Holla Back Y’All- “The Captain” Colton Cariaga speaks Out

Holla Back Y’all
“The Captain” Colton Cariaga speaks out
Michael Hollerbach DC Student

Colton Cariaga is the only captain the Life University undergrad rugby team has ever known. He is a quiet leader and leads by example. He is completing his undergrad degree in business administration and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in June, while simultaneously working on a Life Coaching certification. Following this season, he has one more year of eligibility to play college rugby. I was delighted to get to talk to him about his LIFE career so far.

“I am originally from Charlotte, N.C. When I was touring England playing on the USA National Under Nineteen Rugby Team, one of my coaches was actually coaching Life at the time. His name was Jason Payne and he encouraged me to come here. They worked out a little scholarship deal with me, and I was very flattered and excited to come to LIFE at that time.”

“I wasn’t too happy my first couple of quarters here, and I thought about leaving. But I decided to stick it out because I am not a quitter. After making that commitment, it seemed that I almost immediately became pretty good friends with Henry Hammond, my math professor. He is always looking after the students’ best interests and you can always just go into his office and he will talk to you like he has known you his whole life. That was a turning point in my enjoyment of my time here at LIFE and I really have not looked back since then.”

“In Summer quarter 2010, Coach Payne called me into his office. I had no idea what was coming. He said, ‘I like what I see in you, and the guys have a lot of respect for you. I want to ask if you would like to be the captain of our undergrad team.’ I jumped at it. I was like, ‘Yea…heck yea, I want to do this!’ I knew we all had a lot of big expectations for our team, and to be the first captain of the undergraduate team is something I really wanted to do.”

“Last year, we lost two games. We lost to our conference rival Arkansas State by two points. Then, in the playoffs, we got to travel out to San Francisco to play Cal-Berkley. They dealt us a pretty humbling defeat, beating us by 33 points. ‘Thirty-three’ became our motto for this season. We wrote it on the board and decided we had a year to close that gap. It is not so much about chasing someone else as it is more on us to get better. We are doing what it takes to improve and that is what the whole rugby program is all about. It is about constant improvement as a player and a person and I think that is the most important thing to take away from what our program is all about.”

“Being the captain of this team, I feel like I can ease up a little now, thanks to the success we have had. After winning the National Rugby Championship and Collegiate Rugby Championship qualifier in Las Vegas, I feel like the guys know how to win. They know what they need to do and how to treat their bodies. I don’t need to say much anymore. I do my part mostly just leading by example. The guys have been on top of it this year and they have been busting their butts, and it really makes my job a lot easier.”

“I have started taking life coaching classes and really enjoy it. I love my professors. I think they are very talented. My Intro to Coaching professor is Cherry Collier, the person who actually brought Life Coaching to Life University. I am excited about it, it is pretty intriguing stuff.”

“There are a lot of opportunities here at Life University and great people, too! That is what I really notice; there are a lot of good people here at this school, from the students to the professors to the staff who work here. Life University is a special place.”

Life Rugby Faces Tough Competition at CRC

Life Rugby Faces Tough Competition at CRC
Falling to Cal Berkley for Medal Contention

After months of buildup and preparation, LIFE Rugby took to the field in Philedelphia to compete in the College Rugby 7s Championship. Alongside them were big names in rugby including Penn State, Dartmouth, Maryland, and Cal Berkley, just to name a few. 16 teams would face off in 32 matches, all in an attempt to win this championship. If LIFE walked away with the win, they would be the first team in history to win the “Triple Crown” in college rugby 7s.  The first challenge LIFE faced was Penn State, beating them 19-17 with the final try coming seconds after the game had technically ended (one of the many things that sets rugby apart from other sports). Next came Temple, who showed to be an easier win for LIFE as the Running Eagles walked away with a 33-7 win. Last up on the first day of competition came Wisconsin, who LIFE defeated with a final score of 36-12.

LIFE fans and supporters filled the stands, all wearing matching t-shirts and making their presence known! Over the years, LIFE rugby supporters have transformed from just a handful of loyal fans in the bleachers in Marietta to hundreds of faithful fans that traveled all the way to Philadelphia to support their school. Alumni from all over joined in as well, as did several faculty and administrators from LIFE. While LIFE may not be a big name school, compared to the others in the competition, they are well known for their fierce rugby play on the field. Many of the athletes from other schools, when interviewed by NBC commentators, commented on LIFEs performances and how they are really one of the teams to watch. Arizona’s star player, Peter Tiberio, commented that LIFE would bring their most fierce competition and it would take all they had in order to defeat them.

A few of the amazing LIFE U Fans in Philly

Rugby 7s is a face paced game with two seven minute halves. In normal rugby, the teams have 15 players facing off against each other. In 7s, you have seven players who are covering the same field of play, which is approximately 10 meters longer and roughly 20 meters wider than a standard football field. According to Diffen.com “Rugby is best described as a blend of the contact of American football, the running of soccer, and the transition of basketball.” Rugby 7s is a game of stamina and speed, with quick turnovers and quick scores.

