September 2021 Newsletter
Coaches Corner September 2021
I am absolutely thrilled to say that Navy Rugby is back in full effect. After missing a year of Plebe Summer in 2020, we enjoyed twenty-six plebe summer rugby practices ahead of the Fall term, this year. We spent these practices introducing our plebes to the sport of rugby. Upon the return of the Brigade, we are training at the Prusmack Rugby Center, Wesley Brown Gym, Farragut Field, MacDonough Swimming Pool and classrooms in Sampson and Chauvenet.
Our teams have early lunch team tables four days per week which allows us an hour of extra training at lunchtime. This has given us the ability to utilize swim conditioning sessions, film review, tackle and ruck technique practice along with extra conditioning.
We have also managed to secure two evening lifts per team each week after practice, on the Yard at Wes B Gym. Allied to our lunchtime and rugby practice sessions, we are training eleven times per week with games on Saturdays. We are sharpening our steel and preparing for combat.
Away from rugby, our Midshipmen are excelling within the Brigade with a combined six Company Commander positions, two Battalion Physical Mission Officers, a Company XO and a Brigade Training Officer. Complimenting this, our men’s team have already passed their PRT and our women’s team will be running theirs soon.
We saw our Ensigns Phil Dalke and Collin Argue contribute heavily to the All Navy 7s team that recently won the Armed Forces Championship at Rugby Town in Glendale, CO. Coaches Bressler, Chapman and Neel-Feller also featured for the All Marines and All Navy teams.
The energy is high and the mood is good. We are very excited to see everyone at the NRAA With You Dinner this Friday and of course, at our game against Air Force on 9/11 at the Prusmack Rugby Center. Kick off is 1100.
With You,
Gavin
Navy Rugby Fall 2021 Schedule
Navy Women’s Rugby
Navy Men’s Rugby
Captain’s Corner
Our Navy Rugby Captain’s hail from North Carolina, Georgia and New York. All were introduced to the sport of rugby at the Naval Academy and share their insights into what it means to be selected as the leaders of our teams.
My name is Aimee Dalsimer and I am from Rocky Mount, North Carolina. I major in Math and hope to be a Marine when I graduate. I started playing rugby when I came to the Naval Academy and am honored to have the opportunity to serve as Navy Women’s Rugby co-captain this year.
My name is Sarah Skinner, and I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I major in Political Science, and I hope to service select Surface Warfare when I graduate. I started playing rugby during plebe summer and met Aimee during that year, and I appreciate this amazing opportunity to serve as co-captain with her.
1/C Aimee Dalsimer
1/C Sarah Skinner
To us, being captains means setting our team and teammates up for success to the best of our ability. This means making sure each player is prepared to win games on the pitch, but also means taking the “with you” mentality off the field.
We have the responsibility to know the strengths and weaknesses of our teammates and to notice and take action if one of them is struggling. Being a Navy Rugby Captain means we are both a resource and advocate for each individual on the team. However, beyond the individual, we are a sisterhood, and it is our hope and our drive to foster a community held together both by our collective strength and our willingness to be vulnerable with each other.
The legacy of Navy Rugby is the blood, sweat and tears that went into building this program. We are a family. Navy Rugby maintains a mentality that you can be an amazing rugby player AND excel in school AND be involved in your company AND hold other positions in the Brigade. Toughness, hard work, and community are integral to the legacy of Navy Rugby. Serving as captain means setting an expectation of intensity and selflessness, and leading by living that example. This is how we carry on the legacy of Navy Rugby.
With a return to normalcy after COVID, we are hoping to make up for lost time by packing our schedule with competitive games. After spending the last year focusing on fundamentals and fitness when we couldn’t play official games, we are striving to make it back to the national championship this year. Additionally, we are focused on improving every member of our team from plebe to firstie and ensuring that everyone is able to develop their skills and showcase them on the pitch.
My name is Colin Brennan. I am a History major from Long Island, New York. My desired service selection is Naval Special Warfare.
The honor and privilege that comes with being a Captain of Navy Rugby is almost indescribable. Following the men that have led this program to victory is truly humbling. This program has given me the opportunity to be mentored by incredible Marines and Naval Officers that constantly seek to push us to our full potential. Coaches Hickie and Rundle along with Gunnery Sergeant Merryman, our current strength and conditioning coach, has been massive mentors for myself and this team. Coach “Gunny” is irreplaceable and his mentorship for players along with his knowledge of strength and conditioning has put this team in a better place. I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with Co-Captains Frank Bell and Lewis Gray that strive every day to make our program better. Furthermore, I am confident that the men of this team are the finest that the Brigade has to offer.
