|
Two new leagues in Washington DC are challenging conventional approaches to organizing secondary school competition.
In the American capital (and suburban Maryland), the Metro Area Varsity Rugby Conference has assembled some of the region's marquee sports schools, aims first of all to put rugby on the map with school athletic directors. Across the Potomac, northern Virginia is looking to develop a statewide championship. Both competitions pointedly ignore USA Rugby and its long-standing national championship. The aptly nicknamed "Maverick league" culminates in a city championship, and only one competitor is also trying to compete for the American title. One reason, according to organizer Jason Maloni, is the Maverick league needed to set its dates in advance of Boulder's determining its calendar. The Maverick league also is notable because some of its leaders have substantial national experience, borne of working within the union system for many years. 'We want to create a product that our athletic directors and other ADs can understand,' Maloni said in an email. Several of the league's guidelines are modeled after customary features in America's mainstream sports, but exceed rugby's standards, including sideline medical care and field standards. Meanwhile, taking a cue from baseball, the league plans to host a midseason all-star match between Maryland and DC squads. The Maverick league intends to pay local college players to referee its matches. Youth teams are often the last in line to receive certified referees. But the approach could also be important because officiating has in the past been one of Boulder's leading tools for bringing so-called rogue competitions to heel. Chair Kevin Roberts, chief executive Nigel Melville, and others have recently floated the idea that the board and much of Boulder's top management should focus on elite levels, leaving 'recreational' and age-grade rugby to the (largely sidelined) Congress and local volunteers. But competitions such as in DC suggest a more thorough withdrawal -- including crucial CIPP dues. The league comprises Dematha, Eleanor Roosevelt, Georgetown Prep, Gonzaga, Hyde, Landon, and St. John’s. Competition kicked off in March. Virginia's eight-team competition mainly features U19 teams from the northern reaches of the Old Dominion, the commonwealth's traditional stronghold. The league comprises Fairfax Police, Langley, NOVA, TC Williams, West End, Western Loudoun, Western Suburbs, and Winchester. With TC Williams in the fold, Rugby Virginia's state championship is a mixture of so-called 'single school' and regional teams, making it unlike the Maverick league. Backed in part by the Virginia National Guard, which is providing gear, the youth competition's governing body, Rugby Virginia, hopes to expand into Charlottesville, Richmond, and other regions. |
