from my email:
Greetings,
The Western Rugby Union is pleased to announce that Thomas Wong has been appointed Head Coach of the West Senior Women's All-Star program. Tom succeeds Mark Bullock who served the West and the Senior Women's program for three years, and who stepped-down citing other coaching responsibilities and commitments.
Tom is a commercial banker and teacher in St. Louis, MO. He played his club rugby with the St. Louis Bombers RFC, as well as St. Louis University. He represented the Western Rugby Union in both 7s and 15s. He is USA Rugby certified coach.
Tom has been the head coach of the St. Louis Sabres Women's RFC since 2005. He has coached the Missouri RFU Women's All-Stars since 2007.
In coming weeks, Tom will be assembling his coaching staff and will publish his program plan for 2008-2009.
Bill Sexton
President, West Rugby Union
Philadelphia Women's Rugby is now accepting applications for the position of Assistant Coach for Spring 2008. In addition to providing compensation for coaching time, the club will cover all travel and coach development expenses. The ideal candidate has club or collegiate level coaching experience (men or women), is able to commit to weekly practices and games, and is interested in coaching both elite and developmental players. Applicants for the position of Assistant Coach must be able to work with the Head Coach to design and implement practices and communicate with all players, including providing feedback to develop the individual and team game. He or she should be able to lead practices in the Head Coach's absence. The ideal candidate will also have knowledge of the game that complements that of the Head Coach.Philadelphia Women's Rugby Football Club (PWRFC) was founded in 1976, making it the most established women's rugby club in the Philadelphia area. PWRFC currently fields a competitive Senior side as well as Developmental side that compete in 15's in the fall and spring and 7's in the summer. Our Senior side competes in MARFU Division I and our Developmental side competes against Division I and II sides. Our Senior side is highly competitive, and regularly earns a berth in the National Playoffs (Sweet 16s and/or Elite 8s). We are based in center city Philadelphia with a centrally located practice facility and a dedicated rugby pitch for all home games. We practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and play a competitive schedule against teams in PA, DC, MD and VA. Philadelphia Women's Rugby is made up of a group of over 40 players with various levels of experience. Some have played for many years, while others just joined us this year. We boast several USA Women's National Team pool players, USA U23 Women's National Team players, and MARFU and EPRU select side players. PWRFC aims to support all levels of play and aspirations and is searching for an assistant coach to support those goals.
Any interested party should forward his or her rugby resume along with a brief statement of coaching philosophy to Emily Sabato, Club President. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Questions and further information about the position can be obtained by emailing the Club President. More information about PWRFC can be obtained at www.pwrfc.org
*words in red were supplied by a Valkyrie team member
One windy and plucky afternoon, the Austin Valkyries rugby team took the field against a womanly side from Texas State University. The sky was fuzzy, the grass pretty, and all of the Valks were feeling quite ridiculous after long weeks of training and preparation.On the opening kickoff, the Valks defense played sweetly, united like a shoelace against the TX State attack. As their opponents, clad in puce, attempted to pierce the big defense of the Valks, a cry of "Ooh La La!" could be heard rising from the ranks as the black & red jerseys repulsed each foray.
After a turnover caused by a switch, the Valkyries attack commenced. Passing over, under and around the Bobcats, the Valkyries quickly scored 49 points. Leigh kicked every conversion from near and far to increase the lead.
As halftime neared, a heifer moved across the afternoon sky, obscuring the light and giving a peaceful tenor to the contest. In the ghostly shadows, Jake howled, your mom chugged a beer, and the ref, who strongly resembled Billy Bob Thornton, seemed to lose her nerve. The whistle blew like an orifice in the gloaming.
The eerie scene seems to energize TX State, who emerged from halftime like their livers were on fire. Running, slashing and pounding ahead, it took a prop-ish effort from the Valks to keep their try zone untouched. But thanks to the strange training of their head coach "Monotonous Meg" Pace, the Valks defense withstood the challenge and the shutout was preserved.
Momentum thus gained, the Valks attack grew strong once again, surge-y like Hurricane Ike toward the Bobcat goal line. Selfless team effort resulted in play most super-cala-fragilistic-expe-ala-docious, earning cries of "Shzam!" from the sideline and "Feck!" from TX State opponents. In and out poked the passes, and the score soon rose to 69 to zero.
As the final butt blew, Coach Meg sighed a deep twaddle of joy and satisfaction, and the Valkyries rushed together like a Wendy of pride and teamlove. The enemy had been squat, the squat weather survived, and quick beer was soon to be had.
Three cheers for quick beer!
Three cheers for mad lib!
THREE CHEERS FOR THE VALKYRIES!!!!!
*words in red were supplied by a Valkyrie team member
This was from a few weeks ago, but I had to post it. Made our team dinner even more fun as we thought up the best nouns, verbs and adjectives we could! Enjoy!
