Happy Holidays From Seattle Rugby Club

Dear Players, Supporters, and Community Members,

2022 was another challenging year and I want to say thank you to all the people who stuck with and committed to training, playing, and doing all the legwork to make games happen. A huge shout out to the board members, coaches, managers and marketing teams that do all the work behind the scenes.

We cannot do anything as an organization without the support of our donors, members and sponsors. I want to make a special mention to the following to thank them for their support:

   
• The Penington Family and their business PPC
   
• Old Pequliar and Old County Bars
   
• Fine Dine Front Lines
   
• MTI Physical Therapy
   
• The Rugby Shop
   
• Alum Mike Girton and Rad Powerbikes
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• Alum Peter Buckley for his donations

Help support Peter and donate to Seattle Rugby Foundation, who has a benefactor matching every dollar donated up to $20,000 to go towards local youth club operations.

2023 will be a busy year with more rugby to be played and more work to be done to recruit and continue to build our Club and the rugby community around us. We are launching something exciting in January 2023 that we hope will bring us closer to all those who have been part of the Club since its inception.
   
The following are just a couple of the achievements and events that happened in 2022:

   
• With the support of our members, we were able to help multiple veterans and their families who were and/or are fighting cancer. We were able to provide things needed to support their recovery and make their lives a little more comfortable.
   
• The Club helped create and are working on a new mentorship program; more specifically, to support the Pacific Islander Club at Thomas Jefferson High School to provide positive stories to students who may need some positive role models. Players from the Club have been engaging with and letting them know how rugby has assisted them to be in a better place in their lives.
   
• Players Kristine Sommer and Jennine Detiveaux represented us at the 2021 World Cup playing for the USA. It was Kristine’s second World Cup and Jennine’s first appearance.
   
• The Club supported Erica Legaspi, who played in the Asia 7s Series with the Philippine National team, by helping to collect and donate over 100 pairs of cleats and kit for disadvantaged youth in the Philippines.
   
• The Club was an integral part of organizing the first 15s military game as a curtain raiser for the Seattle Seawolves, helping to raise the funds to pay for the trip for soldiers, seamen, and airmen to come to Seattle to compete in this game.
   

   
• This fall, our women’s side played in the PNRFU D1/D2 hybrid competition. While there were only three matches, the team built and demonstrated the cohesion and skills that will lead to success this  coming spring as we play in the British Columbia Premier league. 
   
• Our Women’s captains, Anne Peterson and Hattie McKay, did a terrific job leading the team throughout the season as we welcomed many new players.
   
• Finally, our coaching staff grew with the dynamic additions of Megan Sanders and Vix Folayan joining Liz Kirk and Marty Quick.
   

   
• 2022 was an exciting year for the Men’s team with their return to structured league play. This Fall saw the Men’s team kickoff their BCRU campaign as well as re-enter the Pacific Northwest Rugby Union league, which will allow us to play 16 games within the two regional leagues. The Men also played a friendly development match/scrimmage against a young, upcoming University of Washington team as a preseason warm-up plus an exhibition match vs the American Raptors to help prepare the Raptors for their tour to Columbia.
   
• In total, the Men played 18 games this Fall that provided opportunities for all athletes to develop and improve as a team. 
   
• The Men added multiple new members of all experience levels and were able to field two teams (almost) every weekend from September to November.
   
• The Men’s leadership team has continued to grow, led by our captains, Jonny Reid and Adam Page – who have all begun taking on more responsibility in developing team culture and welcoming our new members. 
   
• Lastly, we want to thank Ryan Youngman for his incredible work building the team through a tough couple of years and continuing to be a driving force for the program. We will miss him greatly and wish him and his wife the best of luck on their new adventure in Nashville. The coaching staff of Dan Trierweiler (forwards), David Busby (Backs/Attack), and Kellen Gordon (Scrums/Defense) will continue Ryan’s work as we look to install a new head coach in the Spring.
   

 
We hope you all have a great holiday season filled with rest and loved ones. We look forward to seeing our men's and women’s programs back on the field soon!
   
Yours in Rugby,

Kevin Flynn
President
Seattle Rugby Club

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