rugby in hs

taker52 · #1 (**permalink**) Sat Mar 26, 2005, 12:19am

Is rugby in any high school around the usa like where do they play it is it only in the uk???

debeau · #2 (**permalink**) Fri Apr 08, 2005, 07:30pm

You havnt got many answers have you ?
Probably due to rugby not being played much in the states .
Rugby is however played in many countries other than the UK
even though the Poms like to think they are the be all and end all of rugby .
Rugby is however a minority sport on the world stage .

bellnier · #3 (**permalink**) Mon Apr 11, 2005, 01:27pm

My daughter just played 1st match of season yesterday (she's #9 and scored 3 tries in 30-0 romp of another local high school in Buffalo, NY region). Her HS has 29 girls on Women's Varsity and around the same number of guys on Men's Varsity. There's quite a large HS tournament coming up in 2 weeks in Columbus, Ohio. Their webpage is http://www.ohiorugbyclassic.org/aboutoyr.asp

debeau · #4 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 12, 2005, 03:36am

Well that interest and participation in rugby surprises me.
Here in New Zealand our rugby season is just getting under way .
Womens rugby is not big in numbers .

bellnier · #5 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 12, 2005, 07:20am

It's not hugely popular here in the States at the high school level, but there is enough interest to sustain a half-dozen or so teams within a 30 mile radius of us (my daughters team has 20 or so girls from her high school plus 7 girls from a school 25 miles away). Unfortunately, there are no local shops that sell rugby boots, etc. so most of the kids wear soccer cleats. Unis are purchased online from vendors that custom embroider school/club names, etc. onto quality shirts made in NZ and other places overseas. All-in-all, its a blast to see the gals out there playing tough...they're all good kids that wear their bruises proudly!

bellnier · #6 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 12, 2005, 08:00am

Debeau...forgot to ask. Is there a shop in NZ that sells used NZ club rugby jerseys? We have stores in the US that sell such stuff for football, hockey, etc. My daughter would LOVE an authentic club jersey from your country. Thanks.

debeau · #7 (**permalink**) Sun Apr 24, 2005, 05:33pm

You can buy any type of jersey from sports shops .
Go to http://www.championsoftheworld.co.nz and that will give you some idea .
I will post other sites as soon as I find them

debeau · #8 (**permalink**) Sun Apr 24, 2005, 05:37pm

Sorry thats http://www.champions.co.nz

debeau · #9 (**permalink**) Sun Apr 24, 2005, 05:42pm

Go to http://www.searchnz.co.nz and type in what you want and it will come up with sites .
It is a search engine for New Zealand sites

bellnier · #10 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 26, 2005, 11:11am

debeau...here's a few pics of our not-so-shy daughters playing high school rugby in the States. Tournament in Columbus Ohio this past weekend was snowed out after the first day (the fileds were unplayable after pouring rain followed by several inches of snow). Link is below:

http://www.nikonians.org/dcforum/DCForumID48/786.html

ruggergirl · #11 (**permalink**) Mon May 09, 2005, 06:03am

Of course girls are ruggers. It is an excellent game for girls. It teaches you team spirit, strategy, confidence, self-reliance and all about making friends.

And unlike some other sports, rugby has a spot for every girl.

I'm the author of a blog about rugby for girls (http://ruggergirl.blogspot.com) and would love to hear more stories about girls who have started playing and the effect it has had on them.

RuggerGirl

largeone59 · #12 (**permalink**) Wed Jul 06, 2005, 08:29pm

Rugby is not very big in the states at the HS level. However, there is a small following at the college level with sever "club" teams that are not school sponsored. This is normally filled by the guys who played HS American Football, but didn't want to play college ball for one reason or another.

bellnier · #13 (**permalink**) Thu Jul 28, 2005, 02:51pm

We are hoping to add 4 or so more schools to the half-dozen or so HS clubs in the Western New York region. Rugby is growing, but slowly...part of the problem is the lack of coverage by local news outlets (but that's likely a chicken-egg situation), 'club' instead of 'varsity' status, lack of qualified volunteer coaches, and the myth that rugby is a dangerous sport. Our dedicated coaches here in WNY are constantly working on all these aspects. My daughter has rowed at the State-championship level, has played in Nationals in FP softball, competes annually in Sectionals in basketball, but tells me that rugby is, on balance, the most challenging and fun sport she has played!