2022 Tour Diary

This year’s Michigan Rugby spring break trip (aka tour) is taking place from February 25 to March 6. You can read about the details of the trip here. We’re documenting our travels through daily diary entries written by different members of the team.

February 25

George Janke, junior number 8:

This was our travel day. All of us finished our Friday classes and then rushed to the airport for our 5pm flight. My car was the last to leave Ann Arbor, so we were already running a little late, and then right when we got on the highway, the car broke down. We ended up getting a girl we knew to pick us up on the highway and get us the rest of the way there. Sophie Marcotte, you’re a lifesaver!

After arriving in Phoenix, the entire team went to the Waffle House next to our hotel for a little dinner. It certainly wasn’t the best nutritionally, but it’s what we had. One of the other patrons was an Ohio State fan and gave us a lot of grief. After dinner, Shea Loughnane got an 11pm workout in at the hotel gym. And then it was time for bed.

It’s amazing how much attention we get while traveling. All of the players were wearing team gear, and so many people stopped us to say hi. A lot of people love Michigan, and a lot of people love rugby.

February 26

Jamie Willcox, freshman center:

With a wonderful serving of hotel breakfast, we were on our way to Sedona, to hike at the steep but rewarding view of Cathedral Rock. Afterwards the team stopped for lunch in Sedona at a greasy yet filling establishment: Senor Bob’s Hotdogs. 

Fueled up and ready for rounds 2 and 3, we trekked up to Devil’s Bridge, a rocky bridge landmarked by picture perfect valleys and deadly drops. We grabbed a group photo of the brave on the arch, and headed off for round 3 of hiking, which culminated in an epic sunset view of the desert shrubery and mountains from the entrance of a small cave. 

Famished, we had some good grub a local Indian restaraunt with many orders of Curry and Chai tea, and headed back to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

February 27

Keith Hudson, senior hooker:

Today was the first day of tour where we finally got the chance to play rugby! We had three scrimmages against the Arizona State Sun Devils. The first scrimmage saw A-side dominating in the first half with George Janke scoring two tries and Max Rector coming through with both conversions. However, the Sun Devils weren’t going down easy as they answered with a try of their own. In the end, the final score saw Michigan win 19-5 after Shea Loughnane scored a try in the second half.

Unfortunately, the second scrimmage with the B-side didn’t go so well. Going into half time, we were down 0-17. In the second half, we began to fight back with Tommy Hendricks and Armen Vartanian scoring tries followed by a conversion by Sam Sugarman. Despite our valiant effort, we lost 12-27. To make up for our loss in the second scrimmage, A-side came back determined to win the series. George Janke, Max Rector, and Braden Loughnane all scored tries with Rector and Loughnane getting conversions. We won 33-12.

After the games, both teams exchanged gear and ate food provided by Matt Golub’s family together. Afterwards, the Sun Devils were gracious enough to show around their beautiful campus. We even went on a hike that they typically run for conditioning. Before going back to the hotel, the team made a quick food run to Walmart. Once we made it back to the hotel, there was a quick dip in the pool and the start of another round of Prankster. We ate dinner at a Mongolian restaurant where some of the players got the chance to meet MRF president Wes Farrow.

But, that wasn’t the end. The rest of the night saw these Michigan ruggers get into their typical shenanigans. We went out on the town, ate some good ice cream, and Matt Golub successfully accused Armen Vartanian of being the prankster. This makes Golub two for two!

February 28

Alonzo Cortez, junior lock:

The team started off their day loading up the bus and heading west to Joshua Tree National Park. The first stop in the park was a hike to Mastadon Peak. The hike was 2.6 miles long and took us about 1.5 hrs to complete. We proceeded to visit the Cholla Cactus Garden and climbed around Skull Rock, top tourist attractions in the area. However, to end the day we hiked (ran) up Ryan Mountain, which was the most challenging hike we have done by far. The hike featured loops around the mountain and a beautiful sunset across the horizon. It totaled 1.5 miles and 1069 feet of elevation each direction. Although I lagged behind, I managed to get to the top and it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. It was especially cool going back down the mountain after dark with Coach Trenary, hearing mysterious animal noises.

