Soldiers of the field
Brian Triplett - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 10/14/03 Section: Sports
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UI men's rugby club coach Brett Griggs likens his players to soldiers on the battlefield.
Although the battle scars more commonly derive from separated shoulders and concussions rather than bullet wounds, and after the 80-minute war, the soldiers turn into best friends, the analogy is not far off.
"It tends to create a camaraderie that I don't think any other sport ever enjoys," said Griggs, who played rugby for Iowa State before taking the position as Iowa's volunteer head coach. "You rely so much on your teammates, and if you can't, you get smeared out there."
Although he shows up to command practice at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday along with coaching the games on Saturdays, like a majority of club sports, the team manages itself.
And unlike university-sponsored sports, the team mainly pays for itself.
This year the rugby squad received $1,350 from the university. Using fund raising and the cash out of their own pockets, the players have to cover equipment, travel, and lodging.
Out of their love for the game, the ruggers have no problem dishing out the green and making the three-day-a-week commitment for the chance to take the field and let off some steam.
"They don't have to be here," said first-year assistant coach Ethan Gucfa, who works at a pharmacy company during the day. "They could probably be at home sitting in front of the TV watching 'Oprah.' "
Gucfa, a 28-year-old Toronto native who played professional rugby in England for a year, brings 13 years of rugby experience to the team, along with a jovial attitude.
"If not playing myself, I'd like to pass down knowledge ... if it is knowledge," he said. "I don't know what you call it."
Griggs and Gucfa coach a herd of 40 plus players (a number that fluctuates; newcomers can join throughout the year), including a group of 30 who returned from last season.
While the players come from different backgrounds, they all seem to share one thing in common.
Although the battle scars more commonly derive from separated shoulders and concussions rather than bullet wounds, and after the 80-minute war, the soldiers turn into best friends, the analogy is not far off.
"It tends to create a camaraderie that I don't think any other sport ever enjoys," said Griggs, who played rugby for Iowa State before taking the position as Iowa's volunteer head coach. "You rely so much on your teammates, and if you can't, you get smeared out there."
Although he shows up to command practice at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday along with coaching the games on Saturdays, like a majority of club sports, the team manages itself.
And unlike university-sponsored sports, the team mainly pays for itself.
This year the rugby squad received $1,350 from the university. Using fund raising and the cash out of their own pockets, the players have to cover equipment, travel, and lodging.
Out of their love for the game, the ruggers have no problem dishing out the green and making the three-day-a-week commitment for the chance to take the field and let off some steam.
"They don't have to be here," said first-year assistant coach Ethan Gucfa, who works at a pharmacy company during the day. "They could probably be at home sitting in front of the TV watching 'Oprah.' "
Gucfa, a 28-year-old Toronto native who played professional rugby in England for a year, brings 13 years of rugby experience to the team, along with a jovial attitude.
"If not playing myself, I'd like to pass down knowledge ... if it is knowledge," he said. "I don't know what you call it."
Griggs and Gucfa coach a herd of 40 plus players (a number that fluctuates; newcomers can join throughout the year), including a group of 30 who returned from last season.
While the players come from different backgrounds, they all seem to share one thing in common.
