The Montville wanderers youth rugby team took part in the Morris American flag rugby tournament on, the largest youth tag / touch / mini rugby tournament in the world.
During the July 24 event at the black river fields in Chester, tournament organizer Tom Grego confirmed that 950 families were in attendance at the event, breaking the Guinness Word Record that the tournament had previously set last year with 832 players.
According to Dennis Gibson, president of the tournament, next year over 1,000 participants are expected.
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"This is the eighth year we have had this event here and we are very proud," said Gibson.
The tournament features four age categories, according to event spokesperson K.J. Feury: owls, for children in kindergarten and first grade, falcons, for second- and third-grade children, hawks, for grades four through six and eagles, for students in the seventh, eights and ninth grade. Fuery says that, despite the league's relative infancy, he is excited to be a part of it.
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"Right now, we are still a growing league, but we strive to have a laid back environment as we play," said Fuery. "This is just so much fun to be a part of."
Craig Chapman, president of the Morris Rugby league, praised the inclusive nature of the sport.
"Both boys and girls are able to play this," said Chapman. "Since there is no official winner at this tournament, we can focus in on the fun and the love of the game."
Chapman is expecting the sport to grow.
"If you go to the American Flag Rugby web site, we offer resources on how to start a flag rugby team in your community," said Chapman.
Bryan Fucetola, the coach of the Montville owl-level team, said he was excited to see the kids play.
"They are so much fun to watch," said Fucetola. "The kids have a fun time and it is such a great experience for them. They really do have fun with it."
Katie Gorski, a 5 year old, said she enjoyed playing.
"I liked kicking," she said.
Her teammate, Colin Loftens, also 5 years old, said he enjoyed practicing with his teammates.
"I love playing the sharks and minnows," said Colin, referring to a game the team plays in practice.
Ridgewood coach Ed Simpson said the players on his team were glad to participate in the event.
"We brought down 50 kids of various ages playing," said Simpson. "We had two teams in the hawks division, one in the eagle division, one in the falcon division and one in the owls division, and with each team having eight to ten kids. The players really have fun and just enjoy themselves."
For more information, visit the American Flag Rugby Site, http://www.americanflagrugby.com.