The second day of competition started out fierce. LIFE first faced off with a 12-5 win against Delaware, setting LIFE up for the Quarterfinals. The commentators on NBC had great things to say about LIFE, often stating that LIFE was the favorite to win and discussing what an upset it would be to Dartmouth and Cal Berkley, both of which are rugby power houses.  Our lesser known school next would face Arizona, who would prove to be the fiercest competition they’d faced so far. LIFE simply could not keep up with the speed and team work that Arizona and Tiberio would provide. After falling behind in the opening minutes, LIFE simply could not come back, although they made a hard push at the end but fell short. Ultimately, they succumbed to Arizona 19-12.

Cal Berkley faced off against Dartmouth, last year’s championship team, with Dartmouth taking the win, placing Cal Berkley and LIFE to face off for the 3^rd place spot. Cal Berkley, however, proved to be too much for LIFE to handle and walked away with a 26-7 win. LIFE fought hard to gain possession and up until the final play, LIFE wasn’t about to give up, walking away in the 4^th place position. Darmouth took 1^st  place for the 2^nd year in a row, defeating Arizona in a VERY physical, emotional game, taking out several players for Arizona in the process due to injury.

A great tribute to the school, its fans and its players was a statement found on Facebook by a Philadelphia native who works at Philadelphia University in their Financial Aid. He stated “Went from never hearing of Life University to becoming a fan. What a great group of people and such ardent supporters of their Rugby team. Their passion rivals that of any major program. In two days, every person I met from this school just north of Atlanta, GA in Marietta was so pleasant and really made working seem like I was at a good friend’s party.” While LIFE may have not walked away with the title, this tournament really put LIFE on the map!

Congratulations to Dan Payne, Tui Osborne and all the LIFE rugby players! You’ve had a great season and we are all proud to be called LIFE RUNNING EAGLES!!!

Life Rugby Plays Live on NBC

Life Rugby Plays Live on NBC
Sixteen Colleges Compete for Rugby Seven’s Championship
Michael Hollerbach DC Student

Life rugby will be live and nationwide on June 2 and 3, participating in the Collegiate Seven’s Championship just outside of Philadelphia. Sixteen teams will play thirty eight matches to decide one champion. The biggest schools in the country have been invited to play, Texas, Notre Dame, Penn State and Florida, just to name a few. Life is the only team who earned their way into the tournament by winning the Las Vegas Invitational tournament in February.
The championship takes place at PPL Park in suburban Chester, Pa. PPL Park will be filled with 18,500 college students from all across the country, who will all be cheering on their schools. One unique aspect to the stadium is the four party decks that will be rocking with excitement throughout the weekend. There will also be a live concert taking place at the stadium, with the band to be announced soon.
“This is a great opportunity to put Life University out there to the nation and promote chiropractic all around America,” said Life University player and DC student Paul Bester.
UG student-athlete Glen Maricelli added, “We are all excited to get the Life University name out there and show the country what Life University is all about. We appreciate all the support from the students, faculty and administration.”
Life University is hoping to make a big showing at the event. The school set a goal of 1,000 fans at the event, with hopes of being the loudest and most enthusiastic fans in the stadium. Being live on national television will give the school some great notoriety. Never before in the history of the school has it stepped onto this level of a national sports stage.
The school has put together four great packages for those that want to be a part of the action. All packages can be purchased by going to the main page of the Life website, http://www.life.edu. There is a Student Package that includes tickets to the games, hotel, and three team t-shirts all for $115. The team shirts look similar to the jerseys the team will be wearing. Everyone will be told prior to the tournament which color shirt to wear to each particular game. The team will be sporting three newly designed stylish and cool jerseys. The objective is to wear the same colors as the players so our school stands out in the crowd and on television.
The Veteran Package is $100. This includes tickets to the games, three team shirts and a two-day pass to the awesome party deck. The party deck is a special area of the stadium for those who want to mingle and enjoy the game in a more raucous area. PPL Park has four different party decks located throughout the stadium.
If you want to go full out, you can choose the MVP package which includes tickets to the games, three team shirts, a dri-fit replica jersey, a party at the team hotel the night before the tournament and a two-day pass to the party deck. If finances are an issue but you still want to be in the game, the Rookie Package is the least expensive. It includes tickets to all of the games and three t-shirts for only $65.
If students want to load up their friends in the car and go on a road trip, it’s about a twelve-hour drive to Philly. If you’re interested in flying, Air Tran, Delta and, US Airways have direct flights. The school has reserved twenty-five rooms at the Econo Lodge in Lester, Pa. If you do not want to drive once you arrive in Philly, the Econo Lodge is offering free shuttles to and from the games. So, this may be a place where you want to reserve a room.
NBC is very excited about televising the sport of Rugby Seven’s. It’s a fast paced, non-stop action game less than twenty minutes in duration, which is perfect for the attention deficit television audiences of America. When asked about NBC’s interest in collegiate rugby, Jon Miller, head of programming for NBC Sports and Versus, said “Rugby Sevens first came on our radar a few years ago when it, along with golf, was admitted as a new sport into the Olympics. We started looking into it, and we realized what an incredibly fast-paced, exciting sport it was, one that people in this country really didn’t know about.”
The entire rugby program is working hard to bring home a championship. Undergrad player Cam Dolan adds, “We are excited, but our first goal is finishing out the 15’s season as strong as possible, although we really can’t wait to be on national TV and make our school proud.”
This is a huge event for this institution and the students. Please, step up and get together with your friends, get involved and go to Philly for the weekend and enjoy the festivities. Eat some Philly cheesesteak or hoagies. Go visit the Liberty Bell. Run the Art Museum steps like Rocky. It is going to be unlike any other event this school has ever seen. It’s the end of week nine. Blow off some steam, have a great time supporting our boys and come back ready to slam the door shut on the last two weeks of classes. This may be the one weekend you look back on years from now and say, “Wow! I was there and it was awesome!” Don’t miss it. As Jim Rome would say, “It is going to be epic.”

