering it is a 7’s team that requires a lot of running, but were given a shot put area to practice in. Not only that, but once we gained access to the lights to have our practices on the field from 6-8 pm, the football team began “extending” or pushing their practices back which left us once again in the shotput area. Regardless of the area we practiced in, we still won the 7’s championships, however, that still wasn't enough to gain respect or support because when tryouts for the 15s season began, suddenly a new rule was implemented, that “no players currently in a season can try out” for a club sport. This rule was probably made with the fact in mind that many of our core players in rugby 7’s also came from the girl's soccer team and that many of the boys interested in starting their own boy's rugby team, were from the football team. It was justified as a “safety precaution” for players in a season since playing BVAL sports should be prioritized and we are a club sport that's more prone to injuries. That rule cut our three weeks of practice to three short days right before the KOT tournament, which resulted in players getting injuries, myself included, from lack of tackling preparation. Yet regardless of the restrictions imposed on us, those who were truly passionate about rugby stuck around and for 15s season we ended up in the top three!

SG- It all starts from the top right. Last year we held a student body meeting with the school’s principal. Where we came prepared to take things to the next level and bring in title 9. Many things were agreed on during that meeting but as soon as season began, most of it went out the door and the story repeated itself. We have limited access due to football (field and weight room). We proposed a decent start time of 6p for the safety of our girls but that was declined. We don’t officially jump on the field until 7p, ending practice at 830pm

LLR- Overfelt just concluded a club sign up day for students, how was the turn out this year thus far for potential players?

JD- We had so much fun recruiting new players for our rugby team! It was very successful and we now have around 20 players compared to last year's 13-15 players. We gained so much interest from students at club rush that we even had to make a boy's sign-up sheet for those who were interested in starting a rugby team of their own. Now if they'll stick around, who knows, but we really hope they do!

LLR- Are you planning on continuing to play after high school and into college, if there a specific college you have a eye on or one reach out yet?

JD- Yes I want to continue playing rugby for college, specifically Howard or Harvard University! They specialize in my interests of political sciences and law and both have powerful politician alumnis such as Kamala Harris and Barack Obama. It’s also a POC dominated school so it would make me feel welcome as a POC myself. I actually hope to be in communication with Howard’s Rugby coach soon, as she has connections with my coach, Coach G. I plan to use all the opportunities in front of me to join these schools. They’re my dream colleges!

LLR- As club president what are some joys and hardships you face?

JD- Undoubtedly, everything about being class president is a joy to me. Knowing events ahead of time and helping plan them taps into the passionate leader inside of me. Facilitating a room and directing it when needed has always been one of my strong suits, as well as something I enjoy doing, so when I apply these traits in my day to day rugby life, by running informational club meetings or by representing our voice, like now, it's not because I have to, but because I want to. And although it is hard for me to focus, as a naturally forgetful and scatterbrained person, my position as president has taught me to be responsible. It has taught me to be a dependable person and show up when it really counts, because when my team needs to rely on me, I will be there to support them. 

LLR- If given a chance to speak at another school and talk to potential players about starting their own club team, what would you say to them?

JD- I would tell them that regardless of the obstacles they may face in their path, ambition and grit is the key to making it not only as a team but also as a family. If you can learn to trust your teammates to protect you when you're tackled, you’ll eventually learn that you can trust them with anything as well. They’ll be the first ones to have your back when you need support so if those connections are the ones you're looking to make, rugby is an option worth fighting for! Don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re aiming too high or asking for too much. Just make sure you're ready to work for it too!

SG- Funny, because I have been reaching out to all High schools around the area and NOTHING. So now I’m opening my options asking charter schools and continuation schools. This sport is amazing and will open up many doors.

LLR- On the teams Instagram account I noticed this summer that there was some sort of clinic being run for younger kids, how was the reception of the clinic over the summer and how key is it to building a strong connection between the club and community?

JD- Running the open summer clinic allowed the rugby team to come full circle and return the favor for the overwhelming support the community has expressed for us by allowing them to learn the sport itself. Dani, Sol, and Vero taught the kids not only the basics of rugby techniques but also what it means to be a “team”. They taught them to communicate, be respectful, and persevere; skills that they will need not only in sports but also in their personal life. But these kids didn’t only learn life skills, they also had fun! In fact, they got so close to their teammates and teachers that many of them didn't want there to be a “last practice” and tournament. We made an effort to build a connection with the kids because they’re vital to keeping our legacy alive. By involving these kids in rugby ahead of time, we gave them the opportunity not only to fall in love with the sport and gain a new passion but also to possibly be part of the future generation of the Royal Ruggers!

