Tacoma Rugby Club

Youth Teams

Over the last 24 years, the Tacoma Rugby Club has been making great efforts to increase the amount of youth rugby in the Pierce County Area. Currently the Tacoma Rugby Club has three youth teams and are always looking to expand to more area high schools.

In the Spring of 1987 the Tacoma Tsunamis Rugby program was formed. The Tsunamis were developed to bring awareness of the game we all love to a larger number of High School students in the Tacoma, Pierce County area.

In the Fall of 2006 the Harbour Rugby program was formed. First in 2006 the Hurricanes were developed for boys and in 2008 the Storm were developed for girls, all to bring awareness of the game to a larger number of High School students in the Gig Harbor area.

The Tacoma Rugby Club currently sponsor the Tsunamis and the Harbour programs. The Tsunamis and are led by veteran Nomad Steve Chanfrau and the Harbour program is led by veteran Nomad player Mark Wehn. All high school boys in the Tacoma area and boys & girls in the Gig Harbor Area are welcome to come out and play.

Rugby Washington www.rugbywa.org currently has 16 other High School Club Programs representing its youth programs in Washington State. The youth season runs from January when the season starts. To May when the State Championships & U.S. High School Championships take place.

For questions and concerns about the Tacoma Tsunamis,
contact Steve Chanfrau at coachsteve1@earthlink.net

Tacoma Tsunamis Rugby Website

For questions and concerns about the Harbour Rugby program,
contact Mark Wehn at maddrugby9@aol.com

Recent news about the Harbour Hurricanes
The Sound, May 24, 2011
http://www.ghhssound.net/sports-center/2011/05/24/harbour-rugby-makes-it-to-districts/

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Tacoma Tsunamis

Our high school team, the Tsunami’s, was formed in the Spring of 1987. It was developed to bring awareness of the game to a larger number of Tacomans and also to provide an endless supply of fresh meat for the men’s team. In this, it has been successful. The name may have its origin in one of Mike Van Buskirk’s many nicknames; “John Tsunami”. According to Steve Page, when MVB found out a tsunami was a tidal wave, he had the patches printed up before anyone could blink. The team has been coached by a variety of Nomads over the years including Barney Rapp, Doug Bogle, Mike Van Buskirk, Derek Mann, Tobin Ropes, Jason Shelton, Wisski Wisniewski, Chad Nestor, Mark Sullivan and Steve Chanfrau. Team Manager John Hargroves has played a very large part in handling the youth team. Justin Rapp, Barney’s son, is a Tsunami Founding kid. He was on the very first team. In 1998, under direction of Coach and longtime Nomad Chad Nestor, the Tsunamis became the Pacific Northwest High School Champions. They traveled to Nationals in Indianapolis, finishing 11th in the nation.

Harbour Hurricanes

Our 2nd high school team, the Hurricanes, was formed in the Spring of 2007. It was developed to bring awareness of the game to a larger number of Gig Harbor area High School kids and also to provide an endless supply of fresh meat for the men’s team. In this, it has been successful. The name may have its origin from Sully’s love of his home country New Zealand. The team is coached by veteran Nomads Mark Sullivan and Mark Wehn. In 2007 in there first year of play, the Hurricanes went undefeated and won the Pacific Northwest High School DII Championship.