Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

November 28, 2006 – USA womens 7s coach Julie McCoy is holding an open Footwork Camp in Philadelphia January 12-14.

The camp will be open to plays and coaches, and those attending can register at http://www.footworkcamp.com.

The MARFU U-23 program is providing a scholarship to one outstanding player from last weekend's U23 LAU tournament, and the Philadelphia Women's Rugby Club is accepting applications from EPRU collegiate player for a scholarship.

McCoy will be joined by Ellie Karvoski, and Sean Ross in presenting her drills for speed, acceleration, change of direction at pace, and integrating rugby skills therein.

The camp is designed for players, male or female, of all experience levels to enhance athleticism, introduce advanced training techniques, and improve confidence and skills needed to win one-on-one situations. The camp will be held in the city of Philadelphia and will begin promptly at 6pm on Friday, January 12, ending at around 2pm on Sunday, January 14th. All participants are required to be present for the entire camp.

For more information or to register, go to http://www.footworkcamp.com

Guest blogger #2 is....drum roll please!! Rosalind Chou. She plays inside center for the Austin Valkyries and is one of our spiritual leaders on the team. She is our rock. Thanks, Ros!

(The picture is the Satiated Beavers in Corpus Christi...Ros is pointing and yeling.)

The Forgotten Rugby Dynasty-

With the vastness of the world wide web, today's modern rugger can have access to club websites, player blogs, national and international rugby news, you name it at the click of a mouse. The danger of such a pervasive medium is that this Internet thing can become the sole source of information for those who use it. Wikipedia is replacing the good old encyclopedia, and the scary thing is that anyone can submit information into that site. Our own history (although often written with bias and/or inaccurate information) can be lost or rewritten with ease..

With this lack of historical information on the web, the younger generation of ruggers may have no idea about an incredible women's rugby dynasty, and I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT BERKELEY! The usarugby.org site only goes back 10 years with its archives of the women's club national championship. If we go back in time, just before that you will find that the Florida State Women's rugby club, from 1979 to 1994, never finished below fourth place in the US Women's Rugby National Club Competition. The team won the national championship four times ('79, '80, '84, '85), and placed 2nd six times! We are talking about 15 years of sheer dominance! Many of the alumni have been selected as US Eagles and its earlier version - the US Representative Side, including: Kathy Flores, Candi Orsini, Patty Jervey, Claire Godwin, Robin Pace, Clare Sup, BB Alley, Jackie Watts, and Vicki Bowlin, Val Sullivan and Colleen Fahey. You may recognize a few of those names, notably the first two listed...that's right, the USA National Squad coaches hail from Florida State! That's where it all began! If you really think about it, would USA women's rugby even be what it is today if it weren't for Florida State Women's rugby? All the alum that have gone on to play and/or coach elsewhere have had there part in further enriching the sport in this country. It's like a phone tree, right? Would Berkeley have won 9 straight national titles if it weren't for Kathy and Candi?

Ok, so I am oozing with school/club pride, but I had to let the rugby world know about a forgotten generation of amazing rugby players. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be playing this awesome sport. If you are interested in finding out more about this club, rich in tradition go to their website at http://www.fsuwomensrugby.com/ I think a really unique and cool feature about the website is the alumni archives that Colleen Fahey keeps up-to-date regularly. She has listed alumni from the original 1975 squad to present day. There are old photos and former players send in present day updates with pictures and blurbs. Collen also makes sure that there is a list of e-mail addresses so all the old players can keep in touch or get reacquainted with
folks from back in the day.

The address for the alumni site is http://www.fsuwomensrugby.com/alumni.html it's got some really great old photos from the 1970s and early 80s, check out the some of those mullets and feathered bangs! They kicked ass on the pitch and looked great while doing it.

