Rugby Club Looking For Nitch
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Rugby, the world's second most popular team sport behind soccer, is still a mystery to most in the United States. And of all the places for Rugby to gain steam, Warsaw is fast becoming a hot spot for this sport.
Warsaw's club team, started in 2003, has grown in both competitiveness and numbers in just two short years.
"The kids have done a lot of recruiting themselves," said Warsaw head coach Mark Caruso.
From football players to band members, the rugby family of Warsaw is a diverse one, but all have one thing in common - a love for a sport that is often misunderstood by Americans.
The sport that spawned American football is a lot like its watered-down version, and in many ways it's not.
Two 15-player squads compete on a field slightly larger than that of a football field with H-shaped uprights at each end.
To score, a team must physically touch the ball down in the "in goal" area for five points or kick the ball through the uprights for three points.
Unlike football, there are no offensive linemen blocking for a running back so precision passing from teammate to teammate is paramount. Forward passes are illegal, which adds another dimension to this complex but intoxicating game.
Now Caruso and a group of enthusiastic coaches and players are trying to get others to drink the rugby Kool-Aid.
Caruso himself began playing the sport on a dare while a freshman at St. Leo's University in Florida. He was playing for a football team that was on the verge of being shut down and was goaded by a rugby-playing friend that he wouldn't last a match.
Years later, Caruso and assistants Carlos Torres, Jeff Newport and Rick Patton all play competitively in Fort Wayne. Torres played for Indiana University as well.
The four are in charge of teaching and mentoring both boys and girls programs.
They all say the biggest obstacle in teaching a brand new game with so many subtle nuances is de-programming kids who are used to other sports with different rules and strategy.
Despite the challenges, the message is sticking with kids, especially girls.
One would think a sport like rugby that is so physical in nature would grab more attention from the guys.
That's not the case for Warsaw. The Tigers are one of the better girls squads in the state and beat the defending state champs in Penn last Wednesday. Warsaw has 19 players on its girls team.
"I think it's because there aren't any contact sports for them to play in Indiana. There's no lacrosse or field hockey here," said Caruso.
Maude Marandet, who scored both tries in Warsaw's 10-0 win over Penn Wednesday, was all-state in 2003 and along with Jennifer Logan, Louise Cracknell, Rebekah Taylor, Raquel Trejo and Marandet's sister, Angele, has the Tigers in a position to garner some hardware at the end of the season.
Two Tippecanoe Valley students, Ashley Keefer and Cracknell, are a part of the program.
Since rugby is still a club sport, the restrictions on who can play are looser.
The boys program is still experiencing growing pains but Caruso hopes that more athletes choose rugby as a way to stay in shape during the offseason.
Those who have come out for the most part have fallen in love with the game.
"They either love it or hate it and never come back," said Caruso. "But most decide to stick around."
Many players are factoring in where they will go to college depending on what schools have rugby teams.
Dan Kolbe, a 2004 Warsaw graduate, was an all-state selection and is currently playing rugby at Ball State. Several current players hope to continue their rugby careers after high school.
Jimmy Davilla, Andy Serovy, Landon Cornell and Dan Aikins lead this year's squad. Aikins was named all-state in 2004 in his first year of competitive play.
While none of these kids who play for Warsaw are going to be playing professionally, most plan on playing for as long as they can.
Both the boys and girls squads are in action Tuesday at home against South Bend Clay. Warsaw's home matches are played at the City-County Athletic Complex with Tuesday matches starting at 5:30 p.m.
The girls are currently 3-0 on the season in the northern division of the Indiana Rugby Football Union while the boys are 1-1.
For more information, visit www.warsawrugby.com [[In-content Ad]]
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Rugby, the world's second most popular team sport behind soccer, is still a mystery to most in the United States. And of all the places for Rugby to gain steam, Warsaw is fast becoming a hot spot for this sport.
Warsaw's club team, started in 2003, has grown in both competitiveness and numbers in just two short years.
"The kids have done a lot of recruiting themselves," said Warsaw head coach Mark Caruso.
From football players to band members, the rugby family of Warsaw is a diverse one, but all have one thing in common - a love for a sport that is often misunderstood by Americans.
The sport that spawned American football is a lot like its watered-down version, and in many ways it's not.
Two 15-player squads compete on a field slightly larger than that of a football field with H-shaped uprights at each end.
To score, a team must physically touch the ball down in the "in goal" area for five points or kick the ball through the uprights for three points.
Unlike football, there are no offensive linemen blocking for a running back so precision passing from teammate to teammate is paramount. Forward passes are illegal, which adds another dimension to this complex but intoxicating game.
Now Caruso and a group of enthusiastic coaches and players are trying to get others to drink the rugby Kool-Aid.
Caruso himself began playing the sport on a dare while a freshman at St. Leo's University in Florida. He was playing for a football team that was on the verge of being shut down and was goaded by a rugby-playing friend that he wouldn't last a match.
Years later, Caruso and assistants Carlos Torres, Jeff Newport and Rick Patton all play competitively in Fort Wayne. Torres played for Indiana University as well.
The four are in charge of teaching and mentoring both boys and girls programs.
They all say the biggest obstacle in teaching a brand new game with so many subtle nuances is de-programming kids who are used to other sports with different rules and strategy.
Despite the challenges, the message is sticking with kids, especially girls.
One would think a sport like rugby that is so physical in nature would grab more attention from the guys.
That's not the case for Warsaw. The Tigers are one of the better girls squads in the state and beat the defending state champs in Penn last Wednesday. Warsaw has 19 players on its girls team.
"I think it's because there aren't any contact sports for them to play in Indiana. There's no lacrosse or field hockey here," said Caruso.
Maude Marandet, who scored both tries in Warsaw's 10-0 win over Penn Wednesday, was all-state in 2003 and along with Jennifer Logan, Louise Cracknell, Rebekah Taylor, Raquel Trejo and Marandet's sister, Angele, has the Tigers in a position to garner some hardware at the end of the season.
Two Tippecanoe Valley students, Ashley Keefer and Cracknell, are a part of the program.
Since rugby is still a club sport, the restrictions on who can play are looser.
The boys program is still experiencing growing pains but Caruso hopes that more athletes choose rugby as a way to stay in shape during the offseason.
Those who have come out for the most part have fallen in love with the game.
"They either love it or hate it and never come back," said Caruso. "But most decide to stick around."
Many players are factoring in where they will go to college depending on what schools have rugby teams.
Dan Kolbe, a 2004 Warsaw graduate, was an all-state selection and is currently playing rugby at Ball State. Several current players hope to continue their rugby careers after high school.
Jimmy Davilla, Andy Serovy, Landon Cornell and Dan Aikins lead this year's squad. Aikins was named all-state in 2004 in his first year of competitive play.
While none of these kids who play for Warsaw are going to be playing professionally, most plan on playing for as long as they can.
Both the boys and girls squads are in action Tuesday at home against South Bend Clay. Warsaw's home matches are played at the City-County Athletic Complex with Tuesday matches starting at 5:30 p.m.
The girls are currently 3-0 on the season in the northern division of the Indiana Rugby Football Union while the boys are 1-1.
For more information, visit www.warsawrugby.com [[In-content Ad]]