Rugby All-American brings International Game to Cambridge Youth
Profile of Tim Naylor
by Mike Hoffmann
Already exhausted from a demanding schedule of academic classes, a Crimson Summer Academy Scholar touches the ball down for her third try of the afternoon. The All-American jersey that Tim Naylor had given her drapes well below her knees as she stops to catch her breath. She runs back with a big grin on her face to tell all the boys she had just burnt for the score how she is going to play rugby in college.
Rugby is one of the many activities taught by Naylor in his “International Sports” class at the Crimson Summer Academy. The CSA is designed to help talented yet underprivileged high school students from the Boston area get access to and prepare for the higher education. The program was created from an initiative by Harvard President Larry Summers during the summer of 2004. It started with thirty high school sophomores and the next summer increased it incrementally increased to include 30 juniors. This summer, the academy looks to reach its intended full capacity of 90 students, with seniors attending courses at the Harvard Summer School for credit.
Crimson Mentors like Naylor, are Harvard students who help teach academic courses and counsel the students throughout the entire year. They are also asked to design mini-courses to help relieve some of the stress that accumulates after a tough day of classes. Each student gets one daily free period for which they pick the mentor-lead course of their choosing. “I was asked to make a sports class because of my coaching background,” explains Naylor. “I wanted to give the students a chance to run around, as well as an intellectual perspective on sports and its role in other cultures.”
Tim has taught the “International Sports” class since the academy’s inception in 2004, and it has been a wild success both summers. Students play everything from soccer to cricket, and usually sign up for the class multiple times per session. “[Tim’s] International Sports class has always been one of the academy’s most popular classes,” exclaims CSA Director Maxine Rodburg. She estimates that about four out of every five students in the academy have taken Naylor’s class. Although many students have chosen to take his class, Tim’s own decision to come to Harvard and to ultimately stay here was not as clear cut.
Naylor is a native of Penarth, a small town just outside of Cardiff in Southeastern Wales. Rugby is at the center of Welsh culture and Tim threw his first rugby ball at the age of five. Tim joined his first club at the age of ten and has never stopped playing since. As he recalls, “I started playing rugby competitively in middle school. My dad had always played, everyone in Wales played, I played. In Wales, we have mandatory physical education classes similar to those in America—except we learned how to play rugby.” He was selected to the Wales Rugby League Under-16 National Team while at St. Cyres Comprehensive School, where he also captained the First XV his junior and senior seasons.
While St. Cyres was well-regarded in Wales for its rugby program, the school’s reputation was not particularly academic. Tim looks back and recalls, “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I turned up to take the SAT’s with a pencil in hand. I was relieved when the test turned out to be multiple choice.” Nonetheless, Naylor excelled academically and eventually became Head Boy at St. Cyres. He credits much of his success to his history teacher, who motivated him to do well in school and apply to good colleges.
Tim told only his immediate family and history teacher after he had submitted his application to Harvard. The modest Naylor wasn’t keen on gloating, and also had no idea whether he’d get in. “When I got in, it was a big deal in Wales. No one from my school, or I think from any state school in Wales, had ever gone before.” With the help of scholarships and student loans, he was able to make Harvard a reality. Tim thought he’d be leaving his rugby ambitions in Wales to pursue academic ones in America; little did he know he would be able to fulfill both aspirations. The transition across the Atlantic would just be a lot harder than he had expected.
Freshman fall at Harvard did not go smoothly for Naylor. Within the space of one month, he lost both his grandfather and a close friend. Meanwhile, he had a tough time adjusting to the cultural differences between Harvard and his hometown in Wales. Tim was not having fun and felt out of his element because of the social differences. “I couldn’t get used to the lack of a social center,” Tim remembers. “I come from a culture where the social life revolved around the local pub and I expected ‘uni’ life to reflect that. I’m sure there are many other Europeans who felt the same way.” At Christmas, Naylor nearly packed all of his belongings to head home because he did not feel comfortable. Fortunately, with the support of his best friends and several upperclassmen he had met through the rugby team, Tim decided to finish out the year. He then experienced a spring semester that was completely unlike that of the fall.
