After winning the 2019 USA Rugby DII College Fall Championship, Winona State readied for a transition. Longtime coaches Josh Krzewinski and Roger Riley stepped down after the title run, and Emilee Jalosuo and Kim La Mons readied for those new roles in 2020. Then USA Rugby restructured and the Black Katts aligned with National Collegiate Rugby (NCR). And then Covid-19 obliterated the rugby schedule. And then the fall arrived and the new coaches couldn’t connect with the players by traditional means: on the pitch.
RELATED team profiles on fellow NCR semifinalists: Univ. Northern Iowa • Univ. Chicago • Univ. South Dakota
But now that Winona State is ending its fall season with a shot at the title, Jalosuo and La Mons can appreciate the new era of Black Katt rugby.
“Thank gosh all of it happened at once so you get over the humps all at once,” La Mons said of a year marked by constant change. “There were times when, for me as a first-time coach, it was a little daunting, but Emilee and I have a good leadership team going and the administration has been great.”
“Obviously it was not the most ideal season … but we’re super grateful for the virtual competition that NCR hosted,” Jalosuo said. “As a team it allowed us to stay connected, work together and keep accomplishing goals that are also important to rugby.”
Participants had to complete a set of weekly tasks that addressed game-day attributes – like fitness and rugby IQ – and the off-pitch ethos of the sport, namely through social media and team-bonding activities.
“For me the biggest thing I was worried about was not having anything competitive for the girls,” Jalosuo said of pre-fall concerns. “Not having two seasons, back to back, how would that affect numbers moving forward? How would it affect newer players joining the game? How do we keep returners engaged? What were we going to have to do to make people stay? A lot of that [motive] develops on the field, during practices and games. I was so grateful for this team bonding and the ability to form these connections with the older and younger players. It was definitely a new platform but we were all learning it together as we went.”
The team bonding and social media tasks ended up being Winona State’s strengths, but it took some time for the squad to fully engage the fitness asks. Tenacious flanker Diana Tapia set the example in all of the aspects one would expect of a model captain. She is the emblem of drive and competitiveness, which is important when a team’s opponents are all virtual. But the coaches were quick to acknowledge the diversity of leadership on the team.
“The one thing that stood out to me with this team: initiative,” La Mons said. “They’re ‘yes’ players. When something pops up, it’s, ‘Yes, I can do this.’ If someone is struggling, then someone else will step in. ‘You’ve got a lot of finals; I can do this.’ Or ‘Your family member caught Covid. How can I help?’ They’re so dedicated. It’s so easy for a college student to be overwhelmed and closed off during a pandemic. But without dropping a beat they’ve been so dedicated to this.
“We’ve seen different types of leaders pop up for different challenges, and players who might have been in the background have showed up,” La Mons added. “You could tell over the Zoom meetings. They’re comfortable with social media and so some people – maybe those who wouldn’t ask questions at practice – their voices became more confident in this format. They were able to really embrace that outspoken leadership part of themselves.”
The fall allowed the new coaches to understand that diversity quickly. Coming into the fall, the duo had only held one in-person team meeting in January 2020, just to introduce themselves. The Black Katts were waiting for the snow to clear and the pitches to thaw, and then everything went virtual for Covid-19.
“It really allowed us to see mentally where these girls are,” Jalosuo said. “How much do they know and understand about the game? It would have been more challenging to understand that side if we were trying to get everyone ready for an active fall season, but now we’ve been able gauge where we’re at and can come into next season with a solid plan.”
The unique introduction worked both ways. Instead of watching their new coaches move around practice pitch and hear their voices fill up the space, players tuned into their mobile devices.
“When you sit down and have to learn about rugby through a screen, you learn from the person who’s teaching you,” La Mons said. “It taught us how to teach them away from the pitch. If anything, this has been a blessing in disguise, really. It allowed us to come on as new teachers of the game to these players, and allowed them to listen to us.”
Winona State finished second in the Midwest behind Univ. Northern Iowa, and third-place UW Madison accompanied them to the virtual Round of 15. UNI and Winona State made it through the quarterfinals and are now title contenders alongside UChicago and Univ. South Dakota.
“The excitement levels have picked up getting to the postseason and being successful,” La Mons said. “They’re taking a lot of pride that they were able to overcome the struggles we’ve had and show resilience. You can see that they take pride in continuing the legacy of players before them, but they also respect the work that goes into that title.”
A turning point occurred two weeks ago, when the university finally approved in-person practices for varsity and club sports teams. The squad observes all of the safety and health protocols, and is overjoyed to finally throw a pass between teammates.
“I noticed an uptick in these two weeks that we’ve been able to host practice,” Jalosuo said. “It’s watching the light coming back in, the dedication and motivation. A bunch of players have been reaching out for more things to work on or different drills. ‘What else can I do?’”
The NCR virtual season ends Saturday night and the champion will be announced Sunday. The victor wins customized kit from sponsor Rhino Rugby. Looking ahead, the coaches want to carry everything forward from the fall and keep building together as the new year promises no certainties.
“Spring 7s? I think so,” Jalosuo considered whether the team would play 7s if that was the only competition on offer. “Any season at this point most of the girls would be willing and ready to come back. ‘Give us rugby, we’ll take it.’ … Sevens is definitely a great game, a different game, but our girls would be ready and willing to learn and do it.”