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Click to view Trish18's profile Active.com Staff
Trish18
384 posts since
Jun 5, 2007

Sep 14, 2007 10:26 AM

An important game this Saturday

I enjoy that college football has taken center stage on Saturdays now. I like the school pride, the rivalries and traditions. But I would like to highlight the most historic of all match-ups that will take place this Saturday--not on a football field, but on a rugby pitch.

For the first time in history, two women's rugby teams will play in an NCAA-sanctioned match, as Eastern Illinois and West Chester prepare to mark a significant step for the emerging sport. USA Rugby estimates that there are between 300 and 350 collegiate club teams, but only four - Eastern Illinois, West Chester, Bowdoin and Southern Vermont - sponsor it as an NCAA sport.

Any ruggers out there? Think this sport has a fair chance to grow at the NCAA level?
Login to Reply Tags: rugby, ncaa, women
Click to view DynamitePsycho's profile Rookie
DynamitePsycho
2 posts since
Sep 15, 2007
1. Sep 15, 2007 5:05 PM in response to: Trish18
Re: An important game this Saturday
That is absolutely awesome to hear about! I just graduated from the Coast Guard Academy, and I'm a founding team member of the women's team there. I just finally got cleared to work out again, after recovering 5 months from a major ankle injury. Needless to say, I am proud to hear that the NCAA is finally accepting the sport, even though it's slow. I wish I was there to watch!
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Click to view Trish18's profile Active.com Staff
Trish18
384 posts since
Jun 5, 2007
2. Sep 17, 2007 1:51 PM in response to: DynamitePsycho
Re: An important game this Saturday
Very cool!--about starting up a women's rugby program there, not about your major ankle injury (sorry to hear about that, but you'll be back in the game with your plan to run the 5k!) I knew a few women's rugby players at Loyola University Chicago and I play on a volleyball team with the coach; it's a very intriguing sport to me.

The game was a little too far away for me to check out on Saturday, but you might be interested to know that more than 1,000 fans showed up. That's a lot. I think it would be safe to say that even at Conference championship softball games there were never more than 100 fans.

Seems like the game that didn't disappoint with West Chester taking a last-minute 20-19 victory over the Eastern Illinois. An exciting finish to what will hopefully be the first of many women's rugby games in NCAA history.
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