Some Final Thoughts from Coach Stuart

Humans are creatures of habit. This is especially true for athletes and, particularly so, for the young men of the King’s-Edgehill Rugby Team. These habits sometimes transcend into rituals, and rituals serve important functions. They give meaning to our endeavours, they provide comfort in a world that can sometimes seem chaotic, and they serve as steppingstones on the way to desired short-term and long-term goals. Most importantly, they help construct a feeling of collective identity that forms a sense of belonging. In addition to their ingrained understanding of the importance of hard work, a sense of belonging helps our athletes buy into the considerable amount of effort required in a programme like ours and, more significantly, contributes to the lifelong friendships that are formed here.

Some of my favorite moments include working on the starting lineup with Coach Seagram after going over the disabled list with Nurse Cole at the lunch table; our under-the-post chats after every practice (Get your work done! Watch rugby videos!); watching the scramble in the locker room when I put the pre-game snacks in the middle of the floor; giving the players speeches on the bus about behaving themselves before heading into a restaurant (and feeling silly doing so because I already know I’ll get compliments from the wait staff about them); Watching the boys sing ‘The Song’ under the posts after a victory; and having the parents join us for the final dinner of the year at the Spitfire Arms.

The rituals I miss the most are awarding ‘Hammer of the Match’ and the 1^st XV sweaters. This is our opportunity to recognize publicly the hard work, skill, and character of the recipients that went into earning these distinctions. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond our control precluded players and coaches alike from partaking in these rituals this season. In lieu of these small ceremonies, I have put together something for our graduating veterans that I hope does justice to their contributions to our programme over the years.

Please click here to view the slideshow.