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The Fairport Women's Rugby team will hold a registration session on Monday, February 13, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in room 512 at the Fairport High School. The team is made up of girls in grades 8-12 and is open to residents of any town without its own rugby team.
Entering its 10th year, the team is one of the most established and competitive in the northeast. Two years ago they were ranked nationally and just missed a chance to play for the national title. The team is supported by its booster club, the team members and their families and plays its games predominately on the weekends. Playing their regular season games against teams from Western New York, the Fairport women's team has won multiple league titles and a state championship. The team does not make cut and consists of approximately 30-35 players, with every member receiving playing time.
“We welcome any girl who wants to get involved in a positive, fun, team-oriented atmosphere,” said head coach Reggie Tift. “We want people to know that everyone can play our sport and that it is actually very safe contrary to common misconception.”
Tift has been involved with rugby in some capacity for the last 32 years, ranging from playing, to teaching classes at the JCC, to coaching with the United States National and International teams. The Fairport team is three to four years ahead of most high school programs around the state, and that can be attributed to Tift's involvement and his practice of getting players on the field at an early age.
“Rochester has the highest concentration of rugby teams in the state, and we excel partly due to the fact that the players start at such a young age,” continued Tift. “The earlier we can teach the players the rules and fundamentals of tackling, the better we can be at developing them as players and people while also minimizing any injury risk.”
The team also travels to Washington D.C. each March for a “spring tour” of games that helps prepare them for their regular season schedule and has been invited to play in the national “7 on 7” tournament this June in Philadelphia. Though pushed to the back-burner by other sports, rugby offers a safe positive environment for athletes of all ages. For more information on the Fairport Women's Rugby team please visit www.fairportrugby.net.
The Fairport Women's Rugby team will hold a registration session on Monday, February 13, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in room 512 at the Fairport High School. The team is made up of girls in grades 8-12 and is open to residents of any town without its own rugby team.
Entering its 10th year, the team is one of the most established and competitive in the northeast. Two years ago they were ranked nationally and just missed a chance to play for the national title. The team is supported by its booster club, the team members and their families and plays its games predominately on the weekends. Playing their regular season games against teams from Western New York, the Fairport women's team has won multiple league titles and a state championship. The team does not make cut and consists of approximately 30-35 players, with every member receiving playing time.
“We welcome any girl who wants to get involved in a positive, fun, team-oriented atmosphere,” said head coach Reggie Tift. “We want people to know that everyone can play our sport and that it is actually very safe contrary to common misconception.”
Tift has been involved with rugby in some capacity for the last 32 years, ranging from playing, to teaching classes at the JCC, to coaching with the United States National and International teams. The Fairport team is three to four years ahead of most high school programs around the state, and that can be attributed to Tift's involvement and his practice of getting players on the field at an early age.
“Rochester has the highest concentration of rugby teams in the state, and we excel partly due to the fact that the players start at such a young age,” continued Tift. “The earlier we can teach the players the rules and fundamentals of tackling, the better we can be at developing them as players and people while also minimizing any injury risk.”
The team also travels to Washington D.C. each March for a “spring tour” of games that helps prepare them for their regular season schedule and has been invited to play in the national “7 on 7” tournament this June in Philadelphia. Though pushed to the back-burner by other sports, rugby offers a safe positive environment for athletes of all ages. For more information on the Fairport Women's Rugby team please visit www.fairportrugby.net.
