A passion to grow rugby in Eastern Iowa

Patrick Lausen came to Cedar Rapids to play football and fell in love with rugby.

'It's just become an incredible experience for me,' he said.

Lausen grew up in San Diego, then jumped at an opportunity to play NCAA Division III football at Coe College. Academics soon become more important than athletics and his focus shifted.

He married and settled in Cedar Rapids.

Now 36 and six years after being introduced to the game of rugby, he's become an ambassador of sorts for the sport. He's president of the Cedar Rapids Headhunters — a well-established club in town — and is on a mission to grow the sport, especially among younger athletes.

He and the Headhunters are holding a youth camp for children 5-and-older in Marion on Saturday and he just coached a first-year team from Cedar Rapids Washington High School to a runner-up finish at the Iowa Youth Rugby Association state tournament.

'We think we're doing some pretty positive things,' Lausen said.

Washington junior Chris Karamitros, a state-qualifying wrestler who laughed when saying he was 'on the football team,' is the kind of athlete Lausen wants. With encouragement from friend Logan Black, Karamitros started playing rugby as a freshman with a Marion team that included several Washington players. This year's team took on the Warrior name, but still included a couple of Marion athletes.

Karamitros discovered a passion for the game and was instrumental in putting this team together.

'That kid is a leader,' Lausen said.

But it wasn't easy. Karamitros broke his clavicle in wrestling and ended up missing the entire rugby season. He lacked a little motivation, but said 'people kept asking about it,' so he started recruiting other athletes.

'There is so much detail to rugby,' Karamitros said. 'It was really hard for them to learn about it.'

They apparently were fast learners. After an encouraging loss to a talented and established Iowa City team, Lausen thought he might have something special on his hands.

'It was a mixture of wrestlers and football players,' he said, 'so they came with those tools. In high school rugby, speed kills and a lot of these kids are very fast.'

The Warriors went 4-1-1 in the regular season, then took down Mason City and Cedar Falls in substate. At state, they beat Des Moines Lincoln and Ankeny Centennial before falling to six-time state champion Southeast Polk in the championship game. Rane Weiland, a second-team all-state defensive lineman for the Washington football team, earned elite all-state honors in rugby.

But winning is only part of the battle for Lausen and Karamitros. They want to share their passion with the masses.

'You get a huge adrenaline rush,' said Karamitros, who wants to play rugby in college. 'It's so exciting and fast-paced ... I love being physical.

'I fell in love with it right away.'

Lausen, who describes the game as 'somewhat like soccer with the exception of tackling,' said there are 30 high school teams in the Des Moines area and only seven in Eastern Iowa.

His work is just starting.

'It's a long game,' he said of getting young players hooked. 'But we're encouraged by the guys who are still interested in playing.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8696; jr.ogden@thegazette.com