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. 

Preseason - Super Fan

Fan of the Seawolf Pod, or ever wonder who the man behind the Mic was. Meet Raymond Torkelson. Avid MLR fan , Previous Podcaster and Seawolves supporter. Wether you agree with him or not you have to appreciate his love of the game and the want to see Major League Rugby succeed. 

Enjoy ....

Tell us a bit about your self?

RT- Just a regular American from Portland, Oregon (born and raised) who used to run a Major League Rugby Seattle Seawolves podcast: Seawolf Pod. 24 now, went to boarding school in Montana and graduated with my bachelor's degree (philosophy/Chinese) from Lewis & Clark College (L&C). I work full-time for a nonprofit in my hometown giving back to houseless vets (three weekly 7pm-7am shifts) who, frankly, never returned from war serving their country. It's a really great organization and if anyone would like to support the cause check out dogoodmultnomah.org. Long story how I ended up there but in short I founded/ran a social services software startup that never made it out of the concept stage in which they were to become our partner.

How did you come to rugby?

RT- Funnily enough, I wrote a short story about this that was published by USA Rugby (link: https://www.usarugby.org/2017/11/whyrugby-acceptance-in-an-unexpected-community/). I was more into music (multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/songwriter) growing up but came back to sports in boarding school because thought I was in love with basketball. By the time I was practically jamming and training with the likes of NBA and D1 athletes (Allen Crabbe formerly Portland Trailblazers starting SG and Payton Pritchard starting PG at U Oregon, to name a few), I realized trying out for the squad at L&C that the culture wasn't for me. I also had a stint walking onto the golf team but grew frustrated with the time commitment clashing with my studies and social life. Luckily, the rugby club there recognized my athletic talent and had me playing every year I was there (2012-2016). They threw me out on the wing and probably just prayed I'd pick things up on my own, which I did. My sophomore and junior year I played fullback, and then our assistant coach (now my teammate at ORSU) showed me the ropes at fly-half to get me starting there my senior year. My back skills are well-rounded from this experience, you could say.

From a fan prospective what was some plusses from the MLR in year one?

RT- Great question. As a fan also previously in media, my take might be slightly different. My top would be 1) more opportunities for Americans to play high level rugby outside the Eagles circuit, 2) rumored positive television ratings leading to multi-year broadcasting deals that will help grow the sport (many people in the Pacific Northwest unknowingly stumbled onto Seawolves games on ROOT Sports NW), and 3) if the league sustains, which I believe it can, an inspiring destination towards which grade age through high school ruggers can strive and be part of this seemingly massive growth rugby in the US is currently experiencing. There's a lot more and those aren't in any particular order, but they're worth considering.

What's some issues you feel the league could/should work on?

RT- Media narratives - the league office comes off as painfully unaware how much they can hurt fan buy in by working with "outside", amateur entities who, well, try to spin the story and conceal, rather than make transparent, their own bias: players to watch, team expectations, fan affairs, etc. You see it in other sports and it's part of the politics. I don't understand why rugby as a sport on the field carries such great values but these mysterious back offices try to dabble in something different. Regardless, good people and good rugby prevail and is all that matters.

How do you feel about year 2 coming and what you've seen so far?

RT-  I feel good about year two. We've seen a lot of interesting signings in the off season and, from what I've seen on social media, online sports coverage and my own encounters at local rugby tournaments - players in the league aren't taking this break for granted. I am worried, however, about player welfare. I heard firsthand from players some horror stories about things like concussion management and overall health that seemed completely avoidable (i.e. not instrinsic to the sport, but how certain situations were handled). In some cases, it was their own fault. Besides their body, their wallets can hurt too. The "it" players are supposedly set with decent money for the period that the season lasts, but "part time" players end up being compensated a less than ideal amount per game - if they play.

Who's your favorite player for the SeaWolves?

RT- Dion Crowder, wing.

I think it's safe to say last year's title run for the SeaWolves was a bit of a shocker to most, how confident do you feel about a repeat this year?