SG- Yes! The summer clinic was something that I pushed for during our meeting. The vision was to host FREE rugby clinics for kids ages 5-12 years old every Friday. And May I say, this was a success. Every Friday we had 20-24 kids ages 5-12 yrs old out there learning the sport. I created a junior coach position so that 3 of my athletes can learn how to coach. I paid them out of pocket for their amazing work. Alongside, we had the older group (13-18 years old)  who would scrimmage for 1.5 hours. The older group would usually gather 14-18 people every practice. Like this we met many middle schoolers who are now interested in rugby and many little ones who wish to be in a team! 

LLR- Lastly what final words would you like to share, how can people interested fallow along and what can we all do, living in San Jose and outside the area to help support the program as it continues to grow

JD- In life, you will face much opposition as you try new things, just as we did when we fought tooth and nail for the Royals Rugby club to flourish and become our legacy. The key was to have grit and just like our scrums say, to “keep driving” because you can’t give up without a good fight, regardless of what life may throw in your path. Whether it’s by playing rugby yourself or simply supporting the community, we encourage you to immerse yourselves in the world of rugby. It is a diamond mind full of professional athletic opportunities and life-changing bonds within the small world we live in, so we advise you not to miss out! If you would like to follow along on our team’s journey and continue supporting us to the fullest, our Instagram handle is @wcoroyalrugb, and we’re both lucky and appreciative of having you!

SG- Add: if anyone is interested in being a part of the royal family in the spring, please reach out. We are looking into establishing a boys side as well. 

#RugbyForAll

To fallow the Royals please fallow along on Instagram: @wcoroyalrugb ,  I highly recommend if you are a women's college coach to please keep a sharp eye on the Royals and their progress being made, you may find the next group of stars that you need to help carry the program to a national title.

Let it be known, Rugby is a sport for all. if you have hate against some ones sexual orientation, color of skin, religious belief's and race then Rugby is not for you and we will as a society, as a community and as a family will not condone such views. I hope that Overfelt High school in San Jose,CA has or will investigate such disgusting acts if they are associated in any form with its own student body. It is also unfortunate but very true for many club teams on almost any level but the Royals have had to fight , mostly the football team, for practice time and space on campus. I commend the team as a whole for continuing to care the flag and represent Overfelt even when they have been exiled by most and are the main target from the powers that be to make it a point to extinguish the club as a whole. But with their adversity they have found a way to turn it all into fuel and prove everyone wrong over and over again.

As for the last point that needs to be made, there has been little to no effort made from Rugby NorCal to help grow the game for young women. How can the Largest city in its region have only one youth girls rugby team. 

If you would like to get in contact with Julissa please reach out in ether form.

Cell: 408-599-6080

Email: julissa040205@gmail.com

If you would like to get in contact with Royals Rugby (Overfelt Rugby) 

Email: coachguards@gmail.com

Instagram: @wcoroyalrugb 

*update: There is now movement being made that there will be a boys team spring (2023)

The new Mr Spartan

Butterflies fly together!

     When we still lived in San Jose me and my wife would try and set aside a weekend every year where we took a mini vacation from the kiddos and just get away the two of us. even though there is plenty of options living in the south bay on where anyone can go for a weekend get away in ether direction you point your vehicle to we enjoyed going to Monterey as our go to place year after year. I also have some type of connection to the area as when my grandfather was in the navy and stationed in Monterey area my mother was born at Fort Ord, which is now slowly being turned in CSU Monterey Bay. Just like how about every university in this country has a rugby club so to does just about every town or city or "area" has one. So it was a shocker to me when I recently found out that there is no women's rugby team in Monterey with the closest being in San Jose. I am happy to say that Spencer from the monarchs is happy enough to answer some questions about this newly formed team and how they are growing.

   LLR-  Can you please introduce yourself, and your history to Rugby Union?

SHP- I’m Spencer Henry-Phillips! I’ve been playing rugby for the better part of 10 years. I started off playing for UC Santa Barbara in college where I played hooker and prop. Since then, I’ve played for The Portland Pigs, LifeWest Gladiatrix, and San Francisco Golden Gate. I am now the head coach for CSU Monterey Bay Women’s Rugby team. As you can see, I love this game! 