A few weeks ago the Austin Valkyries Bside played the newly revived Dallas Diablos (used to be Debutantes) and it was so exciting to have Dallas back on the pitch! Check out this quick 12 minute snippet of the game, sorry about the shaky camera work, but its not too bad!
Austin Valkyries B vs Dallas Diablos from Wendy Young on Vimeo.
Other Rugby Video Mondays:
10/20/2008: Flag Rugby
10/13/2008: Rugby Video Monday: What it means to be an Eagle
10/6/2008: Touch Rugby European Championship Semi-Final 2008
9/30/2008: Philly vs Raleigh 9/20/2008
9/22/2008: Girls Play Too!
9/8/2008: Vassar Spotlight
9/2/2008: Funny Rugby Clips
Please keep sending me your favorite videos: yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com! Want even more videos? Make sure to check out my Vimeo profile or my Youtube channel...all new videos are going on Vimeo as they are recorded in High Definition.
Women's D1 Club Championships (Round of 16) results can be found here.
USA 7's Women's and Men's BOTH qualify for the 2009 Rugby World Cup, full results here. Video of Day 1 and Day 2 (not uploaded yet) can be viewed here.
Don't forget to check out the WNT's blog here and check out Paki's Corner for behind the scenes stories about the MNT.
RugbyBahamas.com and BahamasLocal.com will be showing the Sevens World Cup Qualifiers live from pitch 1 on Sat 25th and Sun 26th. Games from pitch 2 will have approx 30-40 delay..
UPDATE: The link to watch live games is http://www.rugbybahamas.com/livetv/. They now have a few games up for viewing if you missed them as well!
The schedule is not matching up to the scores, so they may have shifted some games around, so I will be just posting scores as I find them or they are emailed to me.
Women’s Pool AUSA 45, Bermuda 0
Trinidad & Tobago 5, Guyana 0
Guyana 41, Bermuda 7
USA 52, Trinidad & Tobago 0
USA 45, Guyana 0
Trinidad & Tobago 36, Bermuda 0
Women’s Pool B
Canada 53, Cayman 0
Jamaica 39, Barbados 0
Jamaica 48, Cayman 0
Canada 57, Barbados 0
Canada 27, Jamaica 0
Men’s Pool A
Bermuda 10, Mexico 5
USA 52, Mexico 0
USA 31, Bermuda 0
Men’s Pool B
Trinidad & Tobago 12, Bahamas 0
Canada 48, Bahamas 0
Canada 26, Trinidad & Tobago 0
Men’s Pool C
Cayman 27, Barbados 0
Guyana 34, Barbados 0
Guyana 10, Cayman 0
Women’s Quarterfinals
USA 67, Cayman 0
Guyana 12, Jamaica 0
Trinidad and Tobago 34, Barbados 0
Canada 34, Bermuda 0
Women’s Bowl Semifinals
Jamaica 34, Cayman 0
Bermuda 15, Barbados 10
Women’s Cup Semifinals
USA 59, Guyana 0
Canada 41, Trinidad and Tobago 0
Women’s Shield
Cayman 10, Barbados 5
Women’s Bowl
Jamaica 53, Bermuda 0
Women’s Plate & Caribbean Championships
Guyana 15, Trinidad & Tobago 5
Women’s Cup Finals & RWC Sevens Qualifiers
Canada 19, USA 14
Men’s Plate Round Robin
Bahamas 17, Mexico 5
Mexico 5, Barbados 0
Bahamas 19, Barbados 5
Men’s Plate Final
Bahamas 5, Mexico 0
Men’s Cup Pool Play
Pool 1
USA 35, Trinidad and Tobago 10
Guyana 5, Trinidad and Tobago 0
USA 41, Guyana 7
Pool 2
Canada 41, Cayman 0
Bermuda 17, Cayman 0
Canada 47, Bermuda 0
Men’s Cup Semifinals
USA 55, Bermuda 0
Canada 42, Guyana 0
Men’s 5th/6th
Trinidad and Tobago 24, Cayman 0
Men’s 3/4th & Caribbean Championships
Guyana 42, Bermuda 0
Men’s Cup Finals & RWC Seven Qualifiers
USA 21, Canada 12
RWC Sevens women's qualified teams:
Brazil - South America qualifier
England - Europe qualifier
Netherlands- Europe qualifier
Russia - Europe qualifier
France - Europe qualifier
Spain - Europe qualifier
Italy - Europe qualifier
Australia - Oceania qualifier
New Zealand - Oceania qualifier
South Africa - Africa qualifier
Uganda - Africa qualifier
Japan - Asia qualifier
Thailand - Asia qualifier
China - Asia qualifier
USA & Canada have now both qualified for the 2009 7's Rugby World Cup.
