Rugby Jamborees Bring Rugby to Northern California
Since April of this year, Play Rugby USA has been partnering with Playworks Northern California to host Rugby Jamborees throughout the Bay Area. The very first of these Jamborees was on April 19th — on a sunny day at Raymond Kimball Park where children from 10 elementary schools throughout the Area came together to play flag rugby games while learning and practicing the values of Play Rugby.
For most of these 200 children, it was their first time playing rugby. Before the games started, Play Rugby staff provided the Playworks coaches and their students with the tips, tricks and insights of the mechanics of the sport.
More importantly, they shared the core Play Rugby values:
- Game Plan
- Identifying goals and breaking down steps necessary to achieve that goal
- Switch On
- Preparing for and focusing on the task at hand
- Challenging yourself
- Try Makers
- Giving and asking for support from your teammates and coach
- Speaking up
- Being accountable
- Get There
- Going the extra mile
- Celebrating progress
- Play What You See
- Being adaptable to different situations
- Progressing and assessing each situation
- Review My Film
- Reflecting on your work and that of the team
- Acknowledging effort
- Striving to be better
At Play Rugby, it’s not just about teaching rugby skills and encouraging our students to perform well, but more importantly, encouraging them to be good teammates, to be supportive of each other, to practice integrity and resilience: the “Go Forward” spirit! During the first Jamboree, we noticed eight exceptional students who displayed these values and recognized them with special “Go Forward” t-shirts.
It was an amazing day for everyone: the students, the Play Rugby staff, Playworks coaches, principles, parents and volunteers. We all had fun and supported and cheered for each team. We hope to continue sharing our Play Rugby values to the Bay Area students through many more rugby jamborees!
Special thanks to Ben and David from Playworks and Anthony from Play Rugby USA for putting together such a great event! With thanks to all Playworks coaches involved, and Amir for capturing photos for the event.