 "Photo: UIC Rugby Club")
Although not official UIC Athletic teams, UIC is home to many intramural sports clubs that still boast sportsmanship and even extensive competition. Not only within its members but also among sports clubs at other schools. The Men's Rugby Club at UIC is one such group. Team member, Joseph Johns talked with the Flame.
Flame: I wasn't aware UIC had a rugby team. How long has the team been around?
Joseph Johns: Just last spring we hit a big milestone in UIC Mens Rubgy history by celebrating our 20th year anniversary.
Flame: How many players do you currently have? How many do you hope to have?
JJ: We usually have around 20 to 30 active players at any given time. The more people we have out, the more fun we have, and the better we can be as a team. With that said, we would want everyone to come out. Sky's the limit. Since there is no experience required, we really do push for anyone to come out, no matter size, shape or past sporting experience.
Flame: What are some of the achievements that the rugby club has had recently?
JJ: We recently made it into the CARFU playoffs, which is our regional conference playoff. We did this by beating Lewis University 2 weeks ago.
Flame: Any disadvantages you currently face?
JJ: I wouldn't put it as "disadvantages" per se, rather opportunities, and as far as opportunities, we have a lot of new players to the sport on our current team that are still learning the game and getting "rugby fit." The reason this truly is an opportunity is because many of these players are in their first year at UIC and will become the kind of players they want to be, especially considering the great coaching staff we have.
Flame: Is there anything new or exciting that will be happening in the near future?
JJ: As our Fall season comes to a close, we will prepare for our rapidly approaching spring season. Spring season starts as soon as school resumes in January and goes till the end of the school year. We are also beginning to plan our next international Rugby tour in Spring break of 2011. During spring break of 2009 the UIC men's rugby team traveled to Ireland for an amazing week-long rugby tour hitting Dublin, Galway and Blarney Ireland.
Flame: Do you ever do any social events to get more people to join?
JJ: The social aspect of the sport is extremely important to our team and to the sport in general. As far as using social events as a recruiting tool, not so much, mostly because the games and practices speak for themselves. Yet, when you are affiliated with the team, social events are a common occurrence. After each match there is a social with the opposing team, along with our women's team and their opposition for the day. These social events really set Rugby apart from all other sports. There is also an Annual Rugby Formal each year along with an Alumni game that is always a very fun and memorable day.
Flame: Rugby is a European sport. How did you know about this game?
JJ: To be honest, when I came to this school, I had very, very little knowledge about what Rugby was other than it was similar to American football just without all those unnecessary pads. Yet, I was dead set on joining some organization when I got here because I was not an athlete or anything in high school and wanted to get involved, meet new people and try new things.
Being a transfer student, you don't have the pool of people to meet in the dorms, so for me, I used rugby as a way to make new friends and really enjoy my time here. One of the things that struck me the most about Rugby was the social aspect and the brotherhood of the game. It is like no other sport in America, hands down, without a doubt. But, back to the original question, I just decided to check it out, and I ended up loving it, now here I am.
Flame: What interested the predominantly American students at UIC to join?
JJ: Well, one thing we do talk about when recruiting new members, is that UIC does not have a football team, wrestling team, or other more physical/contact sports. These sports are very popular in high school and athletes that come from these kinds of backgrounds usually transform quite well into rugby players.
As far as non-American students go, we actually have a few students currently on the team that are students from other countries studying abroad here. Rugby is a very popular sport internationally and when students out there hear there is a rugby team, they are usually very excited if they are Rugby fans.
Flame: Describe the rugby team in two words.
JJ: OHHHHHHH YAAAAAAAAA
Flame: Can girls join?
JJ: There is also a UIC Womens Rugby team on campus and they are very much a part of the Rugby tradition here at UIC. The men's and women's teams have been partnering together for years for social events and for additional club support.
Flame: Do you ever see the rugby club turning into an actual sports team at UIC?
JJ: As far as I'm concerned, we are as much of a sports team as any at UIC. We practice just as hard, and are driven to win and succeed as any team on campus. We travel, compete in national tournaments, and strive to be the best while enjoying the brotherhood and camaraderie of a game we all love.
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