We capped off the day at an inn. Some of the team opted for Mexican food but immediately regretted upon the first bite. I, on the other hand, ordered Applebee’s and did not regret it. I capped off the night with Matt Golub and Max Rector at the hot tub talking about the supply and demand chain of today’s housing market.

March 1

Otto Janke, freshman scrumhalf:

What a day! We slept in until 4:45 or so, well-rested and in good spirits thanks to the wonderful inn and the delicious Mexican food we had consumed the night prior. Despite only having three tour members on the bus by 5am (sorry coach!), we managed to get to Joshua Tree early enough to spring up a big rock for 6:15 sunrise. It was beautiful and well worth the effort, at least for the six of us that made it up.

Since we were already in Joshua Tree, we went on one final short hike with a whole lot of climbing. Coach Trenary decided to go off climbing on his own on one of the most impressive boulder piles we saw in the park causing us all to worry—but fortunately we found him right back at the bus.

With that, we finally left Joshua Tree, completing our journey from Sunny Arizona to Sunny San Diego, California—where we arrived at Cathedral Catholic High School ready for training with a fantastic high school program. Even though we had some players who had never played 15s before, and no players who had played 15s recently, we managed to scrap together a side for a full half of ruck touch.

Before dinner, men’s sevens Team USA player Joe Schroeder stopped by our hotel to chat about his rugby experiences. Afterwards, we were tired enough and quickly dozed off to sleep after a stop at In-n-Out. Fun day.

March 2

Tommy Hendricks, sophomore hooker:

The second of March was (and will ever be) by far the greatest day of my entire life. It started in La Jolla, where we played a game of beach rugby that extended as far out into the ocean as we dared to go. Great fun! Such great fun, in fact, that we even had a beachgoer join to play for some time. After tiring ourselves out running around playing rugby and football, we hiked roughly a mile up into central La Jolla listening to “Hips Don’t Lie” the whole way. I couldn’t help but be sorry for Jamie who was pranked to run intervals the entire way! A group of maybe 6 teammates and I enjoyed a quick meal at Buzz, where we were very unfortunately denied sourdough bread. The walk back consisted of plenty of wide-eyed onlookers in awe of my yolked triceps showing under my sleeveless 2008 West Michigan Truck Show “Big Rigs! Big Party!” t-shirt and ultra-fashionable Pit Viper sunglasses.

Later that day we were able to tour San Diego State University. A few of their team leaders showed us around campus; one was wearing Pit Vipers. Fortunately, I was pranked by Braden at this point in the day and was presented the opportunity to bear crawl up staircases and bark like a dog for all to witness. Training that night started with a 1 mile sprint as punishment for an SDSU player’s delinquency. The two hour practice went very well and many of our players traded gear afterwards. That night I enjoyed chicken tenders at the chicken joint across the street from Señor Pancho.

March 3

Braden Loughnane, junior flyhalf

We left the hotel early this morning for the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. Our day started with a lower body workout in the same gym used by the olympians and paralympians. From there we headed to the cafeteria for breakfast and ran into USA Rugby 7s star Stephen Tomasin, who kindly greeted the team. We received a tour of the facilities, spotting Landon Donovan coaching his San Diego Loyal SC and learning about all of the other famous athletes that have trained at the center. From there we began our first team training of the day, focusing on edge attack and defense.

After lunch, we found our way to the secluded rugby complex to watch the USA women’s team up close, fresh off their victory in the Malaga stop of the World Rugby Sevens Series. The field was beautiful: mountains in the back, hidden by bushes and trees on all sides, and accompanied with an outdoor gym on the sideline. As the only spectators attending the training, we were able to watch and listen closely. Many of the players came to speak with us afterwards, led by Alena Olsen — Michigan alumna. With them was Zack Test (a legend on the men’s team now helping coach the women). Alena was not only kind enough to invite us to their training, but also joined us at our evening training.

After a brief trip to shoot arrows at the archery facility, the team headed down to the pitch to work on our restarts. Alena coached us up and brought plenty of USA Eagle gear for the team! It was incredible to meet her and her teammates, learn about her journey, and receive her expert coaching tips.

