Staples Rugby Team Ranked #20 in Nation; Heading to National Championships with the Help of Donors
The Staples High School Rugby Team celebrated on Tuesday with congratulations from community leaders. The team is flanked by First Selectman Jim Marpe and Staples High School Athletic Director Marty Lisevick (left) and Superintendent of Westport Public Schools Thomas Scarice, and Staples High School Principal Stafford Thomas (right). Contributed photo. For the first time in its history, the Staples High School Rugby Team will be heading to the National Championships in Kansas City, Missouri this June as the #20 team in the country. The team is actively seeking donations to fund the trip to the championship matches so they can compete.
Founded in 2003, the team has grown significantly in the past five years alone - going from 30 players in 2016, to 85 boys and 25 girls on the roster today. This is not just the case in Westport.
Nationally, the contact sport has grown in numbers with USA Rugby claiming 110,000 registered players as of this past Summer, and “at high school level, there are over 26,000 people participating, eight times more than there was a decade ago” according to Sport 306’s Senior Editor Niall McCague. Staples High School head coach Dave Lyme says the current number of youth and high school players is currently over 40,000 members.
While rugby grows, Forbes reports that youth football participation has dropped by over 30% since 2009’s peak seasons, and “It seems almost certain that 2020 or 2021 will see overall high school participation in tackle football drop to below 1 million players, a level of participation not seen since 1998.” (Roger Pielke).
To those unfamiliar with the sport - rugby is not seen as a pillar for safety and grace, however players and coaches describe their technique as their brain’s saving grace when it comes to taking down an opponent - leading with parts of the body such as the shoulder instead of their head, and using body mechanics that protect them from injury while attempting to gain possession of the ball - especially during stereotypical scrums.
The Staples High School Rugby Team is lead by Head Coach Dave Lyme. Lyme is not a stranger to championship matches, In 2016 he took a men’s team to the USA Rugby National Championship as head coach for the Fairfield Yankee’s; they won against a Texas opponent. Lyme also serves as Head Coach for the Westport PAL rugby team, and the Sacred Heart University rugby team. The Australian native has been involved in the sport for 45 years.
This year’s Staples Rugby Team captains are Staples Seniors Felix Pollmann, Ben LaFontan, Sam Seideman, and Dylan Garra - all of whom joined their teammates in losing an entire season due to COVID-19.
The Staples Rugby Team is seeking the community’s support as they embark on their journey to the national championships - with a fundraising goal of $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. Team members are looking forward to the match, which will also be attended by Connecticut’s Greenwich High School’s team as well as the Aspetuck Valley high school club. “These experiences increase player ability and opens larger opportunities for college recruitment as hundreds of college coaches and scouts will be in attendance” the club described in a release.
To learn more about the Staples High School Rugby Team, visit their website. To donate funds towards getting them to the National Championships this June, click here for their GoFundMe campaign.
edited 05/15/21