Teamwork thrives on the pitch

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Nine-year-old Cara Sanchez is one of a kind. 

With her emerald green mouthguard popped firmly into place, the Rowlett Academy fourth-grader emerges from a rugby huddle as the only girl who competes in the Sarasota Surge Youth Academy. She goes toe-to-toe with the boys.

She is, without a doubt, one of the fastest players on the field. 

“I like showing off,” she said with a big grin. 

The Sarasota Surge Youth Academy U10 player has come a long way since a year ago when she decided to join her older brother, 13-year-old Christian Sanchez, on the pitch. 

At the beginning, she was nervous about falling and having the older players step on her hands. Eventually, though, she mastered proper tackling technique and began to flourish.

Also a competitive dancer, Sanchez not only began to excel with her own age group, she was moved up on occasion to compete with the U14 team.

“She has an unbelievable motor,” Sarasota Rugby Club President Troy Nealey said. “She’s also got that contagious smile. She’s just our little superstar.” 

Sanchez is one of almost 40 players involved in the Sarasota Surge Youth Academy, which fields teams from U10 to U14. 

The program, formed last August with five players, includes 13-year-old Jacob Pouso and his younger brother Jon-Ryan Pouso, 9. 

“It was kind of boring the first time, but then I started telling my friends and it became more and more fun,” Jacob Pouso said. “I enjoy getting to learn new rules and games and seeing the different countries that like to do this sport.” 

“That kid is brilliant,” Morgan said of Jacob Pouso. “He’s a future All-Star.”

In January, the Sarasota Surge Youth Academy will begin competing in a series of eight league games against teams from Miami, Naples and Tampa. The club practices every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m., at the Sarasota International Cricket & Rugby Club, in Lakewood Ranch. 

The Sarasota Surge Youth Academy is a branch of the Sarasota Surge Rugby Club, formerly the Sarasota Saracens. It was was established in 2010 by a group of four international and American rugby players, including Nealey, to fill the need for rugby in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. 

Before long, three of the four organizers left for various reasons and Nealey had a decision to make. He opted to shut the old club down and rebrand it as the Surge. 

“I love the game and I didn’t want to see it go away,” Nealey said. “Rugby is a game that’s about the epitome of teamwork. For the kids, it teaches them that in life, you always need others.” 

The Surge held its first practice on an ant infested patch of dirt at Payne Park, in Sarasota. 

“That’s how we started,” coach Dai Morgan said. “That first year we won the league and reached the final of the Florida State Championship.” 

After reaching the semifinals of the Florida State Championship and winning the plate cup, which is awarded to the third-place team, last season, the Surge’s men’s team is once again off to an impressive start, having posted a 5-1 preseason record. 

“The men’s team is thriving,” Morgan said. 

With the addition of the youth academy, the Surge now has a feeder program for its men’s team and possibly an eventual women’s team. 

“Getting kids involved is critical to what we want to do,” Nealey said. “We get to be on the ground floor making an impact. If one day we see one of these kids grow up and make a college or Olympic team, that would be awesome.” 

For more information on the Sarasota Surge Youth Academy and its parent organization, the Sarasota Surge Rugby Club, visit sarasotarugbyclub.com.