National Women’s Club Playoffs
from USA Rugby:
Minnesota Valkyries 41, Philadelphia 10
Keystone 17, San Diego 5
New York 43, Glendale 12
Northern Virginia (NOVA) 15, Oregon Sport Union (ORSU) 5
Beantown 89, Seattle 12
Washington Furies 37, Chicago North Shore 12
Berkeley All Blues 45, Boston 10
Twin Cities Amazons 45, Atlanta Harlequins 12
Minnesota Valkyries 31, Keystone 0
San Diego Surfers 36, Philadelphia 8
New York 28, NOVA 5
ORSU 27, Glendale 24
Beantown 86, Washington Furies 5
Seattle 13, Chicago North Shore 12
Berkeley All Blues 64, Twin Cities Amazons 8
Atlanta Harlequins 5, Boston 19
November 7-9, Sanford, Fla.
Championship Semis
Berkeley All Blues vs. Minnesota Valkyries
New York vs. Beantown
Plate Semis
Twin Cities Amazons vs. Keystone
NOVA vs. Washington Furies
BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby in the U.S., joins the St. Louis Bombers Rugby Football Club as it hosts the top 16 women’s rugby teams in the nation from October 25-26 at Sportport sports complex in Maryland Heights, Mo.
The Division I Senior Women’s Club Playoffs feature rugby teams spanning across the country, all battling it out for one of the eight coveted spots headed to Orlando, Fla. for the Championships in early November. This year’s competition includes teams from the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, the Twin Cities, Glendale, Colo., Portland, Ore., Seattle, San Diego, and the defending champions from Berkeley, Calif.
The playoffs not only serve as a precursor to the Championships, but are also a venue for Women’s National Team selectors to spot athletes for upcoming camps and international competitions.
Playoff matches get underway at 10 a.m. and run through approximately 5 p.m. on Saturday and the competition picks up again bright and early on Sunday, lasting from 9:30 a.m. through about 4:30 p.m. Please see below for the complete weekend schedule. Tickets to the event will be sold at the gate for $5 per day.
For more information on the USA Rugby Women’s Club Playoffs or Championships series, please visit www.usarugby.org or contact Director of Competition Dan Payne.
There have been plenty of predictions out there, Goff (subscription required) is predicting:
Big Four:
Berkeley All Blues v. Minnesota Valkyries
ORSU v. Beantown
(Our pick of ORSU over New York is a tough one and certainly it could go either way)
Next Four (for plate):
Twins Cities Amazons v. San Diego Surfers
New York v. DC Furies
and Jeanie the Greek is predicting:
Pool A: Berkeley over Amazons. - 21 points
Pool D: Valks over Keystone. - 5 points
Pool C: NYRCW over ORSU - 14 points
Pool B: Beantown over Furies - 14 Points
Click here for last year's results.
I can't believe it is almost Halloween!! Even worse, global warming has kept Austin in the high 80's recently, the leaves are changing...but most are still hanging on to their respective branches.
The League Season for my team has ended (2nd in the West!) and since our team is not headed to Round of 16s this year as we had hoped we are going camping instead. Two years ago we went camping around this time and we had such a fun time, we thought it was time to do it again! We will be heading out to Shannon's ranch which is owned by her family and hopefully the nights will be cool so we can actually wear a long sleeved shirt. Its so weird to camp in shorts and tshirts all the time, even in the fall!
I have been very bad at updating things that are happening around Austin, so here we go: We played the Sabres on Oct 11 and we beat them 34 to 7. The heat was on that day in Austin and the humidity was high. We played well as a team, our defense was spot-on and we had great combinations and really showed what kind of team we are. Towards the end of the game our esteemed flyhalf Meredith Bagley sealed up the scoring with a Drop Goal about 25 meters out. I do have to admit that I was jealous as I have always wanted to kick a drop goal in a game. Hard to do from Scrumhalf though! After our game we had a rather rousing social at the pitch with oldies, Kangaroo Court, wrestling, moonlight Drop Goals and even more healthy activities after a victory!*BTW, this picture is worth noting as our Assistant Referee's wore fancy matching uniforms. We had the Assistant Referees duo of Rocky and Richard that weekend. (Photo courtesy of Kendra)
The same weekend the University of Texas Women's Rugby team hosted the first Texas Women's U20 Rugby Clinic with USA U20 Coach Bryn Chivers. In conjunction with that Kathy Flores, the Senior 15's Women's National Team Coach was invited to watch our match against the Sabres. After our match we had a quick 30 minute session with Bryn of the U20 Women and Kathy of the Senior WNT team. In this session both local West coaches asked for suggestions on supporting West rugby and supporting Women's rugby in general. Youth Rugby was brought up by a few players and how we want to have this in Texas but we have struggled with support. Of course the topic of being an elite player in the West was brought up and our challenges were acknowledged.
