Native Son: Mike Petri of RUNY

Hanging Up the Boots…

On October 11, 2015, Mike Petri played his final match for the USA at the Rugby World Cup in England. It was a perfect bookend to an international career that began eight years earlier in France at RWC 2007. His wife, Lauren, was there with their infant daughter Evangeline, to witness what she would call a “very emotional last game.” Mike had amassed 57 career caps, 5th all-time in appearances for his country. Etched in stone in the US Eagle pantheon, he could finally hang up his boots.

And he did. For two and a half years.

But rugby boots are curious, stubborn things that have a tendency to surface even after long periods of dormancy. Perhaps they need to be burned or have a wooden stake driven through them to put them away for good. Mike’s boots might have remained entombed if he’d actually announced his official retirement after the ’15 World Cup like so many of his teammates, but he didn’t. “That was my first clue,” Lauren recalled last week about her husband’s evergreen rugby career, “I knew it wasn’t over.”   

It turns out, the way to get Mike’s feet back into his boots was to create a professional rugby team in New York.

Big Oval in the Big Apple

Mike had moved on with life after rugby. He and Lauren added a second daughter, Liana, to the Petri clan. He left a teaching and rugby coaching job at his alma mater, Xavier, to try his hand in the family construction trade. In his typical unassuming, ‘nose to the grindstone’ way, Mike was making it work. But something was off. Deep down, Mike second-guessed leaving the classroom. And, there was the unspoken void left by the absence of rugby in his life. He just wasn’t content.

Then, opportunity knocked.  

Mike had always kept the door cracked open for the possibility of professional rugby in the US. “There were whispers of it back in ’06 when I graduated from Penn State. But it never happened,” said Petri. As the door was finally shutting on Mike’s US pro-rugby fantasy, a seismic shift altered the New York rugby landscape. In rapid succession, Rugby United New York was announced as the next MLR franchise, Mike Tolkin was named head coach, and rumors of high-level player signings began to swirl.

The prospect seemed too good to be true; professional rugby in Mike’s hometown; RUNY’s home field, MCU Park in Coney Island, just ten minutes away from his house in Brooklyn. Feelers went out. “The passion of the people, from (owner) James Kennedy and (GM) James English, all the way down, was just incredible. Plus, Coney Island is like my backyard.” The stoke in Petri’s voice is unmistakable.   

“I knew it was coming,” Lauren remembered of the early buzz about the New York team. James Kennedy had already reached out to her husband to gauge his interest. And then, “Once Mike told me Tolks was on board…” a reunion with his longtime coach seemed to make it a fait accompli. Was this really going to happen?  

The Decision

Heartfelt talks and soul searching followed. The Petri dilemma was complicated. A lot of players have to stretch to make the MLR fit, but for those with families, the contortions can be extreme. Mike was starting a new job with a few ancillary time commitments. Lauren has a few jobs, too. They are currently living with Mike’s dad and stepmom because, this year, they bought a circa 1925 townhome in Brooklyn, ripped it down to the studs, and started over. It was supposed to be done by last Halloween. And something else…oh yeah, they are raising a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old. Adding rugby would be too much. Game over.

However…Mike is a rugby zealot born and raised in New York. Now there was going to be a professional team playing it’s games just spitting-distance from his new townhouse. Here was a chance to spread the gospel of rugby right under the shadow of Lady Liberty and be a part of something he’d dreamed about for over a decade. According to his better half, “I couldn’t take that away from him.”

Let’s be clear. Mike’s not lacing them up just to see if he can be competitive again. Petri’s not concerned about his own legacy. He has nothing left to prove.  Mike would gladly run water from the sideline or man a ticket booth if that’s what helped RUNY the most.

“As a local guy, I just wanted to add value in any way I could to make sure that the MLR and RUNY were successful long term.” Undoubtedly, the best way that Mike can help RUNY right now is to wear the #9 jersey on the field.

The Dynamic Duo Take Back Gotham

Shared sacrifice is a common theme for most players in the MLR. Sure, there are players considered full-time, but most have to find a way to fit in work outside of rugby. Then there are the Petri’s, who, after deciding that Mike should still be a rugby player, had to adopt a schedule matrix that would make NASA blush.

