Pendleton and WWU Rugby's Future

As part of our efforts to promote the WWU rugby program, we sent a group of four volunteer Alumni and three current players to Pendleton, Oregon for the Sasquatch Rugby Tournament. The lads did a terrific job promoting our program and representing everything good about WWU Rugby.

We were one of two schools, the other being OSU, who set up for the two-day event. During that time our reps, dressed in WWU Garb met with players, answered questions, and shared their experiences as Western student-athletes.

At the end of the day, 35 players from Washington, Oregon, and Arizona signed the "Interested Player" forms expressing interest in WWU as a place to go to school and play rugby. They estimated that over 100 players visited the WWU tent over the two days. They proved to be wonderful ambassadors for our school and the game of rugby.

Here are some comments from Parmvir Rai, who led the charge for the alumni:

Pendleton High School hosted a high school all-star tournament June 17-18, comprised of U16 and U18 rep teams from Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. This provided a great opportunity to identify talented youth players while promoting our rugby club and the university.

Representing WWU Mens Rugby on the weekend were players Charlie Funk, Cosmo Miller, and Kyle Peter, joined by alumni Augie Beimborn (‘18), Matt Motylewski (‘19), and Parmvir Rai (‘18). Head coach Allan Law was in attendance, coaching the Washington Selects team.

We asked the alumni why they chose to volunteer for the weekend, and what students considering attending WWU should know.

“Some of my best memories of college revolve around playing rugby. Western is a great place to play competitive rugby and receive a quality education while making friends for life” said Beimborn.

“At WWU, we play more rugby. The team is truly like a family, we hold each other accountable on and off the pitch” added Motylewski.

“Rugby was a big part of why I loved being at Western, it is a welcoming group of men who are passionate about the sport. The bonds you make on the team extend beyond your time at WWU. We are lucky to have multiple talented youth clubs in the PNW, Western is a great stepping stone to success in rugby and life” echoed Rai.

Overall the weekend was a great success. Quality rugby was on display throughout the tournament. We expect to see some of these players kitting up in blue and white shortly.