BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Lt. Col. Timothy Taylor, a Headquarters RIO Detachment 2 Individual Mobilization Augmentee, played Rugby for the Air Force when the sport was relatively new to the service in the early 2000s. Now he's helping to train up the next generation of Air Force Rugby athletes.
Taylor’s history of playing Rugby with the Air Force dates back to 2001, when he picked up the sport looking for a new challenge while stationed on active duty at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
After playing locally for several years, Taylor made it to the Air Force team and played on the top side, or elite division, Rugby team at the 2007 Armed Forces Championships. Over the years, he has remained in contact with the Air Force Rugby community, even as he transitioned to serving as an IMA at U.S. Pacific Command.
The Air Force participates in a version of Rugby called Sevens, a popular variant played around the globe. Taylor described this as a sort of fast-paced game of football. In Sevens, each team fields seven players, as opposed to the traditional 15, and the games consist of two, seven minute halves. Because the games are short, teams usually play a number of games over the course of a tournament.
With over a decade of playing and coaching both 15s and Sevens for the Air Force, when an assistant coaching position on the Air Force Rugby Sevens team opened up in 2014, Taylor received the call to help.
According to James Hubby, the Sevens team manager and staff assistant coach, Taylor joined a coaching staff that included many former Air Force players.
“[Taylor] has a known history as a player and manager with the 15s club and has stayed involved with the staff since he retired from playing,” said Hubby. “He is someone we thought would be a good fit to bring into the team.”
Taylor’s first job as an assistant coach was at the 2015 Las Vegas Invitational Tournament, where the Air Force had one team in the Aces division and provided top talent for the armed forces team in the elite division. The LVI is held in conjunction with the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament, which is round five of the HSBC Sevens World Series event, Feb. 13-15.
The Air Force Rugby Sevens team kicked off the LVI with four days of practice during the week leading up to the invitational, which ran Feb. 12-14. On Sunday, the team began training and scrimmaging. Taylor’s job throughout the week was to develop the team’s talent, not just for the tournament, but in the hopes that Airmen might be selected for the Armed Forces team.
Hubby said that Taylor is focused on teaching the sport to new players. Since he worked his way up from a rookie to earning a spot on the Air Force’s top side team at the Armed Forces Championship, he understands the mindset of the new players.
“At the same time,” Hubby added, “Taylor also knows the game well enough to coach our elite-level players.”
As a coach, Taylor is calm and even-keeled, able to break things down to a level that everyone can understand, said Hubby. He’s great at providing advice and encouragement when and where it’s needed.
“He was able to evaluate and teach our system over the course of a few days to some players who had only played a small amount of Rugby Sevens,” said the team manager. “Seeing the players respond and compete at a high level was great.”
LVI matches began Thursday and the Air Force did well, with the Aces team finishing second in their pool, despite losing three top players to the elite-level Armed Forces team. While placing well was a bonus, the ultimate goal of the event was to encourage more players to join the team. This increases the likelihood of Airmen being recognized by and accepted into programs such as the World Class Athlete Program, which readies service members for the Olympic trials.
After the invitational events ended, the teams were able to watch the international tournament finals on Sunday. Taylor said it was a carnival-like atmosphere, complete with costumes and fans from around the world.
“Rugby is a very unique, global game with more players than any other sport except soccer,” said Taylor.
Taylor will continue to serve as an assistant coach with the Air Force Rugby Sevens team. He’s currently working with the staff to break down video from the LVI to see which tactics worked and which didn’t. The coaches are also in communication with the players, keeping an eye on their performance and identifying areas for improvement. Taylor said the next big target for the Sevens squad is the Armed Forces Championship later this summer.
Coaching has been a positive experience for Taylor. As his first time back with the Air Force Rugby program in an official capacity in six years, he said it was amazing to see the level of professionalism that had developed within the community.
Taylor is a Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization (HQ RIO) Detachment 2 Individual Mobilization Augmentee. IMAs are Air Force Reservists assigned to active-duty units and government agencies. They are managed by HQ RIO, located at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, and serve over 50 separate major commands, combatant commands and government agencies.
Unlike traditional Reservists, who are assigned to Reserve units that regularly perform duty together, IMAs work with their active-duty supervisors to create a custom duty schedule that helps their unit meet mission requirements.
To learn more about the Individual Reserve program, including how to become an IMA, visit http://www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/Home/HQRIO.aspx.