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PAST ISSUES

 

Freshman turns negative to positive on the field

by Craig Power
Exchange Writer

     Since the very recent death of his father, freshman rugby player Paul Jennings has taken his personal frustration out on opposing teams.

     Paul's father was diagnosed with liver cancer in October of last year, and his condition had worsened dramatically over the summer months. For the first few weeks of his college experience, Paul had constantly been discouraged by the image of his father suffering at home; just more weight on the shoulders of an unseasoned student beginning life on his own. He found it hard to confide in his newfound acquaintances and kept his thoughts and worries to himself unless he was on the phone with someone from back home. All in all, Paul has had a lot more on his mind since his arrival on the Franklin Pierce campus.

     On the morning of Saturday, September 23^rd, Paul Henry Jennings, Sr. died in his sleep, a tragedy that devastated not only a family, but a large community. Countless friends and relatives paraded into his wake at the McDonald Funeral Home in Marshfield, MA, just a few days later. On the day of the funeral, Paul, Jr. delivered an incredible speech praising his father's generosity and selflessness: "Even weeks before you died all you were concerned with was buying mom a new car and getting me prepared for college."

     The day after Paul recited this emotional address to an enormous crowd of supporters, he packed his life back up and finally returned to campus. Naturally, focusing on getting his work done hasn't been particularly easy. There's always been that one thing, however, that's been there for him.

     Paul began playing rugby as a freshman in high school, taking both his football and soccer experience to a new field of play. From sophomore year through the end of high school, Paul was a fixture at outside center for the Marshfield Rams, noted particularly for his hard-hitting defense. Paul also competed on the behalf of the South Shore Anchors, and by the beginning of this past summer he was attending practices with a Men's League rugby club.

     The Franklin Pierce Ravens Rugby Club has welcomed him and other freshmen with open arms, and Paul refers to playing in games as "the absolute best form of stress relief."

     Distinguished as the most familiar freshman player, Paul saw a solid amount of playing time in the Ravens' home victory last Friday night against Dartmouth, aptly nicknamed "the Bloodbath on Sodexho Field." He also made sure to put a hurting on the opposing team for some personal satisfaction, with some stand-out plays on defense and overall consistency when handed the ball, a more than impressive performance for his first game at the college level.

     If anyone has been there to help him along the way, it's been Rugby Club President and starting scrum half Casey Seigle, who managed to score three times against Dartmouth. If anything is stronger than their newfound bond off the field, it would most certainly have to be their collective mindset while on the field. Casey is undoubtedly one of highly regarded team leaders, and rightfully so. He and the other members of the rugby club have been there to motivate Paul through this ordeal and have helped turn negative energy to positive energy.

     Paul Jennings is well on his way to a  decorated career as a rugby player at Franklin Pierce, and hopes to contribute not only to many victories, but to many priceless moments among his teammates. He wears his father's dog tags around his neck as a reminder to be confident, considerate, brave, and also to achieve everything he can possibly achieve. Paul knows he is the man of the household now, and just days after the death of his father, he is already conducting himself in such a manner.