During the Marshall Fire, the Monarch girls rugby group chat was blowing up. The 14 players texted updates back and forth, anxiously awaiting any news.
Unfortunately, not much of it was good.
“We were all in an uproar and were all texting each other and freaking out about it,” Natalie Hunt ‘22 said.
While their home field didn’t burn down, three of the five players who attend Monarch lost their homes.
Chad Mann, one of their coaches, started a GoFundMe to raise money for the affected players and their families.
“It just seemed like something that needed to be done,” Mann said.
In total, over $16,000 was raised, thanks to support from Monarch Rugby and the surrounding rugby community.
“We had friends, family, referees, coaches and players from all over the country that donated, so it’s been really impressive,” Mann said.
From Colorado, people in Summit County, Regis Jesuit, Denver East, and Fort Collins all donated, just to name a few.
“Summit’s rugby team also made us little bags with some shorts, jerseys, a sweatshirt, and a bow,” Maya Raulf ‘23 said. “It’s really nice to get that stuff back.”
In addition to setting up the GoFundMe, Mann was able to provide more rugby gear to the girls.
“He reached out to USA Rugby, and they sent us a bag with a sweatshirt, shorts, and a T-shirt,” Raulf said.
While Raulf started playing rugby in the fall of 2021, Mann and the rest of the team have made sure she feels like a part of the family.
“It doesn’t matter if you’ve played rugby for one phase, one play, one game, or your whole life, you’re part of a community,” Mann said. “I always tell people, rugby is a different community.”