View From The Field - Week 2

Two fitness sessions, two practices, and two days of training camp—what a week it has been for a Wake Forest Rugby player. I find myself still struggling to recover from the exhaustion resulting from this past weekend’s training camp. Upon arrival we were thrown almost immediately into a difficult morning fitness session. This workout asked us to give the team our all in terms of physical effort, and looking around, it seemed as though every player was doing just that. At several points I felt that I was going to lose my breakfast, and while I was lucky, there were a couple players not so fortunate.

After a quick lunch we found ourselves back on the pitch for a much lighter, more traditional afternoon practice. Exhausted from the morning workout, I was unsure of the level of quality we would see in the afternoon, but I was happy to see that despite their fatigue each player was still giving it their all. We all enjoyed some bonding time during the team dinner, and afterwards we hit the hay fairly early to rest up for Day 2.

Although Sunday proved to be rainy and cold, we were able to utilize an indoor gym at the facility for a productive morning session. This session was similar to a normal practice, and there was particular and separate focus on the forwards and backs as well as some transitional work into overall style of play. I was very happy to see the newest players jumping into our play flow with confidence and a great deal of success. It’s good to know that these players are already available for use in competitive play. Between the morning and afternoon sessions the team worked on goal setting and also took some time to get familiarized with our most trusted set piece plays. When we came out to the pitch in the afternoon the weather had improved and so had our energy. Everyone was looking forward to the close of the grueling weekend. We spent these last couple hours focused on our overall game play, combining aspects of play from the forwards and backs that we had worked on into a synchronized, effective style of play. Veteran players like myself worked on improving what we had developed in the fall while rookies were quick to learn the ins and outs of Wake’s game plan. In all, the weekend in Roanoke, Virginia was fun, challenging, and has brought the team much closer to where we need to be for the start of the season.

After Monday’s recovery-style fitness session and Tuesday’s productive practice, we are only a few days away from Saturday’s Carolina’s League opener against USC. While I am nervous about the game, I am also excited to see if all of our hard work these past months in preparation has paid off. I feel confident, as do my teammates, in our ability and talent as a team, but it is going to take our very best efforts to be successful in this league.

-Perry Salvagne, '10

Perry Salvagne is a senior center who is writing a weekly blog throughout the season giving a player's perspective on the team. His blog will appear every Wednesday.