We wrapped up our day with a second lift before dinner at the cafeteria, discussing our incredible experiences and reviewing film from the evening training, then finally retiring to the athlete residences.

March 4

Ryan Grover, freshman lock:

After a great day of training and lifting at Chula Vista Olympic Facility, our squad woke up for some recovery. We braved the rain storm and hit some cardio and stretching. As George always says, “the best ability is availability” so recovery is key. We then ate another Olympic meal and left Chula Vista for our next location, Los Angeles.

On our northern journey to Los Angeles, we made a quick pit stop for some local delicacies, and Otto had his first burrito on this trip without hot Cheetos. Then, onto the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank for some good old-fashioned tour community service. We ended up at a big warehouse and worked in an assembly line. Just like in rugby, a good defensive line and communication were key as we all worked together to assemble 1881 boxes of food for people in need.

After a long day, we arrived at our Los Angeles hotel and bid farewell to our great bus driver, Beverly. Our ruggers capped the night off with dinner at all sorts of places (Wingstop and McDonalds were the two most popular). After a surprise appearance by tour vets and recent grads Jack Vecchio and Bryce Watson, we finished the night off with some good old fashioned fun. Another great day on the 2022 UMRFC tour.

March 5

Tim Zamarro, sophomore prop:

Our day began with meeting an alumnus, Sultan Sharrief, who played with our coach when he was a player. Sultan was probably one of the smartest rugby players I’ve ever met; he develops virtual reality technology. He was extremely hospitable as well, as he took us into his home and showed us around Venice Beach.

Next, we went to UCLA to watch a rugby match between UCLA and Cal. Their athletes were impressive and we were lucky to watch high level 15s rugby. There, we met another alumnus, Mike Livanos. Mike played from ‘98 to ‘02. Mike was also very kind, rocked a great mustache, and also played prop in his time at Michigan. I appreciated meeting an alum who played the same position as me.

Next, we explored LA a bit more, including the rest of UCLA’s campus, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Griffith Observatory. To end the night, we had a social event at Mike’s house. He and his wife prepared us 32 pounds of meat and live music. There we saw a few more alumni, some new and some familiar, and we had a blast. We talked with the alumni about their time at Michigan, played darts, and held a few traditions of our own while we were there. Today was my favorite day of tour by far, between the sights we saw and the people we met, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

March 6

Shea Loughnane, freshman wing

Our final day began as I wished all of them had, with George Janke and I getting a sick pump in at the hotel gym (this one had more than three dumbbells!). George and my relationship is what I’d imagine having a brother is like, so there’s no one else I’d rather get juiced up with on a Sunday morning.

For the first team activity of the day, Tour Manager Nate Fisher led our group of ruggers to the bustling Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles. Here the ruggers chose from a diverse set of food stands; although, most opted for Mexican street tacos (when in Rome . . .). We also ran into Pittsburgh Steelers WR Chase Claypool, who unfortunately wasn’t keen on our recruiting efforts. Our departure from the market was slowed by Tommy “Donuts” Hendricks and the newly formed Donut Gang who lagged behind in line for – you guessed it – donuts.

Once Tommy had acquired his fix of the delectable Dutch treats, we headed to the University of Southern California’s campus where the ruggers embarked on a self guided tour ending at the School of Cinematic Arts. Here we met with alumnus Sultan Sharrief (2001-2005) who gave us an insight into his PhD work regarding augmented and virtual reality – cool stuff!

Our final stop of the 2022 Southwest tour was at Junior wing Peter Marcus’s villa in the San Fernando Valley. Peter was a gracious host who provided the ruggers with a pre-flight meal and a place to relax before our red-eye flight back to Michigan.

The ruggers would like to extend our thanks to Tour Manager Nate Fisher, Head Coach Matt Trenary, the Michigan Rugby Foundation, our gracious alumni, and our supportive families for making this tour a great success. Now we turn our focus to the Notre Dame 7s Tournament on Saturday, March 26th in South Bend, IN.