The Academy

After a year in which everything stopped, an exciting new era of rugby is underway with the RugbyTown Crossover Academy at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.

The RugbyTown Crossover Academy is an initiative that director of rugby Mark Bullock and his team have had their eyes on for quite some time. The new program is designed to put elite athletes from other sports into a full-time rugby training environment for several months out of the year.

The idea behind it all is to inject the national player pool with elite athletes and untapped talent and ultimately help the United States win the Rugby World Cup.

After poring through nearly 4,000 athletes, Bullock and his team of experienced coaches invited 30 athletes to the RugbyTown National Training Center for a week-long tryout. 24 players accepted contracts and reported back to Infinity Park in early January to train for a domestic season. The team will temporarily compete as the Colorado XOs.

This is not an easy endeavor to undertake in the era of COVID-19, and a significant amount of time and energy has been spent planning to ensure the safety of players and staff members. Players will train in small groups and will be tested twice a week from early January until late May when players will break for the summer.

This initiative would not be possible without the help of some of the most knowledgeable rugby minds in the United States. Bullock’s team includes defense coach Luke Gross, recruiting director Peter Pasque, data analyst Travis Haugen, manager Allie Schrenker, and welcomes the additions of specialist coach Sarah Chobot, attack coach Mose Timoteo, and strength and conditioning coach Jacob Nelson.