Proteus Athlete

Our most recent Athletes of the Month have been awarded to Azaleah and Thomas!

These two have trained consistently in both our Youth and Middle School programs, and our Rugby Skills sessions with Coach Charlie and Coach Marcel.

They embody the discipline, character and leadership that we strive to instill in our young athletes. They are on the right trajectory, both on and off the field, and we are so proud to be a part of their development journey!

Rugby is arguably the most complete sport, requiring strength, power, speed, agility, endurance and durability. On top of that, it requires intelligence, quick decision-making, bravery and resilience.

These two athletes have shown relentless commitment to the process of cultavating those qualities, with such positive energy and constant smiles.

Culture shapers in the making.

Congratulations to “Tommy Skills”, and the “Princess of Proteus, Ms. Azi…

…your Proteus Athletes of the Month.

VISION.
 
“I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.” 
 
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  
 
+++
 
The dream for the Proteus Rugby Academy germinated back in 2019, after took a professional development trip to England and spent time inside the top Premiership Clubs and their Academies. 
 
He came back with the vision to build a permanent, year-round high performance academy for aspiring rugby players, youth through professional.
 
We wanted to inspire a generation of young American athletes to give rugby a shot, and provide the best coaching possible for developing the skills and physical abilities required in the sport.  
 
We would develop the most passionate and committed rugby players in Southern California, aspiring to eventually earn the USA jersey on a Men’s or Women’s National Team. 

+++

While we started with what we could in a park, we envisioned a permanent home and training pitch for rugby, under lights, so that rugby would always have a home and never again be displaced by soccer’s seeming monopoly in San Diego field space.  
 
We also envisioned having our weight room adjacent to the training pitch so that our athletes could pursue their physical development, strength & conditioning and recovery all at the same place, on the same day/night.

+++
 
Fast forward five years...
 
We have a full-time, year-round permanent home for developing rugby talent, with arguably one of the most prolific training grounds and fitness complexes (for Mom and Dad as well) in all of San Diego.  
 
Under , our standards are unapologetically high, we are relentlessly consistent in our training and the culture is absolutely contagious. 

Five years from now the Rugby World Cup will be on home soil in America.  We fully expect that you will see at least one Proteus Athlete on the Eagles squad; on both the Men’s and Women’s teams.
 
Then even more four years later, at the pace we’re going now.
 
Will it be you?

Warmest wishes to all of our athletes, families, coaches and teams throughout this holiday season!

We are richly blessed by every one of you, and the privilege it is to journey with you.

Team Proteus

Alex Waisbord was our Athlete of the Month for October.

An outstanding baseball player from Torrey Pines High School, Alex has been training here at Proteus Athlete since Middle School.

He rarely misses a session, drives himself and his sister to train here at 6:30am and finishes training with a feed and gets to school on time.

His effort, consistency and belief has just landed him a Division 1 baseball commitment to St. Peters University in New Jersey.

We couldn’t be more proud of this young man.

Congratulations, Alex!

NEW TRADITION

We have just launched an “Athlete of the Month” award here at Proteus, scanning all of our athletes from Youth through Professional. The recipient will receive a Proteus-branded backpack from VX3.

Last night, we ere excited to announce our Inaugural Recipient for the month of September...Dylan Trower.

Dylan is a Senior at Cathedral Catholic High School and has become one of the top high school rugby players in America.

After winning a National Championship with the San Diego Mustangs in May, he was selected for the USA U18 squad and named a Captain on their South American tour in July. After an outstanding showing this past weekend at the West Coast 7’s tournament in LA, we expect to see him playing for USA U18 Sevens in the near future as well.

He has been one of the most consistent athletes here over the past few years, following in the foot steps and training alongside his older brother, Tyler (Hartpury University), and some of the other recent “alums” of our program (Koa, Spencer, Ethan).

He is a quiet, confident leader who always looks for extra opportunities to train, develop and improve. Very mature, strong character and a ruthless competitor.

His early nickname here was “Stick”, but at 6’1” and 200lbs, that doesn’t seem to fit anymore

The embodiment of a Proteus Athlete, and a young man we want all of our youngsters looking up to.

Thank you, Dylan, for entrusting us with your development along the way. We can’t wait to see what’s in store in the year ahead!

Most parents and coaches think it’s all about getting faster, stronger and more athletic.

We’ve been developing young athletes for many years, and know the proper stimulus for building incredible athleticism from the ground up.

That’s the easy part, to be honest.

It’s actually the PROCESS OF BECOMING faster, stronger and more athletic that produces the greatest results.

