CO Gray Wolves Hungry for Reintroduction

The Colorado Gray Wolves came into being out of necessity, but now that the club formerly known as the Glendale Merlins has had time to process the opportunity that independence affords, it is in a good place to create something sustainable. The leadership is managing many initiatives that any new entity – fundraising, recruitment, staffing – would be pursuing at this stage of development, but the Gray Wolves are also looking to build networks, families and a more prominent presence in the local and rugby communities.

“In late spring of last year, 2020, the City of Glendale notified us that the [Glendale Merlins] women’s program would no longer be supported by the city,” Colorado Gray Wolves President Dee Nash explained the genesis of the new club. “Following that decision, they contributed what would have been the women’s program’s 2020 budget to us to assist with start-up costs of a new rugby program and hence verbally committed to contributing to our program annually as long as the city budget can support it.”

“Hard pill to swallow at first, definitely,” Gray Wolves board member Rachel Ehrecke added. “[The city] went on to support a men’s team here, a crossover camp and then the development of U.S. national team players.

 

“We are excited to be able to take control of our program now and set some goals within our own board and goals within the team that the city doesn’t have – they don’t have a say,” Ehrecke shifted. “We’re working hard to take lead on that. It was really unfortunate at the time. I know the team took it hard at first, as any team would, but we’re excited by the opportunity to lead ourselves.”

The Gray Wolves are still connected to the City of Glendale. When the team is allowed to assemble again, it intends to continue training at Infinity Park. The city also offered a discounted rental rate and some priority in scheduling the turf pitch outside of the stadium for games.

“They’ve verbally committed to contributing money to us annually, as long as they’re able to and as long as they decide to,” Nash said of current and future contributions from the city. “It wouldn’t be the entirety of our budget, but it is a contribution, so we are appreciative of that. As for everything else – all of our other rugby functions – it will be our responsibility to take care of those, wherein the past it would have been the city and the rugby department’s responsibility.”

 

Recruiting and signing coaches, sourcing additional field space, travel logistics – that’s all on the Gray Wolves now.

“Similar to any other women’s club in the country, essentially,” Nash added.

Nash explained that the club would like to retain its Women’s Premier League and DI club structure, and in the longer term, add a youth program. Staffing wise, the hope is to keep Jamie Burke and Mose Timoteo as lead coaches and to support them with assistant coaches, but that’s all contingent on fundraising and sponsorship successes. Establishing those financial resources and the future success of the club is a big focus right now.

“It’s hard to tell at this point what effect this transition is going to have on numbers, I think primarily because of the timing of it and that essentially we learned of these changes immediately after the pandemic period began,” Nash said. “So it’s hard for us to tell without playing rugby how many numbers we have or don’t have. So we’re looking forward to training again ideally later this spring and I think then we’ll have a better idea of where we are numbers wise.

 

“And our goal stays the same,” Ehrecke added. “Bring in those players who want to develop at a really high level but at the same time have an inclusive environment where we can develop players who are just learning the sport of rugby. Have that range.”

The club is busy reaching out to high school and collegiate rugby programs, as well as local athletics leagues, making sure everyone knows that the team still exists.

The team is reaching inward as well.

“This year since there hasn’t been as much rugby we’ve been able to really educate ourselves on certain initiatives,” Nash said. “Like we had Rosalind Chou from Life University virtually speak to us regarding anti-racism in the sports community. And then we also had a conversation about trans athletes in sports that was led by Schuyler Bailar, previously of Harvard University Swim, and is now an activist in the transgender community. So those are some of the things we’re working on on our own during this transition period where there is no rugby, and we’d like to continue those initiatives once rugby returns.”

 

“And in addition to that, once we’re out of this Covid period, we really hope to get involved in our community,” Ehrecke said. “For instance, since everything was controlled by Glendale, we didn’t have a say in how our team acted outside of the rugby aspect. And so now plan to give back, whether that’s growing the game with Rookie Rugby at schools, or helping and volunteering. We want to tie our team to the community more.”

Reconnecting with the community includes alumnae relationships. Several teams preceded the Gray Wolves iteration, and uniting those clubs from the past will form that greater family and base – a big reason to play rugby.

“And then one of our ‘sounds simple but in the pandemic time might be more complicated’ [goals], we are trying to play rugby this year in whatever capacity we are able to,” Nash said of near-term objectives. “Obviously staying within the guidelines of the Rocky Mountain Rugby and USA Rugby, but we’d like to, at least, be able to train this year, get some skills in, get some touches on the ball again, so that we can remind ourselves what brought us here to begin with.”

The Women’s Premier League season has permanently relocated to the spring but Covid-19 prevented a 2021 competition. And then earlier this month, Rugby World Cup 2021 hopefuls learned that the international tournament in New Zealand was being postponed to 2022. The Gray Wolves is home to several Rugby World Cup Performance Squad players.

“Since everything has been so up in the air of when we can play, when we can see each other out at skills again, everything has been, ‘If this, then that,’” said Ehrecke, one of 51 players in the performance squad. “And so this [postponement] is just another, ‘If this, then that,’ situation. … Another postponement, another hurdle we have to jump – huge bummer, huge bummer to hear it – and I’m talking about it as someone who was hoping to be on that pitch in New Zealand. As a team though, we’re just trying to get back together in any possibility. For me, if it’s either with the World Cup team or on my Gray Wolves team, we’re just excited to try and get back on the pitch.”

The Gray Wolves hope to do some training in the spring, take most of the summer off, and then return in the fall with competitive games against WPL and DI clubs.

“We’ve had almost a year now to rebrand ourselves, to come again together as a team and build up our values, building up a foundation,” Ehrecke reflected on the forces that created Gray Wolves. “But in the beginning, it was tough, you know. But as a team we’re growing together and getting stronger.”

For more information, contact Dee Nash at coloradowrugby@gmail.com and for the latest club updates, check us out on social media @COGrayWolves.