New Kids On The Block
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Writer
Sharissa Cullison admits she didn't know how to play rugby at first, but for the Warsaw Community High School senior and her teammates, there was a simple attraction to it - tackling.
"I had no idea how to play it, " Cullison said Tuesday evening. "I like the tackling. I always wanted to play football, this is the closest thing."
Said junior Stephanie Hawley "I liked the fact that it was rough. I wanted an adrenaline rush. This is awesome."
On a day when grass stains were more visible than lipstick, it was evident that rugby - a new club sport at WCHS this year - is catching on, as a number of parents and fans stood or sat in lawn chairs along the sidelines of the football practice field.
"It's a great team event and a great way to be active and to be aggressive," senior Breanne Taylor said. "It's not hard to get once you understand the rules."
The Tiger rugby team - of which there is a boys and girls squad at WCHS - got started when local attorney Mark Caruso, an experienced rugby player himself, approached WCHS principal Dr. Jennifer Brumfield.
Brumfield, whom Caruso knew from the Optimist Club, then put him in contact with athletic director Dave Fulkerson.
"Principal Brumfield got me in contact with Dave Fulkerson," Caruso said. "I met with them and explained the program. We're not trying to take away from the other sports, we're encouraging other athletes to come out and join us. This is a great opportunity to have fun and get in shape."
Fulkerson and WCHS football coach Phil Jensen then helped Caruso get the 70 by 110-meter field ready.
When the team was first established, 120 boys and 50 girls signed up to play. Once participants found out how hard they had to work, Caruso said the numbers dropped, though he sees it being a program that will grow at WCHS given time.
"We only have four girls that are either graduating or not coming back, and we have two foreign exchange students," Caruso said. "I don't see the boys team having a problem getting people to come out."
While the game is new to WCHS, rugby appears to be a way of life for Caruso and assistant coaches Jeff Newport, Rick Patton and Carlos Torres.
The four of them have nearly 60 years of playing experience between them, as well as decades of coaching experience.
Caruso was an all-star selection in while playing in Florida, and was captain of the Fort Wayne Rugby Football Club for four years.
Newport has been selected to four different all-star teams, while Torres played five years at Indiana University, was an all-star selection for two years and captain of the Fort Wayne Rugby Football Club for two years.
"We're very fortunate to have very qualified coaches coaching it," Fulkerson said. "When they approached us, we looked at it like 'is there a need for this, is it something kids will want to participate in?' And the answer was yes, there is a need for club sports like this, just like the bowling club. It's worked out great. Coach Jensen was very generous in letting them have one of the football practice fields to play on."
The game of football comes from Rugby, and though the two are very different, football and rugby are very similar.
The idea is to advance a ball down field into the scoring zone before being tackled to the ground. Known as a touchdown in football, a score in rugby is worth five points and called a try.
Popular around the world, Caruso lists England, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Argentina as being the strongest areas for rugby.
At the high school level, teams play two 30-minute halves, while in college the halves are 40 minutes in length.
There are 96 girls and 429 boys rugby clubs in America.
Rugby Magazine lists 15 girls and 28 boys clubs in Indiana.
Teams appearing on Warsaw's schedule include the likes of Zionsville, Homestead, South Bend Clay and Mishawaka for the boys and Penn, Hamilton Southeast, Pendelton and Noblesville for the girls.
Though just a first-year team, Warsaw's girls squad sports a 3-1-1 record, including last night's 5-all tie with an experienced Noblesville team. The Tigers' only loss was due to a forfeit when they didn't have enough players. Borrowing two players from Homestead's team, the Warsaw squad won easily, though it didn't count.
Warsaw's boys team is 2-4.
Both teams are awaiting information about the playoffs, which are set to take place in May. [[In-content Ad]]
By Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Writer
Sharissa Cullison admits she didn't know how to play rugby at first, but for the Warsaw Community High School senior and her teammates, there was a simple attraction to it - tackling.
"I had no idea how to play it, " Cullison said Tuesday evening. "I like the tackling. I always wanted to play football, this is the closest thing."
Said junior Stephanie Hawley "I liked the fact that it was rough. I wanted an adrenaline rush. This is awesome."
On a day when grass stains were more visible than lipstick, it was evident that rugby - a new club sport at WCHS this year - is catching on, as a number of parents and fans stood or sat in lawn chairs along the sidelines of the football practice field.
"It's a great team event and a great way to be active and to be aggressive," senior Breanne Taylor said. "It's not hard to get once you understand the rules."
The Tiger rugby team - of which there is a boys and girls squad at WCHS - got started when local attorney Mark Caruso, an experienced rugby player himself, approached WCHS principal Dr. Jennifer Brumfield.
Brumfield, whom Caruso knew from the Optimist Club, then put him in contact with athletic director Dave Fulkerson.
"Principal Brumfield got me in contact with Dave Fulkerson," Caruso said. "I met with them and explained the program. We're not trying to take away from the other sports, we're encouraging other athletes to come out and join us. This is a great opportunity to have fun and get in shape."
Fulkerson and WCHS football coach Phil Jensen then helped Caruso get the 70 by 110-meter field ready.
When the team was first established, 120 boys and 50 girls signed up to play. Once participants found out how hard they had to work, Caruso said the numbers dropped, though he sees it being a program that will grow at WCHS given time.
"We only have four girls that are either graduating or not coming back, and we have two foreign exchange students," Caruso said. "I don't see the boys team having a problem getting people to come out."
While the game is new to WCHS, rugby appears to be a way of life for Caruso and assistant coaches Jeff Newport, Rick Patton and Carlos Torres.
The four of them have nearly 60 years of playing experience between them, as well as decades of coaching experience.
Caruso was an all-star selection in while playing in Florida, and was captain of the Fort Wayne Rugby Football Club for four years.
Newport has been selected to four different all-star teams, while Torres played five years at Indiana University, was an all-star selection for two years and captain of the Fort Wayne Rugby Football Club for two years.
"We're very fortunate to have very qualified coaches coaching it," Fulkerson said. "When they approached us, we looked at it like 'is there a need for this, is it something kids will want to participate in?' And the answer was yes, there is a need for club sports like this, just like the bowling club. It's worked out great. Coach Jensen was very generous in letting them have one of the football practice fields to play on."
The game of football comes from Rugby, and though the two are very different, football and rugby are very similar.
The idea is to advance a ball down field into the scoring zone before being tackled to the ground. Known as a touchdown in football, a score in rugby is worth five points and called a try.
Popular around the world, Caruso lists England, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Argentina as being the strongest areas for rugby.
At the high school level, teams play two 30-minute halves, while in college the halves are 40 minutes in length.
There are 96 girls and 429 boys rugby clubs in America.
Rugby Magazine lists 15 girls and 28 boys clubs in Indiana.
Teams appearing on Warsaw's schedule include the likes of Zionsville, Homestead, South Bend Clay and Mishawaka for the boys and Penn, Hamilton Southeast, Pendelton and Noblesville for the girls.
Though just a first-year team, Warsaw's girls squad sports a 3-1-1 record, including last night's 5-all tie with an experienced Noblesville team. The Tigers' only loss was due to a forfeit when they didn't have enough players. Borrowing two players from Homestead's team, the Warsaw squad won easily, though it didn't count.
Warsaw's boys team is 2-4.
Both teams are awaiting information about the playoffs, which are set to take place in May. [[In-content Ad]]