Guardsmen help make history in rugby competition

  • Published
  • By Karina Paraoan
  • AKARNG PAO
CAMP DENALI --  Alaska National Guardsmen had a rare opportunity to be a part of the first Alaska National Guard sponsored rugby team to compete in a worldwide tournament hosted at the Sam Boyd Stadium Complex in Las Vegas Feb. 10-12.

The team, also known as the Alaska Maulers, consists of Alaska National Guardsmen, active duty Soldiers, a Navy reservist and civilian rugby players.

The Alaska National Guard Soldiers are Sgt. 1st Class Donald Gum and Sgt. Eti Edward Faaaliga, both with Recruiting and Retention Command, Sgt. Anthony Lee from the 207th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade and Spc. Thomas Foilefutu from 1-207th Aviation.

Capt. August Manelick, an active duty Soldier, and Lt. Cmdr. Dennis Gum Jr., a naval reserve officer, are the captains of the team.

The members of the Alaska Maulers began playing together in late October 2010. Since then, they have been preparing for this tournament, hoping to bring home a victory.

The first team they played against was Kamikaze International, England's all-star rugby team. The second was Chile's national rugby team.

"We have been practicing twice a week at the Alaska Dome," said Manelick, one of captains of the Alaska Maulers. "We work on individual fitness for the first half hour, then work on our agility skills for another half hour and then we work on game plays."

The Las Vegas Invitational Tournament is the official tournament for all teams of different ages and skill levels associated with the USA Sevens International Tournament and Festival.

The annual tournament features club teams from across the USA and Canada, as well as select countries from around the world.

"I think we definitely have the talent to compete in this tournament," said Gum. "Even if we lose, we're going to try to compete again next year."