Last week we had our first rain in almost 2 and 1/2 months so we actually had a fun practice on Monday. We played silly games, had relay races and generally relaxed as we have had quite the rough season this year. On Wednesday our practice was completely canceled as it hardly stopped raining since Monday. We need the rain so bad, I don't think anyone cared too much and the Vice Presidential debates were on that night!
This weekend the Bside and some Asiders played Texas State in San Marcos, TX. Since we have an abundance of pack players we had a full Bside scrum and had a few Bside backs, and a few Aside forwards/backs in the backline. In the first half we had Dude (Prop) playing flyhalf, Kraft (8-man) playing Inside Center and then the rest of the backs in their regular spots. In the second half we got even more creative and I (scrumhalf) played flyhalf, Kraft at Inside, Pony (fullback) at Outside, Dude (Prop) at wing and JJ (Lock) at fullback. We actually moved the ball quite well and even scored on the wing a few times! The highlight of my day was a backs maul where we drove them for about ten meters, I have never mauled like that before! Final score Austin 66 Texas State 0.
I am back in finals for school this week, I have one more class to finish out this year and then I will have only 12 hours until I graduate! I have been in College for WAY to many years now and it is finally time to graduate. The question is, will I do anything with my Bachelors Degree? I work in computers and email, but my degree will be in Athletic Training...I do tape some ankles, thumbs and other body parts for my teammates, but I have yet to really apply my degree.
Next weekend we have a collegiate tournament that the Bside is playing in and the Aside will have an exhibition match against Texas A&M. Then the week after that we actually have a weekend off. I think The Girl and I are going to work on some house projects, carpet needs to get ripped up, walls need to be painted and things need to get ready before the first of the year.Then its the middle of November and I will be going to the Red vs White game in Florida...and then the weekend after that is Thanksgiving. The Girl and I will be in Charlotte, NC visiting my family and my newest niece!
This video comes from Dan S. via the American Rugby News listserv and is very cute! Equal representation of young girls and boys and the kids are adorable! What a great movement, hopefully this will become more and more popular so we can continue to create rugby at all levels in the US.
Other Rugby Video Mondays:
10/13/2008: Rugby Video Monday: What it means to be an Eagle
10/6/2008: Touch Rugby European Championship Semi-Final 2008
9/30/2008: Philly vs Raleigh 9/20/2008
9/22/2008: Girls Play Too!
9/8/2008: Vassar Spotlight
9/2/2008: Funny Rugby Clips
Please keep sending me your favorite videos: yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com!
Testing IntenseDebate Comments...new and fun commenting system.
And this is my 702nd post! CELEBRATION!
Have a great weekend all.
This weekend is one of the biggest Women's tournaments in the US! If you are headed out to Alb, NM for the High Desert Rugby Classic Tournament, I am jealous. I loved that tournament as a college player, but as a club player it has been difficult to attend the tournament.
Pool A
Texas A&M (TX)
NM State Univ Chiles (NM)
Texas Tech (TX)
Pool B
Univ of New Mexico (NM)
Univ of Texas (TX)
Arizona Timberdoodles (AZ)
BYU (UT)
Pool C
Blue Roses (Scottsdale and Oklahoma combined?)
Atomic Sisters (NM)
Black Ice (CO)
Pool D
Falling Angels (CO)
Tuscon Lightening (AZ)
Boulder Babes (CO)
*West U-23 women's head coach will be attending to scout players.
Semi-finals
TX A&M vs UNM 13-5
Atomic Sisters vs Boulder Babes (no score reported)
Finals
Atomic Sisters vs University of New Mexico 24 - 3
UNM vs BYU 5 - 0
Atomic Sisters vs OU 10 - 0
Blue Roses vs Black Ice 10 - 7
Blue Roses vs Tucson (OU won, not sure of score)
Blue Roses vs Atomic Sisters 0 - 10
BYU 31 - UT 0
UT 5 - Timberdoodles 0
UNM 43 - UT 0
UT 24 - Fallen Angels 17
Tucson vs Boulder 5 - 19
NMSU Chiles vs TX Tech 10 - 0
Falling Angels vs Boulder 0 - 38
Falling Angels vs Tucson 0 - 12
UNM vs Timberdoodles 43 - 0
Texas A&M vs NMSU Chiles 43 - 0
Timberdoodles vs BYU 0 - 43
Texas A&M vs TX Tech 22 - 0
Know any other scores? Let me know at yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com.
*Photo courtesy of Meagan W.
Tournament Website: http://abqrugby.tripod.com/highdirt.html
Tournament Contacts:
Aubrey Edge
Randall Titone
Just found the shared U.S. Women's Rugby 7's Traveling Blog via my Google Alerts today. Jen Sinkler is the first to post, exciting stuff!!
