BERKELEY – Having returned to campus January 5 for the start of preseason training camp following an undefeated autumn 7s campaign, student-athletes entered their 12th day of two-a-day training sessions Wednesday as the Golden Bears continue preparations for the start of the spring semester and their 15-a-side schedule.

Stormy skies greeted the Rugby Bears upon their return to campus for the new year and the weather has remained unpredictable over the first dozen days of camp, none of which has hindered the team in its schedule.
 
"We're working pretty hard," said head coach Jack Clark, who is presiding over preseason camp in his 33rd year as head coach. "The boys are doing a good job to set out their stall on our standards. Two meetings a day give us a lot of time to install our approach, and with two training sessions we get a chance to get some hard work done." 

Coach Clark, associate head coach Tom Billups and assistant coach Mike MacDonald have kept the team focused on a goal never changes: to improve each day with progress toward the team's collective potential. Each of the team's field sessions is preceded by a meeting at the Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance, where, notebooks in hand, the Rugby Bears ramp up as students of the game before putting their studies into practice on the pitch.

The two-a-day training times have been amplified by strength & conditioning sessions in the High Performance Center and supported by additional sessions on sports science, adding up to a challenging workload for the student-athletes leading to Saturday's season opener at the Storer Classic in Los Angeles, followed by the start of the semester's academic classes next Tuesday.

"As a freshman coming into a new environment, there's a lot to learn, not just about the rugby, but about the Cal culture as well," said Henry Poon, in his first spring camp after making strong contributions in the autumn. "I'm just trying to be a sponge and soak in everything I can."

That mandate, to be voracious students of the game, applies to the entire roster.

"We're taking it one step at a time, not even week by week, more so training session by training session," said senior captain Nic Mirhashem. "We'll focus today on getting better than we were yesterday."

Watch the accompanying video for a view into 2019 preseason training camp and check the schedule to circle dates on your calendar for the 137th year of California rugby. Advance tickets to all home games are available for purchase at CalBears.com as the oldest intercollegiate sport at Cal get set once again to represent the University in Blue and Gold.