History of the Rocky Mountain Challenge
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Prior to the Rocky Mountain Challenge, the primary selection vehicle for the then-USA Under 19 development squad was the National High School Rugby Championship matches. Although many of the best U-19 rugby players in the United States participated with their teams in that tournament, if you were a good rugby player and your team didn’t make it into the last 16 teams in the nation, you may not get an opportunity to be seen by the USA U-19 Rugby Coaches.
In 1999, Ken Brischke proposed that the Colorado rugby union (then-Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union [ERRFU]; now Rocky Mountain Rugby [RMR]) host a select side tournament after the High School National Championship with the vision to help organize LAU’s in building All Star programs that were more similar to the USA Men’s selection process. So after a winter of planning and the high school season behind them, the invitations were extended to several Rugby Unions and the Rocky Mountain Challenge was born. The committee worked very hard that year to prepare and repair the playing surface at North Middle School by bringing in 100 cubic yards of topsoil from the hospital construction to the east, and courtesy of Hensel Phelps, to level the field. Then 20,000 square feet of sod donated by Emerald Green Turf Farms, all watered each morning from 600 ft of hose running from Whitey’s friend from high school’s house, across the alley from the field. Four teams then met on Fathers Day weekend in the year 2000 at North Middle School in Aurora. The unions represented were Texas, Ozark, Heart of America and ERRFU. USA Coaches and Selectors were invited and numerous participants made the USA U-19 squad. |
2019 Rocky Mountain Challenge
Results 2018 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2017 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results | All-Tournament Teams 2016 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2015 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2014 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2013 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2012 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2011 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2010 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2009 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2008 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2007 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2006 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2005 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2004 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2003 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2002 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2001 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results 2000 Rocky Mountain Challenge Results |