Last night, I was walking through our toy-infested living room. Between the baby on my hip and my extra poundage, I could not see the floor. I ended up tripping over a tummy-time gym while carrying Nicole. I did try to regain footing, but ended up flying through the air. We were headed directly for the Fisher-Price picnic table, Nicole first. Fortunately, I had been trained on how to fall while holding onto a ball. My kitten-like reflexes took over. I rotated my body while grabbing Nicole tight to my chest (a shout-out to Phil Corbett: "In the pocku!"). I fell on my left side instead of on the baby. She was in no danger of being knocked-on nor squished beneath a tighthead prop. So, thank you to the OU Roses. If I had landed on Nicole, she would have been seriously hurt. Instead, I was able to retain possession of the baby. Unfortunately, there was no one there to ruck over us so we could get the baby to the backs so they could score a try. It would have been a beauty.

This was posted by Melinda “Kitten” Long Foreman, long-time OU Rose and the most amazing scrumhalf in the history of woman-kind. We miss you, Melinda!

So I have asked a few of my current mates, old mates and friends to do guest spots on my blog and here is the first. She's #10 on the Valkyries and passed the mohawk onto me in great fashion. Thanks Bags!

(I'm on the left in the photo and Bags is on the right...taken right after we became the #1 seed in the West.)

Football vs. Rugby

OK, so we all know Thanksgiving weekend is really about watching obscene amounts of football -- not about visiting Gramma Grace or hearing Uncle Carlos talk about his bunions. And since rugby season has been over for 6 weeks for me -- also an obscene fact -- I have been watching football all weekend thinking about why, exactly, specifically, rugby is a better sport.

My evidence comes from an unlikely source: football games themselves.

First: I would argue that Texas A&M beat Texas on Friday because they play rugby-football more than football. Namely, they run the option. Stephen McGee would make an awesome flyhalf: quick, shifty, undersized but scrappy, and absolutely awesome at reading defenses. Despite UT's superior athletes on the defensive side, this skinny little white kid shredded them for far more yardage than UT normally allows and led A&M to the upset victory. In rugby-speak, he was running perfect 2 v 1's all afternoon: draw the D then dish; draw the D, show the dish then keep it; head fake; ball fake; eye fake -- by the end of the 3rd quarter the UT linebackers and cornerbacks were dizzy from trying to watch McGee and his teammate juke and jive up the field.

Second: football plays, especially running plays, are too scripted and this can lead to disaster. Yes, I realize that blockers still have to work their assignments, can draw & fake out defenders, and runners have some degree of improvisation in hitting holes, but: i just watched the Patriots set up a beautiful reverse off a pitch then blow it by giving the ball to the double-reverse guy who promptly got smothered by like 37 Bear defenders in a 6 square yards. The pitch drew everyone left, so the reverse was golden up the right sideline: the reverse guy should have dummied the second receiver, held the defense and run onto glory. It's basic dummy switches, and any umbrella player knows this: hold the forwards in the middle of the field with a switch
or dummy, then run wide with your speed in open space.

Duh.

Clearly i need to quit grad school and pursue a coaching career in the NFL. Don't even get me started on their tackling form....perhaps for next time.

Yours in rugby,
Bags

My hand on Saturday while I was waiting for x-rays to develop. Swollen and no knuckle!!











My hand on Tuesday after taking off the splint...sadly bruised.














The front of my hand...i swear my hand isn't usually this fat!!














The actual xray...notice the gap, thats where it is broken!

Surgery is happening Tuesday at 7am. Getting at least three screws put in and worst-case scenario is a plate with lots and lots of screws. Wish me luck!!

so sad, i fractured my left hand this weekend playing rugby. blogging will be delayed for awhile...

photos coming soon...maybe my x-rays too!

leigh made me that awesome tongue depressor splint...

And yet another rugby video...Hardest Tackles in Rugby League.



I just thought this was hilarious!!

FROM ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- Emmitt Smith danced off with the mirror ball.

The three-time Super Bowl champion, who proved to be as nimble on his feet in the ballroom as on the football field, was named the winner of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Wednesday night. With the victory came the glittering trophy.

