For alternative sports — especially ones with no state backing or mainstream popularity — the biggest challenge is simply reaching consciousness.
The next? Being taken seriously.
That’s the case for rugby, where many stories go the same as Ken Angell’s — a high school kid whose “joke” became a legitimate hobby.
“Four years ago, no one even knew there was a rugby team,” the Niceville High School senior said. “I had a friend, and his older brother was on the team six years ago. I was joking around and went out with him to practice as a joke. Then I enjoyed it a lot and kept going, which surprised me.”
Lacrosse has received the bulk of attention in recent weeks. There is a push within the Okaloosa County School District to add the sport at the four large high schools — Choctaw, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach and Niceville.
A source at one school is certain it “will happen” in the next few years. Others are confident it’s a serious consideration, not a fleeting thought.
While that sport gains traction across the Emerald Coast, a sport with an Okaloosa County foothold spanning nearly a half-century continues to find and improve its place.
Right now, that place is on Niceville High School’s list of club activities.
Niceville High School is at the center, and has been for a decade.
“It has caught on quite well,” said Ed Frisbee, the club’s coach who started it 10 years ago. “It’s safer than football because without a helmet, you keep your head out of harm’s way.”
Frisbee’s hope is to add the sport at more local schools — he envisions a Choctaw-Fort Walton Beach combined squad to join Niceville in the Deep South Rugby Union High School Division — although the same source as before said rugby is behind lacrosse on the priority list.
Lacrosse has momentum from Okaloosa and Walton counties’ growing youth club programs. Rugby has the Okaloosa Men’s Rugby Club, which started 44 years ago.
Then there is the alternative nature — a physical, tackling-based sport for kids not interested in football, or football lovers not currently in football season. The team is a hodgepodge of football players, ROTC and band members and other extracurricular participants.
Angell, the current rugby club captain, attempted numerous sports but couldn’t find his niche.
Cue the aforementioned “joke.”
That’s likely a similar segue for many of the 72 on the team, mostly underclassmen and rugby rookies. A season of few wins hasn’t dissuaded proponents’ belief that rugby could join lacrosse as the next big thing on the Emerald Coast.
“We are where soccer was 30 or 40 years ago,” Frisbee said.
One of the big challenges? The Florida High School Athletic Association, which does not include rugby as a sanctioned sport.
That’s why it holds “club” status at Niceville instead of being part of the athletics department. That’s the same for 19 high school teams from the central and south parts of the state, according to FloridaYouthRugby.com.
“The stereotype is it’s an extremely dangerous sport,” Angell said. “Everyone plays to stay safe. The other thing is people just need to be informed about it and know it’s open to everyone.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Rugby in Crestview? Enthusiasts push for sport's expansion