COVID and No Coach? No Worries for our VMI Ruggers!!!

Last season Virginia Military Institute's Keydet rugby club team came off of what can be put politely as a substandard season. The club ended their 2019 fall season winless, including a 106-0 loss against the eventual national champions of that year to the Royals of Queens University of Charlotte. With no 2020 spring season due to the current pandemic raging all throughout the United States, they entered this academic year with many disadvantages and little to nothing in their favor as they were then without a coach and lost many experienced starters due to graduation. It was with this realization that CIC Ty Jones '21 and ACIC Enero Ugalde '22 knew they had to step up to take action on their own for the sake of improving their team and preparing them for a time where they would play games consistently once again. Cadet Ugalde began to take matters into his own hands working with the Commandant's staff by himself in place of the coach his team did not have. He assured those who were concerned that rugby as a club could meet and practice safely without spreading COVID-19 through safety protocols he himself came up. These included taking everyone's temperature prior to practice and disinfecting all the balls upon the conclusion of practice. Cadet Jones took more of an administrative role on the team, encouraging his teammates with great enthusiasm to never miss a practice and even adding a third one on Sunday afternoons to make up for limited practice times throughout the week. When both Jones and Ugalde worked together, they would design practices that benefitted teammates of various experience levels, constructing drills and forms of conditioning designed to improve one's "rugby IQ" and skill-level for when game time rolled around. Their extreme effort was not in vain, as their teammates noticed all they were putting in for them to improve. They then became motivated to improve themselves as a team both on the field during practice and off the field, lifting and conditioning on their own time with workouts designated towards playing rugby. A rugby team that once had to beg people to come to practice twice a week the year prior was now having a surplus of ruggers showing up three times a week or more rain, snow, or shine. Soon, those within the VMI community began to see this effort and it eventually led to the entire team gaining the opportunity to purchase practice uniforms (and breathable masks on VMI's dime) with promises of their own room in Cormack Hall as well as their own personal trainer. Later, those within the rugby community outside of VMI began noticing the effort made by Cadet Jones, Cadet Ugalde, and the rest of the VMI club rugby team. They could not believe they did not have a coach and when Cadet Ugalde began to reach out for one many prominent coaches both local and out of state lined up to take the job. After an in-depth search it was decided that Coach John Welsh would become the coach of the new and improved VMI Keydet club rugby team. Upon his arrival, Coach John observed the skills and playing ability of each individual players and with his knowledge furthered their skillset and taught them to apply it in a game setting. He then assigned players to specific positions and roles on the team he saw would benefit the club as a whole. Coach John, who is adored by Lexington ruggers across all the local universities also made an effort to learn of the VMI lifestyle and helped to attain permits that allow the team to miss their Supper Role call (SRC) formation so they could practice an extra hour on Thursday without any consequences. His team was all for it. Eventually, the effort made by the captains, the coach and the entirety of the team was all worth it as other clubs, both prominent and substandard, began contacting VMI with interest to play the Keydet rugby club in some Lexington home games. With a lot of work on the part of Coach John Welsh and the team's cadet leadership two games were set up for a season where none were expected, one against the number five club in the nation, Christendom, and one against the unranked Emory and Henry College. Through a strong desire to play and a stronger determination to win, the Keydets were able to pull off a short, yet undefeated season beating the #5 Christendom with three minutes to spare 17-14 and Emory and Henry 31-19. The VMI Keydet club rugby team has impressively come a long way from where they were at the beginning of this year but they are not yet satisfied. Returning players hope for more success in the upcoming 2021-2022 academic year and with how much effort they put into this year there is no doubt that as a team can achieve whatever they put their minds to.