“I promise it’s not as scary as it looks” – A look at the North Penn Rugby Football Club
RUGBY- The North Penn Rugby Football club poses for a team picture.
Rugby is a team game played with an oval ball that may be kicked, carried, and passed from hand to hand. Points are scored by grounding the ball behind the opponents’ goal line (thereby scoring a try) or by kicking it between the two posts and over the crossbar of the opponents’ goal. Rugby is not the typical North Penn sport, however you may know more rugby players than you think.
The Montgomery Bucks Amatuer Rugby Association (MBARA), or the North Penn Rugby Football Club (NPRFC), began in 1988 with boys of all ages. In 2001, the girls team, The Valkyries, was established, and in 2002 a men’s team was created.
Since their establishment, The Valkyries have been state champions in 2015 and 2017, and six players have been invited to try out for the USA National women’s teams. Out of those six players, three were selected. As reigning state champions, The Valkyries are working hard this year to bring home another win for the NPRFC.
Out of about 20 players, 15 are girls from North Penn High School, including juniors Adriana Marchewski and Alyssa Selverian.
“I play rugby because it’s fun, you get to be active, and make new friends. There is a lot of teamwork involved, but everyone is friendly, and we all help each other,” said Selvarian.
I play rugby because it’s fun, you get to be active, and make new friends
— Alyssa Selverian
Selverian is playing with The Valkyries for her second year, and typically plays flanker, which is a forward or middle position. Marchewski just recently joined The Valkyries two months ago, and has loved every minute of it. She plays the positions of wing or left wedge.
“I feel empowered playing a predominantly male sport. It’s super welcoming, there’s no tryouts and everyone plays. It’s fun, you get to be aggressive, and we all boost each other up,” commented Marchewski.
The Valkyries play throughout the school year, with practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and games or tournaments on the weekend. They play a smaller game in the fall, but the majority of their season is in the spring.
“Typically it’s 15 players in a game, but in the fall it’s 7,” explained Selverian.
The Valkyries are always looking for more players. Anyone is invited to join, no matter their skill level. You can learn more about it at http://mbrugby.org/.
“All together it’s a great game. You build friends, you are not likely to be injured. I promise it’s not as scary as it looks,” said Marchewski.
