2008 Woodie Awards
Carps building strong team
Jake Laxen
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Sports
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All season they had worked and strived to reach their peak, which was found in that final weekend of tournament play.
They inevitably reached the championship of the tournament after the onslaught of opponents Bemidji State, Gustavus Adolphus and UW-River Falls.
Then they ran into the dreaded rival Minnesota Golden Gophers for the collegiate bracket championship.
With tensions and emotions high, they got out to a first half 6-0 lead, before having their defense broken into for the first time that weekend.
The Gophers rally led to 21 unanswered points to end the game, edging the SCSU sponsored club 21-6.
Ever since that match-up, the team has been on a mission: to dominate their season as well as upset the Division I Gophers team the next time they face-off against them.
"It is an exciting time for the club, and hopefully we will do big things," head coach Arnold Changamine said.
The rugby team has even changed its philosophy, all because they feel this is their year.
"Everyone in the past thinks that rugby is all about drinking, and this year we have cut down on that a lot, not drinking as much, staying out of trouble and being athletes and not drunks," club president Travis Peterson said.
The rugby team did a lot of recruiting in the off-season that has their squad at a record high of more than 50 members.
"We are excited. It is the first time we can call ourselves a rugby club, because we can have a first 15 and a second 15, and we don't have to have players play two games," Changamine said.
"For the first time, we have a lot of depth, so once you have depth in rugby, it really helps, and you look better just because of the depth."
Over the off-season, the rugby team enhanced their recruiting power by preaching the benefits of a club sport.
"We just work on getting guys out and hanging out together; a lot of new guys just want a club to come into, and a lot of new freshmen are looking for people to hang out with, and that is what we give them," Peterson said.
Also, past athletes who want to keep competing are drawn to the sport.
"A lot of guys are told that they cannot play upper-level football or other sports, and they still want to be athletes, and I think a lot of us are better than those athletes and some of the football players," Peterson said.
The high numbers brought in has had a positive effect on the squad due to the importance of depth in rugby. The physical nature of the game can take a toll on a team with the high amount of injuries.
"That is the number one thing, depth. There are so many injuries on the field, that if one guy goes down, there is someone there to take his spot," Peterson said.
The large number of participants also works to advance the game simulation and preparation in practice.
"When you have a lot of numbers, practice takes a step up because you can run full scrimmages, and that makes such a big difference," rugby player Tim Snyder said.
The team cites this to their strong advancement over other teams that are supposed to be in their competing level.
"We have been out here practicing hard and working on fundamentals, and everything has just come together," player Eric Cagel said.
The veterans of the squad have also been able to show their strong leadership skills, helping the younger core work to better understand the imported game as well as getting everyone in sync with each other.
"We have a lot of veterans that play well and they help out a lot of guys," Snyder said. "These guys are leaders, they lead by example and by verbalism."
The large numbers also works to bring the best out of everyone, due to strong competition at each position.
"It pushes everybody to play a little bit harder in practice and in games," Cagel said.
Despite the strong internal competition, members of the team have banded together and taken a team approach rather than an individual mentality.
"We know each other, we know everybody's ins and outs," Cagel said. "(Rugby) is a lot of companionship and it is good to have everyone so close."
The team routinely meets together outside of the practice and playing field in a more social setting, which has helped them become stronger teammates.
"We all try to hang out and see each other as much as possible," Peterson said. "A lot people say when they see us out that we are kind of a frat, which we totally hate because we don't like frats, but we all stick together, we are a bunch of brothers."
The chemistry of the close-knit group has helped the team rise to he success they have reached.
"If you are comfortable with guys it shows on the field," Snyder said.
The comfort level with each other and the growing companionship of the players have helped this team take one strong step to reaching their ultimate mission for the season.
"I think (the success) goes to the coach and the leaders and having everything just mesh together well," Cagel said.
Since that day last spring versus the Gophers, the Fighting Carp have won both regular season games that they have played, including Saturday's 65-0 win over Minnesota State-Mankato.
"(The game was) a little bit lopsided, they are still a great squad and we still have a lot to work on," Snyder said.
Although the team is looking as sharp as it did last spring at their peak performance, they have all stayed humble and focused everything on one game at a time.
"We are very cautious, we respect every team that we play," Changamine said. "There are a lot of good teams in our class but we have been working hard."
The team follows a strong disciplined attack that has help them become one of the most successful teams of the upper midwest.
"We try to control our phases, because if we control our phases, we control where the defense goes," Changamine said. "Just because of that control we are able to break (opponents) down."
The growing interest on campus over rugby has helped take this team to arguably their strongest competing level and has left a strong sense of optimism for the future of the club.
"Our young core right now looks amazing, I think in three years our team is going to be better than it is right now," Peterson said.
All that is certain is that the Fighting Carp have found their niche and are confident that they can take on any opponent.
"All you can do is beat who you play against and we can definitely hang with anyone," Snyder said.
The team also feels it can take one strong step towards their mission of the season and find away to defeat the Division I Gophers.
"I think it would be a very good game, but in the end I think we would win, I know we would," Petserson said.