In the spring of 2003 the Harvard Rugby Football Club qualified for the National Sweet Sixteen. Over a span of two weeks, the Crimson went from being the 15th seed to advancing to the championship game. Tim reflects, “I was blown away by the coverage of the game by CSTV and the crowds at Stanford for all of our games. We were the Cinderella story and we came within ten minutes of pulling it off.” Harvard narrowly lost to Air Force in the final 37 to 45, with both teams trading scores in the second half. His parents flew in from Wales to watch him play and Tim shined in the final with a three try performance. After that, everything took off for Tim. He captained the North-Eastern Rugby All-Star Team and was selected as an All-American, an honor he has received every season since. Everything just seemed to have fallen into place for Naylor: “I have never looked back and have enjoyed [Harvard] ever since.”
The summer after freshman year, Tim took a job as a bartender back in Wales. As an All-American, he had to travel back to the states in order to practice with the team as they prepared to tour in New Zealand. He actually spent more money traveling that summer than he earned working. When sophomore summer rolled around, Tim needed a job that would enable him to stay in the states while giving him the flexibility travel with the All-American team and train with a local men’s club.
When Tim interviewed for a job at the Crimson Summer Academy, he knew that he had found the ideal summer job. “I applied for the CSA because the position really suited me. I had an interview with [the CSA Director] Maxine and she absolutely blew me away. She is one of the most amazing and inspirational people I have ever met and I immediately knew that the program was going to be special.” Tim had volunteered as a junior soccer in Cambridge and back in Wales, and had always enjoyed taking a role-model position. Plus, because the CSA was affiliated with Harvard University, it meant that Tim could work in the states under his visa restriction. He was able train with the Boston Irish-Wolfhounds in the evening and travel with the All-American team as they toured Canada in 2004.
On top of administering a tough academic curriculum, the CSA aims to educate the Crimson Scholars about the role of the public citizen in society. By exposing the students to diverse cultures and people from different backgrounds, the academy hopes that the students will be able to better relate to the community in which they live. Tim hopes that his story and similar aspirations have given these students a unique perspective and motivation to maximize their potential; he wants to give the students the same support he was given by his history teacher at St. Cyres. CSA’s Director Maxine Rodburg claims, “[although] the phrase 'role model' is over-used, [Tim’s] commitment and dedication to our students gives those words genuine meaning.”
Tim also possesses an innate ability to connect to the students. CSA’s Manager of Mentor and Student Affairs Jamie Horr explains, “We have a large community of students and mentors, all with different needs, and Tim is able to navigate this territory with ease because he has an amazing sense of people. He listens to students in ways that provide opportunities for them to open up and be who they are, knowing they will not be judged, but rather truly respected.” He is also a leader by example; Tim has never been a bragger or a boaster. Be it on the rugby field or in a CSA classroom, Tim has always stepped up and filled a leadership role. His ability to listen, humility, and genuineness of character enables him to connect with everyone he works with. These are the reasons why he was elected captain of the Harvard rugby team during his junior and senior seasons, just as he was at St. Cyres. They are also why his fellow mentors voted him as their speaker at last year’s end-of-session celebration.
For Tim though, the academy has also been a learning experience. “These students have impacted my life tremendously,” he explains. “They are impressive young adults already and inspire me to try and make more of what I have. It certainly keeps you grounded, since the Harvard bubble often makes you forget what exists outside of the square.” Tim has even been taught a lesson or two in basketball and baseball by the students in the program.
After graduation in May, Tim will return to the CSA as its oldest scholars begin attending summer school courses at the college. In his spare time from the CSA, Naylor plans to assist a former Harvard rugger coach a newly formed rugby team at the Cambridge Ringe and Latin School. He is also starter for the Boston Irish Wolfhounds and wants to help them pursue a national title. Beyond that, Tim is undecided. “I gave up on a rugby career when I came to Harvard, and it’s interesting how I’m considering the same decision once again.” It’s funny how things end up.
