While many athletes at Dartmouth use the summer to recover from in-season competition, the men's rugby team has been competing in tournaments throughout the term with some of the best clubs in the region.
In between the spring and fall seasons they share with most other schools, Dartmouth rugby players have been seeking out extra practice and playing time. Due to the nature of sophomore summer, the season starts out "more relaxed," according to captain Thomas Manzo '07, who described it as a "less physical off-season." As the fall approaches, however, practices, along with tournaments starting almost immediately after summer exams, increase in frequency and intensity. For now, the team meets twice a week for practice and also has a running and lifting regimen for players on their days off.
Personal initiative is a big factor, according to Mike Sloan-Rossiter '08.
"Either you want to put in the time to lift and run on your own or not," he said. With the absence of most of the rising seniors, Manzo added that the summer challenges sophomores to take "a pretty big step up." Development of players who will soon have to lead the team through the regular season is key, and the summer allows them to hone their skills right up until the first fall games.
There is certainly no lack of challenging opponents to help in this training process, even during summer. Though many colleges do not field rugby teams until the fall, men's club teams are in full swing and provide a number of powerful, experienced players for the Dartmouth team to compete with. At this past weekend's '10s tournament in Acton, MA, Nick Ortiz '08 recalled that "the teams we played were much bigger in terms of the size of players on the whole." The summer tournaments, though all-day affairs, tend to consist of smaller, faster games. Instead of the usual 80-minute playing time, matches only last 14 minutes and there are only seven to 10 players on each side instead of 15.
"It's a fast-paced game with less contact," Sloan-Rossiter said. Manzo considers these games more of a "sprint" compared to full length competitions in the regular season. Thanks to fewer players though, injuries are less frequent, keeping the team at full strength for next term.
Despite the experience expected from veteran players, the team has still welcomed a horde of new players this summer.
"It's just exciting to have new guys out both from an on-the-field and an off-the-field social standpoint," Ortiz said.
Sloan-Rossiter agrees.
"It's easier to be involved in the summer because there's less going on and people like to be outside and playing with their friends," he said.
Ultimately the summer allows for a significant investment in the future for the team, both by allowing sophomores to take on leadership roles and by providing opportunities for new players to join up and experience the excitement of the game in great weather.