Author Archives: rupert.munro

Cougars Not Sitting Idle During Summer Months

Summer is the ultimate intermission for most college students, as preparation for the academic year largely takes a backseat to the average 20-year old’s leisurely priorities – relaxing, beaches, concerts and much summer fun that we will dismiss for now.

Before entering the “real world,” summer is reinforcement to the youthful notion that hard work has its time, and this is not that time. For Cougar Rugby, however, this intermission is not lacking continuity.

Recruiting, weight lifting, conditioning, and, perhaps most notably, early training sessions all contribute to a summer dominated by fun, but speckled with responsibility and progress. The summer training sessions in particular have served as a connection from what was to what will be for the Cougars, as players old and new have come together to develop team chemistry before the student body moves to campus.

Second year player Dave Austin views these sessions as a way to build a sense of collective encouragement, saying, “It brings us closer together as a group because we are having to push each other to be better.” Being a returner, having early contact with upperclassmen and coaches gives young returners like Austin a chance to polish their weaknesses and realize their strengths. Austin states he is working on “kicking, strength training, learning when to offload, learning how to play a ‘fastball’ style of rugby” in hopes of “becoming the leader on the team that I want to be.”

Fortunately, summer programs like SPECTRA have given incoming freshmen the opportunity to participate, as well. Omari Bey, a former football player from Lexington, SC has taken summer practice as a way to insert himself in a grounded social-group, as well as a way to get used to a new sport. “I see the club allowing me to have connections within and outside of the rugby community early on, which I will use throughout college,” says Bey. “These sessions really helped me out learning the mechanics and technicalities of the sport. A lot of it was hands-on, so I think I’m more prepared than someone who is coming to practice for the first time.”

With weeks of practice already under their belt, these young players look to hit the ground running when school-week practices begin August 24. Stay tuned!

Player Spotlight: Bryce Christian

By: Nick Conners

Cougar Rugby: Tell us a bit about your high school experience

Bryce: I played for four years at Belmont High School in Massachusetts. We were known as BRFC (Belmont Rugby Football Club). In the four years that I played there we went to the Division 1 state championship three times and won it once. It was really because of all our coaches we found such success. Alongside BRFC I also played for the Boston Irish Wolfhounds in the U-19 summer league to play the summer 7’s tournaments and I also played for the Massachusetts Rugby Youth Organization (MYRO) where we played in the New England all-star tournament.

Cougar Rugby: How did you hear about C of C?

Bryce: My mom is from Tennessee and kind of missed being down here, so when I was a junior in high school she decided that she wanted to move to one of the Carolina’s when I went off to college. She ended up taking me down to visit North and South Carolina schools one school vacation. She did all the work, planning out every school we were going to visit, I just kind of went along for the ride. After visiting about 8 or 9 schools, none of which really interested me, we found ourselves at College of Charleston. After the tour it immediately became my #1 school.

Cougar Rugby: Tell us a bit about the iCharleston program and how you will maintain rugby training this fall.

Bryce: Well, I’m required to go abroad for the first semester before being admitted to CofC. My semester abroad will be spent with 24 other iCharleston admitted freshmen in Dublin, Ireland. I’m there for four months and in that time I’m expecting to play with a club team in the area, which I’m pumped for. Being able to play with kids from overseas is a blast; I’ve experienced it twice before when playing two matches against clubs in Portugal with my high school club senior year. Just playing rugby with these kids and learning all that they have to show is going to totally amplify my Ireland experience.

Cougar Rugby: Have you had the chance to get to know some of the guys on the team during your summer stay?

Bryce: Yeah absolutely. Without this sport this would have been the most boring summer ever. I wouldn’t have had any connections to anyone in the area or anything to do. I would have been so lost. After meeting with the coach one on one the day after my arrival I was given your number and just met up with a couple other guys to pass the ball around and run lines. Although running lines and passing the ball sounds so simple, rugby is a sport of automatic connections. So when I met just a couple of the guys I was going to play with next year it was automatically a lot more fun than anyone else I would have met here over the summer. From nights out together to practicing together at the mini camps, it’s been an overall great experience.

Cougar Rugby: How do you see yourself contributing to the team in the spring?

Bryce: I don’t think that you can ask any more of a person than to play their heart out and pass on what they know, which is what I plan on doing and what I expect of everyone I play with. Giving 100% into every tackle, ruck, run and pass is what the sport’s all about. So whether that means a starting position, a reserve, or a B side player I just plan on playing till the whistle and helping teammates out when possible.

2015 Fall Schedule

9/12- Home vs. Lander*

9/19- Home vs. Furman*

9/25- @ Coastal Carolina*

10/3- Home vs. UNCW*

10/9- @ USC (Palmetto Team)

10/17- @Citadel*

11/14- Armstrong Atlantic Tournament in Savannah

*Matrix match

Aaaaaaand We’re Back!

We’ve been MIA for a while now — working hard on our new project that’ll be launched soon (or take a peek at the CofC Mens’r RFC Facebook page and see if you can find it), but we’re back now and lots of news, updates, and results to come.

Keep checking back!

Want to get into beach shape, develop new skills, and join a fraternity where the real dues are paid in sweat and blood? Then this fall, instead of sitting sitting around doing nothing, come and join the CofC Cougars as we take on the competition on the rugby pitch.

No experience needed! We welcome anyone to our team, so whether you’ve played before, played other sports, or just want to get active for the first time, come on out! We’re a mix of guys who’ve played rugby, football, soccer, lax, and many other sports. We just share the same passion to strive to succeed and put in the hard work to not let down our teammates.

Rugby’s an easy sport to learn and all you need to start is a pair of cleats (soccer or football ones work fine), a mouthguard ($10 for Dicks – non-tethered one) and a strong pair of shorts and durable polo/t-shirt.

If you want more info or know someone else who may be interested, email team president Ben Tomkins: president@cofcmensrugby.com

See you at practice!

Fall Schedule 2014

September 13th
College of Charleston at Lander University (Hosted by Furman University)
UNC-Charlotte at Elon University
Appalachian State at East Carolina University
Western Carolina University at UNC- Greensboro
Furman University at Coastal Carolina University

September 20th
UNC-Wilmington at Coastal Carolina University
College of Charleston at Furman University
UNC-Greensboro at Elon University
UNC-Charlotte at Appalachian State University
Lander University at The Citadel

September 27th
UNC-Greensboro at UNC-Charlotte
Elon University at East Carolina University
Furman University at The Citadel
Western Carolina University at Appalachian State University
Lander University at UNC-Wilmington

October 4th
College of Charleston at UNC-Wilmington
Coastal Carolina University at The Citadel
Elon University at Appalachian State University
East Carolina University at Western Carolina University
Lander University at Furman University

October 18th
UNC-Wilmington at Furman University
Coastal Carolina University at Lander University (Hosted by Furman University)
The Citadel at College of Charleston
UNC-Greensboro at East Carolina University
UNC-Charlotte at Western Carolina University

October 25th
Coastal Carolina University at College of Charleston
The Citadel at UNC-WIlmington
East Carolina University at UNC-Charlotte
East Carolina at UNC-Charlotte
Appalachian State University at UNC-Greensboro
Western Carolina at Elon University

November 1st
Final Four Weekend- Location TBD