From ASHLAND CITY, Tenn.
Members of Sycamore High School’s rugby team in Cheatham County won varsity letters last year, but now the athletes have been told their team can no longer represent themselves as the high school team.
Fifteen-year-old rugby player Destiny LaGarce was disappointed to hear the school she thought she represented no longer authorized her team.”We work really hard at what we do. We devote 110 percent of everything we have,” Destiny said. The rugby team was formed last year at Sycamore High School as a club sport, but during the year, it was told it was recognized as a varsity team.
Wednesday, players and their parents learned the school board administration didn’t consider them a sanctioned team; there had been a misunderstanding. The team had raised its own money and gotten a sponsor, uniforms and gear. Schools Director Diane Williams told Channel 4 the problem started last year when the high school thought the team had been approved, but the matter hadn’t been before the school board. The team’s unpaid coach, Jim Elks, said he feels the varsity status is important because school athletes are required to keep up their grades and they’re drug-tested.
“Obviously, there was a miscommunication between the prior administration that left and the current one. But I don’t think that kids should be punished because grown-ups didn’t communicate,” Elks said. Destiny’s mother, Brandy Phillips, said the young athletes should be allowed to letter. “I want to see them get the recognition they deserve and that they were given last year, and let them be a school sport and be supported by our schools and our community,” Phillips said. The school board has never officially voted whether rugby should be an approved sport, but it will have that chance at a board meeting Thursday night.
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If anyone has an update on whether Sycamore HS has returned as a Varsity sport, please let me know!
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I go to Mayfield HS and I am currently writing a paper on how Rugby should be a Varsity sport. I am a co-captain of my team and i have been only playing for two years but i am so passionate about this sport and its great that people are taking the initiative to make high schools recognize Rugby. I hope everything works out for all the players at Sycamore!!!!!!
Hey, the school board voted and essentially said that we could be a school sport for the duration of the year, and that we would be brought up before the board again this year.
That is such great news! Thanks for the update!