BEN PINKELMAN RETURNS TO HIS RUGBY ROOTS
Ben Pinkelman led the Barbo 7’s from 2012 - 2016 before he moved onto star with the USA National Team
Before Ben Pinkelman ticked off one rugby accolade after another throughout his impressive playing career, he was a tall and skinny string bean who was just finishing high school at Cherry Creek and looking for his next challenge. Thanks to the ever seeing eye of long time grassroots 7’s enthusiast Howard Kent, Ben’s path brought him to a Barbo 7’s training at the young age of 18.
You all know what happened next … He took advantage of the coaching and guidance provided as he quickly put together an all-around 7’s prowess that made him an automatic selection. It didn’t matter that he was smaller, skinnier or outmatched physically … He made up for it by being downright scrappy. If you look that word up, you’ll see two definitions that both applied to Ben Pinkelman at the time.
SCRAPPY:
Adj - Consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts.
Adj - Determined, argumentative, or pugnacious.
From the years 2012 - 2014, Pinky was still all of these things. Just scrappy all the time, and a menace around the breakdown. Then he put it all together and grew into one of the best to do it on the HSBC 7’s circuit. in 2016, he represented the Barbos as an Olympian playing for the USA 7’s. He would only get better with age, earning 2018-2019 Dream Team recognition for an outstanding year where the USA shot up the rankings to 2nd.
Ben Pinkelman changed the 7’s game forever with his continual graft around the ruck
In summer of 2019, he was included in the XV’s camp, going on to earn a selection for the Rugby World Cup. In Japan, he was able to show that no matter what code of rugby, he was a breakdown nuisance, and other teams had to take deliberate steps to neutralize his stymying efforts.
Now, he returns to Denver to help coach the club team where he began to put it all together. The Barbo 7’s will get their FOURTH capped eagle to join the fold for a week of coaching and instruction as the team prepares for a trip to Utah.
Come watch Pink in action, Wednesday, 6-8pm at Frances Jacobs Wisebart Park.