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Robin Heymann

It’s not just the 16 international sides competing at the USA Sevens who are in Las Vegas this weekend. Along with the hundreds of participants of Las Vegas Invitational tournament, running alongside the IRB Sevens World Series event, USA Rugby is administrating initiatives to kick-start youth rugby whilst getting members of the public certified in coaching.

‘Rookie Rugby’, as the initiative has been dubbed, is a safe, non-contact version of rugby that is appropriate for all ages. Described by USA Rugby as fun, exciting, and aerobic – it is an all-inclusive game targeted for kids ages 5-12. In a country where reportedly 36% of its youth are obese it is just what the doctor ordered.

With Olympic inclusion changing the dynamic and credibility of rugby in the country, USA Rugby is realising the importance of reaching kids at a younger age instead of relying on the athletes crossing over to rugby in their teen years.

“Right now in the United States, most individuals are not introduced to rugby until college-age (18-22). Therefore the focus is on recruiting athletes and teaching them the game for the first time,” says USA Rugby’s Erin Kennedy.

“By getting kids involved at an early age they will already have the skills necessary to play rugby by the time they hit college. At this point we will then focus on retaining players and refining skills as opposed to recruiting and teaching,” adds Kennedy, who serves as USA Rugby’s Youth Development Manager.

This is the type of news that will be music to the ears of Messers Caravelli, the USA Men’s Sevens coach and Bob Suggit, the newly installed equivalent for the Women’s team. Both might possess wonderfully, natural and all-round athletes in their brigades, but if they have to spend time ‘educating’ these new players to the game on the most basic aspects of the sport, it can become a deeply frustrating process.

With the USA Sevens moving away from the heartbeat of Californian rugby in San Diego there have been concerns of alienating youngsters and families who might not fancy making the trip to the City of Sin.

Nonetheless a full itinerary has been planned for youngsters adding to the ‘Rugby Week’ vibe that is hoped will become part and parcel of the Vegas Rugby experience.

These youth-focused activities kick off on Thursday with a Rookie Rugby Instructor Training that will take individuals through a hands-on training and free, online resources.

This training will certify participants as Rookie Rugby Educators, enabling them to start programs such as after-school programs, youth club teams, or implement Rookie Rugby in school physical education classes.

The rest of the weekend is focused on the kids, specifically for the children themselves.

Friday through Sunday there will be the World Rugby Shop Challenge which is a series of skill stations that kids will be able to practice and refine rugby skills such as passing, scrumming, kicking, and more.

On Friday the USA Men’s National Team will be present (14:00-15:00) for autographs and pictures. Saturday the successful USA Women’s National Team from (13:00-14:00) will do the same. Not only is this great for the kids, but it also helps to build the profiles of the National Sevens outfits.

“Participating in the weekend’s activities is simple: show up! Friday is Youth Day at Sam Boyd Stadium and is free for anyone in the area – just show up, participate, and have fun! Saturday and Sunday the youth activities will be available for all tournament attendees. If a child has a ticket and is at the event then they just need to show up at the fan festival area to participate.”

Many of these programmes are becoming implemented with, of course, an eye on 2016. Sevens finally gained the Olympic tag it had been striving for back in October 2009, with its first outing in Rio in 2016.
The Olympic status can now give the sport some legitimacy in the United States, where the current sports market tends to be crowded and ridiculously competitive.

I hate to use the now hackneyed argument that Sevens can appeal to Americans with its fast pace, high scoring, and one on one match-ups, but it is certainly attractive to many, including the kids - just watch their faces when the likes of Vucago, Gollings, Pesamino and Kayange do what they do best this weekend.

Kennedy, echoing sentiments from coaches likes Morgan Williams and Gordon Tietjens, also knows that classrooms are where the next generation of potential Olympians are currently residing.

“With rugby being put back into the Olympics in 2016, this means that kids that are in Jr. High and High School will be our country’s future Olympians.

“By getting kids involved at a younger age we are ensuring a more competitive team in the Olympic games and giving our children more opportunities to represent their country through sport.”

A few workshops here and there can help, but what structures are there on a grander scale to populate rugby? Such a huge country with a plethora of states makes any kind of organisational spine difficult to put into action, but Kennedy is quick to point out that long term goals include a State-Based Rugby Organization (SBRO) to be implemented in each state, with USA Rugby working with each of them to grow the sport.

“Currently we have 20 SBROs that are working hard to create more youth leagues and incorporating Rookie Rugby into school physical education programs. We are always looking for eager individuals to help out and drive the growth of the game at the youth level.”

With similar Sevens programmes also in the pipeline, at least there are some decent foundations being put into place.

So you know what you have to do – get involved...

For information on Rookie Rugby or to attend the free training session during the USA Sevens Tournament in Las Vegas, contact Erin Kennedy at ekennedy@usarugby.org.