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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Maine chapter.

It’s formal season at here at the University of Maine and it isn’t coming to an end any time soon!  On April 20th, the women’s and men’s rugby teams will be holding their annual formal at the Common Loon in Orono, Maine. I interviewed the captain of the men’s team, Nathan Bradstreet, to learn more about the sport and of course about one of the people who has helped to put the event together.

Nathan is from Middleton, Massachusetts and is a junior communications major with a minor in psychology, as well as a focus in radio and broadcasting. He also had the opportunity this summer to go on a Birthright trip to Israel, which is a trip for teenagers and young adults of the Jewish faith, paid for through the individual’s temple. Nathan was able to extend his trip, and was in the Middle East for about a month, allowing him to visit one of his friends who was studying abroad in Jordan at the time.

He caught the travel bug on this trip, and is planning on making a road trip to Mexico with his friends over the summer, as well as hoping to travel more after college. He loves music and sports, specifically Tom Petty and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and rugby as well.

Rugby is a sport that combines elements of soccer and football, with 15 people on the field at a time in the traditional playing style of the sport. Nathan also told me that there is a new style of the sport called 7’s, which, as the name suggests, means there are only 7 players on the field at a time. This style of the sport allows for a faster paced game along with more open space, making for more opportunities to score.

Nathan got involved in the sport after hearing about it through previous students. The team has 6 regular season games, usually on Saturdays, and play in playoffs in November. They also participate in a lot of tournaments to fill time during the seasons. The game itself is a very rough game, utilizing tackles and other forms of contact. Because there’s no helmets or other forms of protection, it is easier to get hurt, but Nathan told me that learning how to tackle correctly and safely is easy, it just takes practice.

COME SUPPORT THE WOMEN’S AND MEN’S RUGBY TEAMS!

APRIL 20, 2019 @ THE COMMON LOON- 36 MAIN ST, ORONO, ME 9:00PM-1:00AM

$10/person or $15/couple in advance, $15/person or $20/couple night of event

Quinn is an incoming fourth-year student at the University of Maine with a double major in Journalism and Political Science. She currently serves as a Campus Correspondent for the UMaine chapter as well as holding the position of editor in Chief! Outside of her involvement in Her Campus, she is involved in the dance department at the University of Maine and performs in the showcases each semester. Quinn enjoys writing articles focused on politics, government, and current events, and in February of this year published her Capstone research on political polarization in the American government. Upon graduation in the spring, she hopes to pursue a career in broadcast or print journalism, as well as obtaining a Master's degree in Journalism.  
Gabbi is a senior at the University of Maine studying English with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in Psychology. She hopes to write and publish her own novel one day!