Dixon Rugby Holds Free Mini-Camp this Weekend

Dixon Rugby Holds Free Mini-Camp this Weekend

Every year the Dixon Rugby
Football Club holds two free weekend mini-camps to introduce the game of rugby
to the youth of our community. The first of two camps is this Saturday and
Sunday, November 9th and
10th, at Hall
Park from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. No experience is required. The camp is intended

to introduce the sport to both boys and girls from the 5th through 12th grades,

for who have never played, and as a refresher for those that have. It will

offer instruction in the basics of the fastest growing sport in America. The

returning players offer much of the instruction during the camp, and it is a fun

and exciting time for everyone.

The Dixon Club has experienced
massive growth since their inception in 2007, when they began the program with
20 Middle School players. Their first Boys Varsity season was in 2008 where the
season record was 1 – 11, winning only one match on the last play of the last
game of that season. Since that time the Club has expanded dramatically and
last year had 145 players competing on seven teams, including: one Under 12, two
Middle School, two Boys Junior Varsity, two Boys Varsity and one Girls Varsity
teams.

The success on the field for the
Club has also been stellar. In 2011 the Boys Varsity Team was ranked
13th in
United States, in 2012 the Boys Varsity Team won the USA Rugby High School
National Championships and was Ranked #1 in the nation, and in 2013 they
finished and were Ranked #7 in the nation. The Boys Varsity Team has taken
annual Spring Tours to Canada, Virginia/Washington, England/Wales, and last year
to Argentina. The Girls Varsity Team, which was started in 2011, has also
toured to San Diego. Dixon has also hosted Clubs from Australia, New Zealand
and Canada.

In addition, Dixon has produced a
total of seven High School All-Americans (HSAA), including five in 2013,
including one girl. Dixon had more players on the HSAA Team than any other Club
in the country. Equally important was that of the 18 graduating Seniors in
2013, 15 have gone on to two or four year colleges, and most are playing
rugby. That is an 83% college participation rate.

Dixon plays in the Northern
California Youth Rugby Association (NCYRA), where there are more than 80 Clubs,
250 Teams and approximately 4,800 players competing in Divisions ranging from
Under 8 through Varsity, for both boys and girls. The NCYRA is the largest
State Rugby Organization (SRO) in the United States and is recognized as the top
SRO in the nation with regard to National Championships and SBRO All-Stars.

The official rugby season begins
the first week of January and ends at the end of March for the younger players,
the middle of April for the middle school players and the end of April for the
high school players. The Club practices two days a week, on Mondays and
Wednesdays, from 3:45 to 5:15 pm, and they play on either Friday (high school)
or Sundays. Nobody gets cut from rugby, and if the players show up to practice
and work hard, they will play in the match on the weekend. Rugby is not like
any other sport, where everybody gets to run with the ball, pass, catch, tackle and score. It is also a game that is predicated on teamwork and camaraderie,
not just with your teammates, but with the other team’s players as well. This
aspect of the game is unique to rugby and is one of the reasons why it is so
popular.

This upcoming season, in addition
to a full Conference Schedule for all the Teams, the entire Club will take a
three day tour to San Lois Obispo in January, and the Boys Varsity Team will
take their annual Spring Tour and the Girls Varsity will tour again in Southern
California. The Girls Team is open to girls from surrounding cities.

All interested players should
attend the mini-camps on November 9th and

10th, at Hall Park from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (lunch is not included and there is a
break from 11:30 to 1:00 pm). Players should wear shorts, socks, cleats and a
sturdy shirt, and bring water. Rugby involves a lot of running. Players should
show up at least 15 minutes early to sign in and get ready.

For more information please call

(707) 693-8803, or visit their website at

www.dixonrugby.com, or potential players

can simply show up to the mini-camp at Hall Park.