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Erik Geib, co-founder of Vista
South Solutions, has been involved with rugby
for 8 years, including play at the U19,
collegiate, and collegiate all-star level. He
began participation with Plano HS (U19) RFC in
2001, playing on a team that achieved a #2 Texas
State ranking (including a Texas Northern
Division Championship) in April 2002, and
qualified for the State Championships each year
he was there. Additionally, he was fortunate to
play alongside future USA Rugby Men's Senior
National Team standout Takudzwa 'Zee' Ngwenya
with both Plano and his summer 7's club, the
Dallas Athletic Rugby Club (D.A.R.C. Knights).
In the fall of 2003, he went on to play for the
University of South Carolina RFC, starting every
game as a freshman before being elected Club
Treasurer in the spring of 2004. After a series
of injuries (separated AC joint - left shoulder)
and setbacks the year of '04-'05, he resumed
starting in 2005 and was awarded his first
selection to the (2005) Palmetto Rugby Union
Collegiate All-Star program, which finished 1-1
at the USA Rugby South LAU Championships in
Gainesville, FL. That same fall, he was
fortunate enough to play against The Bahamas
Senior Men's National Team in a try-out match
with the South Men's Senior All-Star Program in
Fort Lauderdale, FL. In November of 2005, he was
elected for his first term as Club President
before unfortunately returning to injured
reserve in February 2006 (dislocation & torn
labrum - right shoulder). Fall 2006 once again
saw setbacks as he sublexed his shoulder back
out of place, only regaining full health in the
late spring of 2007. However, despite his injury
he was re-elected Club President in November of
2006. Entering his final semester with the club,
Erik once again played for the (2007) Palmetto
Rugby Union Collegiate All-Star program,
starting in the backline of an 0-2 effort at the
USA Rugby South LAU Championships in Columbus,
GA. In November 2007, after 4.5 years with the
club, Erik declined office for his final
semester and took his final semester in school
off to prepare for the 2008 political campaign
season and entry into the job market.
During
his term as an officer, the club saw
unprecedented growth that outpaced the rest of
the quickly growing sport's competition both
regionally and nationally. With only 8 returning
players entering the Fall of 2004, Erik helped
to recruit a strong young corps of players that
forms the backbone of the squad that takes the
field today, turning a club that struggled to
field a first side during his freshman year into
one that had three full sides as of September
2007. Moreover, Erik's organizational efforts,
coupled with the return of coach Geoff Mason,
oversaw the club's first return to the playoffs
in 8 years in the spring of 2005 (USA Rugby
South Division II), which sparked the beginning
of 3 consecutive playoff runs. The club was also
able to turn the corner financially, finally
budgeting for effective working capital as it
continued to expand. In the spring of 2007, the
club moved to its new field at the Strom
Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, which has
been remarked by visiting clubs and coaches as
the 'finest field in the south' while the club
continued perpetual growth. In the fall of 2007,
Erik and the coaching staff advocated a move to
USA Rugby South's premier Division I collegiate
competition, an advance that placed USC among
the South's 7 most elite programs. Most
importantly, 4.5 years of hard work and
dedication paid off on Friday, November 16th,
2007, as Carolina defeated arch-rival Clemson
for the first time in 15 years before a Columbia
crowd of fans, alumni, and U19 onlookers. |
