Texas A&M Youth Summer Camp
July 20 – 24, 2011
College Station, Texas
14 – 19 year old players*
9 – 13 year old Day Camp**
*must be in High School or just graduated in May 2011
must be 14 years old at time of registration
** Day camp on Saturday the 23rd
The Department of Recreational Sports and the Old Maroon Foundation are happy to announce they will be hosting a Youth Rugby Summer Camp for athletes aged 14 – 19 years old July 20 -24, 2011. Within the main camp, there will be a day camp for 9-13 year old players on Saturday July 23rd. The camp will consist of 3 training days with a tournament on the final day. The camp will take on a unique twist as the players will learn all the necessary skill sets for 15 a side matches but will be grouped to play 7 a side matches on Sunday. “With the literal explosion of 7’s in the US, we think this is a perfect venue to expose many of our youth players to the 7’s game. It is never too early to start that Olympic dream” stated Club President Tim Telaneus. He continued, “We will include all the traditional skill sets for the lineout, scrum, break down, tackling and individual skills needed for 15’s, while also covering the specialized areas of the 7’s game. We believe the 7s tourney on Sunday will be electric.” Telaneus believes this new format will help players that are new to the game participate in the competitive games on Sunday, “The hope is that even new players that attend will learn about the game of 15’s, but not be limited by their lack of experience or safety concerns come Sunday and can participate in the 7’s matches.”
The camp will also feature off the field components. Lead Coach Craig Coates plans to stress the importance of proper training, nutrition and mental toughness to the participants. “We are bringing in Justin Goonan (Strength and Conditioning Coach for the National U20 Eagles) to specifically speak to this age group. He is well versed in the expectations of the National Staff regarding player performance and will be able to provide sound advice to both the novice and experienced players. He will be a tremendous resource to the kids.”
Texas A&M University Sports Club Director Keith Joseph is very excited about the camp and the opportunities it provides to participants, “The Texas A&M Rugby Club has a long standing tradition on this campus of excellence, on and off the field. Their commitment and dedication to the sport of rugby is transcended through their coaches and club members. This is an amazing opportunity for camp attendees to learn and grow as rugby players. The wealth of knowledge campers will gain from the coaches and players will be immeasurable in their future in the sport of rugby. We are excited to be hosting a rugby camp that will educate and develop young rugby players.”
For those players aged 9 – 13, Texas A&M will hold a day camp on July 23rd. “We are excited to be able to give the younger players a chance to attend as well” said Telaneus. “It is important we get them involved in the game as young as possible and keep them interested.” The day camp will be specifically designed to meet the needs of new youth players just learning the game. The focus will be on fundamantal skills and the enjoyment that comes with playing the game.
The camp will also provide developmental opportunities to local coaches by allowing them to participate as Assistant Coaches and/or shadowing the camp staff. “We really want to make this an all-encompassing weekend for rugby in Texas” said Co-Camp Director, Johnny Smith. “We are looking at various other options to help develop Texas coaches and staff as well as the players. We would like to make this about Texas Rugby and not just Texas A&M.” More information regarding housing, registration, costs and other activities will be posted at www.aggierugby.com shortly. If you have any questions, please email the camp director at recruiting@aggierugby.com.
For more details on the camp, visit the Aggie Rugby website.