My journey to rugby began during Plebe Summer; I was a clueless plebe that knew nothing of the sport. However, I kept my eyes and ears open and slowly began to learn the ins and outs of Rugby. Rugby is a complex sport that is often misunderstood to the untrained eye but it has taught me lessons that I will cherish for the rest of my life. These lessons of discipline, grit, toughness, and accountability will serve myself and my teammates well in our future careers as Navy and Marine Corps officers.
I never knew what true brotherhood was before being on the rugby team. There is nothing like a Saturday game of Rugby that brings young men closer together. The culture that we have established stretches further than every Saturday. It carries over into Bancroft Hall as we aim for excellence in every aspect of the duties and responsibilities of Midshipmen. We take care of one another. Every Firstie carries a specific and valuable role to develop players in the mental, physical, and moral mission. Through the use of Rugby Fire Teams, we are able to manage and track the progress of each individual player and their goals. There is strict accountability and each and every player is able to be honest with each other with constructive criticism. We look at every opportunity, whether on the pitch or in the classroom, as a chance to excel.
My vision for this year begins with gratitude. The COVID-era has proven to this team that every chance we get to step on the pitch is a blessing. My next tenant is that of discipline. We will be a disciplined and aggressive team. Navy Rugby has long had a culture of physicality and grit that has propelled past teams to National Title contention. Our hard training sessions at the BSC will reinforce this. With new advancements in our strength and conditioning program, we are constantly becoming fitter, stronger, and more capable athletes.
1/C Colin Brennan
Additionally, our sessions in the film room and immersion into the sport of rugby will allow us to understand the laws and tactics necessary for us to achieve victory. Our end goal is to be National Champions, that is the standard; Everyday that we show up to the pitch we are working towards this goal. I can’t express how humbled and honored I am to have the opportunity to be Captain of this team. I truly believe that there is no challenge that this team will not rise to. We will leave the jersey in a better place.
EAFD.
Ryan Curry USMC (Ret) Takes Over Presidency of NRAA
Navy Rugby,
It is my distinct honor to announce that I have assumed the duties as the Acting President of the Navy Rugby Alumni Association. VADM Rixey asked that I step into this role as he has taken a position on the board and actively supports the NRAA in that capacity. I am a member of the class of 2003 and retired last year after a career as a CH-53 test pilot for the USMC. My final tour was on staff at the Naval Academy, where I was the Associate Director of the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership and the Officer Representative for USNA Men’s Rugby. My family and I live in Annapolis and continue to stay involved with the team. My wife Kate runs the post-match recovery yoga sessions and regularly adopts players to sponsor. Navy rugby is part of our family, and we often are found at the pitch.
I am very grateful for the efforts and mentorship of my predecessor and all the hard work NRAA leadership has done to bring us this far. I have a few goals for NRAA:
● Support our teams to be consistent contenders in the national collegiate rugby landscape.
● Develop and grow our alumni network to improve how we support each other.
● Celebrate and recognize our alumni’s successes both on and off the pitch.
I am excited to once again be in a position to serve the men and women of Navy Rugby. If you have questions, suggestions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.
With you,
Ryan Curry
703.939.0356 (cell)
ryankcurry@gmail.com
Be Careful What You Wish For!
A year ago there was some “selfish hope” on the part of the coaching staff that one of our
strongest players would not be afforded the opportunity to travel abroad and exchange at
another school for a semester. We just hoped she would stick around and play with us instead.
We got our wish but as everyone knows last year would have been a great time to miss some
rugby, because it was too few and far in between. Katelyn McKinkley, who hails from Michigan
and is the wrong person for our opposition to kick a ball to and tough to get a piece of once the
ball is in her hands, is in Ghana studying abroad this semester. We are enjoying her updates on
shopping for fruit in the local market, risk versus reward in trying the local fare, housing stray
kittens, learning a language, and other once in a lifetime cultural experiences. We sure do wish
she was suiting up with us this Fall!
Hurry Back Kate!
World Rugby New Laws
The game of rugby is constantly evolving. Driving the evolution is player safety and speed of the game. Each year World Rugby trials new laws in various domestic competitions around the globe before bringing them to the wider rugby-playing population. The latest law changes could have a fairly significant impact on the game.
Read the full article here:
With You,
Gavin
