Santa Clarita Youth Rugby Club
Michael Yauch- Manager
A USA Rugby-certified rugby coach and our U-19 High School coach, Michael Yauch's affiliation with the sport goes back over 31 seasons when he began playing at Occidental College under Dennis Jablonski, The United States Rugby team leading scorer and kicker. In Michael's fourth year as the General Manager and Head Coach of the Santa Clarita Youth Rugby Club, his goal is to pass on both skills and sportsmanship, of the sport of rugby.
In addition to coaching, Michael is a certified referee that has handled dozens of matches over the past decade. He continues to play for his club, the Oxy Olde Boys. The Oxy Tigers finished as the #9 ranked team in Division II rugby in the country in 2005. This past summer, the Tigers finished #5 in 7-a-side amongst all teams in the USA. Michael also serves as the Vice President of Southern California Youth Rugby, the parent organization for all of youth rugby in Southern California. In addition, he is also on the executive committee to the Southern California Rugby Football Union as the youth representative.
Coach Michael also plays a few Masters (over 40 years old) games a year. He has played every position on the pitch.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to coach in our community, with the bright kids and strong parental support. I have the best of all possible environments to mold young ruggers to play the greatest sport on Earth."
Greg Holmes- Coach
A USA Rugby-certified coach and our U-16 coach, Greg has been playing rugby since 1978. He began at Occidental College. From there he moved on to play for Santa Monica, where in 1982 he started on the team that won the national championship. He played for the Southern California Griffins from 1982-1985, qualifying for the Pacific Coast Grizzlies in 1985. The Griffins are the Southern California All-Star team, and the Grizzlies are a West Coast All-Star team. He coached the Occidental Olde Boy rugby team from 1989 to 1992. Those teams won the Southern California Championship for Division II in 1991 and 1992.
Steve Vasquez- U14 Coach
A USA Rugby-Certified coach and our U-14 coach, Steve first started playing rugby in 1992 when he joined the United States Marine Corps and stayed until 1996. He played his first test match against the famed Scottish military unit "Black Watch" in Hong Kong in 1994. He then played for Eagle Rock from 1997 to 1998. He currently plays along side Coach Yauch with the Oxy Tigers as a Prop. All this time, he has played as a prop, hooker, flanker and center.
"I love rugby. I enjoy coaching youth rugby. It's the greatest sport on earth. Starting our boys and girls off at a young age learning the game of rugby will only strengthen the sport in the U.S."
Gary Thompson- U12 Coach
Coaching with SCV Youth Rugby since 2009.
Anita Thompson - Admininstrator
Coaching with SCV Youth Rugby since 2009.
Terry Hellinger-U14 Coach
A USA Rugby Certified Coach, Terry started playing rugby as a tight-head prop in 1986 at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. After making it to national playoffs several years with Cal Poly, Terry played for the Griffins and the Grizzles in 1990. Playing a season with the Rotorua Pirates on the North Island of New Zealand, as well as matches in Fiji and Australia, gave him a unique experience in international play that he is happy to bring back home and pass on to the next generation of young players. Today, Terry is on the Board of Alumni for the Cal Poly Rugby Football club. “The unique sportsmanship and camaraderie that is part of the game of rugby is one of the aspects that I hope to bring to our young players. Some of your best friends can be made on a rugby pitch.”
Kelly Leach - Admin
Sally Vasquez- Photographer/Website design
Meet the coaches and club staff
