Ranch Rugby High School Girl's team opened the 2009 season in great rugby spirit as hosts for this season's Colorado Youth Rugby (CYR) Rugby-O-Rama. This year's Ranch Rugby High School Girl's team is made up of players from all 4 Douglas County high schools in Highlands Ranch - Mountain Vista, Highlands Ranch, Thunder Ridge, and Rock Canyon High Schools. Freshmen through seniors, experienced players and brand new players all make up the Ranch Rugby Girl's side.
Girl's from across the state as well as the Los Alamos team from New Mexico came out for a perfectly wonderful day of rugby. Ft. Collins and Douglas County both fielded full sides for Rugby-O-Rama while players from Los Alamos, Ranch Rugby, Chaparral, and Glendale Combined forces to for a formidable motley side. Girls were able to get the maximum allowed 90 minute playing time in through round-robin play.
Rugby-O-Rama is designed to get the season started, to allow veterans to get back on the pitch, coaches to see what they've got, new girl's to experience a game, teams to work together, and for the rugby community to come together and share old stories and create new ones.
This season's Ranch Rugby Girl's team is quite eclectic. As mentioned above, Ranch Rugby is comprised of players equally experienced, inexperienced, freshmen - seniors. All shapes, sizes, and ability levels mesh together as one. As rugby is truly an all inclusive team sport, Ranch is truly a rugby team. Leaders emerge and bonds are formed. Rugby-O-Rama was just the beginning of good things to come.
All players did quite well and the coaches were pleased. The following players and actions were clearly present and noticeable:
Christa - dominated at fullback and played this new position like a pro
Alex - first game ever and played second row as if she'd been there many times before
Ski - proved that she wants to be a flanker
Taylor - first game ever and scores 2 Trys
Chelsea - high consistency on the conversion kicks
Hannah - demonstrated game awareness and team leadership at scrumhalf
Crysta - great kick-off placement as well as drawing defenders
Katrina - quite the competitor in line-outs