When two world-ranked rugby teams needed a place to scrimmage, they turned to Palomar College for the chance to practice their sport on an outstanding field.<\/p>\n
Daniel Lynds, Director of Athletics at Palomar College, said he was contacted by Andre Bosier, former general manager for the San Diego Legion rugby team, who was looking for a location where the Canada and Japan women\u2019s rugby teams could hold a practice match. The Canada team was training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, and the Japan team was training in Norco.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was looking for a halfway point. Immediately my answer was yes,\u201d Lynds said.<\/p>\n
The Canada team is ranked second in the world, and the Japan team has a world ranking of 11. Both teams are preparing for the Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup to be played in England beginning August 22.<\/p>\n
Palomar College\u2019s facilities team worked to ensure the field and locker rooms were in good condition to hold the scrimmage. Lynds said a high-ranking official from the World Cup attended the workout and was impressed with the condition of the field and the venue.<\/p>\n
A week after the scrimmage, Lynds attended the Japanese team\u2019s match against the American team, which the Japanese won.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral of the Japanese coaches thanked me and said that without the scrimmage, they wouldn\u2019t have won the match,\u201d Lynds said.<\/p>\n
He said the scrimmage could play a factor in having Palomar College considered as a practice field when the Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s international good will with the focus on exposure to the college, and that Palomar is doing great things academically both on and off the field,\u201d Lynds said. \u201cIdeally, this will convince people that Palomar is an optimal place for training athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"