Rugby Team Seeks Funds to Travel to Sweet 16

After winning the Southern Regional Championships last Sunday, the team needs to raise $8,000 in two weeks to pay for the flight to either Laramie, Wyo., or College Station, Texas.

And senior Ryan Dahl, the team's president and captain, said some of the rugby players are looking into paid medical surveys as one way to raise money.

"We're looking into anything we can do to get money," Dahl said.

He said they're brainstorming several fund-raising tactics, including seeking donations and planning some type of events on Franklin Street.

Coach Steve Powell, a Raleigh resident, said the players are excited about the April 21 tournament game, which will be against Central Washington University, especially because the Sweet 16 tournament is a first in the club's 35-year history.

"They will be the only No. 1 team from the south region," he said. "They've done enormously well to get this far."

While UNC does not have a varsity rugby team, Dahl said the players will be competing against varsity teams from across the nation.

"Rugby is a bit weird in that about a third of the teams are varsity, and two-thirds are not," he said.

And Dahl admitted it's hard for the team to travel because they are not funded like a varsity sport would be. The team members pay for every expense when they go to away games.

But he said the players would make it to the Sweet 16, no matter what it takes.

Dahl said they have several plans to raise money, including trying to get donations from the University and corporate sponsors and planning events on Franklin Street.

"I'm sure the University would not want North Carolina to be represented in a bad way," he said.

No matter how much money they raise, Dahl said he was sure they would find a way to get to the tournament.

"If it comes down to us taking a Greyhound bus, we'll do it," he said.

Dahl said that despite the hardships, there are benefits to being a club team.

"You're not required to do anything, so the people who come out to practice are there because that's how they want to spend the next two or three hours of their day," he said.

And Powell said he is confident the players will find a way to compete because they are all very committed to the team.

"They have determination and dedication," he said. "They are there basically every night of the week, and they fund themselves."

Dahl said the members have sacrificed a lot to get where they are, including practicing three days a week for two hours, conditioning two days a week for at least one hour and then playing on the weekends.

Recently, Powell said he has been able to see that hard work make a difference.

"Their skill level has improved dramatically over the last couple months," he said.

Dahl said he thought those skills would pay off in the Sweet 16. "We've made it to the round before this a couple times, but this is the first time we've broken through -- but hopefully not the last."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.