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CAMPUS NEWS:
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    OOZEBALL
    
  
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    BOX SCORES
   
 
SENIOR PROFILE:
    D'AMORE
    

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HOMETOWN HERO:
   BEAN


PAST ISSUES

Men's Rugby: Prospects as a varsity sport

by Kirsten Gallagher
Exchange Staff

     The men's rugby players are hoping to move from a club to a varsity sport in the near future, but the expenses to cover another varsity team may not be within the school's budget.
 
     April 20th marked the end of "The Beast of the East," the college rugby tournament held at Glen Farms in Portsmouth, R.I. The team finished seventh in the quarter finals, out of the thirty-four teams that competed.

     "We're part of NERFU (New England Rugby Football Union) and have really competitive games so there's no reason [why] we shouldn't be a real varsity team," said freshman Jeff Murphy, a member of the team.  "We fund ourselves, since we're only a club sport and raise money to make and sell our own shirts and things like that."

     Athletic director Bruce Kirsh. Kirsh recognizes the strong effort put forth by the team.
 
     "We agreed to provide the club with a field to practice and play on but all the costs associated with operating the program needed to be funded by the club members. I might add that they have done a remarkable job fundraising and working hard at putting a strong team out on the pitch," said Kirsh.

      At Franklin Pierce each athletic team is guaranteed a certain amount of insurance money to cover the players. This insurance is not granted to club sports.

     "Not having access to the trainer is awful since rugby is such a big contact sport," said freshman rugby player Devon Holbrook. "People view it as a huge liability so any type of insurance from the school would be needed in order for us to become an official sport."

     According to Kirsh, the demands are high for the training room staff, operating with 17 varsity programs throughout the year. "To add an additional 30-40 student-athletes for access to the service on a regular basis becomes unmanageable," Kirsh said.

     This past weekend's loss to Keene State (15-5 for the A Side and 5-0 for the B side) resulted in two trips to the Monadnock Regional Hospital. Expenses were not covered by the institution.
    
     Kirsh said that most colleges and universities do not sponsor rugby as a varsity sport. "Spiraling travel costs are making it more difficult to properly fund the existing varsity programs," said Kirsh. "And I do not foresee the program being elevated to that status in the near future."