Isaiah Ashley (Rugby Rent Scholarships #1)

Rugby PickEm

When you start something (without the full plan of what it's going to look like), you get results that are often unquantifiable. After all, you didn't establish the ground work. You don't know what a "success or failure" looks like. You haven't done the hard work that goes into laying out a coherent, justified, deliberate end goal. Begin with the end in mind. And it's not just the long term vision ... good execution comes down to the little details. Long before we launched the Rugby Rent Scholarships website in July of 2021, Isaiah Ashley had already been in touch about playing rugby out west. Pat Kane (North Carolina based rugby coach) connected us, and Isaiah got on his horse ... he showed up before the house had even begun it's full renovation. It would prove to be a summer of changes. Isaiah first gravitated to rugby in order to get out of football spring conditioning (smart AND honorable). Grimsley HS was one of 3 teams that offered in the Greensboro, NC area, and he immediately took to the game. His size was an immediate asset, and the ability to size people up is always a fun endeavor (... for the bigger guy ... usually). Raised in a "football first" family, he accepted a football scholarship to Furman with intent of playing football and rugby, but after 4am alarms became pretty old (he also only touched the ball 3 total times ... exciting fumble recoveries), he narrowed his focus to the rugby pitch. Isaiah did the work and transformed from a 300lb offensive tackle back down to a manageable mid 200 mark. Learning how to pass and get around the pitch is often the hardest part of the game for big fellas to pick up quickly. Isaiah made it a point to put in the reps to close the gaps in his game, and it showed in his time at Furman. Isaiah's time playing 7's with the Denver Barbarians was unfortunately cut short due to an ankle injury sustained in training. He made the most of his short stay in Colorado, rooming with Uncle Johnny and the Rugby Rent Scholarships house. Even as he was hobbled on crutches, he still managed to get his passes in each day in order to improve his craft. He and Uncle Johnny gave glowing reviews of each other as roommates (espousing more and more wisdom with each trip to the bathroom), and Isaiah even gave us some insight into his content creation ... The Thiccman Inc. Podcast. Thanks again to Isaiah for the great interview, and best of luck to him and his future rugby endeavors! PICKEM! PS Listen through the credit to hear Uncle Johnny talk about life as a Jimmy Johns Delivery Guru!