Time Out with Alex Quirici (University of Oregon rugby player)

Vince D’Adamo: What is your major at the University of Oregon and how close are you to graduating?

Alex Quirici: I’m studying Economics and minoring in Journalism. I’ll be graduating this coming June.

D’Adamo: When did you first take an interest in rugby and what position do you play?

Quirici: I would have to say I started to take a serious interest in rugby towards the end of my sophomore year in college. I have to thank the members of the local “St. Helena Old Boy’s Rugby Football Club” for encouraging me to try out for the team. Members such as Bert Casten, Neil Bason, Dr. David Gold, Duane Hoff, etc. were the ones who got me to really think about pursing the sport. I joined the team at the beginning of my junior year. My position is Outside Center (Back).

D’Adamo: What is the class/practice/games balance like?

Quirici: Balancing academics and sports is something that I’ve been doing for most of my life but college academics has definitely made balancing the two a little more difficult. During our regular season (winter term) is when balancing the two is by far the most difficult. We practice most days of the week and then travel for a majority of our matches on the weekends. Away matches take up most of our weekend, so it’s important that I get my schoolwork done during the beginning of the week. College is all about time management so you learn to balance everything out.

D’Adamo: How much overlap is there between rugby and football as far as object of game and rules?

Quirici: There are definitely some similarities between the two. The main objective in both of them is to get into the end zone. This zone is referred to as the “try-zone” in rugby. A “try” is worth five points. A “try” in rugby closely resembles a “touchdown” in football.  After a try is scored, a “conversion” kick (worth 2 points) is attempted. So the scoring system is fairly similar to football. The offense in rugby closely resembles the backwards lateralling that occurs by a losing team at the end of a football game. In rugby you can only pass the ball backwards but you’re allowed to kick the ball forward to advance downfield. Overall, I wouldn’t say there isn’t a huge overlap between the two, but it’s safe to say growing up playing football has definitely helped me with my rugby endeavors.

D’Adamo: With all the talk of player safety in football with regard to concussions, is it true that rugby is actually safer without helmets in that you have to be more conservative with fundamentals?

Quirici: As far as concussions go, I can say for certain that I’ve seen more concussions in football than I have in rugby. With football you get this sense of feeling invincible since your body is covered with padding, but with rugby you don’t have the “unbreakable” mentality. When you’re delivering or a receiving a hit in rugby you have to be smart about the positioning of your body in order to embrace yourself for the impact. For instance, in rugby we are taught to place our heads behind the ball carrier when making a tackle. We often refer to this method as “cheek-to-cheek”. In football we were taught to place your head in front of the ball carrier when tackling. I’ve read into the topic and have learned that football coaches at all levels of the game are now advising their players to carry out rugby style tackling in order to reduce head injuries.

D’Adamo: You experienced a ton of team and individual success at St. Helena High. Looking back four years later, how of that bonds with teammates and coaches exist to this day?

Quirici: I’m very lucky to still be extremely close with my high school teammates as well as my coaches. Coach Brandon Farrell, who was my football and baseball coach during high school made the long trek up to Eugene, Oregon to watch one of my matches this year. Just this past week, I played in Boise, Idaho and was lucky enough to have three of my high school teammates come cheer me on. I was fortunate enough to grow up and play sports with a great group of guys. I’m grateful for all of our team success and the relationships I was able to build along the way.

D’Adamo: Having experienced life away from St. Helena, what is it like when you return to visit?

Quirici: It’s a really special treat when I get the chance to come back home. One of the biggest takeaways from going away to school is how lucky I am to grow up in a town like I did. Unfortunately, I don’t get home too much besides on long school breaks, but when I do return home I instantly realize how blessed I am to call St. Helena my home. I think you have to move away in order to really appreciate how special the valley is.