    LLR- What brought about the creation of the Monterey monarchs?

SHP- As the head coach for CSUMB, I noticed a lot of players didn’t really have anymore to go or play for during the summer or after they graduated if they stayed in the area. The closest team is San Jose and that’s still over an hour away. I saw the need and decided who better than me to get it going.

 

  LLR-  Why the monarchs as a name?

SHP- The monarchs of Pacific Grove are legendary and I love a good alliteration. I also feel like the Monarch Butterfly represents everything I want for this team: strength, beauty, and a chance to transform the next generation of ruggers.  

   

 LLR- Where are practices currently held and times, and where will home field be?

SHP- Practices are currently on Thursdays, 6-8pm, at Lincoln Park in East Garrison. We’re still working on the home field but have no fear, we will get that solidified!

 

  LLR-  In what division will the monarchs play in?

SHP- Ideally, we will play in the NCRFU Women’s Division 2! I know we have a lot of support from the conference and they’ve been incredible in navigating this new adventure. 

 

 LLR- What are some goals you wish to see the team meet this first year and by year 5?

SHP- I really want to see us make a name for ourselves in the community our first year. I want the people of Monterey County to know who we are. Five year goal is to have a sustainable and successful club that is regarded a real challenger in our division. 

  

  LLR- Do you think the world cups in both 2031 and 2033 have an effect on rugby as a whole in the Monterey County area?

SHP- I sure hope so! I know that the west coast is a big contender to host, whether that be in San Diego, LA, the Bay Area, or even Colorado, and I know that it can only boost the game. 

  

 LLR-  How and where can people interested in fallowing along get in touch with you and the team?

SHP- You can like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/MontereyMonarchsRugby

Follow us on Instagram: @MontereyMonarchsRugby 

Check out our website: montereymonarchsrugby.com 

  LLR-  Last word you’d like to get out?

SHP- We just launched our first fundraising campaign! Get you Monarch Tank here: 

https://www.customink.com/fundraising/monterey-monarchs-tank-fundraiser

And support your local rugby team! 

NARL... thoughts and opinions (Update 5/20)

Well where to begin. I'm just going to dive right in with my thoughts and opinions on the NARL and what's transpired so far and my current thoughts. 

 Do I wish and hope that the league does get going does succeed yes absolutely. Do I also think that there is a place for a professional rugby league league here, yes. 

 But has the NARL done anything to make me believe that they are the ones to do it, no. From the very beginning the announcement was rushed and very bullish.. To start a new league in the middle of a pandemic let alone with teams stretched across this country was slim to none to mske anyone think it was believable.  The announcement came out of know where, there was no combine,  no out reach to the local communities in each of the markets and also there is barely even a League player pool to choose from. I can say for a fact that being in Oregon and at the time trying to start our own rugby league competition here , I did reach out to the so called Portland team. I got a response to an email welcoming me and agreeing to a phone call so we could try and build a relationship.  The day of the phone call was supposed to happen I realized I never got a phone number to actually call. When I asked again what number should I dial I was met with nothing. To this day I never ever have received anything. Now side note I did have to step away from getting Oregon Rugby League happening due to my family growing and work taking up time. Also I would like to toss out there is anyone wants to try and get League going in Oregon it is doable and there are Union players who want to play. There was enough who showed up in Salem to start a team and potential enough players out there to start 3 or 4 of them. 

As of right now,  5/2/2022 there is no website. No way of purchasing tickets or information on home stadiums. Inactive on social media's. A few individual clubs have shown activity but other then a recent combine by a few nothing concrete. The NARL or its clubs have given me much to want to support the league or throw much support behind them. 

I would like to see the NARL and its members just admit that 2022 will not happen and to regroup and focus on 2023. Give every team a chance to hold combines, nail down home venues  and vendors. Establish a legitimate front office staff. Go to rugby union clubs and offer the players a chance to come out, hit up the MLR player pool and those who aren't selected in the player draft let them know they too have a chance on making one of their teams. Union and League can work together here in North America,  there are great examples of such relationships right now. Those who say no and it's one way or the other are those who want a closed system and of closed minded. That statement goes for both union and league people. 

