September 26, 2016
Carolinas Geographic Rugby Union Launch High Performance Program
Photo: Carolinas Geographic Rugby Union
Carolinas Geographic Rugby Union Release
CAROLINAS, USA – On the back of a landmark Annual General Meeting, the Carolinas Geographic Rugby Union (CGRU) have announced the official launch of their new High Performance Program. The initiative, approved by member clubs at the union’s recent AGM, sees the creation of a High Performance Program (HPP) to cover both Men and Women in the CGRU. As part of the creation of the HPP, the CGRU is also in search of a High Performance Director to help guide the program.
“One of our goals at the AGM was to increase the level of competition within the CGRU for both Men and Women,” said CGRU President Simone Bontly. “Hiring a High Performance Director is the first step to showcase the talent here in the Carolinas.”
The CGRU is looking for an energetic administrator to oversee the launch of the program, work with members, and build it into a trophy for the union. The overall goal of the program is to increase development opportunities for all members of the CGRU. The member players, coaches, and admin involved in the program will then be able to return the experience and knowledge to their respective clubs.
The program, set to kick off this Fall, involves the creation of performance standards for players, coaches, and admin that will mirror those being used by USA Rugby and in other high performance rugby environments both here and abroad. Along with the standards being put in place, the CGRU will also create multiple Select Sides throughout the CGRU that will feed into single Men’s and Women’s CGRU Select Side teams.
With a short time frame this Fall the union will host two tryout camps at the conclusion of the Fall playing season, one in North Carolina and one in South Carolina. From those camps, two Select Sides teams from each state will be chosen (one men’s and one women’s). These teams will compete against each other at the Annual Toys for Tots Tournament in Charleston, SC on December 3rd. The matches will be the highlight matches of the tournament and used as a selection vehicle for the CGRU Selects. The CGRU Selects will then participate in the Elite Division at the Savannah St. Patrick’s Tournament in March of 2017.
For the 2017/2018 competitive cycle, the HPP is expected to expand to include multiple smaller, regional Select Sides that will compete in a Select Side tournament at the end of the Fall season. The tournament will then be used to make final selections for the respective CGRU Select teams. As the HPP develops and grows, the union expects to offer additional opportunities for their Select Side teams, players, coaches, and admins.
“This is a huge undertaking for us,” said CGRU Men’s Executive Director Ted Hardy. “We are committed to putting out a top notch program that will ultimately benefit all of the clubs in our union.”
The new initiative is just one of many changes coming to the Carolinas that came out of the recent AGM. CGRU Member clubs have shown a strong desire to grow and build the CGRU and the South into one of the top regions in the USA.
The CGRU hopes to name a High Performance Director by the middle of October depending on the number of applications and quality of the candidates. To apply for the position of CGRU High Performance Director, please email your resume to carolinasrugby@gmail.com no later than October 7th.
Athletes, coaches, administrators, and others interested in being part of the program are also encouraged to email the union at carolinasrugby@gmail.com with an interest letter or fill out the form located on the High Performance page of the CGRU website.
For a description of the High Performance Director position and requirements, please click on the following link: cgruhighperformancedirector
