The University of Chicago is one of four remaining teams in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) virtual season, and it’s reached the final round without the direction of a head coach. The Great Waters conference champion has been player-led for the entirety of 2020 and would love to cap this difficult year with a title and Rhino Rugby-sponsored team kit.
Related profiles: Semifinalists Univ. Northern Iowa • Univ. South Dakota • Winona State
“We have really fostered a great mix of competitiveness and support,” said Univ. Chicago board member Chloe Bartholomew. “I’m really grateful for that kind of environment. Everyone wants to win, they’re pushing hard, and at the same time lifting each other up and staying positive.”
That friendly, inviting nature is what hooked Bartholomew in the first place. As the team battled the loss of a head coach for the spring and fall seasons and weathered all things Covid-19 related, the unity of the squad has remained a paramount concern.
“Our team dynamic has always been really important to me ever since I joined my freshman year,” the junior said. “The team has really made the sport for me what it is. We have done a great job staying resilient during the challenges of a virtual season and that kind of spirit and support is something that – even though it’s not in-person – has transferred over.”
It wasn’t a one-person job obviously and president Amanda Calipo, co-captains Dosia McKinney and Jocelyn Pérez, and social chairs Adelle Durrell and Ruby Massey have been crucial is organizing the various tasks that NCR prescribes each week and keeping the team motivated. Players leaned into the virtual season and newcomers stepped up to share in the responsibilities. Elsa Athiley, for example, created and took over the team’s TikTok channel.
“We were on top [of the Great Waters conference] in Week 1 and then in Week 4 Michigan Tech pushed us into second,” McKinney recalled a turning point. “”What happened!?’ Since Week 5 we’ve been putting in a lot of effort [to stay on top].”
McKinney started playing with the Brookfield Bruisers during freshman year of high school and competed at DII nationals in 2017. She knew she wanted to play in college and today the junior is essentially a co-coach alongside Perez. The duo fills a vital leadership role that includes conceiving and filming the coach videos during the virtual season.
“The first few weeks it wasn’t a requirement for coaches or captains to make the video so we found them online,” McKinney explained. “Now that we’re making it consistently each week, it’s been really enjoyable and fun to make. I like to film what I want to film instead of having to find something that doesn’t emphasize exactly what I want.”
This peer-to-peer education adds another layer to the mentorship that veterans naturally assume with their rookie teammates. McKinney explained that the virtual season has allowed everyone, not just the newcomers, to take deeper dives into the game.
“It’s also allowed multi-year players to focus on more nitpicky rules. We all struggled with the law quizzes, but that just means we’re still learning a lot,” the co-captain said. “It is good to be able to learn the sport but it’s also hard to say how much people are actually grasping. Theoretically you could know what a ruck is but you don’t understand it until you do it yourself.”
McKinney indicated that the university has been pretty strict about what the students are and aren’t allowed to do on campus. Pods of 2-4 people meet weekly and exercise together while socially distancing. On Saturdays, the team tries to get together in person for kicking or passing practice – anything that requires little if any contact. McKinney keeps an eye on numbers, even though there are no games. Her freshman year, the team advanced to playoffs with just 15 players, but two decent years of growth now sees 25 on the roster.
“And with all the different types of tasks, we’ve been able to involve some players who got injured in the spring and are still recovering. They wouldn’t have been able to play otherwise,” McKinney said.
Univ. Chicago won the Great Waters conference while Michigan Tech and UW Oshkosh finished second and third, respectively. All three advanced to the Round of 15, Chicago and Oshkosh moved onto the quarterfinals, and now Chicago remains for the final week.
“It’s still the same amount of effort,” McKinney said of this week’s vibe. “Everyone’s been putting in 110% since week one.”
“I agree,” said Bartholomew. “I live with my twin sister, Ally, and she’s constantly checking the fitness spreadsheet to make sure we have enough people doing the exercises. On Saturday afternoon she’ll start doing leg lifts to make sure we’re getting those points. It’s just an example to Dosia’s point about everyone working hard.”
Ally Bartholomew was the first player to be named NCR MVP in Week 1.
The duo acknowledged all of the benefits of connecting with the team this fall but also asserted that it’s been stressful. There is a bit of a time crunch from when that week’s tasks circulate on Sunday and the team’s practice on Tuesday. The video content, the team-bonding activity must be sorted by then, and then the rest of the week can be used for fitness and individual assignments.
“Our school is very academics focused and doesn’t pay attention to athletics that much,” McKinney said. “To make it this far in the competition, people are taking notice and the rugby team is kind of being viewed as cool. It’s validating in a way. The school newspaper did an interview earlier this morning and I got to brag about the team.”
The competition ends on Saturday night and the champion will be named Sunday. Regardless of how the fall ends for Univ. Chicago, this season showcased an exceptional group of rugby players who not only accepted an unfamiliar challenge without a coach, but excelled in stressful conditions.