Former SRA star Kern to play for Rugby crown
35-year-old headed to Pittsburgh to play in Elite Eight D-II tournament
PROVIDENCE – It was about four years ago, while former St. Raphael Academy softball All-Stater Janelle Kern represented a Pawtucket Slaterettes’ adult hardball squad, that teammate Renee Atphan told her about playing for the Providence Women’s Rugby Team.
“She kept talking about it, and it piqued my interest,” offered Kern, now a 35-yearold registered nurse in a Fall River, Mass. hospital when she’s not playing fullback for Providence. “I went to learn more about it, and I really liked the physicality of it, the no-nonsense spirit of the game.
“When I was little, I used to play football with all of my boy cousins,” she added. “When I grew older, I’d play sports with my brother, Barrett, and his friends, and I’d turn them all into the tackle variety. With rugby, it’s the non-stop pace of the game I enjoy.”
This weekend, Kern – who lived in Pawtucket her entire life before moving to Bristol last year – and approximately 24 teammates will travel to Pittsburgh to compete in the USA Rugby National Championship Series-affiliated Women’s Elite Eight Division II Tournament.
It will first take on Fort Miami (a club combining women from the Fort Lauderdale and Miami areas) in a quarterfinal on Saturday. With a victory, it would qualify for a semifinal bout against a still-unknown foe on Sunday.
Should the team capture that, it would earn a berth in the national DII finals two weeks later in Glendale, Colo., a suburb of Denver.
“The only thing I’m not looking forward to is that we’re leaving in vans at 6 a.m., Friday,” Kern joked. “This is my first playoff opportunity with this team, and I feel great about it. I feel like a kid again, like I was back in college. I love to compete in anything, so I’m really looking forward to it, playing at this level.
“It’s great trying to keep up with the younger kids; there are women right out of college who play rugby, so I’ll be facing off against them. What’s great about club rugby is it’s for people of all ages and abilities, though I’m playing with women who are quite talented.”
Kern graduated from SRA in 1999, having earned All-State laurels as a catcher all four years – and helped the Saints to three straight R.I. Division I titles. She then opted to play at Southern Connecticut State University, and there garnered the Northeast 10 Conference’s Rookie of the Year honor as a freshman.
“I started as a catcher, but I was so happy when they moved me to shortstop, my original position with the Slaterettes,” Kern noted. “(Former SRA fast-pitch head coach) Mo Jackson moved me to catcher because he said he needed me there, and I got recruited to catch. I guess the (Owls’) coach saw my ability in the infield and moved me, but I was thrilled.”
She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology, then moved back home to attend nursing school at the Community College of Rhode Island. Through all that, she continued to represent the Slaterettes, as she’s always been driven to excel in a variety of athletics.
“Everybody asks if it’s a lot like football, but it’s not,” she laughed. “It’s both offensive and defensive, so I guess that’s a similarity, and I’m involved in both. In rugby, you have the forwards and the backs, who are known to be the more speedy of the players. I’m also the last line of defense; I try to protect the backfield if the opponent tries to kick it to advance it.”
The Providence team is just one under the umbrella of the Providence Rugby Football Foundation, and it consists of 25 active players and a handful of others, according to President Susan Ely, who at age 41 no longer competes.
“The active members are between the ages of 22-35; 97 percent fall into that grouping, but we do have a couple older and younger,” she stated. “They come from all over the greater Providence area, including Woonsocket, North Smithfield, Cumberland, Lincoln, Pawtucket, Warwick, Cranston, even Attleboro.
“We practice at either Morley Field in Pawtucket or at Drummond Field in Providence, near the Johnson & Wales University athletic complex.”
She mentioned the team doesn’t have many players from South County, but anyone interested in giving it a try is more than welcome.
As for the team’s Road to Pittsburgh, it began paving its way last fall, when it dropped only one of five decisions against squads from all over New England. It picked up again this spring with two “friend- lies” to prepare for the regional playoffs, and Kern and Co. picked up from there.
In four matches, with head coach Kathy Flores at the helm (she’s also the chief of the Brown University women’s team), it manufactured victories over Portland, Maine.; Worcester; Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Morris, N.J. to qualify for the Elite Eight. It did so with an overall record of 8-1.
“This is the first time since 2011 that we’ve been to a national championship series; the last time, it was the round of 12, to the best of my recollection, so this is big,” Ely said.
When asked why this team has been so successful, she replied, “Honestly, success has come from a combination of things. I think the primary factor is having Kathy out in front. She’s played at the national and international levels, so is definitely one of the premier coaches in the country.
“The fact Kathy’s been with the team for a few years now has only helped,” she added. “She’s developed skills, and having that continuity has been huge. Then there’s the fact the players work on strength and conditioning outside of regularlyscheduled practices. They all work really hard.
“During the season, they’ll practice with Kathy twice a week for two, two-and-a-half hours, but they’re also in the gym at least another four or five days a week.
“I think people believe rugby and football are very similar because of the physical nature of the sports, the contact, but when you look at the continuity of it, it’s more comparable to soccer. You’re constantly moving, except when there’s a penalty. The only time you stop is when the referee blows the whistle, so it takes a lot of out of you. You’ve got to be very well-conditioned.”
With a chuckle, she offered, “I gave it up last spring (because) my body needed time to recover.”
In order to make the trip, especially if it qualifies for the national championship match, the team is in need of donations to fund accommodations (hotel, meals, etc.). Ely indicated the one to Pittsburgh should cost about $3,500.
For more information, visit www.providencerugby.com.