Airman on 'Common ground'

  • Published
  • By Somer Breeze-Hanson
  • Northwest Guardian
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Regardless of where Aaron Scogin, is on the map, he finds a way to play rugby.

The C-17 pilot stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the 62nd Operations Support Squadron is a "rugger" and he doesn't let his busy deployment cycle keep him from his game.

"Through my military career, whether it was Charleston, Pensacola, Oklahoma or wherever I would go, I would find the rugby team," Scogin said.

These days, the 6-foot-5-inch captain is easy to spot at Cowan Stadium every Wednesday -- when he's home -- practicing with the JBLM rugby team as they gear up for the 2012 Pacific Northwest Summer 7s Rugby Circuit.

Scogin also reached a personal goal last month when he attended the All-Air Force rugby trial venue in Savannah, Ga., March 6 to 12, and earned a spot on the All-Air Force team. He will represent the Air Force in the 2012 Armed Forces Rugby Championship in November, a tournament the Air Force has won eight years in a row.

"I'd love to be part of a team that wins an Armed Forces Championship, and we'll see where it goes from there," Scogin said.

Scogin finds opportunities to compete in rugby through the military, but early in his career his commitment to the Air Force sidelined his rugby days for a few years.

Scogin knew when he was in high school he wanted to enlist in the Air Force. He attended Clemson University on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, and while attending school he also played on the Tiger rugby team. Near the end of his college career, as Scogin was selected to be a pilot, he knew the importance of good eye sight and physical fitness. Wanting to avoid the risk of an eye injury, Scogin took a break from the physical sport.

"I didn't want to jeopardize that so I quit playing rugby for two years and for the following three years I was in pilot training and didn't have the opportunity during that time to play rugby," Scogin said.

Following his training, Scogin began playing informally as time allowed, and then formally with the JBLM rugby team.

Recently he was in Montgomery, Ala., for two months for military training. There he jumped in and played on a local rugby team which happened to have had several players from the All-Air Force team, which gave Scogin the connection he needed to try out. Scogin felt a sense of urgency with his opportunity.

"I basically threw caution to the wind and said if I can't make it this year, it probably will never happen," he said. "Just to say I made the Air Force team at some point in my life."

Being part of a variety of teams all over the map has allowed Scogin to continue to play a sport he loves. But he credits the sport for making it easy for him to transition from team to team.

"There's a brotherhood that rugby has that is very similar to the military," Scogin said. "If there's another rugger out there, we share a common ground."

If you go

What: JBLM Rugby team spring training
When: Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Cowan Stadium
Who: Open to everyone