Rugby for Beginners

Rugby for Beginners
An introductory guide to a rapidly growing sport in America
Michael Hollerbach, DC Student

With Life Rugby preparing to go to Philadelphia for the Collegiate Sevens Championship, it is an exciting time here at Life University. Many students and faculty will be traveling to Philly June 2^nd and 3^rd to watch the tournament in person, while most will stay in Marietta and watch the games live on NBC. I would like to give those who are new to the sport a little bit of information to make the game more understandable and enjoyable.

The games are played on a field similar in dimension to an American football field, in two seven-minute halves with a three-minute half time, the exception being the championship game, which will be played with two ten minute halves. A typical rugby game has two forty minute halves. In Sevens, each team has seven players with only three player substitutions per game. Each team is allowed to have only twelve players on its roster for the entire tournament. This makes substitutions and line-ups a key strategy in Rugby Sevens.

The seven players on the field consist of three forwards and four backs. The forwards are typically bigger and taller while the backs are smaller, shiftier and quicker. Rugby Sevens is played on the same size field as traditional rugby, which has fifteen players per side. With fewer players on the field there is more room to maneuver and run. Having more space on the field increases the importance of precise passing, which is key for ball movement and control.

The scoring of rugby games is similar to football. The touchdown in rugby is called a ‘try’ and the player that crosses the goal line must touch the ball down on the ground with two hands. Following a try, the conversion kick is kicked from a spot directly in line with and up field from where the ball was touched down. For instance, if a player scores a try in the corner of the try-zone, the place kicker would have to bring the ball straight back down the sideline quite a distance to get a good angle to kick the ball through the uprights. Therefore, the closer to the middle of the field the try is placed, the easier the conversion kick. The try is worth five points and the extra point kick is worth two. There are penalty kicks worth three points, which happen following a penalty when a team has the option to kick a penalty kick or run the ball.

In Rugby Sevens, following a score the team that scores gets to kick off, which is an advantage because they can kick it in such a way that it is possible to get the ball back. In fifteens, the kick offs are reversed, with the team that scored receiving the kick offs. Teams practice kick offs often, as ball control is an extremely important part of the game, especially in a short, fourteen minute game.

In Sevens, there is less contact and more open play. The games are non-stop action with the players constantly running. Endurance, speed and passing skills are essential. The players prepare with more aerobic training than rugby fifteens players. Sevens players typically have a higher heart rate for a longer period than they do during a fifteens game.

Get ready. If you are a sports fan, you are going to enjoy this exciting sport. It has all of the attributes we love in sports; scoring, hitting, passing and plenty of non-stop action. It is a rapidly growing sport and Rugby Sevens will be an Olympic sport in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. You will be seeing more rugby on television in the future. If you would like more information on this awesome sport, visit http://www.usarugby.org

Developing Young Players – Kelly Milano, DC Student

life holds second annual rugby camp

This year, LIFE Rugby Club hosted the 2^nd annual high school rugby training camp.  During the first rugby training camp in 2010, Life quickly found there was higher interest in the camp than originally expected as the camp filled up quickly and a waiting list developed. For 2011, the Rugby staff created two camps-a three day skills camp and a four day high school camp to follow.  They also created more openings for attendees, and still filled up both camps with thirty-five players attending the skills camp and fifty-five attending the high school camp. Elite Schools Rugby.com (www.eliteschoolsrugby.com) states, “Life University Atlanta boasts arguably the most professional and elite rugby program witnessed in the US and is one that would certainly rival any club or university worldwide.” Because of this players came from all over the country to attend the camps, traveling from as far as California and Montana. Charlotte had the largest number of players in attendance. According to LU rugby coach and director Dan Payne, “Rugby is gaining a lot of momentum up there and it’s becoming one of our strongest recruiting grounds.”  Payne told  RugbyStrong, “We’re happy to provide an environment we’re confident will help both the development of those players that attend, and the growth of rugby in our country.” As this event grows in popularity, it’s another way LIFE Rugby continues to step ahead of the crowd to be a force to be reckoned with in the rugby world.