RT- I want to take a moment to say this wasn't a shocker. Sure, Hitchborn said he expected them to do alright; they didn't have a coach (rather a player committee led by guys like Mack and Rasileka); and, finally, they're not as old of a club as the boys in, say, Glendale. But I'll say it now and I'll say it again: Mack, Hitchborn, and the prior chemistry on the roster brought out all the things needed to make the historic champions they are now. People who were wrong about the outcome will say I had no idea what I was talking about - that's fine, but at least read for yourself and decide (https://medium.com/@seawolfpod/from-tweets-to-titles-why-seattles-first-major-league-rugby-team-will-win-the-2018-inaugural-aefc3dbe9616). As for this year, I think SeaWolves will undergo some adjustment with HC Moolman coming onboard. How confident do I feel about a repeat? 2 for 2 wouldn't be surprising, but I'm not counting on it as much as I did this first year. Albeit in my eyes an expected outcome, the first year was a legendary season. Now you've got a club that is no longer an underdog. It's hard being at the top - the target on your back phenomena is real. I felt that way with Seawolf Pod, so I can only imagine what it's like as the top subject, rather than observer. The league is bringing on new teams as well, which will make things even more interesting. Do I want a repeat? Sure, at least until Portland has a team. I think many of their players exhibit great character and deserve whatever season their off-season preparation and in-season effort merits, which in the case of the first year was pure champagne, sweeter than sweet.

Aside from the SeaWolves who do you think has a shot at reaching the finals ?

 RT- Glendale (if they're not tilted as an organization from what they and everyone told them was an upset), New York (just a wild guess, I like what I'm seeing from them in terms of signings) and Utah (if they improve fitness, as that was the only thing stopping them last year).

Do you think after 2020 expansion the league should shift focus to establishing more west coast presence or just let expansion happen fluently?

RT- Well look at entities like Super Rugby in the southern hemisphere. They expanded too quickly but still produce some of the highest level, most electrifying rugby (even if offensively slanted) in the current state of the sport. Why can't MLR become something similar in the northern hemisphere, just with better defensive efforts? Americans will love a good try fest anyways, and MLR defense is still in its infancy. Big thing is the player pool. Canada joining via Toronto won't dilute it, rather will introduce healthy diversity. Too many teams, too little talent is certainly a concern but we're just not going to see what exactly that looks like until we get there. People will estimate and predict but the game changes, and so does the player pool. If the league becomes more appealing you'll see everything from more overseas players to domsetic crossovers as well as homegrown stars coming out of the woodworks. Believe me, they're out there. I did live color commentary for the last Oregon HS boys rugby championship and there was some SERIOUS talent out there you can't find mentioned anywhere except maybe a small paragraph in a local newspaper that doesn't even properly explicate their abilities. If the teams and their supposed development pipelines well engage the youth, we're going to see no issues with the player pool come 2020 and beyond. We already have word that Vancouver, LA, Sacramento and Portland want in. What's stopping SFGG and other clubs too? If the league office could just be more transparent about what is required (it also seems like the good ol boys club with the team voting process being a bunch of old white guys), expansion could happen fluently. But as it stands right now I don't think expansion will ever look like that.

Prediction, who is in the final, score and who is lifting the Shield ?

RT- Since taking a step back from my podcast I'm a little out of touch with my crystal ball. I'll just say what I think would be, from a utilitarian perspective, the best outcome: newcomer v first year underperformer. That would be Rugby United New York lifting the shield v Utah Warriors in a 24-17 victory. Would keep things interesting and show expansion teams everyone really has a shot. I also think Utah, despite some bizarre social media interactions with my now cancelled podcast, deserves a better outcome than they had last year.

Why should people play rugby?

RT- Tough but also awesome question. For me it's about friendship, community, character building and fitness - all things I value highly. I think especially for young boys and girls who haven't quite found their "thing" yet, rugby is always a good choice or at least worth a try. 

Any final thoughts and comments you'd like to pass on to the rugby community, those interested in rugby ?

 RT- If you're a fan who thinks it's "too late" to try rugby, think again. Google "touch rugby". Find a club, or better yet just buy a ball (from your favorite MLR club's online team store) and pass it around with some friends. It teaches some fundamental concepts of the game you watch when you tune into MLR matches. You won't regret it!

Lastly, although I'm done forever with the podcast (bar disgusting levels of compensation I don't foresee in my crystal ball)... I'll be back! I'm glad I made my mark on the American rugby community with such a fun endeavour, but my next point of contact is going to be a little more ambitious. That is all - thanks so much for the Q&A Nick!

*If you would like to connect with Raymond feel free to give him a fallow on Twitter @Raymond_tork

Keep a eye out for more Q&As coming out in the coming weeks and also player profiles from those who play both rugby codes.