Their day starts at 5 a.m. when Mike heads to the gym. Lauren wouldn’t let him sleep in even if he tried (he doesn’t). A career personal trainer and former Big Ten pole-vaulter at Penn State, his wife is the first to know what his body needs to endure the rigors of the brutal game he loves. She’s adamant, “He has to train for this so he can handle it physically.” The oldest player on the team, he supplements his gym sessions with mobility work at home with his daughters doing a mix of ballet and Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube (the Moana episode is his favorite). It’s a great way to recover and spend time with Evie and Liana all at once. Most days, Mike is back from the gym at around 6:30 a.m., makes breakfast and helps get the girls ready for school.  Then they all leave together, four Petri’s ready to take on the world.

He is a full-time teacher again, this time at nearby Bay Ridge Prep in Brooklyn.   He’s got six sections of earth science, biology, and physical education to prep for and disseminate. While some of the rookies in the MLR are taking mid-day naps,  Mike is trying to explain the function of cellular mitochondria to 14 year-olds.

Meanwhile, the other half of Brooklyn’s power couple has gotten the girls to school, trained a few clients, and dealt with the subcontractors.  She and Mike Sr. are managing the construction project. Not only is “Pop” providing shelter for the family during the remodel, but he’s also the plumber and a partner on the job.  Mike Jr. teaches a unit on plate tectonics, Lauren makes sure the framers are using galvanized screws in the kitchen subfloor, and Pop sees that all of the copper fittings are getting soldered. It’s a family affair. Capiche? By the way, they’ve finally got the house on 91st St. move-in ready, but it still might be a few weeks before they can find time to actually move.       

There is a sizeable break between the end of school and the hour-long drive to rugby training on Randall’s Island. Mike might get a chance to enjoy it one day.  But right now, he is also the head coach of the JV Boys Basketball team at Bay Ridge. His afternoons are spent trying to teach the Triangle, the art of the back-door cut, and ultimately, how to be a better person. His non-negotiables for the JV Tigers are simple: “respect each other, respect your opponent, and respect the ref.” Ask Mike how much of this ethos is borrowed from his rugby experience and he’ll tell you: “All of it.”

After his daily session on the hard court, Mike keeps grinding. It’s finally rugby time. Three nights a week he misses bedtime stories and butterfly kisses to be at training, often rolling in the door at 10:30 pm. Lauren knows how hard it is for the girls’ “favorite snuggler” to be gone so much. “Every time he leaves, he struggles a little bit.”

In a Good Spot

Mike is taking it all in stride and, of course, rising to the challenge. Those that know him best aren’t surprised at all. Among them is the man who holds the whistle for Rugby United New York’s first season.

This foray back into rugby not only extends the career of Petri but is also the continuation of a unique and long-lasting relationship between a player and coach.  Mike Tolkin will have now coached Petri at Xavier High School, the New York Athletic Club, the US National Team and RUNY. Their bond is a luxury that few teams are afforded. Petri doesn’t need to “learn” Tolks, and the coach knows exactly what his #9 is capable of. He sees how much this chance means to his long-time scrumhalf. “This was the last piece, the one thing that was missing,” Tolkin reflected, referring to Mike’s desire to play pro rugby in NY.

Petri still competes every day for his job. “I feel good,” says the 34-year-old, “but I told Tolks, ‘If I don’t have it, let me know.” Apparently, he’s still got it.  According to the coach, Petri is playing as good as ever. Despite his dizzying schedule, he’s content at home and at work. Says Tolkin, “His mind is at ease, he’s relaxed. He’s in a good spot”.

That’s bad news for the rest of the MLR. Close inspection of the current RUNY roster presents a difficult puzzle for opposing teams. Players on loan last year to other MLR teams like Dylan Fawsitt and Ross Deacon have returned to the Big Apple, and a few key additions like stalwart Eagle flanker, John Quill, boost the squad as well. They are solid and experienced in just about every position, and will now be led by New York’s native son, the most experienced scrum-half in US history.

Homecoming

RUNY begins their MLR campaign this Sunday in San Diego, a warm reprieve from the winter weather that has wreaked havoc on the East Coast. Although it will be an intriguing match, the growing rugby faithful in New York might be marking their calendars for Friday, March 15th. That is the date of their first home game at the MCU, the fulfillment of dreams made real through the hard work and sacrifice of many to bring pro rugby to New York. It will also be a tribute to teamwork in all of the MLR player households like Mike and Lauren’s.

No doubt that all of the Petri’s will be excited for that historic day. Though little Evie is still a bit mad at James Kennedy about the RUNY uniforms’ color scheme (she wanted fuchsia and gold), you can bet that Mike’s three girls, his biggest fans, will be among the first inside the stadium, pom poms at the ready.  

Welcome to the League, RUNY.

Welcome back, Mike.