Pipe dream A local pipe band leads a Walk of Nations
Mascot madness
Dymock meets a local iconCannonball!
Players dive in
an adjacent pondaround the continent. “Obviously the
economy can be rough and anything
that costs money means it is a challenge
to get people out here.”
He adds: “I’m super happy. I’ve been
the president for three years and I’ve
had some major milestones and some
major rocks. Physicality off the ball
was also one of the biggest problems
we’ve had with our rugby but we have
sorted that out. I can’t present it in a
different way – there has been zero
punch-ups here, zero handbags, we
just don’t play that way anymore.”
The Stars win both the men’s and
women’s events, with Hawaiian touristsHNL women and locals Manu Bears
men losing out to the select side. As the
sun hovers over the horizon, thoughts
turn to the future of rugby here.
There are unfinished sections of the
site where Green plans to build a grand
standalone clubhouse with a viewing
area and changing facilities, connected
by walkways – another draw for tours.
Seattle Seawolves have visited and the
Crusaders International
High Performance Unit will
put on clinics in September.
There is also a lot of talk
of establishing an Arctic
Nations competition, to be
set up in the style of the
Six Nations, with Finland,
Sweden, Denmark, Russia
and Canada potentially
joining Alaska, a proxy for
the USA. As Green says:
“The dream is to put Alaska
on the international stage.”Perhaps more significantly than this,
though, is the plan to build the ‘Aurora
Grounds’. The local government is
tasking these visionaries with turning
an area of disused Anchorage land into
a six-field facility, with space to put on
concerts and host other sports. It would
be a rugby mecca for the people of the
area, with man-made embankments
ringing the fields so that the sport can
be played in an amphitheatre.
Drawing more international attention
to this corner of the rugby world will
be exciting and touring sides would be
thrilled to discover this adventurer’s
paradise. And if the zeal for the game
here is translated into significant youth
development down the line, more rugby
talent will be exported to the wider
world from the state of Alaska.
But once the bear lollops off behind
the cabins and we forget about the
serious stuff, all that’s left is the view.
And boy, what a view it is. nAlaska“Rugby is so popular up here
because it really speaks to
who Alaskans think they are”
INTERNSHIP
OPPORTUNITYThe Alaska Rugby Intern
Programme is open to men and
women players. Interns will be
expected to cover the cost of
flights and should have enough
money to cover the price of food,
personal travel and other supplies.
However, accommodation is
provided at the Mountain Grounds
while interns will have the chance
to coach at youth level and will be
given jobs managing the facilities.
Each intern will be placed with a
local club that matches their own
skill-set. There is also ample
opportunity to explore the state.
If interested, please email
[email protected]