The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: HSU women’s rugby

  • Hitting people ethically; the Cal Poly Humboldt women’s rugby team

    Hitting people ethically; the Cal Poly Humboldt women’s rugby team

    by Savana Robinson

    It was the first minute of the rugby match between Cal Poly Humboldt and University of San Francisco (USF). USF kicked the ball, Humboldt made a play, forwards crashed and Courtney Campuzano got a breakaway. After she broke through the defense, she took off towards the try line. A player pulled her back by her shorts. As she leaned down to touch the ball down to score, another player fully tackled her on the back of her leg. There was a crack, and she tore her ACL. Campuzano made the point, but her season was lost.

    A senior studying social work at Cal Poly Humboldt, Courtney Campuzano is the president and co-captain of HP Rugby.

    Identifying as a lesbian, Campuzano said that rugby is a safe space for queer folks. 

    “I love how many queer people are in the sport,” Campuzano said. “It makes me feel so comfortable and safe.”

    Campuzano said that even though it’s a women’s team, there are non-binary people, too.

    “We’ve had questions about that with the team, naming it women’s rugby and just saying Cal Poly Humboldt Rugby, HP Rugby,” Campuzano said.

    HP Rugby is the club’s moniker, but what HP stands for is a well-kept team secret.

    “I’m not at liberty to say,” Campuzano said. “The teammates know.”

    Campuzano also said that rugby is a size-inclusive sport.

    “Rugby is a sport for everybody,” Campuzano said. “There’s people of all sizes playing. That’s one of my favorite things about it.”

    Her recent knee injury has robbed her of the rest of her season, but she continues to help the team. Campuzano described the moment her ACL tore as feeling like she had just been called into the principal’s office.

    “Your heart drops to your ass,” Campuzano said.

    Before her injury, Campuzano played the position of 10, or fly-half, this season, but said she’s happiest playing center. The fly-half is usually the first player to get the ball from the forwards after the scrum, which is what restarts play. Campuzano has been playing rugby for six years and started on a whim.

    “My roommate’s partner at the time came into the dorm one day and was like, ‘Can you come to practice with me? I don’t want to go by myself,’” Campuzano said. “I loved it.”

    Campuzano said that rugby has taught her how to better deal with issues in her everyday life.

    “[Rugby] taught me to go into things head-on,” Campuzano said. “Even things that aren’t physical.”

    Campuzano said that rugby attracts a certain type of person.

    “People who want to blow off steam and are comfortable hitting people ethically,” Campuzano said.

    There are a plethora of rugby terms, but Campuzano said their favorite is “hooker.” This term is a position where the player tries to hook the ball with their foot during the scrum.

    “People love that on shirts,” Campuzano said. “Like, ‘I can say I’m a hooker and my mom’s proud.’”

  • Annual Alumni Rugby Games

    Annual Alumni Rugby Games

    Men and women’s rugby play against former players during alumni game

    Humboldt State’s alumni rugby games began with women’s teams. To advance during plays, players must use their upper body strength to block others and throw the ball.

    During the first half, HSU student and kinesiology major Libby Treu helped her team gain yards, but defensive plays and staggering hits from the alumni team prevented the students from making points.

    Hannah French (left) and Libby Treu pose for a photo during the alumni game halftime on Sept. 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro

    During the second half, HSU junior Zelaya Ceja attempted to make a recovery during a kick-off. She managed to gain momentum and maneuver around the alumni defense, but multiple alumni players closed in on Ceja and thwarted her possession of the ball which allowed a recovery for the alumna.

    • Libby Treu maneuvering through the defensive HSU Alumni team on Sept. 28 during the women’s match. | Photo by Alberto Muro
    • Hannah French taking on Zelaya Ceja during the Annual Alumni Rugby Game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro
    • A fight for possession ends on the ground during the women’s rugby game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro
    • HSU alumni loses possession during the first half of the women’s alumni rugby match on Sept. 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro
    • HSU Junior Zelaya Ceja taking on alumna players during the Sept. 28 women’s match. | Photo by Alberto Muro

    Multiple occasions of yards gained and ball possession helped the alumni seal a concluding victory over the students. A loss for one team did not diminish the clubs spirit. After the game, they lined up for a traditional handshake and got together.

    When asked, Treu said she took the game as a learning experience.

    “The alumni always win,” Treu said. “That’s part of it, but this is the best game of the year because we learn from it.”

    The women’s rugby season doesn’t start until spring 2020. For now, they look forward to training and fixing problems they encountered during the game against former players.

    Some alumna keep in touch with the younger generation of HSU players to help them work on their plays. Rugby is a tough sport, and HSU women’s player Hailey French knows that tackling is crucial.

    “I’m definitely pleased with the alumni today,” French said. “I’m impressed with the girls too, but they need to work on their tackling.”

    • HSU alum Seth Perez (’07) before the men’s match begins on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
    • Volunteer Forward Coach Nate Whittington (HSU alum ’01) during the pregame speech on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
    • Volunteer Coach Nate Whittington (’01) makes a hard tackle during the first half of the men’s alumni rugby game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
    • Adonnis Johnson kicks the Gilbert toward opposition during the alumni men’s rugby game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown
    • Tumanako Te’i breaks a hard tackle during the alumni men’s match on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown

    Delivering hits the right way ensures that players do not experience injuries early on in the game.

    During the men’s game, alumni Ricky Gomero gained possession of the ball and moved his team down the field. It was another well-executed run and pass technique that seemed endless before the students delivered a hit causing the alumni to lose possession.

    In what looked like a stack of bodies piling up, the fight for possession of the ball continued as both teams delivered hits.