Games need to be made available and easy to watch. As great as a tool that Facebook live is, it also comes off as tacky and not professional. YouTube is a good step but maybe strive for something more. ESPN + although maybe behind a pay wall is the most legitimate cheap way of getting your product out and seen. But I will say why not approach the folks at The Rugby Network? Yes I know it's all union but they also are in need of more content for the app and if the NARL can show that they can provide more subscribers and potential paying customers then I'm sure TRN will be willing to listen. I would like to see at least the "game of the week" broadcasted there. 

But this all means nothing if the NARL falls flat yet again. Still no form for American based fans to buy tickets, no news of a 6th team, no true broadcaster. The leaks of people saying be patient news is coming means nothing to the majority of potential fans the league is losing out on with every day that goes by. The teams may get those 10 or so hard-core fans to show up but the league will fail with a cheap looking game put together.  

Update- we are here at the start of the competition yet, there is no tickets available to buy. DC team is the only one who played a preseason match. they told us all that the match will be live streamed but day of the match there was nothing. even now there still isnt any footage, the game was against a rugby union team. still no 6th team. i and everyone else would just love to see the whole group come out and just say this year is not happening. they fell behind the 8 ball and this is just not going to happen. i would like to see the NARL do all teams a favor and put together a test season by having the teams play against other league teams from California competition and BC league along with the remaining Northern division from the USARL. get these players a chance to play and newer players a chance to still learn the code, but oh well who am i?

2nd update of today 5/20. Now the NARL is stating that there will be a preseason match on June 4th between Atlanta and DC. 24hrs before the first game of the season and the league has now decided to change the start. But up till now it has been radio silence for weeks! 

Pride of a Nation

  When I first moved to Oregon I began to look into the rugby scene through the state. Many club names kept coming up but Battle Ground always stuck out, the name alone would make anyone interested as to why Battle Ground. Some years passed and now that we are coming out of covid and rugby is now being played I wanted to recheck in and see what programs are coming back online and who's playing. I couldn't find anything about Battle Ground but Chinook now took its place. So when I did a quick search it came to my attention that Chinook rugby is Battle Ground youth rugby. I Thank Lance , club vice president and head youth coach,  for taking the time to answer some questions and giving great insight to where this amazing program is and going. Even though located in the state of Washington,  Chinook Rugby sits just outside Portland and near Vancouver, WA plays under the Rugby Oregon banner. 

LLR- Chinook Rugby was previously named Battle Ground Youth Rugby and Hockinson Youth Rugby, why the name change?

LH- Most of our players originally were from those areas so were known as that. We represent all of North & West Clark County so formed a club to encompassed the wider community and a new name search began. Went through the process of considering lots of names like Clark County but another club/team had that, the mountains like St. Helens and Silver Star we could see from our original home field. We moved from that to wanting to represent  the heritage and native culture of the area. First name that came to mind was the Klickitat tribe and the battle they were to have with the Army became known as Battle Ground, but having klickitat as a neighboring county might again be confusing. The next tribe in the region were the Chinook so we approached the Chinook Indian Nation for permission to use the name, they gave us their blessing and to this day we still liaise with the tribe and have their support.

 

LLR- What age levels does Chinook offer for those interested in joining?

LH- Cater for all student athletes. Officially 3^rd to 12^th grade but often get 1^st and 2^nd grade that can cut it with the 3^rd graders and are keen to play, so we welcome them to participate. The 3-6^th play non-contact co-ed Flag Rugby and 7^th grade up we commence Tackle Rugby with boys and girls teams. The divisions are now all in 2 year brackets to ensure safety and appropriate size.

 

LLR- With the covid pandemic have the programs seen numbers dropped with registration?

LH- Short answer is yes. 2020 was tough on all sports, rugby included. We did pre-season practices for 8 weeks, had our pre-season Jamboree and 3 days later the season was cancelled. We wanted to get students back out in 2021 so delayed the start to the season. For the older grades it was not feasible to do tackle rugby wearing a mask and we also had to localize the league as crossing boarders was not recommended. Not to be deterred we had a successful season of Touch Rugby with the generous help and support from Portland Touch. We had 86 turn out for the Spring and another 19 new to the sport with Girls Rugby in the Fall, so achieved our goal of getting student athletes out of lock-down and back outside having fun with their mates. 2022 we still have the largest club in the Rugby Oregon league (OR & SW WA) with 108 eager and ready to go for this Spring season.

 

LLR- What is a few highlights that Chinook rugby has experienced over the years?

