Fifty high school rugby players, representing 20 different programs, attended the first annual Northern California Rugby High School Leadership Conference held in Tracy on Sunday, January 13. O’Dowd’s attendees were seniors Ruby Crudo, Stella Richards, Jordan Woods, Jack Schirmer, and Josh Mannix. Presenters included top panel referees, coaches, former national team captains, and players, and topics discussed included being an effective communicator, maintaining and upholding standards, managing and resolving conflict, team culture, and being an ambassador of the sport. “In many applications, we ask kids to lead, but we never show them how. Building and developing leadership is critical to a team’s success. In our sport the captain is as important as the coach,” Head Coach Ray Lehner said.
