Student Feature: Paris the Rugby Superstar

• Name: Paris
• School: P.S. 185 in Harlem, Manhattan
• Age: 8
• Favorite color: Purple
• Favorite animal: Unicorn
• Favorite desert: Chocolate cake with a dollop of chocolate ice cream
• Favorite Subject: Math

Paris is a rugby superstar! During her after-school Play Rugby program in Harlem, NY, she came up with a brand new game called Flag Tag which is more difficult but more forgiving than regular flag rugby. Each player gets only one flag not two. Instead of sitting out after losing a flag, the flag-less players get the opportunity to rejoin the game by pulling another active player’s flag. This way everyone gets to run around more and no one has to sit out permanently.

During one of the flag rugby games she usually plays, Paris noticed that her teammate was sad, because he had to sit on the sideline after losing all of his flags. Her kind nature and her dedication to “Get There” for her teammate, a Value-in-Action she learned from Play Rugby, propelled her to devise a creative solution. She approached coach Rick with her idea and the rest is history. Her teammates have enjoyed the new game so much that Coach Rick has shared it with players in other Play Rugby programs. They all love it!