Corning, N.Y., June —A Legislative Resolution sponsored by State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats), Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning), and Assemblyman Chris Friend (R,C-Big Flats), highlighting the 10th Anniversary of the founding of the Corning Rugby Club was recently presented to the club’s founder and head coach and pays tribute to the Club for bringing together “student-athletesfrom morethan 10 school districts throughout the Southern Tier region, creating a unique community-based athletic program that unites players from diverse backgrounds through teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, and shared commitment to the values ofrugby.”

Palmesano, whose son and daughter played for the Club, recently presented the resolution (K15071/J02329) to Head Coach Bob McGee, one of the club’s founders, at the club’s annual end of season athletic banquet (see attached photo).

In a joint statement, O’Mara, Palmesano, and Friend said, “We appreciate this opportunity to congratulate and pay tribute to the Corning Rugby Club for their outstanding success over the past decade building and growing one of this region’s finest athletic organizations. It has become one of the premier rugby programs locally, statewide, and nationally. We welcomed this chance to recognize and honor the dedication, excellence, hard work, and success of the Corning Rugby Club in providing opportunities for young athletes across this region for the past ten years. The Club has represented inspiring stories, created lasting memories for everyone involved, and will always be a source of enormous pride to the team’s coaches and players, their families and friends, the community at large, and our entire region.”

The resolution notes that the Corning Rotary Club was founded in early 2016 by McGee and Corning-Painted Post High School student Jack Kahabka, and a host of volunteer coaches and supporters. It was the Southern Tier’s first youth rugby program.

“Corning Rugby Club has continued to be a competitive force over its 10 seasons, with its high school boys team qualifying for the RugbyNY state playoffs in every season, the only team in Upstate New York to accomplish that feat during the time period,” the Resolution states. “Corning Rugby has engaged nearly 300 student athletes across its boys, girls, and middle school programs during its first decade, providing meaningful athletic opportunities, skill development, and leadership experiences to youth throughout the Southern Tier. Corning Rugby Club created the first opportunities in the region for female student-athletes to compete in the sport; the program has grown rapidly in popularity, becoming one of the premier programs in New York State and the East Coast; The Corning Rugby Club's girls program captured the RugbyNY High School Girls State Championship in 2023 and 2025, and the boys program earned third-place finishes at the RugbyNY State Championships in 2017, 2019, and 2022; this tradition of success is a testament to the club's commitment to high-level athletic performance.”

Head Coach Bob McGee, Director of Rugby for the Corning Rugby Club, said, "On behalf of everyone associated with Corning Rugby, we are deeply honored to receive this proclamation from our state legislators recognizing our club's 10th anniversary. This recognition celebrates not only our accomplishments on the field, but also the hundreds of players, families, coaches, volunteers, and community supporters who have helped build Corning Rugby into a special organization over the past decade."