Good luck in the Bahamas ladies, represent!
http://blog.uswomensrugby7s.com/
And the Winner of the 2nd FREE Your Scrumhalf Connection tshirt raffle is...drum roll please!
Please send me your shirt size and postal address to my email at yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com and it will get shipped right out to you!
Thanks to everyone who submitted their name in the raffle, The Girl and I had fun printing out all the names and pulling one from our old retired rugby ball!
Look for this FREE raffle again next month!
Can't wait to see if you win the raffle? Purchase this tshirt ($15.95) or any of my other rugby shirts by visiting my Zazzle Tshirt Shop.
Today is Blog Action Day—which means thousands of weblogs across the Internet (including this one) will post about a single topic: poverty. The purpose is to raise awareness about the interesting ways people from all walks of life are helping those in need.
1. Give money to poverty relief organizations such as One.org, Samaritan’s Purse, the Red Cross or your favorite relief organization.
2. Encourage your government to put sanctions on corrupt countries who withhold food and aid from their impoverished citizens. To do this: Write letters to your local, state and federal officials, including your Senator and Congressman.
3. Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen for homeless individuals, there are plenty of locations, even in your hometown.
4. Support organizations like AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps and others who actually educate impoverished people how to grow crops of their own and develop their land.
5. Take an afternoon and clean out your closets, attics and drawers? If you’re not using it, lose it. Give it away to your local Salvation Army or Good Will so less fortunate people can enjoy your surplus.
Blog Action Day 2008
This weekend is one of the biggest Women's tournaments in the US! If you are headed out to Alb, NM for the HIgh Desert Rugby Classic Tournament, I am jealous. I loved that tournament as a college player, but as a club player it has been difficult to attend the tournament.
Women's Bracket
CO - Denver Black Ice
Az - Tucson Women's Motley
CO - Falling Angels
CO - Boulder Babes
OK - Ok Roses
TX - University of Texas
TX - Texas A&M Women's Rugby
Az - Scottsdale Lady Blues
NM - Atomic Sisters
NM - UNM Women's
AZ - Timberdoodles (NAU) flagstaff
NM - NMSU Lady Chiles RFC
Utah - BYU Women's
TX - Texas Tech Women
*West U-23 women's head coach will be attending to scout players.
Albuquerque, New Mexico / 5 Tournament Pitches - Club Men, Club Women (16 teams) & College Men's (8 teams)
$350.00 - 3 games Guaranteed
Tentative Schedule (Match schedule should be posted soon):
Friday
Combined Captains Meeting and Incomers Social
Hooters (4100 San Mateo Blvd)
Saturday
ALL DAY RUGBY POOL PLAY
"Saturday Night Rugby Dinner, Social and Live Band”
3rd Floor “JOCKEY CLUB” at the NM state Fair grounds
Sunday
Championship Sunday - (All semifinals and finals)
Tournament Website: http://abqrugby.tripod.com/highdirt.html
Tournament Contacts:
Aubrey Edge
Randall Titone
Nov 22, 2008 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
from womeneagles.com:
Next up for the Women Eagles 15s Program is a a Red/White intra-squad match to be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday, November 22, 2008, as the headline match at the U19 Invitational NASC.Head Coach Kathy Flores said, "while not a Test match, this event is an opportunity to play with and against the other top women rugby players in the country, to continue to develop skills under pressure, and to showcase talent to the WNT coaches and to the U19 athletes who aspire to become Eagles. "
Flores wants to assemble "the top 44 available players at the moment and create a structure for them to create their own game plan and compete as teams. The match will provide a needed arena to improve the skills and speed of decision-making necessary for us to be competitive at the international level. With just 2 years until the next World Cup, our players need time together to improve their skills and also understand and anticipate their teammates' decision-making process to improve our support play. The coaching staff is excited about the opportunity to watch the players problem solve, giving us insight into the areas we feel we may excel at and those we need to concentrate on in the future."
The 44 athletes invited to attend:
1. Stacy Baker, Prop, Philadelphia
2. Jaime Burke, Prop, Beantown
3. Farrah Douglas, Prop, Chicago North Shore
4. Sharyn Wacht, Prop, Beantown
5. Angie Marfisi, Prop, Philadelphia
6. Kristin Aliberto, Prop, Philadelphia
7. Lisa Butts, Hooker, Davis Women
8. Meredith Hegg, Hooker, Philadelphia
9. Rachel Primo, Hooker, NOVA
10. Adetayo (Tayo) Mafe, Hooker/Flanker, Michigan State University
11. Sarah Walsh, Lock, Chicago North Shore
12. Christina Hobson, Lock/8, New York
13. Jenny Menke, Lock MN Valykyries
14. Kati McCormick, Lock, UWI - Milwaukee
15. Anneke Brand, Lock, Texas Tech
16. Stacey Bridges, Lock/Prop, Texas A & M
17. Kristin Zdanczewizc, Flanker, MN Valykyries
18. Beckett Royce, Flanker, ORSU
19. Mel Denham, Flanker, Beantown
20. Victoria Folayan, Flanker, Berkeley All-Blues
21. Allyson Hemstreet, Flanker Berkeley All-Blues
22. Brea Hughes, Lock/8 At-large
23. Kate Daley, 8
24. Liz Dilley, Flanker/8 Washington Furies
25. Jossy Tseng, Scrumhalf, Berkeley All-Blues
26. Katy Hertel, Scrumhalf, MN Valkyries
27. Wendy Young, Scrumhalf, Austin Valkyries
28. Ramey Marshall, Scrumalf, ORSU
29. Kristin Baja, Flyhalf, New York
30. Mel Kanuk, Flyhalf/Center, DC Furies
31. Brenna Costello, Flyhalf, Atlanta
32. Hannah Stolba, Flyhalf, MN Valkyries
33. Emilie Bydwell, Center, Beantown
34. Lynelle Kugler, Center, Glendale
35. Elise Myer, Center, NOVA
36. San Juanita Moreno, Center, ORSU
37. Vanesha McGee, Wing, Philadelphia
38. Nathalie Marchino, Wing, Berkeley All-Blues
39. Desiree Markovich, Wing, MN Valkyries
40. Katie Dowty, Wing, Beantown
41. Ashley English, Fullback, Berkeley All-Blues
42. Ashley Kmiecik, Fullback, Emerald City Mudhens
43. Sara Leary, Fullback
44. Claire Gregorich, Fullback, Glendale
The Women's National Team has started an interesting campaign of what it means to be an Eagle. There are a few videos out there, here are two of the best:
Other Rugby Video Mondays:
10/6/2008: Touch Rugby European Championship Semi-Final 2008
9/30/2008: Philly vs Raleigh 9/20/2008
9/22/2008: Girls Play Too!
9/8/2008: Vassar Spotlight
9/2/2008: Funny Rugby Clips
Please keep sending me your favorite videos: yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com!
I will be doing some updating throughout today and this weekend to change the look and feel of this blog.
Look for new links, updates and styling soon!
Feel free to let me know what you think, I value your feedback and opinions!
Thanks for reading!
From International Rugby Board (irb.com):
Oct 23-27, 2008 - Nassau, Bahamas
The USA and Canada will be favourites to take North America’s two places in the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens women’s competition, but they will not underestimate the threat posed by the likes of reigning Caribbean champions Jamaica along with Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago.The Women’s Eagles will face Barbados and St Vincent & The Grenadines in Pool A on day one, while Canada have been drawn in Pool B with Cayman Islands, who will be making their Sevens debuts on the international stage, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Pool C is headed by Jamaica and also features Guyana and Bermuda, who will create their own piece of history at the qualifier in Nassau by playing their first ever women’s international match in either fifteens or Sevens.
The competition will follow the same format as the men’s event on day two, although the three sides who fail to progress to the Cup pools will play each other twice in the round robin Plate.
In both the men’s and women’s competitions the battle to qualify for the RWC Sevens 2009 in Dubai next March will be just as fiercely contested as the one to be crowned champions of the Caribbean.
The NAWIRA qualifier is the penultimate event on the road to RWC Sevens 2009 with only the Africa men’s tournament to play before the identity of all 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams who will grace ‘The Sevens’ are known.
Men’s Day 1 Pools:
Pool A: USA, Mexico, Bermuda
Pool B: Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, Cayman Islands
Pool C: Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, St Vincent & The Grenadines
Women’s Day 1 Pools:
Pool A: USA, Barbados, St Vincent & The Grenadines
Pool B: Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman Islands
Pool C: Jamaica, Guyana, Bermuda
RWC Sevens women's qualified teams:
Brazil - South America qualifier
England - Europe qualifier
Netherlands- Europe qualifier
Russia - Europe qualifier
France - Europe qualifier
Spain - Europe qualifier
Italy - Europe qualifier
Australia - Oceania qualifier
New Zealand - Oceania qualifier
South Africa - Africa qualifier
Uganda - Africa qualifier
Japan - Asia qualifier
Thailand - Asia qualifier
China - Asia qualifier
Make sure to check out Tyshawn Henry's blog about her journey to the 2009 7's World Cup...and the adventures of the pink cape!
Welcome to a lovely Wednesday morning!! I found two more sites that have given me some Link Love, so I am returning the favor!
Coyote Women's Rugby
Telegraph.co.uk - Rugby Unions News
Thanks for the love and you are now added to the Scrumhalf Friends and Bloggers section on the left. Thanks to Jerry for pointing out that I am now linked to the Telegraph.co.uk Rugby Union page, that is a HUGE rugby site!!! Thanks to whomever runs that page, what an honor!!!
Have a great hump day! Also, please let me know if you have linked to my site and I have just missed it, I would love to add you to my Links section! Email me at yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com.
UPDATE -
What the french, toast? - has me on their blogroll! I have added your blog to my Links section, thanks for the LOVE!
The last long walk home - has me in their links section, thanks! I have returned the Link Love!
Note: This website has an absolutely hilarious Caption contest every Tuesday! Cast your vote for best caption!
In an effort to recognize the extraordinary work and dedication of the many rugby players and coaches in the United States, USA Rugby and World Rugby Shop have teamed up to highlight some of the truly outstanding players and coaches of our great game over the past year.These awards are not simply for the best player or best coach in terms of performance, though that can certainly be a part of it, but for the most extraordinary coach or player in every sense of that word. The award winner will be someone who deserves to be recognized for the efforts to improve the game of rugby for their club or country, not simply on how many games they have won or tries they have scored.
To do this we need your help. The finalists have been chosen from a pool of nominations submitted by YOU the rugby community. Now we need you to help pick the winner by casting your vote for each of these finalists in their respective category.
50% of the decision on who will win will come from you the rugby community with our panel of judges making up the final half of the vote. Deadline to cast your vote will be by 12am CST October 15, 2008.
2008 USA Coach of the Year Award
The 2008 Coach of the Year Award is meant to recognize both outstanding coaching on and off of the field. While performance is always a consideration, this award is meant to reward more than simply having a winning team. Dedication to their respective team, extraordinary effort and commitment are paramount. Read about our finalists and cast your vote for the 2008 USA Coach of the Year.
2008 USA Mens Player of the Year Award
The 2008 Mens Player of the Year Award is meant to recognize both outstanding play on the field and dedication off of it. Read about our finalists and cast your vote for the 2008 USA Men's Player of the Year.
2008 USA Womens Player of the Year Award
The 2008 Womens Player of the Year Award is meant to recognize both outstanding play on the field and dedication off of it. Read about our finalists and cast your vote for the 2008 USA Women's Player of the Year.
BOULDER, Colo. -- USA Rugby is proud to announce the formation of the first ever girls' high school varsity rugby team in the United States. The pioneer program is set to begin in October at Sebastian River High School in Sebastian, Fla.
In close cooperation with USA Rugby's Emerging Sports department, Sebastian River's groundbreaking addition of girls' rugby now offers the first full contact sport opportunity for girls at the interscholastic level in the U.S.
"The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) applauds Sebastian River High School for its efforts to provide yet another opportunity for girls to participate in high school sports by offering the sport of rugby," said Robert F. Kanaby, Executive Director of the NFHS, the national leadership organization for high school athletic and fine arts activities based in Indianapolis.
Sebastian River’s girls’ varsity rugby program joins nearly 150 girls’ club programs in the U.S. at the high school-age level. The team will be coached by R. Allan Dobson, who brings an extensive rugby resume to the program.
“Rugby is making a big impact at high schools and colleges, and we expect to see more and more recognition at the interscholastic level. We are so pleased to be involved in this process with Sebastian River and we encourage parents and athletic administrators to seek more information about girls’ varsity rugby and find out how it can benefit students and schools,” said Nigel Melville, USA Rugby CEO and President of Rugby Operations.
The Sebastian River Sharks kick off the first of their six-match season in early October. All home games will be played in Shark Stadium, on Sebastian River High School’s campus.
The program, which began recruitment of students in the spring of 2008, fielded more than 50 female athletes who expressed interest in attending preseason training. After a week of tryouts and two weeks of preseason camp, the initial lineup was narrowed to 30 to create the team's first official roster.
"Girls' rugby will enhance athletic opportunities for females and continue Sebastian River High School's commitment to Title IX and all that it encompasses, including college scholarships," said Sebastian River Athletic Director Michael Stutzke, who initiated talks with USA Rugby on adding a program in December 2007.
Sebastian River High School is a public high school with 1,977 students and sponsors 17 interscholastic sports for boys and girls. The school has a diverse student body and is committed to expansion of opportunity for male and female students in athletics.
The Sebastian River girls' varsity squad will be supplemented with start-up uniforms, game and practice equipment by USA Rugby and valued sponsor World Rugby Shop.
For more information on the movement for girls' high school varsity rugby in the U.S. please contact Becky Carlson.
RugbyZone Debuts, Offering Rugby Fans the Most Complete Video, News and Information Experience Online
News and Information Experience Online
Rugby Destination Kicks Off Launch with Free, Full Length Video Coverage of the Tri Nations Match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the South Africa SpringboksSAN CARLOS, Calif.--August 14, 2008--RugbyZone.com drives forward today bringing fans worldwide the most in-depth and interactive rugby destination available online. RugbyZone, which replaces the MediaZone Rugby site, is the first rugby destination to provide a completely integrated, broadband multimedia experience while catering to an underserved rugby fan base worldwide that has had limited access to the sport's most anticipated, championship-class matches.
