Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Bunyan

"Would you rather me come up and tackle you with a rock-hard helmet and pads, or just my bare skin?" questions David Bunyan, U.S. History teacher at Jamesville-DeWitt High School. No, Mr. Bunyan is not giving students a choice on how to die; he is explaining his passion for his favorite team sport, rugby.

As a sport most popular in Europe, its place of origin, rugby is a lifetime game for Mr. Bunyan and all who enjoy it. He has been playing since his high school days when he joined the Fort Collins Youth Rugby Team in Colorado and continued through college at SUNY Fredonia. "I've played rugby with guys who are 65 years old," says Bunyan. Now, Mr. Bunyan is a dedicated coach for the Syracuse Silverbacks Youth Rugby team.

Senior Christian Quetell has been playing with the Silverbacks in the spring for the past three years. He joined the team by default because "I didn't like running track and I didn't like lacrosse," said Quetell. But now, it's his "favorite sport," he said. Sophomore Tyler Bouvia also enjoys playing rugby. He was encouraged by other Silverbacks to join last year and he "thought it would be fun." Now he plays the position of flanker, which he describes as the position responsible for tackling. It's "basically just a power-house," he said. Though Bouvia has only been playing rugby for the Silverbacks since last year, he has already found a love for the game and coach. "I love (Coach Bunyan). He's great and so motivational. He really knows how to train us," he said. Quetell agrees. Bunyan is "one of the best coaches I've ever had," Quetell said. He is "very fair but also very demanding from his players," he concluded.

But what makes these players love the game of rugby so much?

"It's fun to work as a team," said Bouvia. "Everyone gets to play, anyone can score; it's just really fun," said Quetell. So fun, in fact, that Quetell is going to continue playing rugby in college, at Florida University.

Although rugby is available to nearly anyone in the Syracuse area, it is not well known. "There's a rugby team? I didn't even know that," said freshman Allie Butler. Many people also do not know the basics of the game. This brings Mr. Bunyan, the former scrumhalf, to an important topic: the irrational judgment and misunderstandings people in the U.S. have about rugby.

Many people are not willing to try rugby, Mr. Bunyan says, because it looks extremely dangerous. However, rugby is "not any more dangerous than any other contact sport," according to Mr. Bunyan. He says that even though there are no pads like there are in football, there are rules protecting players from harm. For example, one can only be tackled from the front and cannot be hit above the shoulder. "I have never been seriously injured playing rugby, although I have had little bumps, bruises, and ankle sprains. I have been fortunate enough to have never received a concussion," Mr. Bunyan said.

Mr. Bunyan also says that rugby is a "thinking game." He recalls when he first joined his high school team. He was used to playing football, where he was stuck in one position, in his case left offensive tackle, offensive line, and defensive line, doing one job, forever. "When I got to play rugby," Bunyan says, "I got to run around and lead the team, which is like nothing I was able to do in football." This is what made Mr. Bunyan's love for rugby explode.

"Rugby is the most exciting team sport. I want other people to have the opportunity to play. It really is a sport that will make you better in anything you do," says Bunyan.

Although Mr. Bunyan says that very few students at J-DHS understand the game of rugby, he says that in the five years he has been with the Silverbacks the team has grown much more popular. Players for the team come from many schools in the Syracuse area, like Baldwinsville, West Genesee, and Solvay, not only J-DHS.

Mr. Bunyan says that although rugby is "not a big America sport," it is still popular in many places. "I know for a fact that rugby is very popular in Rochester and Buffalo because (the Silverbacks have) played those teams over the past four years. In addition, I played college rugby at SUNY Fredonia (which is located near Buffalo)," said Bunyan.

In the above areas, rugby is offered as a school sponsored sport. Plus, teams in Buffalo host some rugby teams from Scotland to play against them from time to time, Mr. Bunyan said.

"I just encourage guys who aren't playing a spring sport or are disenfranchised to come out for the team. My challenge to most guys is come and try it for just two weeks. They may not like it, or they may fall in love with it," Bunyan says.

Even though the Silverbacks are not open to girls, Mr. Bunyan says that woman's rugby is the most rapidly growing sport in college. He is also proud that seven-man rugby will be an event of the 2016 Olympics. Plus, the 2011 World Rugby cup is coming up this fall and will be held in New Zealand.

"I would like to see it grow like lacrosse did," Bunyan says. He says that rugby has been starting out as a club activity at schools, but hopefully, like lacrosse, it can become a successful varsity sport here at J-DHS.
For those interested in playing rugby, you can talk to him in room B-10.

Here are a few websites if you are interested in playing or learning more about rugby-
http://usarugby.org/
http://syracuseyouthrugby.com/
http://nysrugby.org/default.php.

Also, watch some high school rugby (not the "top ten greatest hits" kind of videos) on youtube.com to get a feel for the game.