FW: What USC Rugby means to me - Joey Krassenstein '16
Dominic Riebli
I received the below from the guy who first asked me to join USC Rugby – Joey Krassenstein. That senior class had a phenomenal set of players and leaders; I didn’t know how good I had it. Joey played an instrumental role in helping me navigate the particulars of collegiate rugby at USC and I’m eternally grateful to him for entrusting me with its stewardship.
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From: Joseph Krassenstein [mailto:]
Sent: Tuesday, December 3, 2019 1:23 AM
To: Dominic Riebli <dominic...@gmail.com>
Subject: My USC Rugby Experience
USC Rugby was a huge part of my college experience. When I began looking at college rugby programs while still in high school I knew I wanted to join a program where I could create a legacy from the first day I joined. At USC, I found that. When I joined as a freshman, the rugby program was nothing more than a social club. While still fun and truly a brotherhood, still lacked the competitive nature that we saw in many of our competitors. A group of us knew that we wanted to lift the program to new levels. Throughout my years at USC, guys like Haico Kaashoek, Cameron Streeter, Yuri Nagle, Aaron Soskin, Jonny So, Adam Bushell, Nick Banks, Mitch Suzuki, Corbin Bennett, and many more all played a huge part in improving Trojan Rugby.
From when I joined in 2011 to when I left in 2016 - we began winning games and finished top of our conference, we fielded two teams, we locked down a few corporate sponsors, we hired coaches with high level coaching and rugby experience, we got more recognition from the school and the rec sports department, we began recruiting campaigns within the university to attract top athletes, we launched a website/social media that would attract more high school players, and we gained recognition around the country as a competitive program. But most importantly we launched an alumni network that helped us connect with the those who wore the jersey before us. As the quoted by one of the 15 Principles of the All Blacks Guide for Success, we “left the jersey in a better place than we found it”.
Seeing USC rugby grow since graduation is really something special. Under the current player leadership and our coaching staff of Dominic Riebli and Steve Stagg the program has really reached new heights that we never reached before. Fundraising to new levels, coming 5th in the Pac-12 7’s, making the jump to D1-A rugby, and so much more… it really makes me proud as hell to see all this. I ask you all to please consider giving back. A program isn’t built overnight but if you put USC rugby on a timeline decade-to-decade you can only say we’re moving forward each year. I’m excited what the future has in store for us, Fight on!