Getting to his ROOTS

NEWBERRY COUNTY — Many may recall the 2016 article, “Big in rugby” about Arkevius “Ty” Elkins, Newberry native, making a name for himself in the sport.

Elkins is continuing to do so by joining ROOTS Rugby Family, Inc.

The mission of the organization is as follows: “ROOTS is an Afrocentric rugby organization whose mission is to expose players of African diaspora to the upper echelons of competitive rugby. In their pursuit of excellence, the players will also learn about themselves and their people and be willing to pass their experience on to their respective communities. Overall, ROOTS will aim to build a stronger sense of diversity, equity and empathy amongst the rugby community.”

ROOTS was created by Kyle and Tiana Granby, Elkins said he has been friends with Kyle Granby for years and that the organization was created when he was playing in the Rugby League. The women’s team is coached by Tiffany Faaee and the men’s team is coached by Curtis Cunz.

“I reached out to Kyle because I felt like it was a form of the game we could be really good at. He trusted me enough to enter a men’s and women’s team into Carolina 9s (Rugby Festival),” Elkins said. “Our men’s and women’s team won and represented the U.S. in London 9s (Rugby Festival). Our women went undefeated and our men finished second.”

Recently, Elkins said the women’s team traveled to Miami to play the USA team and the men’s team played the Puerto Rican National Team.

“Both ROOTS teams won,” he exclaimed.

“Ty, like many of our players, adds his own individual skills and personality to the collective mix that make us better. He is a positive role model on and off the field. Very helpful to his sisters and brothers of the program and always ready to do what is needed of him for the greater good. That type of support goes a long way to helping our program grow,” said Kyle Granby.

To keep up with Elkins’ career, you can follow him on Instagram (ty_2.8) and ROOTS (rootsrugbyfamily).