WellDog Partners with USA Rugby for first Men’s Junior and Collegiate Stars and Stripes Camp
16 July, 2015 (Laramie, WY) – WellDog announced today that it has partnered with USA Rugby to sponsor a national high-performance training program that will lead to immersion of top US rugby players in Australia.
Athletes selected into the USA Rugby national high-performance training program have assembled this week at California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, California, culminating with the inaugural Junior and Collegiate Stars and Stripes match on Saturday.
“We are fortunate an innovative company like WellDog sees the unconventional and fresh take in this approach to emerging elite player development,” USA Rugby Director of Performance Alex Magleby said.
The Camp, which integrates portions of the AIG Men’s Junior and Collegiate All-American programs for the first time, is being held in conjunction with the men’s senior national team assembly leading into the Eagles match July 18 in San Jose against Samoa as part of the Pacific Cup.
Once finished with the Camp, each athlete will enter the USA Rugby High-Performance National Training Program, with annual periodization programs for their continued skill and physical development in conjunction with their collegiate or “home” club coach. This is an iterative process between the national team coaches, club coaches, and the athlete in order to better help the next generation reach their goals of performing in the Rugby World Cup or the Olympics.
Following the Stars and Stripes Camp, athletes will be selected to play with the AIG Men’s Collegiate All-American Sevens team at Serevi RugbyTown 7s — the final launching point for many current Eagles including Nate Augspurger, Pat Blair, Madison Hughes, Martin Iosefo, and Brett Thompson.
Others will be offered immersion scholarships in the 2015 Australia National Rugby Championship provided by WellDog or in the 2015 New Zealand NPC development season this September and October. Outstanding under-20-eligible candidates from the Stars and Stripes Camp will make the core of the 2016 MJAAs.
“The recent fast growth of rugby in the US and the long tradition of rugby union excellence in Australia provides a unique opportunity to build further positive connections between the places where our customers, suppliers and employees live and work,” said John M. Pope, Ph.D., president and CEO of WellDog. “We love rugby, the US, and Australia, and sponsoring these hard working athletes allows us to support all of them at once.”
