Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: Big Red Sports

Western Oregon Rugby proudly participates in international tradition [Click to enlarge]

Every sport has its unique traditions that make people wonder "who in their right mind would do such a thing?" Every athlete who has been in a hot streak, scored their first point or started their first game, has a ritual that they perform in order to keep producing at a high level. These traditions and rituals run the gamut; from humorous to down-right disgusting.

Sports have their own rituals that have sprung from the thousands upon thousands of athletes that have played the game. Some wear the same unwashed socks game after game for luck. Some football teams have rituals like Notre Dame's football players touching the sign that reads "Play Like a Champion Today" as they leave the locker room to take the field. Baseball tends to have the rituals and traditions that appear ridiculous, but those traditions are religiously adhered to by players and fans alike. The rally cap, the seventh inning stretch or even a routine that some players perform daily to continue a run of good play.

Some sports even have rituals that are seen as offensive to the community outside the sport. Recently Dr. Gary Dukes, the Vice President of Student Affairs, was made aware of a tradition performed by our men's Rugby team called Zuluing. Now, if you are like me, you are asking: What the heck is Zuluing? The Zulu is when a rugby player, usually collegiate, after they have scored their first points in a sanctioned game, voluntarily strip off all their clothes and run the length of the field. The practice has been a rugby tradition around the world for decades. Dukes, who regularly attends Western Oregon's varsity athletics and has been advising ASWOU and periodically advising Western's club sports for four years, expressed that he was recently informed of an occurrence of Zuluing after Rugby's game on Oct. 13, 2007.

When Dukes was informed about the practice he sent an e-mail to the Vice President of the Rugby team, Adam Swick. In his e-mail, Dukes informed Swick that he had been told that multiple Zulus had occurred at the game and in performing the tradition the team was violating the school's student conduct policy. Dukes then informed Swick that if the behavior continued the team would be stripped of its status as a university sponsored club. This would negate any funding the team was provided by the school and perhaps open up individuals on the team to disciplinary action.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools