After finishing the fall season with winning records and trips to the Midwest Regional Tournament, the Ball State men's and women's club rugby teams have begun preparation for their spring seasons.
Rugby is a cross between soccer and football: borrowing the ball, laterals and tackling from football while using the same type of field running used in soccer. It originated in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Rugby as an official club sport has only been at Ball State for "four or five years," according to coach Jayare Barnes. In the fall, he became the team's first coach.
"Before that it was just players coaching themselves," he said.
The men's team (5-1 in the fall) reached the Midwest Tournament held at the University of Michigan for the first time in Ball State school history last season.
"It was a great feat for the team to be invited to the tournament," Barnes said. "That is always a goal of ours -- to make that event."
Ball State's men will open their season March 19 with five straight road matches, including a tournament at Bowling Green with other Mid-American Conference schools. The team ends the season with its only two home games.
The March 26 match with rival Indiana tops the schedule as one of Ball State's most anticipated opponents for the men.
"IU is one of the top teams in the state," Barnes said. "Their program is something we really want to become like and we're heading in the right direction."
Club treasurer Josh DeYoung knows the rivalry can become heated at times after losing to IU 25-20 last semester.
"Because our coach is from IU and they have such a good team, it's becoming a little bit of a bitter rivalry," DeYoung said.
The Ball State women's team returns this season after qualifying for the Midwest Tournament and finishing with a 3-2 record last fall. The women open their season at DePauw on Saturday. The first home game is March 19 against Grand Valley State.
"It will be a tough matchup to open the season," coach Broderick Gaines said. "They are also a Midwest qualifier, so it should be a good game."
After beating rivals Indiana (30-3) and Purdue (15-7) last semester, Ball State's women will travel to more tournaments this spring, including the Ohio Classic, where they finished fifth a year ago.
Both teams have begun practicing but are eager to bring more recruits onto their rosters.
"Like most universities, we are only as good as the numbers you have to practice with," Barnes said. "We take anyone with or without an athletic background."
The men's team has been targeting football players for their spring roster because of the similarities between the two sports.
"They have good speed and know how to tackle they can adapt to the sport quickly," DeYoung said.
"It's not too late for people to come out," Barnes said. "We encourage people to come out as soon as possible to begin conditioning."
Both teams like to have 40-60 players on their rosters to fill an A and B team.
"We have 35 girls right now but we are always in need of more," Gaines said. "I can get anybody to fit in on the team."
Rugby matches start with 15 players and last around two hours, making stamina a vital component of a player's ability.
"Probably 90 percent of the team gets to play in the event," Gaines said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
