Letter: Heartfelt thanks to Arlington Stallions

I wanted to write this letter as a thank you to the Arlington Stallions Rugby Club. My son, Jonathan, has been an Arlington Stallions rugby player for six years now and will be playing his final two tournaments over the next few weeks.

When Jon asked to play rugby I admit I was skeptical. I had coached him and my other children in all the sports they played growing up (football, basketball, baseball, soccer, etc.) but I knew very little about rugby, especially at the middle school and high school levels.

As I started attending practices and games and got to know the coaches, I realized how wonderful the Arlington Stallions rugby program actually was. The care and passion Paul Bergman and the coaching staff puts into coaching the kids is amazing. Just as importantly though, is the pride, camaraderie and accountability they instill in their players.

Arlington Stallions rugby is a club sport, so the kids come from all over the suburbs to play here. They go to different schools, have different friends, and live in different neighborhoods. But when they get together as Stallions they are teammates and friends that share a bond that could easily last a lifetime. And though there are only two practices and one game a week, the coaches are able to build teams with extremely high levels of cohesion, respect and trust. This is all possible because of the principals and foundation the program lives by.

It doesn't matter what level of athlete a child is or even their familiarity with rugby, if they come play for the Stallions, they will be treated with all the respect and enthusiasm a player (and a parent) could ask for.

Eric Toriumi

A father, an ex-coach, and an Arlington Stallions fan for life

Palatine