Toledo Celtics Rugby Club to celebrate 40th anniversary
By Steve Junga, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
It is the home of the
Since 1974, when
"They started playing around the Midwest," said longtime Celtics player
Football/futbol
For those not familiar with the sport -- and there are many in
"There's a few real basic rules we try to teach the guys," Mantei said of new players. "Number one: release the ball when you get tackled. There's no blocking, and you run forward when you get the ball. Don't worry about juking. If you don't have the ball, look to tackle somebody. Then we get into the more refined stuff.
"The field is a little bit bigger than a football field. There's goals at each end. Each touchdown is called a try, and you actually have to touch the ball down as opposed to just crossing the goal line."
League play
Locally, the Toledo Celtics compete in the
The schedule is broken up into fall and spring portions, with eight of the 12 league games played beginning in late August, and the remaining four games beginning in March as a walk-up to league, regional, and national playoffs.
In the 2013-14 season, the Celtics (10-2-0) placed second to Tri-City (12-0-0), and lost to the Barbarians in a league playoff to end their season.
Toledo outscored its opposition 540-187 in league play.
Who plays
The Celtics are a mix of players ranging from their early 20s to some veterans over age 40. They come from various sporting backgrounds from high school and college, and the most common past sport among them is wrestling.
Where American football would seem to be a useful background to prepare a player for rugby, often former football players have to unlearn habits from that game. There is no blocking allowed in rugby, players are not permitted to launch their bodies at ball-carriers, and tackles above the shoulders are illegal.
Many of the hard hits associated with today's version of football are absent from the rugby pitch, which is fortunate because rugby players compete virtually free of padding.
A desirable sports background for rugby is a combination of a wrestler and a middle-distance or distance track athlete. Useful are the core strength developed in the former sport, and endurance from the latter.
At the Toledo Celtics' level of the game, rugby is as much about the off-field social interaction as the on-field battles.
A longstanding tradition is for the home team to host a post-game party, usually at a bar. The host players all chip in (usually
The Celtics have two local sponsor establishments -- the
Toledo Celtic club members pay their own way beyond finances generated via organized fund-raisers. The team pays
Team leaders
The Celtics team captain is
"I was a wrestler, so I like the physical contact," Gonzalez said. "I'm 30 years old and not getting any younger, but I still want to be able to compete, and this is a good social club full of camaraderie. A lot of aspects of the game translate over from wrestling. Being a part of the team, and having goals for the team, are reasons I love playing.
"As captain, I organize practices and get the guys together. I make sure the logistics of our season are all ironed out."
The team president is
"Back in college, I had some roommates that wrestled and moved on to rugby," Haar said. "After I was done with my college wrestling career at
"I like the camaraderie, and the physical part of it. I was a wrestler and a football player and I ran track middle distance [in high school].
"That's perfect for what we do out here. I kind of wish I would've found it earlier in life. It's one of those things where it's perfect for what I'm good at."
Rising star
One of the more talented players on a past Celtics A-side was 2006 Scott graduate
"It was really by luck that I got involved," Cavanaugh said. "I was looking for football highlights on Youtube, and they snuck a rugby highlight in there. I didn't know what the sport was before that, so I Googled it and watched a lot of highlights. Then I Googled the team in
"I went to a practice and asked if I could play. They said sure, and taught me how to play. The moment I found out I was pretty good was during one of our practices. They put me out on the wing and gave me the ball. They had confidence in me."
Veterans
Representing the older faction of the team is Mantei, a 20-year Celtics veteran who is a 1992 graduate of Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central. While with the Falcons, Mantei played on MSMCC's 1991 state championship football team. He then went to
"You have to be able to run a mile at a good pace, and then still have that burst to make a sprint," Mantei said of what's required of a good rugby player.
"You have to be able to make a tackle and get up and maintain the pace. You have to be physical and have upper-body strength to be able to tackle people, but if you're not fit [endurance-wise], you're worthless out here."
Injuries, insurance
Mantei has seen the game evolve in the Celtics program from one that often included one or two fights per game between opposing players in his early days, to today's more civil competition in the MRFU, which red cards players who fight, and suspends them for the next game.
Injuries are a part of the game, and those Celtics players who do not have health insurance are covered by the MRFU's blanket plan for all registered players.
The Celtics currently carry 39 registered players on their roster, and typically divide the team into A and B sides for league games, similar to high school varsity and junior varsity contests.
The club's 40th anniversary event on
There will be an
The competition will conclude with a men's "friendly" match between the Celtics and the Detroit RFC.
Contact
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