Emmitt Smith
Greg LeBoeuf/WireImage.com
After dancing his way to 166 rushing touchdowns in the NFL, Emmitt Smith was well prepared for "Dancing with the Stars."

The NFL's all-time leading rusher beat out actor Mario Lopez.

The hunky, dimpled Lopez was generally regarded as the series most dynamic celebrity dancer, but the public's vote, the deciding factor after the contestants had tied in the judges' tally at Tuesday's final dance-off, brought Smith the victory.

"It is awesome! It is awesome!" declared Smith, after hugging his professional dance partner Cheryl Burke. "We came a long way, we really have."

Burke won last season, too, on the arm of singer Drew Lachey.

Smith had kind words for Lopez, who was gracious in his defeat. He called the former "Saved by the Bell" star a "true gentleman" and said he and partner Karina Smirnoff "raised the bar" during the competition.

The rest of the article can be found here.

And another funny article and video:

A fight broke out at the Super Wal-Mart broke out in Palmdale in California when store employees decide to move the line from inside to outside.

According to a television station, a group of PS3 line-waiters got angry when they were told they could no longer wait inside a Wal-Mart for the PS3 and would have to go outside instead. The group ran through the store knocking everyone and everything in their path over.

Sheriff's deputies were called and the store temporarily shut down to restore order.

PS3 Shuts Down Wal-Mart [Yahoo Video]

Cyclist Landis's Drug Test Was Mislabeled by Lab, Le Monde Says
By Nancy Kercheval

Nov. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Part of the urine sample that disqualified Tour de France cycling champion Floyd Landis for drug use was mislabeled by the lab, Le Monde reported.

Landis's laboratory identification number was different than the one cited on the French lab report of the second half, or B part, of the urine, the French newspaper said, without citing a source. The administrative error doesn't mean the B sample used to verify the existence of the banned drug testosterone didn't belong to Landis, Le Monde said.

Attorneys representing Landis are trying to discredit the laboratory in order to clear the U.S. cyclist's name, Le Monde said. The latest information will be presented at a slide show about Landis in Tucson, Arizona, on Nov. 17, the night before the 16th annual Tour de Tucson. Landis repeatedly has denied using drugs.

The lab's computers were broken into by hackers who addressed similar incidents of mislabeling at the facility, Le Monde said.

Article found here.

So the USA 7's guy on Facebook and I have become little buddies and he sent me this awesome link this morning.

Can't beat girls in dresses!! And the music is quite hilarious....



And here is the USA 7's Facebook profile again...he is working really hard to make rugby a force in the world. Help him out!

It's amazing how a quick 15 minute walk can change the atmosphere. Jake had been restless all night and after getting some relaxation time of my own I decided he needed a walk. So we started out and its pretty chilly out tonight, but it was absolutely beautiful! The sky was nice and clear and the cold was just right. It's funny to think that it is snowing most places and I wore short sleeves to work today!

Anyways, the walk was very good, helped to clear the mind. School is really weighing on me lately. I am failing one of my classes (oops) and barely clinging on with the others. I am doing my assignments, but when rugby was in full swing I fell behind a little bit...hence the dilligence of late.

I have a huge huge huge paper due in two weeks and I am trying to be a good student and work on it now...but I also have bills to pay and working sometimes becomes more important! So its kind of nice that rugby is done for awhile. A few of the Valks and I are playing for the University of Texas this weekend (OH CRAP I just remembered I'm going to have to wear BURNT ORANGE...damnit) and YES we will be taking DA BUS on its first rugby road trip. That should be fun.

Just a random peek into my life. Have a great night!

Ohhh yes we went camping!!! It was amazing!!!

Meg, Shalay, Heidi, Shannon, Dudley, Jake and I went up early to start the celebration on Thursday night. We camped at Lake Bastrop South Shore...it was BEAUTIFUL.

