BERKELEY – One hundred and fifty student-athletes continued their rugby development Thursday as the 23rd annual Cal Rugby Summer Camp headed into the homestretch of an immersive week of high-performance training on the pitch and in the classroom at the University of California.
 
The premier summer rugby camp for boys ages 15-18 since its founding, Cal Rugby Summer Camp has continued its mission in 2019 to develop prospective collegiate student-athletes under the guidance three former U.S. internationals in U.S. Rugby and Cal Athletics Hall of Fame head coach Jack Clark, fellow U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame associate head coach Tom Billups and assistant coach Mike MacDonald, and a staff that includes experts in a variety of fields along with current varsity players as counselors.
 

 

 

Campers travelled from across the United States and the world to attend Cal Rugby Summer Camp, with domestic representation from Connecticut, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and the territory of Puerto Rico, and international presence from Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Contingents of campers hail from Northern California clubs, with the largest representations from the Danville Oaks, Marin Highlanders, De La Salle High School and Jesuit High School.
 
"We've seen significant improvement over the first few days and I think we will like where we get to by Friday afternoon," said coach Clark. "The campers are demonstrating a really good work rate and a strong competitive spirit."
 

 

Sunny skies and mild temperatures have made for sparkling conditions all week, with daily double training sessions that include morning skill-acquisition sessions followed by controlled "Golden Bear Rules" competitions in the afternoon on Witter Rugby Field, the home of the Golden Bears. Vital skill-building workshops off the pitch ranged from player safety and nutrition, to rugby laws and academics. Campers also took a tour of the 142,000-square-foot Simspon Center for Student-Athlete High Performance.
 
All meals have been provided on campus before overnight campers settle in at an on-campus dormitory.
 

 



All attendees are provided personal camp jerseys by camp sponsor Under Armour while hydration needs arec fulfilled by camp sponsor Gatorade. Laundry services of training kit are tended to each day by Intercollegiate Athletics Equipment Services, and campers are supervised 24 hours a day, including at the dormitories, where the staff resides with the campers.
 
The 2019-20 year kicks off at the end of the summer for Cal Rugby, with seven-a-side competitions in the autumn to be followed by a traditional spring 15s schedule as the Rugby Bears get set to embark upon their 138th year.