Charles Nailen/The Hoya
Sport: Rugby
Position: Scrum-half
Hometown: Arlington, Va.
High School: Gonzaga High School
School/Year: COL ’04
Major: Economics
Minor: Psychology
High School Highlights: Four-year varsity letter winner for rugby . Sophomore year, played on the team that won the National Cherry Blossom Tournament and the Potomac Rugby Union Tournament, took second place in the Eastern National Tournament and took third place in the National Tournament . Junior year, played on the team that took second in the PRU Potomac Rugby Tournament . Senior year, rugby team won the PRU Championship . Captain of rugby team junior and senior years . Named to the PRU Select Side All-Metropolitan junior and senior years . Earned two varsity letters for football . Member of National Honors Society.
Georgetown Highlights: Captain of the rugby team . Rugby team won the PRU Division II Championship for 2002 season . three-year Capitol Cup Champions.
How did you get into rugby? I started playing freshman year of high school. I got cut from the basketball team and a buddy told me to come out for the team.
How would you describe rugby to someone who has never watched it before? It’s a combination of football and soccer, combining the physical aspect of football and the speed and strategy of soccer.
What’s a scrum-half? The scrum-half manages the team’s possession of the ball and distributes the ball between the “fastbacks” and the “physical forwards.”
Biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome: I tore my ACL in March of 2001 playing rugby. I made a cut and a guy hit me at the same time – I blacked out from the pain. All I remember is hearing my knee move. A torn ACL takes four to five months to heal but you’re not 100 percent for about two years.
Favorite thing to do in your spare time: Play basketball and work out.
Best childhood memory: Getting kicked in the groin by Al Gore’s son. I was playing soccer when I was 10 years old – I took a cut, and his son, number three, took a swipe at the ball and missed completely . and got me instead.
Greatest motivation: To be successful. And my parents are huge influences. My father cares so much about his family and job that he’d do anything for them, in that order.
If you could play on any other sports team at Georgetown, what would it be and why? A John Thompson-coached basketball team, because basketball’s a great game, and when John Thompson coached we had a great team and we were nationally recognized.
Boxers or briefs: Boxer-briefs. They’ve got the comfort and support of a brief with the chic-ness of a boxer.
Did you go abroad junior year? I went to Sydney University from July of 2002 to December of 2002. I had a fantastic time, except I had to have surgery on my knee while I was there. When they attached my ACL they used two screws, and one came out and was floating around my knee while I was abroad. They had to go in and scope it out. Besides that, it was fantastic.
Favorite place: Either the Lincoln Memorial at sunset or Sydney Harbor sitting on a bridge at sunset.
Hardest adjustment you had to make when you got to Georgetown: Getting used to balancing social life and academic life. Even though there’s always someone who’s partying, it doesn’t mean that everyone is – people work, too.
Worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard: “Are you tired? Because girl, you’ve been running through my mind all day.”
What did you want to be when you were little? A basketball player or a doctor. I was pre-med freshman year, but then I realized I didn’t want to take all of the bio classes. Science classes would have been my entire life, I wouldn’t have had time to pursue other endeavors.
Something that always cheers you up when you’re having a bad day: Seeing a friendly face when I’m walking across campus.
Favorite book: It’s a toss up between Great Gatsby and Harry Potter.
Biggest misconception that other people have about you: That I’m “Joe Hoya” or “Joey Georgetown.”
What’s it like having your dad as the university registrar? I don’t mind it, but I don’t like to receive special treatment, and I don’t like when people assume I do. And no, I don’t always get all of my classes.
Favorite thing about Georgetown: The sense of community when you walk through the front gates.
One thing you want to do before you die: Have kids. And one thing I want to do this year for rugby is to be the Division II National Champs.
Favorite band/musician: Tom Petty.
One thing you always do before a game: I always go over my responsibilities on the field and make sure the team is on the same page.
If you could trade places with any one person for a day, who would it be and why? Michael Jordan for his last season with the Bulls, or his last shot against the Houston Jazz.
Biggest pet peeve: People that look down their noses at you – stuck up people who think they’re better than they are.
Favorite saying or personal motto: “You’re heart is free – have the courage to follow it.” It’s from Braveheart.
If you were to die tomorrow, what would you want your last meal to be? Sausage cooked on the grill, corn on the cob and my mom’s sweet potatoes.
First thing you do when you wake up in the morning: Brush my teeth.
Favorite thing from the cafeteria: Darnall’s macaroni and cheese.
Do you like the Southwest Quad? The lines are too long, the food is never hot and you can’t find the people you came in with. If they could get the food hot, I wouldn’t care about the other stuff.
Have you ever met anyone famous? Well I met Al Gore that one time – when his son laid me out.
Most embarrassing moment: Having to do a naked run after scoring my first try (which is equivalent to a touchdown in rugby) at Georgetown. I had to do it at a house in Burleith – I ran three times around the house and had beer spilled on me. It’s called the Zulu run. Everyone has to do it when they score their first try.
Best concert you’ve ever been to: The Steve Miller Band, the summer before my senior year in high school, the summer of ’99. It was my first concert – I’ll always remember that one . tailgating in the parking lot and not remembering the second half of the show.
One guilty pleasure: Ordering the Dominos special of two pizzas and chicken kickers for $23.99 and only eating the chicken.
Ideal job: A Wednesday through Thursday, ten to three job that allows me to live in the way I’ve found to be comfortable.
CD in your stereo right now: A workout mix tape. It has Coldplay, Evanescence, the theme from Rock, and the theme from The Last of the Mohicans on it.
If you were stranded on a desert island with one movie, one TV series and one person, what and who would you bring with you? Movie: Girls Gone Wild or Armageddon, TV series: Seinfeld, Person: My girlfriend.
Favorite thing to do in D.C., off-campus: Walk down by the waterfront or rent a canoe by Jack’s Boathouse.
Three magazines on your ideal coffee table: Sports Illustrated, Newsweek and Maxim.
What do you hope to do after graduation? Hopefully I’ll get a job in the business area that will pay for an MBA. Earn money.
What’s under your bed right now? A couple of pairs of shoes and the Capitol Cup – which I guarantee will be stolen about ten minutes after this is printed.
