Photo by Kaitlin Trujillo
Ram Rugby celebrates their Cowboy Cup Championship. This year’s rugby team was the most successful in ASU history.
Troy Knudsen, president of the Ram Rugby, discussed the club and his thoughts about the team and the season.
He can only think of one word to describe this club, and that is family.
"All of these guys have come together to share a bond that is pretty special over the last few years," Knudsen said. "We’ve built a fraternity like stature at this club through sports."
According to Knudsen, the goal of the club isn’t just winning; it’s to have fun while doing it and winning "just comes extra."
"Since I joined back in 2013, this has been my second family away from home," Knudsen said.
Rugby loves doing things for this community and having fun with the guys while doing it.
"This club is probably the most tight knit group you’ll meet around campus," Knudsen said.
This year was really special to the seniors, who hadn’t reached this level of play before.
Winning the regional tournament and being the first ASU rugby team to make it to the Elite Eight is something they will cherish for a long time.
"Myself and some of the guys that have been here for four years tried every single year to make it to the national championship and we stopped at the same level every year, which was very frustrating," Knudsen said.
Knudsen has always been a football guy and didn’t put much thought into the club when he first heard about it.
"I gave it a try, thanks to my roommate Beau Waskom, and I was hooked from day one," Knudsen said.
To Knudsen, the best part is most of the guys that he met aren’t just in it for the social aspect. They really cared about the sport.
"Most of the time, we didn’t have a coach and it was self-taught," Knudsen said. "It takes a different level of commitment, especially with the teams that we play being able to have paid coaches and staff."
The level of dedication in this team and in the roots it came from is evident with the guys using their free time to learn more about the game.
"That’s my favorite part of it all, watching the young guys get hooked and wanting to better themselves," Knudsen said.
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