| Ruggin' on the Home Field. The women's rugby team is not afraid to play rough at Ruggapalooza, Daily Egyptian by Jeff Englehardt 9/11/08
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois Women's Rugby Club is going to be blasting goals in style next season thanks to USA Rugby and the U.S. Army National Guard, as well as an SIUC alumna. The Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Recreational Sports and Services club sport garnered more than $6,000 in free equipment this spring from the recently formed partnership between USA Rugby and the National Guard. The SIUC team was among 300 chosen nationally on the basis of an application and an essay to receive the equipment packages. Adrianne E. Cortes, a 2003 graduate of SIUC, penned the winning essay. Valerie Blaszczak, club president, said the sponsorship includes new jerseys, socks, shorts, practice balls, training bibs, coaching videos, goal post pads and much more. Blaszczak said Cortes included a brief history of the club and information about community service activities. "Since we are a club sport, most of our funding comes from fundraising and sponsors," Blaszczak said. "All the rest of the money comes from our own pockets. " She said the sponsorship funding is a great asset as the club won't have to use its limited resources for equipment and uniforms, but can spend it on other expenses like travel. "We found out we won in February and we just received our practice gear and jerseys," she said. "They look great and we cannot wait to wear them next season."
In the heat of what would be his second official rugby game at SIU, Will Sharp had only three words for his sister. "It's rugby time," Sharp said as he prepared for a grueling, day-long competition sporting dirt stains and holding on to prolate spheroid balls for dear life. Sharp was among about 65 SIUC students and several hundred others to participate in Ruggapalooza Saturday- an annual men and women's rugby tournament hosted by the SIUC women's rugby team. As Sharp, a freshman from Batavia studying mechanical engineering, caught up with his sister, Jessica, during a break in the action, his sister asked him how he spent his first few weeks at SIUC. He played rugby. The proud sister responded by giving her brother a hug and telling him how great it was. Jessica Sharp, a senior studying physical therapy at Northern Illinois University, said she taught her little brother everything he knows about the game. "He played soccer because I did and then did track because of me," Sharp said. "He always follows in my footsteps, and I like that." SUB: The ins and outs Rugby is a game that is played in many countries around the world and is a mixture of football and soccer. Each team has 15 players on the field and spends the two 40-minute periods attempting to score as many points as possible. Players can score by touching the prolate spheroid-shaped ball to the ground of the opposing team's goal line, earning a "try." After the try is scored, the team has an opportunity for a kick, similar to an extra point in football. Rugby differs from football in that if a player falls to the ground the ball is still in play, and in rugby the players are not allowed to pass the ball forward. Most players at the tournament said their favorite part of the game was the subculture that made for an instant closeness between players. Some players had played rugby for several years, while others had only been playing a few days. Sam Pellegrino, a freshman from Chicago studying finance, was beginning his fifth day as a rugby player at Saturday's tournament. Pellegrino said he has always been interested in the game, so he joined the team Sept. 4. "I've gotten better every day since," Pellegrino said. SUB: It's a lifestyle The more experienced players were more than happy to share stories of how he or she became a rugby player, including tales of victory and personal triumph. Liz Entwhistle's team was invited to play in the tournament and she drove about six hours to get here and has been playing rugby for about nine years. She said what drew her to rugby was the camaraderie. Entwhistle said she began playing soccer at age six, moved on to play on her high school's football team and finally started playing rugby while an undergraduate at Northwestern University. She said her best memory of rugby came when she was playing in Scotland and scored her first goal. Camaraderie, friendship and a sense of belonging on campus were the main reasons players from each team gave for loving the sport. On the fields, fans watched as players attacked the opposition and stopped at nothing to help their team to victory. Several players also said they loved the "no pads" policy and being able to tackle. The day was also an opportunity for new blood to get accustomed to the battle, as it was the first year for a women's B-team to participate due to an excessive number of women interested in the sport this year. Danielle Sheppard, a senior from Champaign studying radio television, said even though the women's B-team didn't win any games, just watching the "newbies" play made the day a success. "The best part of the day for me was watching the rookies do so well," Sheppard said. "We trained them and taught them everything they know."
| | Jordan Wicks has a message for administrators: she wants to compromise. Wicks is a member of the women's rugby team, one of the sport clubs that may be most affected by administrators' decision not to increase the campus recreation fee by $25.60 per semester. Current plans for the first phase of Saluki Way, which calls for the construction of a new football stadium, would cause the university to lose six of 12 tennis courts, three of six playing fields and the cricket pitch. Willie Ehling, director of Recreational Sports and Services, has said the increase would pay to allow the university to maintain its current number of facilities and add new elements, such as adapted fitness trails, restrooms and a band shelter. However, administrators said Thursday they would only propose a 60 cent increase in the fee, meaning three unlighted fields and six tennis courts would be lost when Saluki Way construction begins. Larry Dietz, vice chancellor for undergraduate affairs, said administrators were working to save the cricket pitch. The playing fields are used to play rugby, soccer and lacrosse. "We don't care if we get all the fancy lights or bathrooms. We just want somewhere that we can play, that's our place," said Wicks, a sophomore from Ancona studying animal science. Wicks said she and her teammates would be willing to pay a fee to keep the fields, even if the money were only charged to those playing intramural sports. She said the rugby teams practice four days a week for two hours, and would not be able to maintain their rigorous schedule if forced to share fields with other teams. Todd Marlo, a sophomore from Marion studying animal science, said he was happy the fee would not increase. However, he said he believed some intramural sports teams were being treated unfairly. "I like the athletics here too, but I know they're taking over," Marlo said. "They run this school, in a way, with how the budget is." Marlo said he did not believe sports teams would be able to share athletic fields easily. "In high school, they said that our football practice field could share, but the coaches will run you off," Marlo said. "They'll give you a little corner where the storm drain is so you can practice on that, but you won't get anything else." Other students said they were more concerned about fee increases than a loss of outdoor recreation facilities. Chanel Ballard said she was tired of hearing about fee increases. "Yeah, it is only $25, but in the end that actually adds up to something that you could have been eating or a bill that you could have paid," said Ballard, a junior from Chicago studying advertising. Ballard said she does not play intramural sports, but understood those teams might be upset about the lost facilities. Money to replace the fields could come from the $83 million budgeted for the first phase of Saluki Way, Ballard said. "There's some money somewhere. Someone has some money somewhere besides it coming out of the students' pockets and our parents' pockets," Ballard said. "I think it would be a good idea for them to try to find different funding elsewhere."
