Many young boys, at some point in their life, dream of becoming a college athlete. They go watch a college football or basketball game, see the players running out on the field or court to cheering fans, and think to themselves “that’s what I want to do someday.” Unfortunately, that dream never becomes a reality for a lot of kids. Here at Geneva College, however, students have the opportunity to compete on a high-level athletic team regardless of their amount of prior experience.
The Geneva College Men’s Rugby team is a college-affiliated club sport that is open to all male students. Established in 1994, the club’s mission statement reads “Our purpose is to compete against Western Pennsylvania colleges through the game of rugby, to fellowship together through athletic training, and to honor God through our actions.” Students learn the basics of the game from the club leaders and then play in the team’s weekly matches. These matches take place against other schools located in Western Pennsylvania such as Grove City College and St. Vincent University and are played in a competitive setting. Geneva Rugby Captain Miguel De La Cruz identified four reasons that someone should consider coming out to play for the team.
“My favorite part definitely is that it’s my first time being a part of a Christian rugby community,” says De La Cruz. “I’ve been playing rugby for about seven years, and I’ve never experienced a community [like the one] here at Geneva.” This God-fearing aspect of the club is rare to find in rugby teams, and something that sets Geneva’s squad apart from other clubs. They play to honor God, and attempt to build up their players into respectful, God-honoring men by encouraging them in their faith and challenging them both physically and spiritually. “I’ve [known] a lot of elders, not even in just the churches that I’ve attended, who are Geneva Rugby [alumni], and they all loved it,” De La Cruz says. This fact speaks to the importance Geneva Rugby places on helping their players grow spiritually.
“I think rugby, to a higher degree than any sport, can help prepare you for spiritual warfare,” claims De La Cruz. By this, he means that being a part of the rugby team will help players develop the skills they need to stand strong in the faith while facing the world’s temptations. “[Rugby] builds a level of confidence and discipline that you wouldn’t experience somewhere else. Once you start going harder on the field, you start going harder in other areas, whether that’s the classroom [or] spiritual discipline.” De La Cruz spoke to the impact of rugby in his own life, saying that it helped train him to discipline himself so that he might be able to serve the Lord as a stronger Christian man.
“This is the last class of experienced alumni [on the team],” De La Cruz mentioned. “It’s kind of like this season is Geneva Rugby’s ‘one last send-off’. Next year we’ll have a lot of totally new players, so this is a big final season for [the seniors].” Now is the time to get involved with Geneva rugby, so that you can learn the game and be prepared to make your own mark on the team in years to come.
When asked about what he was looking forward to most about the upcoming season, one of De La Cruz’s answers was, “Obviously the fact that we have a really good chance of winning the conference, and drinking Gatorade from that trophy!” Geneva is undefeated to start the season and currently sitting atop the Three Rivers Conference standings. They are favored to win the conference title this season, using their God-given gifts to bring glory to their Creator.
Clearly, now is the right time to join the Geneva Men’s Rugby club and fulfill those dreams of playing a college sport. It is a terrific way to grow in the Christian faith, surrounding yourself with a group of God-fearing men who want to build one another up in their faith. There is a need for underclassmen to join the club to replace the experienced seniors who are graduating, and it is also a very successful period in the history of the club.
Learn more about club sports like Geneva College Rugby, intramurals, or other activities that make Geneva College a healthy, active, and growing campus by contacting Admissions at 800-847-8255 or admissions@geneva.edu.
-Ben Wiegers '24
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
Dec 16, 2021
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