Rugby Now A Way Of Life For Hoagland
April 17, 2017 at 4:59 p.m.
By Mark Adkins-
While doing the usual things high school-aged students do, she was approached by a friend.
This person just happened to be captain Warsaw’s girls rugby team.
A beautiful friendship and understanding of a different sort of art followed. It’s a combination that has given Hoagland, a North Manchester native who is now on the roster of the Indiana University women’s team, a sport connection to love for a lifetime.
She isn’t the only individual thinking along those lines. With the sevens game, which features an up-paced tempo, more scoring and shorter quarters compared to its older 15-person companion, seeing numbers on the rise and the sport itself getting exposure on NBCSN and across many web platforms, rugby has spread across the United States.
Hoagland’s competition resumé is impressive. Her final year at WCHS saw success on the paddock, as the Lady Tigers finished as back-to-back Indiana high school state runners-up at the Moose Rugby Club grounds.
“We didn’t have a lot of numbers, which is obviously risky in any sport for depth purposes, but every person contributed and had so much passion (for rugby),” said Hoagland. “I made so many friends (on the team). It was great, too, because I went from not knowing anything about the game to wins and success quickly in that first year.”
Similar experiences have followed the forward/flanker to Bloomington.
“We’re in a little bit of the same boat from a numbers situation, and it’s also different in regards to the work load with classes, campus life and so forth,” said Hoagland. “There aren’t a lot of resources for a club sport, either, but I feel we have a group of women who have come together and done pretty well.
“It helps to have the tremendous coaches we have,” she added. “(Head coach) Vaughn Mitchell has been leading the program since it began in 1996, and his assistant, Kathy Kruczek, is also very knowledgeable, as she’s been coaching the game for more than 10 years. With that experienced of a staff, it helps us develop more quickly into seasoned players.”
Hoagland’s connection with Redstorm Rugby Club doesn’t end as a player, either. She’s also a media relations person of sorts for the program, as she writes the weekend event recaps and serves as the club’s Vice President. The opportunities Hoagland’s had with Mitchell and Kruczek have led her to a post-graduate conclusion, though.
“With the toll that the game takes on a body, and while I love playing it, I feel like my future is pointed to coaching,” she admitted. “I’ve actually jumped into it already, helping organize a sevens high school team in Bloomington. If you can’t play, the general rule of thumb is to share the game, and I have chosen to do so by coaching. It’ll help keep me around something I dearly love.”
The North Manchester native has strong talking points for anyone who would look at taking up the sport.
“The culture (of rugby) is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” she said. “As an example, booing isn’t tolerated. We’re all about respect, as the game itself is a celebration. We appreciate each other for the chance to play even though either side wants to win. It’s all about the experience and being there together.
Afterwards, I’m going to go up to my opponent and say thank you for letting me play this game,” she added. “That camaraderie between players leads to lifelong relationships.”
Friendship, respect and celebration … three more things Hoagland won’t forget in her life due to rugby.
While doing the usual things high school-aged students do, she was approached by a friend.
This person just happened to be captain Warsaw’s girls rugby team.
A beautiful friendship and understanding of a different sort of art followed. It’s a combination that has given Hoagland, a North Manchester native who is now on the roster of the Indiana University women’s team, a sport connection to love for a lifetime.
She isn’t the only individual thinking along those lines. With the sevens game, which features an up-paced tempo, more scoring and shorter quarters compared to its older 15-person companion, seeing numbers on the rise and the sport itself getting exposure on NBCSN and across many web platforms, rugby has spread across the United States.
Hoagland’s competition resumé is impressive. Her final year at WCHS saw success on the paddock, as the Lady Tigers finished as back-to-back Indiana high school state runners-up at the Moose Rugby Club grounds.
“We didn’t have a lot of numbers, which is obviously risky in any sport for depth purposes, but every person contributed and had so much passion (for rugby),” said Hoagland. “I made so many friends (on the team). It was great, too, because I went from not knowing anything about the game to wins and success quickly in that first year.”
Similar experiences have followed the forward/flanker to Bloomington.
“We’re in a little bit of the same boat from a numbers situation, and it’s also different in regards to the work load with classes, campus life and so forth,” said Hoagland. “There aren’t a lot of resources for a club sport, either, but I feel we have a group of women who have come together and done pretty well.
“It helps to have the tremendous coaches we have,” she added. “(Head coach) Vaughn Mitchell has been leading the program since it began in 1996, and his assistant, Kathy Kruczek, is also very knowledgeable, as she’s been coaching the game for more than 10 years. With that experienced of a staff, it helps us develop more quickly into seasoned players.”
Hoagland’s connection with Redstorm Rugby Club doesn’t end as a player, either. She’s also a media relations person of sorts for the program, as she writes the weekend event recaps and serves as the club’s Vice President. The opportunities Hoagland’s had with Mitchell and Kruczek have led her to a post-graduate conclusion, though.
“With the toll that the game takes on a body, and while I love playing it, I feel like my future is pointed to coaching,” she admitted. “I’ve actually jumped into it already, helping organize a sevens high school team in Bloomington. If you can’t play, the general rule of thumb is to share the game, and I have chosen to do so by coaching. It’ll help keep me around something I dearly love.”
The North Manchester native has strong talking points for anyone who would look at taking up the sport.
“The culture (of rugby) is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” she said. “As an example, booing isn’t tolerated. We’re all about respect, as the game itself is a celebration. We appreciate each other for the chance to play even though either side wants to win. It’s all about the experience and being there together.
Afterwards, I’m going to go up to my opponent and say thank you for letting me play this game,” she added. “That camaraderie between players leads to lifelong relationships.”
Friendship, respect and celebration … three more things Hoagland won’t forget in her life due to rugby.
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