Stories | Summer Stampede | Bristol Bisons RFC

Summer Stampede

Attendee Stories

Real stories, lasting memories, and new skills learned. See what past attendees have to say about their time at the Summer Stampede.

Warming Up

Doing it the Stampede Way!

Setting the energy for the day required a start with a difference. By utilising yoga, team-building games and dynamic drills, we hoped to shake off the nerves and create a unified group from the very first whistle.

Yoga was a very wholesome way to start the day!

The team building tasks were a great way to get everyone speaking to one another and broke the ice well.

It was fun, got to know the people in my group and felt properly warmed up. The exercises were competitive and I enjoyed them

Fun exercises brought teams together and felt like a safe space for laughter and enjoyment straight away.

Yoga was the perfect way to start the day. It brought both body and mind into the right energy. Doing it all together made us feel one team from the get go.

Two players taking part in team building.

Pacing was good and helped stretch out before dynamics.

The warm up was a great way to start the day all together. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to be still and reflect on my intention for the day before we started all of the fun of the day.

Classroom Session

Psychology of Sport

Fostering an environment of vulnerability allows us to dismantle shared fears and flip the narrative, turning common anxieties into a collective, positive mindset.

The insights into sports psychology were really interesting and it was nice to break up quite a physical day with the chance to sit and discuss.

Photos of attendees during a classroom session.

Was really inspirational and a great reminder on the importance of vulnerability and made my feelings feel normal.

I’ve never been to anything like that and have been really struggling with rugby recently from a cultural side and it helped so much understanding I’m not alone with the thing rugby brings up for me. It was one of my highlights of the weekend.

This was a really great touch that set this event out from the rest. It was a fantastic insight into why the Bisons have such a great team spirit from the classroom session.

Sasha is an incredible speaker and has the incredible ability to get to the truth of what someone wants to say, getting rid of any ego anyone had about saying anything fluffy and just got to the core of why we all love to play.

Rugby Clinics

Learn from the best!

Our non-negotiable was coaching calibre. Striving for former International, Championship and Premiership players, we wanted our clinics to offer a level of expertise like no other.

Amazing to have such skilled coaches.

Bisons Stampede players running into tackle pads.

The quality of the training made concepts people have struggled with for years clear in minutes, it was exceptional.

What a fantastic vibe. The coaches were really supportive and I picked up so many micro skills and ended up with about 2 pages of notes form it!

Player with a ball tries to dodge defender.

Can't believe the quality of training given at this event!

Incredible. The coaches were amazing. I learnt techniques in those sessions that I haven't been ble to learn in training and made the games on Saturday so much better. I could massively tell the difference.

Very grateful to have had the opportunity of being coached by super experienced coaches. I learnt so much in these sessions!

I liked how varied these were and the feedback from each coach was accurate and useful.

A group of Bisons Summer Stampede players stood in a group.

Enjoyed being talked through the scrum.

Felt low pressure and gave me the opportunity to develop and bond with the team.

Learning the techniques to lift and to be in the scrum was so good to have more confidence as a forward and a prop.

Backs session was a good balance of fun games and breakout sessions, the rules being adjusted on the fly made it interesting.

Bison Summer Stampede player tackling another onto a crash mat.

Tournament

The Stampede Spirit

Our goal was to push the boundaries of player development by moving away from traditional club structures. We set out to encourage growth through forced unfamiliarity, ensuring players adapted to new and creative ways to play.

The barbarian / mixed-teams rugby was a brilliant way to get everyone speaking and working together It was also a lovely opportunity to get to know and play with individuals who you would not usually get to play with. The opportunity to be coached as a brand new team was also great for player development.

Team photo during Summer Stampede tournament.

The vibe was fantastic across our team but across all the teams, was lush playing against my teammates with new teammates.

Team group huddle during Summer Stampede tournament.

I loved that we had mixed up teams and didn't play as our own team.

The care and support from other players - it felt truly inclusive and made me really respect the Bison values.

Player running with the ball in blue and pink Bisons kit.

Player in black and pink Bisons kit passing the ball.

Playing with different people and against my own team made the day feel so inclusive. I got to celebrate moments for friends on opposition teams as much as for new friends on my own. Also, Lisa was a fantastically supportive coach.

The vibes were huge. The camaraderie was amazing. It was so nice to play in and amongst other teams. I got to make friends I wouldn't have otherwise and think it'll make future matches against them even better. I think its great for your skills to not get complacent with who you play with and playing with people you've never played with before forces you to be more responsive and reactive.

The energy. The positive vibes. Great coaching. No one left behind.

Everyone was so happy to be there, it was super well organised, I felt extremely empowered and it gave me lots of confidence to continue training, learning and improving as a rugby player. Special shout out to the Chargers coach Nic for being so kind and for guiding us with all her experience!!

A rugby player wins the ball in a line out.

I was apprehensive about being a part of a team filled with different players however it allowed me to experience different styles of game and energy that others bring. I felt very welcomed by everyone. The positivity every person brought was so lovely.

Socials

A proper Bison welcome.

We wanted to create a space where laughter, energy and real connection could take centre stage, turning the atmosphere off the pitch into something just as electric as the game itself.

The welcoming feeling from the Bristol team really made the opening ceremony.

Loved the venue for the opening ceremony and atmosphere that was created from the get go.

The drag bingo was fantastic, great venue and host - again really well organised.

Bisons Summer Stampede Opening Ceremony Venue.

An event like drag bingo gave shy people something to focus on. It was a great way to ease introverts into a night out!

Great to enjoy a local legendary queer space. It being small made it easy to find people from the Stampede. Felt like a safe and friendly venue.

Players sat enjoying the sunshine at the Bisons Summer Stampede opening ceremony.

Queenshilling was great, plenty of space.

Great entertainment. Preferred the second night just as we knew each other more!

Attendees sat at one the Bisons Summer Stampede venues.

Lovely atmosphere, drag queen was hilarious.

Merchandise

It's what we're known for!

We knew we wanted to produce a series of striking, high-quality, one-of-a-kind kit tops as a memento to the weekend, with each position on the pitch having its own design.

The merch was amazing and I loved that it all came as a set, with every kit a different design.

Summer Stampede Merch Kit Top - Green Crocodile.

Super fun and cute!

Summer Stampede Merch Kit Top - Platypus.

Loved the merch - would love to have been able to buy more!

Merch was super cute!

GIVE ME MORE! - I love souvenirs but the fact this was personalised made it that little more special.

The merch was phenomenal. You could tell a lot of work and thought had gone into the designs. They were professional level.

My only regret is I didn't order extra when given the chance!

I freakin' love the tops. The quality is really good and i'm curious what you'll do for next year!

Summer Stampede Merch Kit Top - Rockhopper.

Off the Pitch

The unseen heroes.

From the ticketing and registration to the catering and facilities, we intended for every detail to be effortless, allowing players to stay entirely focused on the game.

Quality of food was great.

The food at the club was SO GOOD and well priced.

Having a cake sale was super cute (and tasty)!

Food was great, better than I was expecting as going in I thought it might have been a pack lunch type of deal so hot food was great!

Fab facilities.

Really appreciated the inclusion policy when it came to the changing rooms.

The booking process was super-easy and responsive!

Simple to buy tickets and complete registration.