The picture to the right is about 6pm, after we had handily setup camp in about 45 minutes. At this point I was drinking wine and beer...and probably had already had WAY to much to drink. (Those that received late night phone calls...was it even 9pm yet?...can attest.) Not to brag, but Shannon and I finished off an 18 pack ourselves, we can be dangerous ruggers!

So we got camp all setup in this amazing amazing spot...and then the park host came around and told us it was a 50amp spot reserved for RV campers. He said it was cool if we stayed the night but we would have to choose another spot the next morning. Bummer because the site was RIGHT on the water and was super chill.

Sleeping that night in my tent with Jake was heaven! It was perfect weather with just a sheet for a covering and the sounds of nature surrounding us. We fell asleep adjacent to the water (my tent was literally 3 feet from the shore) and awoke to the many little duckies fishing for their breakfast. It was so very liberating.

So Friday morning we cooked up yummy eggs, bacon and potatoes and started the journey to choose a camp site. On the way to the administrative office we looked at all the sites and had a couple picked out in our minds, the perfect one we wanted was RESERVED...when it was supposed to be first-come-first-serve basis. Whatever though!

So we picked out 3 campsites (we had over 10 ruggers coming later that night!!!) and setup camp again. Shannon and I found the perfect spot for our tents away from the fire and very secluded. I jokingly called it the "love bungalow" but as everyone knows we are two single gals with no one to share the love with....but I insisted on calling it that anyways!

Setting up camp took awhile because we decided to carry our tents form campsite to campsite instead of breaking them down and packing them up. So we literally picked up all the tents and carried them down the road...we are smart!

Later that evening around 4pm we started getting a little antsy because we knew we had 10 more people coming to camp with us. They finally started showing up around 6pm. So we threw the firewood on and starting making dinner. I was in charge of dinner and had decided to do HOBO Dinners as they are my favorite meal EVER!

HOBO Dinners are so freakin' easy and YUMMY. Basically you get a bunch of tin foil and make your dinner in that. We had beef/chicken, carrots, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and onions. You just chop up all the stuff and throw it in the tinfoil pack, wrap it a couple of times and throw on the ready-made coals. They take about 20 minutes a side and are absolutely fabulous if I do say so. I love love love to make them camping.

And then we commenced for more drinking, the Thursday night crew had diligently been drinking water and Gatorade all day so we could be hydrated for another night of drinking. The campfire that night was a little less rowdy as most people had just come from a day of camping and just wanted to chill out. I think we went to bed around midnight. It was a little more chilly Friday night, so Jake and I cuddled all night long. Like having a hot water bottle all night long!

Saturday morning came early as most of the campers were up around 8am...and we had breakfast going so we could get them out of bed faster! This morning we did pancakes, blueberry pancakes and chocolate chip pancakes. Yum Yum! From then everyone did their own separate activities, some read on the shore, some read around the fire, fishing, hiking, walks, sleeping...everyone just kinda chilled out.

Around 1pm we started to all get hungry so I broke out the HOBO dinner leftovers and we made a few packs in the coals. Everyone just kinda chilled out until dark and then we ate again! I love camping cause you are constantly eating!

Oh yeah and Jake showed off his swimming skills all Saturday afternoon. He chased a tennis ball, frisbee, sticks, rocks...anything we could find to throw in the water. Here is my favorite shot of him getting out of the water. And a cute shot of just his head looking for the frisbee. At one point the frisbee was almost submerged and he stuck his head UNDERWATER to find it...what a great dog! I love him so so so much.

So that night we were sitting around the campfire and you could tell we were all hitting a wall from being up so early the morning before. So a few of the girls decided we should drink more and play drinking games. So Traci taught us the vegetable game. Basically you choose a vegetable and then you say someone another person's vegetable and they choose another and so forth. The catch was you had to keep your teeth covered, so your trying to say Shrimp Shrimp with your teeth covered. It was very fun! Then we changed it to the meat game where you had to choose a meat...and it was even more fun!

