Imagine, for a moment, that you have to wake up early on a Saturday morning, not because you have to get yourself together after a crazy night, but rather because of excitement. You know that if you don’t get your blood pumping and your adrenaline flow started, then when your body gets pounded for the next 80 minutes, you will regret it and feel it throughout the week, as well. There are no pads, no shin guards, and definitely no helmets. All you have is the will to make sure to knock someone down before they hit you and when you go down, you better to get back up. This is Colgate Rugby.

Last Saturday, the Colgate Women’s Rugby team walked onto the Rugby pitch with absolute determination and took a victory over a very beastly Cortland State team. Following their game, fifteen Colgate men looked at each other in their huddle, knowing that they would be engaging themselves into a battle with the steroid-loving, cheap-playing, future gym-teachers of America, the SUNY Cortland Men’s Rugby Team. The two teams continuously pounded the ball at each other and, in the end, Colgate pulled through with a, 13-10 victory, with key scores from senior Co-Captain Mike Andreini and sophomore Ian Elliot.

With fifteen players on the field, Colgate has plenty of veterans to lead the team on and off the field. Senior co-captain Duane Grell is one of the main reasons the team has had success against its opponents, Syracuse and SUNY Cortland. There are five other seniors on the team, Cliff Merrill, Rich Denoncourt, Ethan Dodge, Mike Carver, Rich and Mike Andreini. Additionally, the team has also found its juniors to become key players. Scott Parkin, Peter Davaney-Graham, J.D. Powers, and Mike Carver are only a few of very-skilled juniors who have shown the rookies how the game is played. The 2009 class has also shown a strong future for the team, including prospects James Zegarelli, James Gallagher, and James Geary. The Women’s Rugby team has also shown excellent athleticism with some of their star players, including Kristine Dudley, Colleen McCue, and Jessica Minck.

You can see both of the teams practice five days a week on Academy Field, under the supervision of their new coach, Joe Martin. As a member of the Rugby team during his Colgate years, this Class of 2004 graduate has given the team a big push towards the goal of winning the State Championship.

Although most people don’t know the rules of Rugby or how it is played, yet it is still nice to have fans supporting our team on Saturday’s, especially when teams such as Cortland bring as many fans as we have there. Cortland’s fans in particular were quite rowdy, shouting out racial comments, and personally insulting some of the Colgate players and fans; therefore the Rugby teams need support for their games and show their opponents the spirit of Colgate. It is a physically draining sport, so I’m asking you to come down to Academy Field and watch the Men and Women’s Rugby games on Saturday at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM, so that when they feel like giving up, they know they are playing for not only themselves but also for the fans. Rugby is said to be a gentleman’s sport, but it is definitely entertaining to watch your classmates throw a shoulder into some random kid’s face.