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Hometown, Alaska: The past, present and future of Rugby in Alaska

When most people think of Alaska sports, hockey, basketball and mushing are top of mind. But, as the Alaska Rugby Union celebrates its 50th anniversary, they are poised to make the sport of rugby an Alaska staple. On paper, the objective of rugby is simple—carry a ball across the scoring zone to secure more points than your opponent. It sounds easy enough. In reality, 300-feet and 15 burly athletes looking to knock you off your feet at every turn make scoring a point a Herculean task. But therein lies the joy of being a rugby player. On this episode of Hometown, Alaska host O'Hara Shipe discusses rugby with leaders of the Alaska Rugby Union to discuss the history and the future of the sport in The Last Frontier.

HOST: O'Hara Shipe

GUESTS:
Dave Delozier, President of the Alaska Rugby Union
Jami Almonte, women and youth coach, Vice President of the Alaska Rugby Union

LINKS:
Alaska Rugby Union Alaska Rugby Union Facebook
Alaska Youth Rugby
Alaska Midnight Sun 7s
Arctic Foxes Women’s Rugby

O’Hara Shipe was born in Anchorage with skates on her feet and a hockey stick in her hand. At 13, she relocated to New England for prep school and college at Brown University. After 13 years outside of Alaska, six of which were spent playing professional hockey, O’Hara returned home. For the last seven years, she has worked as a multimedia journalist, most recently serving as the managing editor for the Anchorage Press.