RTXO Academy Camp Notebook: Wrap Up

It felt like a November Saturday morning in Colorado for the sixth and final day of the RugbyTown Crossover Academy’s inaugural camp.

The chilly, blue-bird morning was the perfect way to top off a camp that was a resounding success. While several players had travel arrangements that prevented them from participating in the final day of the camp, the energy from the 21 remaining players didn’t suffer and they capped on their week with a lighter, more fun practice to finish off the week.

With the rapidly-changing COVID restrictions preventing the camp from finishing with a scrimmage, the players remained in their three small groups and played a handful of fun conditioning games instead. The games focused on the lessons that were instilled throughout the week.

Players that attended the first-ever RugbyTown Crossover Academy camp are included below.

1. Addie Brown
2. Cameron Marshall
3. Charles Okeze
4. Chase Stehling
5. Dan Herlihy
6. Dan Stone
7. DaQuan Patton
8. Darryl Tolson
9. David Bond
10. Daytwon Sheridan
11. Ed Paris
12. Franklin Agbasimere
13. Garrald McDowell
14. Gelen Robinson
15. Jarrell-Arell Patterson
16. Kyle Abrom
17. LaDarius Gallaway
18. Line Latu
19. Malik Bryant
20. Mandel Dixon
21. Michael Bandy
22. Nathaniel Hney II
23. Norvel Stewart
24. Ryan Cloud
25. Sam Taylor
26. Stephen Bowers
27. Tre Smalls
28. Zach Nelson

You won’t find one member of Glendale’s rugby department that will say that the camp was anything but a smashing success. It was a feat to reach out to as many players as they did. You could argue that this initiative was a success when they started getting people to agree to come give the camp a try.

With around 30 driven, open-minded players in attendance, they were able to put on a safe camp that helped these elite athletes catch the itch for rugby.

That’s what American rugby needs and Glendale has proven that their model can work. Now, the attention shifts to the next move. Of the 30 players that attended the camp, 24 have expressed interest in coming back for an extended program during the spring. Before that, the department is organizing one-off workouts to continue to build up the program throughout the coming months.

From my perspective, everything about the camp was awesome. The athletes at this camp were unlike any I had seen on the rugby pitch before, and it was fun to watch them fall in love with the sport.

It was also fun to watch them leave their comfort zone to learn something new. Not only is it rare for people to do that, but it’s also rare to give someone like me a front-row seat to watch it all happen and then talk to me about it afterwards.

I’m excited to see where this program goes over the next few months and into the spring, and I think once people see the progress, they will be excited too.