Penn Manor townlively.com
JULY 17, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 12
More than just a game
The importance of having fun
BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
R
ugby football is not quite like any other sport. Originating in England in the 19th century, rugby has become increasingly popular in the United States in recent years, but many Americans are still unfamiliar with the team sport. This excludes Bella Vogel of Washington Boro, a recent graduate of Cornerstone Homeschool Co-op with an unrelenting passion for rugby.
BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
team captains can talk to referees, and you can’t yell at them or disrespect other players,” said Vogel. Vogel and her family operate the Petal Pot Market outside of their Washington Boro home to raise funds for rugby-related expenses. Last spring, a small homeschool co-op in the Southern
L ast A pr il, Penn Manor High School (PMHS) students in all grades gathered together to participate in activities such as team-building exercises, board games, hallway handball, crafting friendship bracelets and making door decorations. The event, titled Friday Fun, was organized by members of the school’s Aevidum Club for a competition held via a partnership between Invent2Prevent, EdVenture Partners and the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3). The team of PMHS students qualified as one of six finalists that traveled to Washington, D.C., at the end of June. The team, comprising students Fatuma Mussa, Kayla Shertzer, Paige Hoyt and Kaylie Brackbill, won first place in the high school category after presenting Friday Fun in front of a panel of judges. The first-place prize for the nation-wide contest included a cash stipend to enable the students to expand their program and sustain it for years to come. Maria Vita, a psychology teacher at PMHS and one of Aevidum Club’s advisers, said she never expected to make it to first place when she first applied to participate in the program. This was the school’s first time participating, and Vita said she initially thought it would be a good way for PMHS students to discuss violence prevention and mental health issues, bringing the community closer together in the process. “I just thought it was a great
See Rugby player pg 8
See Friday Fun pg 2
At first glance, rugby appears similar to American football; both sports involve teams of players clashing as they attempt to carry an egg-shaped ball to the opponent’s goal post. Both sports are descendants of games commonly played in medieval Europe, but rugby is known for its intensity and matches that can turn a rugby pitch into a battlefield. “I like how aggressive and manon-man it is,” Vogel said. “When you’re on a team, it’s like a family; you’re out on the field fighting for each other. The camaraderie is different than other sports.” Vogel discovered her passion for team sports when she began playing soccer at the age of 5. After competing on a boys’ soccer team for several years, Vogel sought a game that matched her athletic drive, and she found rugby to be a perfect fit. In the last seven years, Vogel has played on local teams via Penn Legacy and the Knightmares rugby club, which is based in western
Bella Vogel (left) competes in a global rugby tournament in New Zealand in December 2023.
Lancaster County. Vogel has also played on the national team The Rugby Advantage. Last December, Vogel competed as a member of the United States’ U17 rugby team in the global tournament in New Zealand. At the end of July, she will fly to the United Kingdom as a current player on
the United States’ U18 team to face off against England, Wales and Scotland. In addition to the sport’s intensity, Vogel said she appreciates the values of rugby and applies what she has learned from it in other areas of her life. “You have to be respectful in rugby. Only
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“When you’re on a team, it’s like a family; you’re out on the field fighting for each other.”
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