I sat down with two Dartmouth rugby players, Jeff Kolovson '09 and team captain Conlan O'Leary '09, to talk about rugby, roommates and rivalries with other varsity sports.
What were some of the defining moments this year in terms of setting the tone for total domination in the Ivy League?
CO: That first Saturday when we beat Cornell 112-0 and then Princeton 101-0 for a total of 213-0 on the day, that was just really unprecedented. Really just completely and utterly dominating every facet of the game was really a great way to put our mark on the Ivy League.
Why do you think that you guys are so much better than all the other teams in the Ivy League?
CO: On one level, it's pretty simple -- we just treat it more seriously. We run essentially like a varsity program: we train a lot, we're in the weight room. On another level, it definitely comes down to the culture that we've established. I think that reggae music is a part of that, but I think that there's a much larger awareness that characterizes the club, and has taken us to greater heights this season.
A lot of people don't really understand how college rugby fits into the more national sports culture.
CO: I think that college rugby is really poised to take off as a sport. You saw this year the first college rugby games televised on ESPNU. I think it's a sport that America can really embrace. It's high-scoring, fast-paced, and there's a lot of violence.
JK: We lost to [Brigham Young University] in the first round of nationals, and BYU went on to win the national championship. [The University of California-Berkeley] gave up about just as many points as we did, and scored just as many tries as we did. Cal is "Big Bad Cal," and Dartmouth really held their own against BYU.
CO: A lot of teams come in with this idea that they're playing this little Ivy League school from New Hampshire and sometimes have a tendency to look past us, and I just love that feeling when you really crush someone on their team and they know they're really in for a battle.
Conlan, you live with another pretty prominent varsity captain, Andrew Boumford '09 on the squash team. Is there any rivalry there?
CO: Living with such a high-powered machine as Andrew Boumford is both a blessing and a burden. His shadow is constantly hanging over everything that I do. There's a lot of times where I have to accept that I'm just a club athlete and he's one of the greatest treasures of Canada.
JK: One of the most difficult thing I've noticed about Conlan living with Boumford the superstar, not Boumford the person, are the demands that come along with living with such a legend. We don't let them in the house anymore, but he used to have a seven-person entourage with him all the time. It was just so obnoxious. His random little rules -- no carbonated beverages allowed in the room, he can only drink out of glass bottles.
CO: The temperature has to be exactly 53 degrees at all times.
JK: The only electronics allowed are Canadian-made electronics, which obviously limits the TV and video-watching experiences.
CO: He only allows self-portraits to be hung in the room.
JK: The only clip that can be played on the television is Teemu Selanne's rookie season, Winnipeg Jet, record-breaking goal. So obnoxious -- just over and over again scoring that goal.
What's with his nickname?
CO: He started calling himself "Battle Axe", and everyone knows you can't give yourself nicknames. So we started calling him "Butter Knife", and, judging by his physical appearance, it's much more suited to his nature.
What are you looking to do to enjoy these final weeks at Dartmouth?
CO: I'll definitely still be training and working out because I'm playing for the Northeast All-Star team in Colorado in June, and possibly playing this summer, so I'll be maintaining my physical prowess, but there will definitely be room for some relaxation here and there.