The whole experience was so much fun and a blast!! I love my mates and we are totally going camping again! Sorry for the abrupt ending...I'm tired of writing....

Peace ya'all.

New Layout this morning...

LIKE:
the bold colors
have always loved maroon
love the wide format

DISLIKE:
white on black is always hard to read
intensity of the blog...

Let me know what ya think.

And this is the best rugby video I have found on youtube yet...

A few fun websites I wanted to pass along to my 27 faithful readers. Why 27? It seemed like a good number! My page hits are going up and up and up...and its all very exciting. Feel free to leave comments!!

Anyways the websites are:

http://austin.craigslist.org/ - Craigslist is an amazing tool for free stuff, a place to sell your stuff, personals, job searches and more....just find your city and get started!

Best of Craigslist - A collection of the best postings on Craigslist.org. They range from sexual, to disastrous to downright disgusting, but they help pass the time at work! Beware they are somewhat out of line and ridiculous, but fun at the same time!

Digg.com - My big brother just told me about this today, pretty fun sight with lots of random blogs...you basically "vote" for your fave and then you "digg it." Get it?

http://www.globalrichlist.com/index.php - If you ever feel down about how much money you make, check out this site. And you can make a quick donation if you feel so inclined!

Just a few sites to help you pass the time at school, work, home or whatever you may be doing.

Peace.

So a few of my teammates really really really love 7's...and so they decided to start Winter 7's here in Austin. I think part of us just can't let go of 15's and do have a great passion for 7's.

There is even talk of having a small tournament and trying to get some teams to come down and hang out with us. This is totally social and meant to be a buffer until 15's starts sometime in early 2007.

2007. Now that is pretty scary...I remember when I was younger and I would think about reaching the 2000's...wow. I thought it would be like the Jetsons...wouldn't that be awesome?

And I know the picture has snow in it...and it probably hasn't snowed in Austin for years. But it is Winter 7's after all! Just because it could possibly be 60 degrees in Austin.... :)

An awesome USA 7's Promo Video was just released on Youtube. Check it out!



Also they have created a group on Facebook. Click here to access it!
The regular website for the event is http://www.usasevens.com/

Texas A&M met Eastern Illinois in Little Rock, AR (in conjuction with the Little Rock Tournament) this weekend to have a repeat game from last year. Unlike last year however the weather was clear...last year the battle was rainy and muddy as the whole state was being rained upon. The game was hard to tell as EIU only beat A&M by 22 points. I watched the game from the sidelines and cheered silently for A&M. They played well but were defeated.

This year would be different though! The game was tough as EIU had great tackling and great communication, but A&M stuck to it and blasted them with rolling mauls...which they scored off of twice. A&M recovered kicks expertly and was able to capitalize and gain field possession through their speedy back triangle. Spectators said that A&M had spectacular lineouts and fooled EIU over and over again with their crisp forward and back plays.

Great job ladies!!!

Some of the Valkyries will see you next weekend at the A&M Alumni Match and the Round Robin with HARC/Rice.

10 years would have been an amazing record, not that nine years isn't pretty damn impressive. New York played hard and was able to upset the reigning champs. Nice work ladies!

From USA Rugby:

11-12-2006 - NYRC WINS FIRST WOMEN'S TITLE, STOPS BERKELEY'S QUEST FOR 10 STRAIGHT
BOULDER, Colo. – The Women’s New York Rugby Club won its first National title today at USA Rugby’s Division I Women’s Club Championships in Orlando, Fla., beating the reigning champions, the Berkeley All-Blues, 22-17, and stopping them from winning their 10th-straight championship cup.

“I think the difference in our team this year, compared to the last few years, is that our athletes have finally learned to trust each other and the team set up,” Head Coach Drew Fautley said. “That is something that assistant coach Chris Ryan and I really take pride in – keeping the entire team involved and making sure that all the players really know their worth. We aren’t about winning at all costs; we are focused on making the team better as a whole.

