BILLINGS — The Yellowstone Mavericks girls rugby team is actively recruiting new players to expand its roster this season, welcoming athletes as young as 5 years old.
The team currently has just under 20 varsity players and hopes to reach at least 25. Newcomers are encouraged to join even with the season already in progress.
"No matter who you are, there is a position for you, I promise," Emma Greenwell told MTN Sports at a recent practice.
The Mavericks scrambled to form a girls team in mid-season just a year ago.
"We started out with four and ended up with about 23 or 24, which was amazing to see," said assistant coach Chad Randall. "Nobody ever having touched a rugby ball came out and, yeah, we ended up competing and took second at state."
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Many of those original players aged out of the 19U division, prompting the current recruitment push. The Mavericks also field boys squads. As expected with Montana's spring weather, the training is sometimes forced indoors.
"But we definitely get a lot done in the gym," Randall said.
"Yeah, it’s definitely not as fun because we don’t get to tackle," Ava Van Krieken said with a laugh. "You can learn how to pass, you can learn how to do everything, but you really just have to go out and play."
Players join the team through various avenues.
"I got influenced by two of my friends in college. They invited me to a game. I saw these powerful girls just tackling each other and I was like, 'oh, I want to do this. This looks fun,'" said first-year player Ava Cancro.
"To be honest, I saw a poster in the Skyview High School gym," Greenwell recalled. "I have been dragging some friends (to the program), but I’ve found a lot of friends out here, too."
Prospective players can arrive at practice or contact head coach Rebekah Wong at (607)-222-0641. Additional information along with the team's training and game calendar are available at yellowstonemavericks.org.
