Gentlemen of Aspen RFC

[edit] A Simple Begining

In the summer of 1967 Englishman Steve Shurlock decided it was time to assemble the athletic talents of the large international community of ski bums, who lived in Aspen, into a rugby club. History has it that Sherlock toured the town’s many bars to solicit enough players to make a full team. Of the original fifteen only four knew anything about the game. “Recruitment often lasted into the wee hours at the local pubs.”

[edit] A Shaky Start

Sherlock absconded a few sets of the local high school basketball team’s jerseys from a trunk in a locker room to outfit his band of conscripts. Their first game was against the well established Denver Barbarians on July 4. The results were all but forgotten the next day after that Saturday night in the old mining town, but the seed was planted. The fun of rugby caught on and one year later Aspen hosted the first annual Ruggerfest.

[edit] The Future

Since that time, the sport of rugby in the form of the Gentlemen of Aspen has sprouted deep roots in Aspen and the surrounding communities as well as around the world. When will it stop growing? Never!