“Since the time that I started with this women’s club nearly 10 years ago, the team has been working towards this moment. And, to win now, against Berkeley, as they were vying for their 10th championship title in a row, is truly outstanding,” he added. “It took two phenomenal matches, against two remarkable opponents, but we finally pulled it off.”

Third-seeded New York faced No. 2 Minnesota Valkyries on Friday in the semifinals, and for the first time since 2002, actually moved on to the finals, beating the Midwest powerhouse by 17. They met Berkeley today in the final match of the Championships and hit the ground running, scoring the first 17 points to go into half leading 17-0.

The All-Blues finally found some offense in the second half, scoring their first try 50 minutes into the match, and again ten minutes later to remind New York that they weren’t going to take this one lying down. NY returned the favor 10 minutes later to put another five points on the board, and the game-ending try by Berkeley brought the score to within one try, but it proved in vain since NY was already celebrating their hard-fought victory.

“This was really such a team effort,” Fautley said. “But I have to mention lock Katie Brethel, captain Annie Collier, our MVP Hedwig Aerts and scrumhalf Lee Knight for all putting forth a memorable effort. As well as our flyhalf Kristin Baja, who played 60 minutes of this match after suffering a shoulder injury against Minnesota.

“I also have to give Berkeley credit,” Fautley added. “They are fierce competitors and kept us on our toes until the very end.”

In the earlier DI Club Championship matches, Minnesota beat Atlanta 34-0 for third place. Beantown battled through a nail biter to beat the Twin City Amazons, 11-10 to take home the plate, while the Washington Furies took it to Keystone, winning 13-3 to secure seventh place.

Bad Sportsmanship:

While we were in South Carolina for Sweet 16s one of our girls got seriously raked in the bottom of the ruck. She vividly remembers being "walked on" in the bottom of the ruck.

The referee said that he didn't see it, and no one on the DC Furies would fuss up and say they did it.

Not sure how you missed it ref...and I know why you don't want to pony up...cause the picture says it all. Keep your boots away from faces please ladies!!

Our T-hall is a trooper though, the next pic is of her that night dressed up for Halloween. She would have been perfect as a zombie...however was a Valkyrie. She even wore the costume home on the plane...or tried to, they made her take it off at security.

USA Rugby and T-hall's BLACK EYE: From Jen Joyce:
This isn't a big deal, just kind of a cool story. As most of you heard this weekend, I was all excited because I ended up with a little black eye in Saturday's game-which was nothing compared to the glorious TIFFANY! Anyway, I was all excited because I typically don't bruise (even after breaking my nose several times in the past). So even though I felt my face crack Saturday, I was left with a bruise that Steph called "tiny", but I was happy with it. Then, I was hit again Sunday and ended up with a really pretty black eye by Sunday night.

So yesterday I flew to New York for a meeting with the USA rugby board and new president to come up with the strategic marketing plan for the business and high-performance programs. On the flight to NYC, I forgot about my eye and blew my nose, which made a HUGE air bubble and it looked even MORE swollen and gross.

So yesterday morning I get to the meeting and the guys were like, "What happened?" When I said that it was sweet 16s, it was like it registered for the first time that women do, indeed, play rugby. Once I described Tiffany's injury and how she was booted, and then told the story of Meg being prone to facial injuries, they were all about using this as a marketing tool. So, end the end, the board decided to use the "two faces of women's rugby" as a marketing tactic. So they want to shoot pictures of a female rugby player who has a black eye-from one side, showing the beauty, intelligence and professionalism of the female athlete, and from the other side, showing the black eye [and all of the strength, aggression, and intensity of the high-impact of women's rugby].

Thanks,
Jen Joyce

2 NEW BLOGs! Put Me in Coach! and a U19 Girls Rugby:

Put Me in Coach! Check it out here...it looks really promising!

