B Y RYAN HORVATH
This year the Green Mountain College Rugby Football Club (GMCRFC) gave plenty of blood. Not to The Red Cross, but to the hallowed pitch on which they fought for every foot and on which they made their opponents fight even harder for every inch.
With a team composed mostly of rookies the team fought an uphill battle against older, more experienced clubs. Overall the team showed great promise and a strong will to succeed. Every man pulled his weight and fought for the team. Nothing came easy but it was all earned, paid for in blood and sweat. The team battled with different schedules and more significantly, injuries.
The team suffered a good number of injuries: knees, a broken nose, dislocations, and more than a few cuts and bruises. The team held their heads up and fought through the pain. Injuries only drove GMCRFC to, in the words of club Vice-President Alex Ervin, leave the field knowing, “That you hit them harder then they hit you, and they are the ones hurting.” Ervin himself was unable to play this season due to an injury from last year but was at nearly every practice acting as a coach.
While the fall season is over rugby season never is. The club intends to continue to play in several spring tournaments; there has also been some mention of a possible snow game over the winter. GMCRFC will be participating in at least three tournaments whose dates are yet to be announced at a later date: the Surly Bowl (alumni/student game) here on our own field, the Scorpion Bowl at Castleton, and the Preston Cup at Johnson.
To Ervin the spring tournaments are exposition games created with the hopes of developing, “the skills of the younger players.” Also this is an ideal time for people new to the game to come out a get chance play. The club is always scouting for more dedicated players looking for a good opportunity to get out and join in the brotherhood that is GMCRFC.