LIFE Rugby Updates – Kelly Milano, DC Student

The Dynasty Continues

Life Rugby has once again had an incredibly successful season. The Super League teams have gone undefeated while totaling over 230 points since February 19th while keeping its opponents to 95 points. They are currently 5-0 for the season, one win away from hosting the Super League semi-final game here at Life University in May. Only Boston stands in their way on April 30th. Life is currently ranked #1 in their league, with Boston tailing behind them in the #2 spot. It should prove to be a hard fought game as Life vies for home field advantage and Boston sets out to stop them.
This season marked the first for the Life College Premier team, made up entirely of undergraduates, who have made a strong showing in the league. RugbyMag had given them a #3 ranking before the season began, so there has been a lot of pressure to perform well and find their place. Currently, as of April 11 they are ranked #4 after having taken their only loss at the hands of Arkansas, who are now in the #3 place. The team is currently 10-1 (5-1 in league play) and getting ready to take on Oklahoma on April 30th.

Dan Payne, director of rugby, stated, “The program and the players specifically, have done a phenomenal job as we have taken on the task of running two full teams in two separate national competitions.” He continued, “I am extremely grateful and proud of the effort the players and our staff have displayed in an attempt to uphold the standard of excellence our alumni, classmates and, most importantly, our university as a whole, have come to expect from our organization.”

Life Undergrad Rugby – Kelly Milano, DC Student

Success in the first season

As Life Rugby unveiled the first season of its undergrad team, there was much expectation and anticipation of what the season would be like. While the first season was a short one, consisting of only five games, it gave us a preview into what the full season in the spring will look like. One of the most fun games of the season to watch was when Life faced county rival, Kennesaw State, which resulted in a score of 104-3, with Kennesaw’s only points coming from a penalty kick. The game started with a “try” by Life’s Cornelius Dirksen on the opening play, only 20 seconds into the game. At the half, Life was already leading 68-0! During the game, 13 of Life’s 15 starters added points to the total.

Next, Life faced off against University of Georgia, again dominating the field and leaving the game with an 86-0 win. Life also dominated the field over Ohio State (84-12). The season picks back up in March, with games against University of Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Don’t miss out on the action! And don’t forget to follow the Life Running Eagles on Facebook.

Life Undergraduate Rugby – Kelly Milano, D.C. Student

Dominating the Competition

Saturday, October 2 was the perfect day for a rugby game! The air was cool, the sun was out and there was excitement in the air. The stands were packed with new students, returning students, alumni and fans! This game was a monumental game for the Life University Rugby Club (LURC) as the club unveiled its all undergraduate team.Up until this point, the teams consisted of a Men’s Division 1 team and a Super League team that combined both undergraduates and DC students on the same field.

The opening game of the season had almost a carnival atmosphere with face painting and a moon jump for the kids, pre and post game parties, food, drinks and a lot of excitement. It also coincided with the New Student Orientation that welcomed in the new students for the fall. The new students were all decked out in their new Life Rugby t-shirts courtesy of the Athletic Department. While most of these students had never seen a rugby game and didn’t understand how it was played, most left excited about the game, looking forward to future games. Several of the DC rugby students were in the crowd, interlaced with the new students, explaining how the game worked and what the calls meant, helping to better equip the new students with a new understanding and appreciation for the game.

Life came out to a slow start while facing off against the Virginia Tech Hokies, with the first try not coming until 13 minutes into the game, but failing to get the 2 point conversion. The Hokies responded with a try and the conversion and took the only lead they would have in the game with a score of 7-5.

During the 2^nd half, Life dominated the pitch, scoring a total of six tries in the half and walking away with a 60-7 win over the Hokies. The preparation leading up to this opening game was intense for these young players. Many were new to the team and some saw their first collegiate game play. The practice hours were long, often starting at 6:30am to help teach discipline and increase endurance and drive in the players.

In the coming weeks, Life will face off against some big name teams including University of Georgia, Ohio State, University of Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU and Notre Dame. Come out and cheer on your Life University Eagles and join the frenzy!

Photo courtesy of Adam Schwarz – Lightning Photography