Courtesy photo Michigan Tech University (MTU) collegiate rugby players and sisters Brynn and Ella Santi recently visited the Escanaba Rugby Club at practice to share their knowledge with club members. The free to join club meets every Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. at Ludington Park.

ESCANABA — A group of residents is working to bring an active club to the area.

Locals Kyle Johnson, Brandon Morrison and Derek Ussher founded the Escanaba Berserkers Rugby Club last summer and are actively looking for members.

Johnson said he had previous experience with rugby and approached his coworkers about starting a group.

“I played rugby for Green Bay, I played for Marinette and coached it for Marinette as well for a couple of years, and got to talking with some of the guys at the Chevy dealership, and we wanted to put something together,” Johnson said.

The group meets each Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. at Ludington Park and is looking to develop a competitive men’s team. It is free to join for men aged seventeen and up, and the club provides the necessary equipment. Participants need to bring athletic wear, cleats and water.

The group is currently introducing the game and reviewing the rules, terms, and play styles.

“Rugby is an 80-minute game, we have two 40-minute halves. It’s just a game of grit; you’re playing both offense and defense. Overall, it’s a player’s game, so when play is going on, you can make a decision whether to run with the ball, kick the ball, pass the ball, and just communicate,” Johnson said.

To help explain the game, the group was visited by sisters Brynn and Ella Santi, collegiate rugby players at Michigan Tech University (MTU).

The sisters attended a practice of the Escanaba Berserkers to help instruct and showcase their knowledge of the game.

Typically, in a game, each team is made up of 15 players with eight reserves or substitutes.

The sport is played with no pads and full contact, but the group is starting out with minimal contact as players learn the basics of the game.

“Right now, we’re just doing two-hand touch – like touch and say down on the waist while we’re teaching people how to play. So they don’t have to worry about coming in and people smacking them, you know, or tackling them really hard. We’re learning how to do that stuff safely in the next couple weeks,” Morrison explained.

Morrison and Johnson emphasized safety when playing, saying they are working to show players how to play the game properly and safely before transitioning to full contact.

“In a couple of weeks, we’re going to start doing light hitting, and so we’ll advise people to bring mouthguards,” Morrison said.

The group is hopeful to participate in rugby tournaments once they have formed a complete team.

“Right now, there’s no membership cost. We just want to introduce the sport because it’s an awesome sport. And then, big picture, we would like to get a couple of teams, whether it be a men’s, high school boys, maybe high school girls, and maybe a women’s team. That’s further down the road,” Johnson said.

Morrison said the group wants to bring rugby to Escanaba as there are not many adult team sports in the area.

“I feel like this will also be a good way to get the community doing something,” he said.

They added that the sport is not only good for physical activity but also a place of camaraderie and teamwork.

“You create a lot of friends doing this. If you’re looking for something that’s not your traditional, like going to the gym and working out, this is another avenue for that,” Johnson said.

For more information and practice times, visit the group’s Facebook page at Escanaba Rugby Club.