U19 Girls Rugby Blog.

Women's D1 Rugby National Championships:

Check out the website.

Some Team Pictures:

We picked up the bus last week and here are some pictures of the adventure!! (Click on any image to get a bigger version!)

First we have Jonathon and I waiting for the bus to be unlocked. My hands are in my pockets because it was surprisingly cold that morning!! I love how the front of the bus is square it makes it look FIERCE!!

The next pic is what you see when you first enter the bus. On the right we have the mini kitchen! This includes running water to the small sink, cabinets, overhead shelving, microwave and a little fridge! Very cute!

Next pic is of Jonathon and I sitting at the small card table. This would be an area for eating, reading, working, playing card games (poker!!), bullshitting or whatever. Its a cute table and holds 4 comfortably.

Finally we have the shot from the back of the bus, notice the bench style seating...we have talked about a few renovations for this part...including fluffier pillows and benches, possibly adding a platform to make the whole back a HUGE bed, or adding bean bags for comfort.

And if you were wondering what Jonathon was looking at....its our very own beaver bus toilet! Very strict that this is a #1 toilet only!!! No rule-breakers or you will clean it!! Also there is a rumor that this can be used as a shower in times of emergency.


Then there is a cute pic of Jonathon and I sitting in the driver's seat. Notice how BIG the steering wheel is!

And last but not least is a pic of the Beaver Bus parked at the House of WAM!! It fits perfectly in the driveway! Parked a little crooked, but we will work it out.

Thanks for taking a tour with me!

Some GREAT pics from the High Desert Tournament a few weeks ago. Use the dropdown menu to access the pics.

High Desert Pictures

Buy Nothing Day.

From Adbusters.org:

Every November 25, for 24 hours, we remember that no one was born to shop, we make a small choice to participate by not participating. We call it Buy Nothing Day, and judging by the huge successes seen all across the globe last year – with thousands of activists and fed-up citizens taking part in dozens of countries – this year’s festival of restraint could be the biggest yet.

If you’ve never taken part in Buy Nothing Day, or if you’ve taken part in the past but haven’t really committed to doing it again, consider this: 2006 will go down as the year in which mainstream dialogue about global warming finally reached its critical mass. What better way to bring the Year of Global Warming to a close than to point people in the direction of real and effective alternatives to the unbridled consumption that has created this quagmire?

From Wikipedia:

Buy Nothing Day is an informal day of protest against consumerism observed by social activists. It was founded by Vancouver artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by the Canadian Adbusters magazine. Participants refrain from purchasing anything for 24 hours in a concentrated display of consumer power. The event is intended to raise awareness of what some see as the wasteful consumption habits of First World countries. Activists may also participate in culture jamming activities like the Whirl-Mart and other forms of radical expression. It is also used to protest materialism and bandwagon appeals.

In the United States and Canada, supporters demonstrate on the day after American Thanksgiving. This day, often called "Black Friday," is one of the busier shopping days of the year (though not in Canada, but the date remains there to synchronize events). In other countries the demonstrations occur a day later.

Since "Buy Nothing Day" occurs the day after American Thanksgiving, and the meaning of Buy Nothing Day is to resist mindless consumerism, some people have viewed Buy Nothing Day as an opportunity to expose the "hypocrisy" of the Thanksgiving weekend. Since Thanksgiving has always had an emphasis on friends, family and community, while the day after Thanksgiving has more recently had an emphasis on consumerism and shopping, "Buy Nothing Day" may be seen by some protesters as a way of reclaiming the 'original meaning' of Thanksgiving: encouraging friends and family to socialize instead of encouraging individual income-earners to spend their money.

Of course, others include the material provision associated with the annual harvest in their Thanksgiving, and welcome the pre-Christmas sales as an opportunity both to provide for the needs of those they love, and to give generously rather than keep what they've earned to themselves. On their view, merchants provide valuable goods and services, a sale day serves both buyer and seller, and the Thanksgiving to Christmas season presents both a temptation to materialism and an opportunity for the proper enjoyment of material blessings coupled with a special effort to ensure that the poorest are not excluded.