    HSU senior and psychology major Glenn Denning was injured during the play, but instead of worrying about his foot he quickly had it wrapped up and went back onto the field.

    Glenn Denning gets patched up before heading back onto the field to finish the rugby alumni game on Sept 28. | Photo by Alberto Muro

    While the alumnus put up a fight, they eventually fell to the students. After the game, they lined up for handshakes and shared advice with one another.

    “Rugby is a lot of chemistry base,” Denning said. “It’s all about cohesion and commodity as a team. You gotta know where your partner is gonna be at.”

    Positive team chemistry has an impact on any sport. Rugby can be tough, but a clear head is what makes the experience enjoyable.

    (From left to right) Cameron Whitney Jr, Ricky Gomero (alum ’18) and Chris Armstrong after the men’s alumni rugby game on Sept. 28. | Photo by Patrick McGown

    Gomero graduated last year, but his dedication to return for an alumni game drove him to play hard and have fun. Before the match, Gomero was in Colorado playing in the Aspen Ruggerfest 52nd Annual Rugby Tournament.

    “I just got done playing the Ruggerfest in Aspen last week,” Gomero said. “I figured I needed to come and give the boys support.”

    Gomero plans to head back to the University of Boulder to pursue his graduate degree in law. He also gave some advice to all future graduates of HSU, to make sure to live life and love it.

  • Women’s Rugby Preps for Upcoming Season

    Women’s Rugby Preps for Upcoming Season

    HSU Women’s Rugby trains for a new division placement and tougher opponents

    An evening of practice with the Humboldt State Women’s Rugby team consisted of preparation for their first home game of the season on November 23 against Sacramento State. The team has recently moved to Division II which means this season they will be competing against 10 schools as opposed to five.

    HSU athletics is no stranger when it comes to long distances of travel. Rugby athlete Libby True spoke on the recent division transition.

    “I began playing during my freshman year,” True said. “We started off playing against 10 games then to six games and now back to 10.”

    Having additional opponents gives the team an opportunity to capitalize on more wins and get an early lead in their division. They are making modifications to their practice routines to prepare for the extensive weeks of play against opponents they have never faced.

    “We’ve never played against them, so we aren’t sure what we’re up against,” player Hanna Hartman said. “But with the way we’ve been practicing it shouldn’t be a problem.”

    Despite the unknown challenge that awaits, there is no denying that the team will utilize techniques that keep their players operational. Whether it’s taking hits or falling, Hannah explained that playing efficiently is key to avoiding unwanted injuries.

    Junior Zelaya Ceja throws the ball to a teammate during a touch game in practice for the women’s rughby team on September 5. | Photo by Thomas Lal

    “We learned how to hit and fall properly,” Hartman said. “There’s a right way to do it safely.”

    Rugby is physically demanding with frequent body collision and the occasional injuries, therefore players are encouraged to work on their endurance to take hits routinely.

    Claire Branson has played rugby for three years at HSU and provided her input on avoiding injuries.

    “Keep your core muscles strong, when you get tackled it’s a lot of core strength,” Branson said. “Make sure it’s tight, so you’re not pulling muscles.”

    During practice, players utilize precautions to ensure safety. When playing an impact sport like rugby, building endurance is essential.

    Safety Officer and player Janay Aoga has high expectations with endurance training, since it lands on days that players invest their time working out.

    “On our conditioning days we focus on staying strong and fast because fit rugby is fun rugby,” Aoga said.

    A sport can’t be fun if there’s no one around to play, but it’s a different tone when it comes to the HSU women’s rugby team. Their love for the sport shines through their resilience and determination.

  • Seniors stunt in final home game

    Seniors stunt in final home game

    Kayla Maulson is a senior child development major at Humboldt State who has been affiliated with the rugby team for more than five years. Maulson took a year off, because she gave birth about a year ago. She felt incredible scoring in her last game as a Lumberjack.

    “If you’re not first, you’re last,” Maulson said.

    The Jacks women’s rugby team crushed the University of California, Berkeley in their matchup on March 3 at College Creek Field. Maulson was the first of seven Jacks to score in this matchup.

    It was a bittersweet moment for the Jacks, as it was their last home game of the season. Each senior who played for the Jacks was a key component in the game.

    The Jacks started off strong thanks to the help of head coach Meredith Conrad-Forrest. Before the game even started, Conrad-Forrest recognized that the defensive line needed to be shifted around.

    “The energy we had going into this weekend seemed really positive, because we beat Berkeley before,” Conrad-Forrest said. “It was beautiful for them to have their last game end that way.”

    At halftime, the score was 26-17. Even though the rain picked up, nothing was able to stop the Jacks from keeping their momentum alive.

    Out of the four seniors on the rugby team, each would cross the goal line, contributing to the 51 total points that were scored.

    Lila Bell, a senior child development major at HSU, was an important piece in this new formation. Typically, she plays the 13 position, which focuses on maintaining the outside lanes. She lined up at the 10 position, which is similar to a quarterback in the sense that you call out the shots and dictate where people will line up.

    The Jacks were in between the halfway point and goal when Libby Treu executed a play that Bell called out.

    “We picked a play that would allow me to run right through their defense,” Bell said. “We took them by surprise!”

    All together, the Jacks have won two and lost five games. Even though they have lost a total of five games, they still have a chance at making the playoffs, because of their total points scored throughout the season.

    The Jacks walked away in their final game with a 51-22 point victory over the Cal Golden Bears.

    The Women’s College Division 1 Elite Playoffs of rugby begins on April 20. The championship round of 16 takes place over a three-day period and will conclude with a championship bout on May 5.