Jun 25, 2025
Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Fort Dodge’s Gavin Pederson is headed to Maryland to represent the Midwest Thunderbirds, a youth all-star rugby organization.
Gavin Pederson is about to take his rugby experience to a new level.
The recently-graduated Fort Dodge senior spent four days last week trying out for the Midwest Thunderbirds, a youth all-star organization representing a feeder program for the Midwest Rugby Union.
The trip to Indianapolis paid dividends. Pederson landed a spot on the squad from the invitation-only camp — the first athlete from Fort Dodge to garner such honors.
“The first three days were practices, where coaches evaluated us on our skills and coachability,” said Pederson, an Iowa Central Community College rugby recruit. “We had two practices a day that were two hours long. That ended up being pretty grueling when it was all said and done.”
The 230 campers then played two games consisting of a pair of 20-minute halves. Based on his overall performance and leadership, Pederson was selected to play for the Thunderbirds.
“This is a big way of putting my foot in the door at the next level,” Pederson said.
Pederson is now headed to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he will compete on Friday and Saturday in the U19 division. There will be practices and team activities leading up to the tournament, which draws teams from across the country to the campus of Mount St. Mary’s University.
Pederson helped the Fort Dodge Rugby Club advance to state during all four of his prep seasons. The Stags placed in the Top-5 in each campaign, and Pederson was an Iowa Youth Rugby Association all-state selection.
In football last fall, Pederson was a first team all-district offensive lineman and co-captain for Fort Dodge. The Dodgers went 7-2 in the regular season and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2021 as a co-district champion.
IOWA FALLS — The seventh-ranked (Class 1A) St. Edmond softball team put Iowa Falls-Alden away here in the fifth …
Fans had the chance to see both veterans and youngsters come up in big spots for the eighth-ranked Fort Dodge …
Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Iowa, LLC | https://www.messengernews.net | 713 Central Ave., Fort Dodge, IA 50501 | 515-573-2141
