2023 was fun for the Wausau Area Yough Rugby Program. We had three schools enrolled in the after school program. The kids learned quickly and are having a lot of fun learning the rugby sport. Now in 2024 we are adding another school to the program. We will be joining the Wausau Marathon County Parks and Recreation Department for the summer program with the plan to go to some Wisconsin Youth Flag Rugby tournaments. On a side note, we won’t be hosting the Wausau Area Wineterfest Rugby tournament on lake Wausau this year. The weather isn’t cooperating. We’re still looking for help in coaching youth rugby at the schools. Please give me a call.
It was a great rugby day in Wausau. The Wausau Area Rugby FC hosted an incredible rugby match at the Kennedy Park Rugby pitch. The Wisconsin girls high school All-star team played a vigorous match against a well coached Minnesota girls high school All-star team. Head referee Alec Prochniak, AR’s Brad Casseta and Andrew Yunk performed an outstanding job keeping up with these ruggers.
The match was won by the Wisconsin team who took home the coveted Milk Jug Trophy. The girls from both teams signed the souvenir Gilbert Match ball. After the match a social was provided by a Wausau Area Rugby FC angel and greatly appreciated by all. It was a great day of rugby. Can’t wait until next year when we will be able to see these outstanding rugby players vie again for the Milk Jug Trophy.
April 2022
Sad as it might seem, we were unable to recruit coaching help for the Middle School Program for the fall, winter and spring program. We had the opportunity to have rugby in 5 different Middle schools here in Wausau. It seems that the summer program won’t happen either. No coaching support sadly.
THE 8th ANNUAL PADDLE PUB CRAWL WILL BE ON JULY 30th 2022. SEE YOU ALL AT WATERMELON ISLAND WITH REFRESHMENTS
The Wausau Paddle Pub Crawl will take place on July 31st this year. This is our 7 year of the PPC. I’ll be at Watermelon island with fresh ice cold watermelon, ice, water and an assortment of hydration beverages. The band will be stopping here so make sure that you stop by before heading to Trails End. This is an annual fund raiser for the Wausau Area Rugby Football Club. See you all this Saturday. All ruggers who want to meet at Trails End to help kayakers pull their kayaks up on shore please send me a text or give me a call.
https://www.wsaw.com/2021/05/01/wausau-area-rugby-club-fc-returns-home-for-first-time-in-over-a-year/
April 7, 2021
TIME CHANGE for Monday and Wednesday. Now practice will be from 5:30 to 7:30.
The first week of outdoor rugby training was well attended. We started to really focus on breakdown play, ball presentation, rucking, decision making, off-loading, mauling, communication, team movement, passing, receiving and tackling. Practice will continue in Wausau at Kennedy Park on Mondays and Wednesdays. There’s been a TIME CHANGE for those 2 days. 5:30 to 7:30. The scrum machine will be brought to Kennedy Park next Monday. We’ll continue to work on the above training schedule and begin to work on set pieces, forward and back development, game management, offensive and defensive tactical play. Please spread the word that all age groups are included: boys, girls, women and men. Training will also be continued in Stevens Point for high school girls on Mondays and Wednesdays and men’s will continue to be held in Stevens Point on Tuesday and Friday 6:00 to 8:00. Time to have some fun.
March26, 2021
Indoor training is almost over. Outdoor training starts for all age groups April 5th at 4:30 to 6:30 at Kennedy Park in Weston. Rugby goal post pads are on order. Hopefully they will arrive in six weeks. Check back to this page to keep informed.
I’m a rugby player, plain and simple. When I tell people this they usually reply saying how rough it is and that I should take up a less violent sport. Yes, rugby is rough and the only protection I’m wearing out on the pitch are only a mouth guard and cleats. This is what people don’t understand though, if you know what you’re doing and you were coached properly, you will never walk away from a game with more than a few bumps and bruises.
So, to appreciate the game of rugby, here are some reasons why I love it:
My Team mates.
For most of us, this is our first time playing rugby and every single day is a learning experience. We are constantly encouraging each other and when we play a game and someone is yelling at us, we don’t take it personally. We have fun together and make jokes only a rugby player would understand.
Sportsmanship.
When you’re out on the pitch, you’re giving it your best and the opposing team always recognize that. We tackle someone and then apologize because the tackler felt it was too hard. You’re commended by how fast you made it to the try line. No matter what the score is at the end of the game, no one walks away bitter. We line up and shake everyone’s hand and if there is a particular person that did something that you thought was great, you tell them.
We get close, really close.
When you ride in a van with 15 other people, you get really close. Particularly after a game. Depending on if it was a tournament or a game of 40-minute halves, it takes a lot out of you and it makes you tired. You were being tackled, stepped on, and other things during this time and when you are headed back to school, all you want to do is sleep. Since there is only so much space on a van, when you fall, asleep you shift and end up with your head on someone’s shoulder or on their back and it’s perfectly fine.
Rugby players have always prided themselves on values such as sportsmanship, teamwork, and respect. Even though it involves a lot of contact, and everybody wants to win, what matters more is the spirit in which we play the game, and how we treat our team-mates and our opposition. It’s not just about making money or winning at all costs—it is a game that builds character.
For many years, rugby remained an amateur game, as it was felt that making it professional could dilute the values of the sport. So when it eventually turned professional, rugby teams around the world did their best to maintain and promote the values the game was built on. There is still a strong emphasis on fair play, sportsmanship, and respect for the opposition.
No wonder it is often said that “rugby is a hooligans’ game played by gentlemen”.
As a Christian, I feel that all these values of rugby fit in well with my faith. They also bear witness to the fact that rugby is a game where a bigger picture is still taken into account.