Summer Youth Rugby Kicks Off New Season

The Morristown Colonials' summer season of youth flag rugby kicks off next week with the first practice on Thursday, June 12 at Woodland School in Morris Township.

This program is a subset of Morris Rugby, which has other tackle programs for older kids that run year round. This particular program is run by Morris Youth Rugby, and will go from June 12 to July 21.

Practices will be held Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and there will be games every Saturday at 9 a.m. The first two weeks of practice will be at Woodland School, and then after that they will be at Bayley-Ellard High School in Madison. Kids from kindergarten to ninth grade of all skill levels are invited to participate in the program.

Morris Youth Rugby has nine teams across Morris County that play each other every Saturday throughout the six-week program. Kids from Morris Township and Morris Plains are a part of the Morristown Colonials, which will also include kids from Morristown, Madison and Chatham. Other nearby rugby teams are in Long Valley, Parsippany and Denville.

Youth flag rugby is non-contact and co-ed. The kids are separated into four age groups; Owls for children entering Kindergarden and first grade, Falcons for Grades 2-3, Hawks for grades 4-6 and the Eagles for children in grades 7-9.

As a pre-season warm-up, the youth program is offering two days this week at for kids to get a feel for the sport before the season starts. The practices will be on Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m.

Carol Pruett, the program administrator, said that these practices are set up as a starter for either kids who want a refresher or for those who are brand new to the sport.

Kids in the youth program also have a chance to learn tackle rugby, Pruett said. The two oldest age groups—the Hawks and Eagles—are allowed to stay for an optional tackle pratice following the regular flag practices and games. The child must be at least 10 years old to participate.

Pruett said that the program is flexible with family vacations, and allow beginners to join in the game.

"The kids have a fabulous time, and the flag program is low key enough where anybody who wants to come out can do it," she said. "The nice part of it is that it's not restricted like some sports are."

Gordon Bailey, the program director, said the rugby program stands out because it's not structured like other sports such as baseball and football.

"The kids really find it different from other games that they play," Bailey said. "It's a very relaxed atmosphere, and just fun and exciting for the kids."

Pruett said that as of May 31, there were about 90 kids registered, but organizers are expecting about 150 by the start date. There are more than 1,000 total participants in the Morris Youth League.

At the end of the season on July 21, all of the teams will gather in Chester for a festival. At the 2009 festival, Morris Youth Rugby broke the Guiness World Record for the World's Largest Youth Rugby Tournament with more than 1,000 kids participating.

Registration for the program is stilll open, and parents can sign their kids up by downloading the flyer on the website and either mailing it in emailing it to the listed address.