The Chicago Dragons Rugby Football Club kicked off their first official recruiting drive Jan. 30 by hitting the bars on the Halsted strip in Boystown, passing out invitations to Information Sessions and pre-season practices. The Chicago Dragons are the only all-male, predominantly gay rugby team in the Midwest, joining more than 10 predominately gay teams across the nation. The mission of the Dragons is to be a competitive rugby team while providing a social environment that is explicitly supportive of groups, which are not traditionally included in the sport.
The Dragons are hosting a series of Introduction Sessions in which they will explain the game and the team. The Sessions will be from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 19 and 26 at Big Chicks, 5024 N. Sheridan. The team is looking for both playing and supportive members of all backgrounds and levels of experience. There are a number of resources available to help beginners come up to speed
Regular Season Practices and games start in March and run through May.
The recent surge in gay rugby teams across the country has been fueled, in part, by the memory of Mark Bingham, a hero of Flight 93 on 9/11. Mark, a two-time national collegiate champion player, was a leader in the development of the San Francisco Fog RFC and his sacrifice has inspired many in the community to support the cause of gay rugby.
For calendar, membership and general team information: www.chicagodragons.org.