On Friday, February 6, the NYRC U19 Boys team headed to the Penn State University Winter Rugby Clinic with 14 players and 6 coaches. Games of "2 truths and a lie" and discussions about colleges and academic preparation helped the drive pass quickly, and before we knew it, we were at Holuba Hall for session #1. At midnight, with 2 hours of rugby under our belts, we headed to our hotel for some food and sleep. On Saturday, the boys had an early rugby session, followed by lunch and a classroom/video session. Unlike in previous years, there was no afternoon clinic session, so coaches Jenny Davis, Pete Galen, and Annie Collier led the team in a game of touch rugby--with one team playing uphill!..

As is tradition, the boys received tour tags with tour nicknames. In a first for the program, the coaches all earned new tour nicknames from the players! Sadly, coaches Annie "Sweet & Sour" Collier and Lisa "Trump" Lake had to drive back to NYC while the rest of us attended the night session. After a brief presentation on PSU admissions, the boys got right into contact work and team defense. While it was a very long session, by the end, we could see a lot of improvement in our players.
 
Sunday morning was game time at the clinic. Having lost Jordan "PeeWee" Torres to a back strain, we borrowed two players from other teams and shuffled our roster for our first game against a team ranked 3rd in Pennsylvania. While we were outscored, overall the game was a success: we won all but one lineout, players learned new positions, team support and communication were great, and rookies Jon "Brambles" Vital and Malcolm "M&M" O'Garra had their first tackles. Next, we took on the Washington Warriors, a team from DC. Their runners were able to exploit some holes in our defensive line, but our team spirit and sportsmanship were exemplary and drew praise from other coaches.
 
After the games, we listened to closing remarks from PSU Head Coach Don Ferrell, during which NYRC U19 Co-Captain Connor "Princess" Nolan was selected as one of the clinic MVPs. The players then toured the campus, led by PSU freshman and NYRC U19 alum Arnold "Mumbles" Chavis, to see academic buildings, athletic facilities, and student residences, before beginning the drive back to New York. Overall, it was a great weekend of learning about rugby, college, and each other. We're ready for the spring season!
 
Attendees:

Players:
Tony "Dozer" Adams
Aaron "A-Train" Albino
Willie "Papi" Domniguez
Andrew "Bubba" Juszczak
Michael "Pookie" Martinez
Rumon "Sparta" Miah
Connor "Princess" Nolan
David "Zooka" Nunez
Malcolm "M&M" O'Garra
Angelo "Builder Bob" Perez
Brian "Nemo" Sammon
Aaron "Hammer" Tomlinson
Jordan "PeeWee" Torres
Jon "Brambles" "Mug" Vital

Coaches:
Michelle "Godiva" Bruce
Annie "Sweet & Sour" Collier
Jenny "Robocop" Davis
Pete "Diego" Galen
Lisa "Trump" Lake
Heather "Bacon" van der Hoop