Five years for one. Three years for the other. As fall season approaches, two MICR players sat down to talk about why they keep coming back, and what they shared says everything about what this program really builds.
Ask Mekhi Turner and Ray Smith why they keep playing rugby year after year, and the answer is not really about rugby at all.
Mekhi has been with MICR for five years. Ray for three. Both describe the same thing when asked what they love most about the program: family. "MICR, it's like one big family," Mekhi says. "They bring a bunch of kids from the middle of the hood basically, and bring them all together." Ray puts it simply: "Everybody can come in and be themselves."
For Ray, rugby has shaped who he is becoming. "I feel like it changed me," he says. "Before I started playing rugby I used to have a bad attitude. But rugby has taught me how to control my anger during serious moments." He says he has become a better person since starting the program.
Mekhi has found his own role with the younger players coming up behind him. "Teaching them basically what I know," he says, "being able to analyze the field and tell each teammate what to do and what not to do."
So why do they keep coming back, season after season? Ray says it plainly: "It's just a very fun experience to have, and it's very easy to learn at first. Once you start playing it, it's just gonna get addictive. You're gonna want to come back." Mekhi agrees, describing rugby as "an easy way to get your anger out," and adds, "I make friends, make brothers every year, every time I come back."
Would they tell a younger student to give MICR a shot? Without hesitation. "Of course," Ray says. "Definitely," Mekhi adds. "It's a very great program."
As fall season approaches, Mekhi and Ray will be back on the field. And if their story is any indication, so will the friendships, the leadership, and the sense of family that keeps so many MICR students coming back year after year.
Mekhi and Ray found more than a sport at MICR. They found brotherhood, leadership, and a place where they could become who they were meant to be. As fall season approaches, your gift helps make sure the next student who walks onto the field finds exactly the same thing.