By Kieran Higgins

   May’s teacher highlight is Mr. Macdonald, the 7th and 8th grade history and civics teacher. 

   Mr. Mac had a professional career in rugby and played for many years. This teacher’s highlight is about his professional rugby career. 

Question: When did you start playing rugby? 

Answer: “I started at age 12 as it was the school’s winter sport. I was terrible but at 16 I realised that I was good at tackling.”

Q: Are you still playing rugby? 

A: “No, Mrs. Mac said, ‘Enough’ after I broke my hand in three places in Tucson. This was 365 days after breaking an ankle – on the same field within 20 yards and 20 minutes of the same time.”

Q: Why did you enjoy and play rugby? 

A: “I am very competitive and always pushed myself in sports (soccer, rugby and field hockey). After rugby, I discovered trail running on South Mountain – winter and summer.”

Q: Who did you play with? 

A: “I played college and clubs in England. Then I played in Dusseldorf, Saudi Arabia, and for Camelback here in Arizona.”

Q: How did you endure in rugby? 

A: “I don’t know. Probably by being competitive and having a high pain threshold.”

Q: What is your advice to people thinking about playing rugby?A: “I would recommend rugby to any girls or boys that want to try a different team sport. Because there are no time-outs where you get orders from coaches, you have to remember what you learned in practice. To my knowledge, TPA currently has one high school boy and one middle school girl playing.”