8 Globe West Sunday Globe JULY 16, 2017 Sports Teen seeks to form a rugby team

Najia Lloyd set Now 14 years old and a few terest among students and Having watched Lloyd play team, then they should join months before even stepping find a coach to lead the enter- with the boys as well, Skend- rugby.’’ on selling sport onto the Concord-Carlisle prise. arian has seen her resilience While playing the sport in High School campus as a first- Lloyd is fully aware of the up close. high school remains a glint in at her high school year student, she’s tackling obstacles, but the fact that “I think it’s hard when her eye, Lloyd has the more her biggest challenge to date: she’s willing to give it a go im- you’re with a bunch of boys, immediate satisfaction of the By Logan Mullen starting a rugby program presses many in the rugby but she doesn’t let that bring Bay State Games to look for- GLOBE CORRESPONDENT there. community. her down,” Skendarian said. ward to. Her opponents there It was just two years ago Her timing is promising. “I don’t think incredible is “She’s an exceptional person might well become school-lev- when Najia Lloyd discovered Though often regarded as one too strong a word to use, quite . . . and she won’t let playing el opponents down the road, that field hockey and soccer of the fastest-growing sports honestly,” said Bill Good, who with a bunch of boys intimi- so she’s using the competition were not quite for her. in the United States, rugby sits on the board of directors date her.” and high-stakes nature of the Putting them aside, she was relegated for years to club of the Massachusetts Youth Motivated by her passion competition to prepare herself picked up the rough-and-tum- status at the high school level Rugby Association and assists for the sport, Lloyd is now for playing the sport at a varsi- ble sport of rugby, a game here. This year, the Massachu- in the organizing of the sport morphing into a saleswoman ty level down the road. with which her family had a setts Interscholastic Athletic for the Bay State Games. “It’s of sorts with both high school “With varsity sports, there’s history. Her grandfather Association led the way na- very impressive to say the very administrators and potential a lot of pressure competing in played semi-professionally in tionally by recognizing rugby least that that young lady has teammates. championships,” she said. “I , and her aunt played as a varsity sport. that self-confidence and that So what’s her sales pitch? think with the Bay State for a season in college while Lloyd has taken that as her kind of initiative and that “It is very much a team Games and the prospect of my studying abroad in Scotland. cue. kind of . . . passion for it.” sport,” Lloyd said. “In rugby, potentially playing varsity Since she made the switch, “I knew that when I got to Amy Beth Skendarian has it’s a lot of teamwork. If some- next year, it will really help nearly all of her experience high school I would definitely been Lloyd’s coach in the Met- one has the ball, you need to train me and see what the has been playing with the do a sport,” she said recently. Najia Lloyd played rugby in ro West program for the past be behind them, if you’re be- competition is like and what

Globe_West/ZWA008/West1 boys, and as the Bay State “My mom even made a rule the Bay State Games. two years and uses similar ing tackled, there’s a big group kind of team-building aspects Games’ July 29 rugby competi- that I had to play a sport in language in describing her. behind you trying to get the I need to push myself to per- tion draws nearer, she’s more high school. about . . . what I would have “She’s driven,” said Skend- ball back. form my best.” than keeping pace with them. “I just started thinking, to do” to start a program. arian, “She’s passionate, she’s “I have a great relationship From tackling the boys to ‘I’m not going to play soccer, It’s no small task: Beyond very coachable, she just has with my teammates,’’ she con- Logan Mullen can be reached sometimes even setting the I’m not going to play , wrestling with logistical red this desire to learn and wants tinued, “and I think if some- at [email protected]. pace, she keeps on leading by I love rugby, I’ve been playing tape, organizers of such an ef- to learn everything she can one wants friendship and Follow him on Twitter example. for a while,’ and I thought fort need to draw sufficient in- about rugby.” great [camaraderie] with their @ByLoganMullen. Client Name: Advertiser: Section/Page/Zone: Description: Ad Number: Insertion Number: Size: Color Type:

PHOTOS BY BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF Renegades pitcher Ron Cochran (above left) throws to Guy Zuccarello of Belmont, with Rob Weissman doing the catching; Justen Cantan (right) prepares to field a ball. Beeping balls keep visually impaired in game

