The NYU Stern Rugby Club kicks off its spring season play with a touch tournament on March 15. This is the first of many games and professional networking events the club hopes to organize for its members in the coming months.
The team was challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, when willingness to attend in-person events like the club’s practices dropped sharply. Leadership has been focused on “building it back from scratch,” according to Isaac Gould, incoming president of the club. The current group of students — primarily MBA candidates — that make up the team is small but tightly knit. Gould explained that the strategy for this upcoming semester is two-pronged: “Get players on one end, then raise awareness for the sport in general.”
During the fall season, the team succeeded with this goal by forming the women’s touch team. Led by Emma Ferguson, captain and student in the Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA program, the team defeated Yale University 2-1 in their inaugural match in November. The men’s team fared just as well, winning against the rival team with a 26-10 final score.
Looking forward, the teams have a plethora of sporting and social events lined up for the spring. The upcoming touch tournament will bring together students from various campus club sports in a round-robin style tournament. Entry costs $15 per person to participate, and the winning team will receive a prize worth $200. The games will be followed by a watch party and social event.
Players don’t have to worry about previous experience with the sport — this tournament will start with an explanation of the rules and involves no-contact, co-ed teams.
Interested students can also look forward to the MBA Rugby World Cup on April 12, hosted by Columbia University. The event brings together MBA and Stern students from all over, with some teams flying in from as far as the United Kingdom.
One of the club’s biggest goals for this semester is to expand the team’s roster. While balancing club sports and an intensive MBA program may seem like a difficult task, Gould and Ferguson want students to understand that the team can really be an asset to their studies.
“They complement each other,” Gould said. “It’s a great outlet, you know, for exercise, and then it’s also a great way to meet other people from the other MBA programs. We’ve been able to meet people at Columbia, Harvard, Yale [and] Wharton.”
“It is a form of networking that’s a bit more authentic than just, you know, messaging someone on LinkedIn,” Ferguson said. She continued, explaining that it does take a balancing act to manage it all, but “the compromises make sense when you think about all the benefits you can get from meeting great people, having fun [and] being active.”
The club is just as welcoming to newcomers as it is to longtime players. Ferguson, an Australia native, had never actually played rugby before signing on to captain the women’s team when it was established. The more experienced players on the team showed her and the other new members the ropes, helping out through practice drills and scrimmages until they got the hang of it.
Ferguson, entering her last semester as captain, wanted to leave her peers with a message of encouragement from her time with the team. “It’s never too late to try something for the first time.”
Contact Kiran Komanduri at [email protected].
