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Anticipation builds for Rucktoberfest |
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Tuesday, 26 September 2006 |
 Active Image | Katie Ford | The Appalachian
Michelle D. Armstrong (right) defends the ball as Sarah M. Mosseller (left) and Casey L. Willard make the tackle in their Thursday practice. The women’s rugby team is preparing to defend last year’s title.
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Women’s club rugby looking for success
by KATIE ANN HENDERSON
Sports Reporter
The AHO women’s club rugby team is looking to continue its dominance over the competition this season.
With 15 rookies last year, the team won first place in their home tournament, Rucktoberfest.
Now with two weeks until this year’s Rucktoberfest, the anticipation is already stirring.
Vice president and team captain Leah R. Edwards values the experience
the team gets from the two-day tournament on State Farm fields.
“We always hope to let everyone play a lot,” Edwards said. “There are
so many games for two days straight and we like to play everyone.”
Rucktoberfest brings in 25-30 teams to compete in the tournament, held Oct. 7 and 8.
The AHO team won last year’s tournament championship and was able to go on to place second in the state finals.
“[Rucktoberfest] serves as a preview for the season and state,” Edwards
said. “It shows us who we are going to be competitive with.”
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill proves to be the team’s
biggest opponent. In last year’s state tournament, UNC beat Appalachian
by a mere kick.
North Carolina State University is also a continual challenge.
ASU came out strong last year in their first game against Virginia Tech University, winning 30-15.
“That was the first time we played them and we didn’t know what to
expect,” secretary and team captain Jesse Scinto said. “We definitely
have some stuff to improve on, but it was a really good win for us.”
Team president Ashley N. Edwards thinks since the majority of the team is returning, the team has a good base.
“We have a pretty experienced team,” she said. “We are excited to have so many new girls to teach.
We will now have the numbers to have substitutes and with more than one
game per weekend, we have a lot to learn to compliment that.”
The large numbers can also be a challenge for team leaders.
“This is the most rookies we have ever had,” Ashley said. “It is really
hard for the few seven or eight officers with one or more years of
experience to fully teach exactly how the game is played…but we are
looking forward to it.”
The technical aspects of the game are key to success as well as safety on the field.
“Safety and good technique are essential because this is a contact sport,” Ashley said.
Despite the team’s size, Leah stressed the importance of team unity.
“We want to work more as a team,” Leah said. “Coming together and
working as a team of 35 plus can be hard, but we want to get everyone
playing, not just the starting 15. That’s what club sports are all
about.”
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