By Tom Petrini in the field while blindfolded. blind players typically have an easier of school. He thought he would never being pitched to me.” GLOBE CORRESPONDENT Joe Yee of Medford, 46, had never time learning defense because they again play the game. The Woburn Host Lions hosted WOBURN — The Boston Rene- run full speed until the Renegades’ are more used to moving around and “Coming back out here and find- the Beast of the East tournament, gades loudly cheered for their team- coaching staff showed him how when locating objects based on sound with- ing the Renegades, and them gra- providing food, volunteers, travel ac- mates at the Beast of the East tourna- he joined the team five years ago. out being able to see. ciously taking me onto the team, it commodations for visiting teams, ment, but fell silent when Joe McCor- “When we’re practicing the run- There are just two bases — first was getting a part of my life back,” and money to defray the cost of at- mick of Beverly stepped into the ning, it’s such a safe environment,” and third — that resemble football said Thaxton, 24, who moved East to tending. Teams from New Jersey, batter’s box. They knew he needed to said Yee, a senior systems engineer at tackling dummies. When the batter attend the Carroll Center for the , and Pennsylvania compet- hear the sounds of the game. Harvard Management Co. “They first hits a ball tossed from about 15 feet Blind in Newton and now lives in Wa- ed. McCormick placed his bat on the had me go slow, which really helped, away by their coach, one of the bases tertown. “It is a humbling game, more so ground and used it to measure his and then they had me go at full starts buzzing and the race is on. If While Thaxton has been helping than even golf,” said Frank DiMauro, distance from the plate, got in his speed, and when I tagged that base at the batter touches the base before his teammates with their swings, a member of the Lions, who has stance, and told his coach he was full speed it was just amazing.” one of the fielders possesses the ball, they have been helping him with his donned a blindfold to play in beep

07/16/2017 ready for the pitch. The pitcher and The Association of Blind Citizens it counts as a run. If a fielder gets to defense and his adjustment to blind- ball scrimmages against the Rene- catcher shouted their cadence — “Set, sponsors the Renegades, the only ath- the ball first, the batter is out. ness. Thaxton said having a tight-knit gades. “Just to be able to hit the ball ready, pitch!” — and the beeping soft- letic team for blind adults in Greater No experience is needed to join group that knows what he’s gone took me seven years.” ball was tossed. Boston. They’re one of the top teams the team. “We’re always looking for through has been a huge bonus. Now The Renegades, who won the tour- McCormick cracked a line drive, in the National Beep Associ- volunteers and other players, anyone studying at the University of Massa- nament for the seventh time, will re- sprinted full speed down the line, ation, finishing second at the World who wants to come out and get in- chusetts Boston, he can reach out to a turn to the Beep Baseball World Se- and dove into the buzzing tackling Series last year. Head coach Rob volved,” said Shawn Devenish of teammate and say, “I’m struggling ries July 23-30 in West Palm Beach, dummy before the fielders could re- Weissman, 46, is a business analyst at Salisbury, 24, a physical education with this aspect of school, how did Fla. cover the ball made from recycled IBM Bluemix who has been a part of instructor at Triton Regional High you deal with that?” “We’ve been knocking on the door pay phone parts. beep baseball since 2000. School in Byfield, where he played Joe Quintanilla of Medford, 41, for years,” said Quintanilla, who is in The Renegades won the tourna- According to Weissman, players football, wrestled, and ran track as a has been with the team since it was his 17th season with the team. “We’re ment and are once again the Beast of who come to the team with partial student with limited vision. founded in 2001. “When I went to here, and we’re not going away.” the East in beep baseball, a modified sight generally pick up the offensive Christian Thaxton was a high the first practice, I learned about how version of America’s pastime that al- side of the game more quickly be- school star who played two seasons of it all works and fell in love with it,” he lows visually impaired players to hit a cause coaches can show them the fin- college baseball in Oklahoma before said. “At the age of 24, I could finally Tom Petrini can be reached at pitched ball, run to a base, and play er points of swing mechanics. Totally he lost his vision and had to drop out play baseball, hit a ball that’s actually [email protected].

NOTEWORTHY

RYAN NORTON CHRIS SCHWAB MIKE VASIL MEDWAY HOLLISTON WELLESLEY The rising senior at Medway A graduate student in electrical Team USA Baseball selected BC High was a key cog for the engineering at Rochester Insti- High’s ace righthanded pitcher Southeast/Central boys’ hock- tute of Technology, he earned to its 18-Under Team Trials

Publication Date: This E-Sheet is provided as conclusive evidence that the adappeared in Boston Globe on date and page indicated. You may not create derivative works, or any way exploit repurpose content. ey squad, which won gold at first-team Academic All-Ameri- roster. He will be one of 40 the Bay State Games. He ca Division 3 Track & Field/ players competing for a roster scored twice in the semifinal Cross Country honors. He has a spot on the National Team in before adding a goal in the gold 4.0 GPA at RIT after also grad- late August. Vasil finished with medal 7-3 victory. uating undergrad with a 4.0. a 9-0 record this season.