Proteus Athletes learn to fall in love with PROCESS OF BECOMING.

We teach and empower them to train, develop, eat, hydrate, sleep, think, read and behave like champions...at the earliest possible age.

They become hungry for it, and they love the competitive advantages that it creates for them on the playing field and in the classroom.

That’s our X-Factor; a cheat code of sorts.

Proteus Athletes are simply BUILT DIFFERENT.

One of the great benefits of being located within Proteus Athletic Club is the access that our athletes have to a team of specialists that can further support their development, performance and recovery.

Bespoke Physical Therapy is absolutely best-in-class when it comes to athlete-minded physical therapy.

We strongly encourage all of our athletes to have a top-notch physio on their team, whether or not they’re injured and need “PT”.

And there is none better than Bespoke.

Better yet, their clinic is just down the hallway inside the Club where our athletes train, and their physical therapists are often seen out on the field with our athletes, or working with them around the gym.

They use state-of-the-art technology from the likes of to test and assess biomechanics, functional range/mobility, muscle strength and limb imbalances.

Then they design athlete-specific protocols for them to do on their throughout the week for prehab and preparation before training sessions and matches.

Weekly check-ins with their Bespoke physio enables them to better manage the load on their bodies and address concerns in real-time so they don’t become major issues when left unattended.

This is a game-changer for many athletes, but an absolute necessity for aspiring high performers here at Proteus.

‼️🇺🇸 SELECTIONS‼️

Massive congratulations to three Proteus-trained athletes - Spencer Huntley, Kingston Hawkins and Reese Reiter - on their selections for the USA U18 national team heading down to the Global Youth Sevens rugby competition next week in New Zealand.

Of the 13 players selected for this national team squad, these three are not only from Proteus Athlete, they also study and play together at Cathedral Catholic High School.

On top of these player selections, our very own Coach Charlie Purdon was selected as the Assistant Coach for the U18 squad, effectively giving him his first USA “cap” in the Eagles program.

No surprise here given his rise as one of the best rugby skills coaches in the US, and the National Championships that his squads have won the past two years at USD.

Watching Coach Charlie and these players he’s shaped compete together for Team USA against the best talent from New Zealand, Australia and the other Pacific nations will be a major testament to the caliber of development, coaching and preparation happening here at Proteus.

Godspeed lads, and Go USA!! 🇺🇸🦅

With the Youth Rugby Season right around the corner, now is the time to sharpen your skills and rugby-specific fitness!

We are now offering U12-U14 training in the same system being used to produce some of the top high school and collegiate players in the country.

Waiting until team practices start and just playing 8-10 games in a season is insufficient for developing into a top player at the U16 or U18 levels.

As in other top-tier rugby countries, we have to start young and train often!

Skill development is an essential supplement to your team’s practices and games throughout the season.

Proteus Rugby provides year-round support for individual player development for this very reason!

We provide a fun, positive learning environment for athletes new to rugby, and a high performance experience for more competitive players aspiring to reach the next level.

If you are interested in training with us in these U12-U14 sessions, please email our Director of Rugby, Charlie Purdon, at [email protected] to register!

You must win in the dark to shine under the lights.

This is what off-season training is all about.

Make the deposits that you can draw on during the season.

Commit to doing the tough stuff that may make you sore, tired and demand more from your recovery game. During the season it’s about being sharp for game day.

Be relentless in your consistency…how you train, how you eat, how you sleep, how you plan, how you think, how you support others, how you don’t allow yourself to make excuses.

You want to win a National Championship in the Spring? What you do now matters more than you think.

How are you investing your 168 hours in the week?

🔥Youth Rugby Skills Camp🔥

Skill Development outside of team practices and games is absolutely essential to playing the sport of rugby.

Proteus Rugby, under the leadership of Coach Charlie Purdon , was created to provide the ultimate environment for Academy-level training and skill development in the areas of:

(1) Catch-Pass,
(2) Footwork & Evasion,
(3) Tackle Technique & Safety,
(4) Breakdown Zone, and
(5) the Kicking Game.

Coach Charlie uniquely blends both structure and fun to optimize the learning experience.

Sessions finish with high-speed games that allow young athletes to test, challenge and accelerate the imprinting of these core skills.

He’s a Skills Coach for , Head Coach for (two-time National Champions) and the most sought after skills coach among the top high school, college, professional and national team players in the US.

This Monday, on MLK Holiday, is a unique important opportunity for your son, daughter and their teammates to up-skill in these key areas here at Proteus.

Coaches, please spread the word and encourage as many of your players to attend either of these sessions!

Space is limited, so RSVP quickly.