Critics of "Buy Nothing Day" point out that consumers would simply buy more the next day instead, rendering their protest pointless. However, participants argue that this is false.

9am: ROAD TRIP!!!!

Traci, Ros, Steph and I made the two hour trip to College Station, TX this weekend to watch Texas A&M play Texas Tech. The trip of course starts late...but after everyone gets picked up...we begin the search for healthy fast food. This can always be a challenge, but Steph had her eyes on this morning and spotted an AWESOME Mexican restaurant. They gave us HUGE orange juices...that really turned out to be Sunny D. Yummy.

(I tried to find a more recent pic of the Aggies, but couldn't....so here ya go. Spring '06)

So we roll up to the pitch and they have just kicked off, and Texas A&M has just put one under the posts. From the time we park the car, walk across the street they have already put another try on the scoreboard. So Ros and I run over to the TX Tech coach and ask if they want any whores (we brought our kits!). They are down to 13, so we boot up and get on the field by half.

I'll give you the ending first...76-0. BUT!! The score was 48 or so to 0 at the half, so we managed to slow those girls down! It was a hard fought battle, and Texas A&M is great at creating those overloads, and eventually we couldn't stop them. But we held them to less trys than in the first half.

So a shout-out to Tech and their hard work. They are a young team that shows alot of potential. Get ball-hungry girls and NEVER leave a mate alone. Always find her. As always Texas A&M is a great program and always perform well. Good luck next week against those crazy EUI bitches. Yes I said bitches.

I HATE SCHOOL!!! Ok, sorry had to get that out...argh, well I'm doing a presentation on Youth Rugby growing in the US and found some AWESOME posters! Check them out!



Just click on the image to get a larger view.
They also have a GREAT Spectator's Guide that is graphically enhanced. Check it out here...

Rocky, Shalay, Jonathon and I picked up the bus this morning...its so exciting!!! It's a huge school bus that has been converted into an RV. It has bench seating, row seating, plenty of room for storage, a toilet, fridge, cabinets, microwave, running water and more!!

We are already talking about painting one side with the Valkyries colors, one side the Huns colors and the back will have the BEAVER on it. It needs some decorating tips, but that is why we have the amazing talent we do on our team. We have seamstresses, painters, carpenters and even a mechanic!

We have like 12 people committed to the BEAVER TOUR and I am so very excited! I will keep you posted with renovation pics!

And here is the fantasy route we are thinking about taking....thanks to Mapquest's new Road Trip Tool. (I KNOW! I KNOW! Google Maps...but they don't have this tool!)

I am proud to post this email...the Satiated Beavers (Austin Valkyries 7's team) is taking a 7's tour in June 2007.

Check out the bus we just had donated!! It's so sweet! It needs some work, but we are excited!!

Valkyries,

Here is the big announcement: We are planning a BEAVER 7s TOUR of the WEST and
SOUTHWEST for Summer
2007 and all Valkyries are invited.

As I begin to seriously put together a beaver bus tour of the west coast for 2007, I'd like to get a head count of those *seriously* interested in:

1. Playing competitive 7s rugby
2. Traveling for ~10 days in mid- or late-June *see note below*
3. Camping and sightseeing on our way to the West Coast
4. Partying in the beavermobile with the hottest ruggers in the country

The very tentative plan is to travel in the tour bus to the Vegas 7s tournament, head over to
LA and San Diego areas for round robins with local teams and then make our way home, maybe via carlsbad caverns. Along the way we can visit wineries, historical markers, bars and night clubs, and even the world's biggest thermometer, whatever strikes our fancy... and doesn't delay too much from our itinerary.

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So if you want to donate to our cause, schedule a game, or whatever...leave something in the comments or visit the Austin Valkyries website.