With the spring sports season beginning, many teams have commenced their preseason practices, including the men’s rugby team, the Winona Dogg’s here at Winona State University. The first game is scheduled for April 12th.  

Grayson Caron is a first-year Warrior, majoring in Biochemistry. Initially, he had planned to attend Mankato State but ultimately chose Winona as his home. Caron’s cousins had all attended Winona State and played rugby, including an old captain of the team. Overall, he is happy about his decision to attend and rep Warrior purple.   

With a history tied to Winona State’s rugby team, Caron himself decided to give the unique sport a try.  

“I have not played sports that much. I’ve been more of a gamer… but it’s just because I’ve not ever found the right sport for me,” Caron said. “Going into college, I really wanted to put myself out there and change a lot of stuff. One of those things was joining rugby, and that has been pretty sick.” 

Story continues below advertisement

Upon joining a team sport, there is almost always a guarantee that there are going to be many memories that stand out when you are among your peers. “There’s a lot of memorable things, whether that is going to games or if it’s the games themselves or even random practices,” Caron said. 

The culture of rugby is what brings all the athletes together, which can bring meaningful experiences. 

“One of our last games, I believe at St. John’s, is probably my favorite [memory] just because I always heard so many stories about how rugby is such a culture, and it’s not just the sport itself. I think that is true with every sport, but going into rugby, it’s really been the biggest thing. It’s kept me going and wanting to keep going,” Caron said. “When we got there and went against the enemy team, afterwards, they hosted us, and we ate food altogether which is pretty awesome. That will live rent-free in my head because that is an amazing experience.” 

Another experience that stands out for Caron is one of the previous practices in which the rain could have put a damper on their play. However, the rugby team made the most of it. “I already love Winona for its scenery, but watching the rain come in off the bluffs surrounding us, engulfing us, and then watching it go past us as we’re having our most intense drills was so much fun,” Caron continued. 

“I want to continue playing, but the bar is at a really low point because of school,” Caron said. While participating in sports can be a great way to relieve stress, spend time with friends and have fun, academics take priority for Caron. School is his focus, and he recognizes the importance of keeping up with his studies. However, Caron has been striving to tackle and build up his confidence while playing the sport.   

“I always heard about it clicking eventually, where you’ll get that confidence, and you can just keep on doing it. I think the more I do it, the more confidence I will get. A lot of the practices have been building a lot more confidence, and the last game I had, which was my second real experience playing the game, helped,” Caron said. “Once I’m due for that click, that is something that I’m so excited to happen. It is just like having that moment where I don’t have to be as afraid. Going from a no-contact sport to this is a little bit of a jump. There are a lot of contact sports I could have picked instead, but this is the one.” 

Following the many traditions that occur within the sport, there is a process that includes an older member “adopting” another teammate. Caron has been adopted by the current president of the men’s rugby team, Parker “Major” Dallek. A surprising detail is that Caron’s relative, who was a previous captain, had adopted Parker “Minor” Buth, who then adopted Dallek!  

While it is a tradition to ensure that the team is more involved, in a way, it is also utilized to get to truly know the people they are playing with, the individuals who you grow with throughout the next couple of years.  

“I got adopted by Major, and that is the president, and that means something to me, but I don’t look at it as strictly as that. I’m just glad that I’ve gotten to be a part of this, essentially welcomed because that’s really what it is,” Caron said. “It’s showing my commitment was worth something too, and in a sport like rugby, as a new individual to all of this, a lot of risks, a lot of pushing myself… to be nothing but rewarded by the people around me.” 

In Grayson Caron’s experience with rugby, there is loyalty, as well as support that the players show for each other, creating positive memories and relationships that are likely to last a lifetime. They build trust on and off the field, creating a community that feels like family.