Thirteen Pelham Elementary Rugby players and their parents participated in the second Flag Rugby Tournament of the fall season. The Play Rugby USA Tournament was held at Chelsea Waterside Park as Hurricane Sandy came up the East Coast. The Pelham Rugby team, along with teams from competing rugby programs, showed great commitment to the sport and traditions of rugby, chief among them being that rugby is played in all weather conditions.

Go here for an interesting slide show entitled, “Rugby: 10 Games Played in Outrageous Conditions.”

To be fair, Sunday’s tournament was played under far less than “outrageous conditions.” There was wind and threatening skies, but it did not rain.

The team—spanning grades 2-5—was up against formidable opponents from Lycée Francais, P.S. 75, Epiphany and Manhattan. Because of the age ranges of all the teams, Pelham sometimes found themselves up against players who were much bigger. Regardless, they played like champions and tied all four games. Pelham players passed well, kept errors to a minimum and have progressed past swarm tactics when they defend. It’s a large field for the young team to cover, but they did a good job doing it.

Now, I am obviously biased, but I have to say the Pelham team, a wall of blue and gold in their Pelham Rugby t-shirts, looked fantastic on the field.

A special thanks to the parents: The players get to practices and games because of your commitment. That so many of you have done so much, so consistently throughout the season, is greatly appreciated.

The fall season will conclude Sunday, Nov. 4 with a rugby festival hosted by Pelham.