Heated debate and an unusual number of student participants filled the Undergraduate Student Government meeting Wednesday, with most of the discussion surrounding a $25 fee increase. The organization voiced its opinion on proposed student fee increases totaling $100.60. That figure does not include proposed increases to housing fees, which are only paid by students who live in those facilities. Students and administrators filled nearly every seat in the Student Health Center auditorium for the vote. The most controversial topic was the $25.60 proposed Campus Recreation fee increase, which would increase the fee from $6 to $31.60. Willie Ehling, director of recreational sports and services, has said the increase would pay to keep facilities that would be lost to relocation during Saluki Way, as well as add new elements such as restrooms, adaptive fitness trails and a band shelter. After listening to an hour of public comments from students, senators voted against the measure. "Your tuition is locked. Your fees are not," said USG President Demetrous White, addressing the senators before the vote. "What do we say to those students who are sitting in their 12th grade classes getting excited about college because they want to be somebody, but won't be able to afford it?" The organization split the $54 Intercollegiate Athletic fee into two parts. Mario Moccia, director of athletics, has said that $10 of the fee would cover operating costs, while the remaining $44 would be designated for Saluki Way. Senators voted against both amounts, which would increase the $221 fee to $275. Jordan Wicks, a sophomore from Ancona studying animal science, was one of 12 students who spoke during an hour of public comments. Wicks, a member of the women's rugby team, said she wanted the organization to vote in favor of the Campus Recreation fee. She said the three unlighted fields used by the rugby teams are among facilities scheduled to be lost to relocation during Saluki Way. "College is more than education in a classroom," Wicks said. "It's an education any way you want to get it." Dylan Burns, a senator representing the College of Liberal Arts, said he thought money to replace the fields should not come from students. "I just bought a Playstation 2. If you came into my room and broke it, I would say ... you shouldn't have done that, you need to give me $400," Burn said. "Shouldn't athletics, since they are displacing these fields, pay to rebuild them?" Brandon Williams, a senior from Peoria studying journalism, also spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting. Williams said he represented students, who would feel negative influences of fee increases on their educations. "As a university, we should work with what we have," Williams said. "You've got a car, right? Are you going to fix the car, or are you going to fix the wheels?" Student fees supported by the organization include Student Medical Benefit Primary Care, Student Center, Student Recreation and Mass Transit. Additionally, senators voted against two proposed fee increases for university housing. Rent per month at Evergreen Terrace housing, which accommodates married and domestic partner students, as well as students with children, would rise from $493 to $533. Annual housing fees for other on-campus residences would increase from $6,636 to $7,164. The organization declined to vote on a proposed $39 increase to rent for Elizabeth Apartments, since the apartments are only open to graduate students. White said he would not veto the fees passed by the senate. "For the most part, those fees are for staff and maintenance," White said. "I can understand why they passed those and I will sign them." The Board of Trustees must vote to affirm fee increases before they become effective. Fee increases are scheduled to appear before the board in April. The board will vote on the increases in June.
| | Rugby isn't for the faint of heart. Members of the SIU rugby team suffered bruises, bloodied knees, dislocated fingers, gouged eyes and ligament tears. And that was just from the weekend. Still, after the SIU-hosted Rugapolooza, members walked, or limped, off the fields smiling. During the weekend, the men's and women's teams competed valiantly in the tournament that featured teams from across the Midwest, as both placed second overall. Dane Heimann, the vice president of the men's squad, said the pain is part of the pleasure, no matter how absurd it may sound. "Most people don't know there is a rugby club," Heimann said. "Everyone thinks we are mentally unstable." The nature of the sport itself may suggest that. Through stiff arms, dog piles of people swinging elbows and thrusting knees and players shouting obscenities, the intensity of the sport cannot be questioned. But in the middle of all this, there rests respect. "You hate each other on the field," said Heimann, a senior playing his second year on the rugby team. "But we're the best of friends afterwards. There's always a social event after the games." For the men, they finished 2-1, the second-best record of the six men's team competing. The women's team also notched second in the collegiate category that included Illinois State, University of Illinois and Washington University, finishing with an equal 2-1 mark. Cassidy Blundy, the president of the SIU women's team, said Rugapalooza was a good time for people to get acquainted with the sport. Usually, it's hard enough for people to believe she competes in the grueling grudges. "Typically, it's like, 'You actually play rugby?'" Blundy said. "Once they come out though, it's like, 'Oh my gosh, it's not that bad.'" Blundy and Heimann realized the rugby team was relatively low-key on campus. Heimann said anyone who shows heart at practice can find a spot on the team. No past experience is required either. Blundy, a senior, said rugby was a way to keep her athletic abilities honed. "I was always in all sports," Blundy said. "[Rugby] gave me something to do. I tried it and enjoyed it ever since."
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