While in New Zealand a few years back, I was delighted to see a rugby pitch on each corner (it seemed that way anyhow). What tickled me even more than that, was watching small children play. Instead of baseball, football, or smear the queer, it was rugby.
Now, I have no delusions, baseball, football, basketball are a part of America, an integral part of our identity. I played all those sports as a kid. Those sports aren't going anywhere anytime soon. All I am suggesting is giving the kids another choice. If we really want to see rugby improve here in the USA, My thinking is we ought to consentrate on the youth, provide more opportunities to learn, and play rugby.
I grew up in a small farming community in the middle of Utah .A kid moved into town from South Africa. He suggested we play rugby, so we played rugby. It was our own version of course. The resident rugby expert was a bit vague on some of the rules and modes of play. We passed the ball backward but we had blockers. We had a sin bin, unoccupied, except for when someone wanted a safe place to rest. Our scrums involved everyone on the field. We would push, and push until someone got the guts to pick up the ball and run. Our line outs were more like soccer. It was fantastic fun. In fact I broke my nose and chipped a tooth for the first time playing “rugby”.
It is not my intention that we give a size 4 ball to some kids on a play ground, and say “Kill”. Rather, we should work on providing youth workshops, and a touch league. How invaluable would it be if our players came to the high school level already knowing basically how to pass, kick, create space, and knew when they were “off sides”. One of our assistant coaches is a elementary school teacher. He teaches his students to play touch, and they play most recesses. And from all accounts they have a great time. Rugby is fun; we should give our youth the opportunity to play. They will thank us for it.
-Jeremy
Now, I have no delusions, baseball, football, basketball are a part of America, an integral part of our identity. I played all those sports as a kid. Those sports aren't going anywhere anytime soon. All I am suggesting is giving the kids another choice. If we really want to see rugby improve here in the USA, My thinking is we ought to consentrate on the youth, provide more opportunities to learn, and play rugby.
I grew up in a small farming community in the middle of Utah .A kid moved into town from South Africa. He suggested we play rugby, so we played rugby. It was our own version of course. The resident rugby expert was a bit vague on some of the rules and modes of play. We passed the ball backward but we had blockers. We had a sin bin, unoccupied, except for when someone wanted a safe place to rest. Our scrums involved everyone on the field. We would push, and push until someone got the guts to pick up the ball and run. Our line outs were more like soccer. It was fantastic fun. In fact I broke my nose and chipped a tooth for the first time playing “rugby”.
It is not my intention that we give a size 4 ball to some kids on a play ground, and say “Kill”. Rather, we should work on providing youth workshops, and a touch league. How invaluable would it be if our players came to the high school level already knowing basically how to pass, kick, create space, and knew when they were “off sides”. One of our assistant coaches is a elementary school teacher. He teaches his students to play touch, and they play most recesses. And from all accounts they have a great time. Rugby is fun; we should give our youth the opportunity to play. They will thank us for it.
-Jeremy
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