LH- Sometimes the first thing some think of is State Championship titles. Yes, all our divisions have those. The HS Boys have a couple, HS Girls have more, and they are both currently hold the title since the last competitive league in 2019. Highlights are more than State Titles for us, it is about the growth or providing the sport to local student athletes. Best I explain with some bullet points on history of the growth in our club:

• 2007 Founding of Rugby in our local area by Coach Andre de Klerk with a combined Battle Ground & Prairie High Schools boys team.
• 2011 Introduced the HS Girls Lady Pack team.
• 2012 First youth 4-6^th grade team and a 2^nd combined High Schoolboys team. 4 teams, 78 players.
• 2013 First 7/8^th Boys team and another 4-6^th. High School boys divided into Prairie Wolf Pack & Battle Ground Bulls school teams.
• 2014 Added another 7/8^th boys team. 7 teams, 105 players.
• 2015 Introduced 7/8^th Girls and 4-6^th became 3/4^th and 5/6^th grade. 8 teams, 138 players.
• 2016 First official year for 7/8^th Girls and now 2 of each 3/4^th and 5/6^th. 10 teams, 168 players.
• 2017 Split High School and had 1^st JV team. 11 teams.
• 2018 More 3/4^th and 5/6^th with 3 of each. 13 teams, 189 players.
• 2019 First club in OR and SW WA to have 4 x 5/6^th teams. 14 teams 200 players.

 

LLR- When is the first game for 2022 season?

LH- Pres-season tournament was March 12^th and first round of the league March 19^th. Season runs until the finals on May 21^st.

 

LLR- Are there any key players that everyone should keep an eye out for in the coming season?

LH- That is a tough question. With so many missing out the last 2 years and all the Freshman missed their Middle School tackle. We are proud to say we got 5 players into college scholarships this current school year and are looking to do better than that after this season. Aiden Kerr is one of those and he is really making his mark with the WWU team and he could very well go all the way to a national side. We have 2 seniors, Israel Duncan and Brett Ebert that have already been accepted into WWU rugby team so watch out for them this season. On the High School Girls side there are some Freshman like Mae Otoupal, Clara Kapelka, Dillynn Ledbetter who were outstanding as 8^th graders in last year’s touch season and represented us in the high performance teams, so with 4 years in tackle ahead of them they are looking good to go far in the sport.

 

LLR- How can people follow along on what's happening ?

LH- We try our best to keep the community up to date with practice and game schedules. We have put a lot of work into our website to do this so all you need do is go to: https://www.chinookrugby.com/2022-spring-schedule

 

LLR- Many youth programs have various ways of recruiting new players, what's the one or two ways that Chinook has found to be the most effective way of getting new people to join?

LH- Yes, we put a lot of our fundraising dollars into flyers into schools, social media and the like, but word of mouth is what we have found to be most effective. To achieve that we stand by our clubs one and only priority goal for the youth of “Have Fun At Practice And On Game Day”. Even with the season about to start I still have kids coming to me and saying this is so much fun, can I bring a friend along. A long time servant of the game, fellow Kiwi who got me into the club in 2013, and past Head Coach of Prairie High School team who took them to 2 State titles in 2014 and 2019, once said to me. “If you can start the pre-season with 10 of 12 players you will have a full squad of 23 before the season starts. Just be a good coach make it enjoyable and they will all bring a mate along”. And yes when he won State in 2019 that is exactly what he did.

 

LLR- Seattle has the Seawolves, many of our hopes is that eventually another MLR team joins the PNW. Is a Portland team the final piece needed for rugby growth in Oregon?

LH- That is a great question. I love going to Seawolves games and a best mate and fellow coach Bradford Batten has season tickets. The growth of the sport will eventually need another team and Portland is and ideal spot for that. I see from Super Rugby and Northern hemisphere they sometimes struggle maintaining a high standard when they have too many teams vying for the same pool of players. Then again isn’t it great to see teams like Moana Pasifika and Fiji now in the Super Rugby.

The Rugby Oregon Red Hawks, our high performance teams, have built a relationship with The Loggers, the USA pathways academy in our region. They in turn are supported by the Seawolves with coach and player education. It is great for a coach like me down in SW WA to be involved in meetings with the Seawolves coaches and players.

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  I wish all those in the Chinook Rugby programs the best this season, and I look forward to following them not just this year but in the many years to come. 

*if you have a program, youth, College or senior level that you wanted featured here please reach out at llrugby@yahoo.com or on any social media accounts.