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ALPINE — A club rugby team decided to add some flair to its sport by wearing prom dresses for its final game.
Matt Kanenwisher has coached the girls United Rugby team for the past two years. After playing rugby himself on a club team in Provo in 1993, he said he is excited at how much the sport is expanding across the state.
Kanenwisher said the 34 players on his club team are a compilation of athletes from American Fork High School, Lehi High School and Lone Peak High School. Although the girls are from different schools, Kanenwisher said they are united as a team — so much so, that they asked to have a final game after their official season had ended.
"They wanted an end-of-the-year season builder, and we are always fundraising a little bit," Kanenwisher said. "We brought up (wearing prom dresses) and the girls just jumped all over that. They thought it would be really fun."
The team decided to have a final game and play rugby against each other decked out in formal attire. Kanenwisher said the players got together and went shopping for their prom dresses at Deseret Industries and other thrift stores.
"Rugby is not the most feminine sport so there is always this sort of perception that different people have about rugby, so it was just a fun thing and the girls like to play around with that a little bit," Kanenwisher said.
Kanenwisher said they will have a sophomore from the boys United Rugby team referee the game — in a tuxedo shirt and bow tie.
"He will call penalties like 'excessive sequins' and all kinds of stuff," Kanenwisher said. "It'll be fun."
The rugby game will be played at the City Creek Park in Alpine Friday at 5 p.m. It is open to the public. The game is free, but donations to the United Rugby program are welcome.