The launch of RugbyZone is highlighted by FREE access to that South Africa vs. New Zealand match. This critical Tri Nations clash will be available to fans 4 hours after the full time whistle and can be accessed with a coupon code. For more information visit: www.rugbyzone.com/freematch.
In addition to this FREE match, RugbyZone will also deliver exclusive LIVE and On Demand access to more than 275 matches each year from the Tri Nations, June Tests, Celtic Tests, Super 14, 2009 Lions Tour, Currie Cup, Heineken Cup, Air New Zealand Cup and North American Rugby competitions to fans in more than 200 countries, including the USA.
RugbyZone uniquely gives users the interactivity of the Internet with the quality and reliability of traditional television. The RugbyZone platform will incorporate a variety of features surrounding video programming, including LIVE chat with fans and experts during matches, breaking news, fixtures, standings, highlights, previews, columns, blogs, archived matches, free clips, game alerts, fan forums and LIVE event community.
“The international scope of rugby and rapidly growing fan base in new markets makes it one of the most sought after sports amongst viewers; however, rugby fans are massively underserved in many territories around the world,” Glen Marques, CEO, MediaZone. “RugbyZone brings the tries, plays and complete matches directly to fans’ computers, breaking down geographic limitations and providing the highest level of coverage and community online."
from Chelsie Weathington via Your Scrumhalf Connection's email:
This fall the University of Texas Women’s Rugby Club is hosting a skills clinic for all college-age and under rugby women! Bryn Chivers, the current head coach of the National U20 Women’s Rugby team, along with his assistant Sue Oldenburg, have agreed to coach our clinic. These coaches have come to scout out the rugby talent in Texas, and I think we have got a lot to show them!
Day 1 of the clinic will focus of basic individual and team skills, and Bryn has some exciting drills in store that will show us a whole new look at the “fundamentals”. On Day 2 of the clinic we will play a few scrimmages. Please note that this clinic is not only for the players. Coaches are strongly advised to attend because we believe the coaches will learn some new and fresh ways to teach rugby. Our goal for this clinic is to raise the level of rugby play in Texas from high-school on up!
Cost
$10 per player, covers clinic and lunch (Must be paid when you check-in at the clinic)
Free for coaches
Extra $ for Clinic T-Shirt, Social etc. if desired.
Saturday October 11th
Check-In at Clinic 8:30 am
9:00am Clinic begins at the UT Austin IM Fields (Directions below)
12noon Lunch provided by Jason’s Deli (Vegetarian Meals available)
1pm Clinic resumes
4pm Clinic is done for the day
6:30 Social for all Invited (Location TBD)
Sunday October 12th
9:00am Clinic resumes with more focus on scrimmages/game play
1pm Clinic is Finished!
What to Bring
All players will need basic rugby apparel : T-shirt or Jersey, Rugby Shorts, Socks, Cleats( must be plastic studs), MOUTHGUARDS, scrum caps etc. Water/Gatorade will be provided but a water bottle is recommended to get refills.
Clinic Location
Whitaker Fields ( aka UT IM Fields)
Located on the southeast corner of 51st and Guadalupe Streets.
Host Hotel
La Quinta Inn
Austin Highland Mall
5812 I-35 North
Austin, TX 78751
Phone: (512) 459-4381
This hotel is nearby to the IM Fields and has offered us a block of rooms for clinic participants at $69/per night (this is discounted from $85 a night). We recommend that you book early because the rooms will go fast. When booking mention that you are with “UT Women’s Rugby” and are a skills clinic participant.
Social
Place: TBD
Saturday night at 6:30; just going out to eat and relax after a long day of rugby.
If you are with a team please send:
the number of players/coaches who will be attending the clinic as well as their names.
Also indicate if any vegetarian meals are needed.
If you are an individual/ high school player, please tell us your name and where you have played rugby and if a vegetarian meal is needed.
Please note that if you RSVP we will be ordering a lunch for you and expecting that you will come and pay.
Please give us as much notice as possible if you have a cancellation.
For any other questions or concerns you can contact Chelsie Weathington or Anna Kunkel
We hope that you all will attend!
Chelsie Weathington
Match Secretary
University of Texas Women’s Rugby Club
Saturday:Orlando beat Charleston 89-0
Miami beat Memphis 34-12
Sunday:
Memphis beat Charleston 21-7
Orlando beat Miami 29-0
End rankings:
1 - Orlando
2 - Miami
3 - Memphis
4 - Charleston
Thanks to Katy B for sending in the results, send me any pictures or videos when you have a chance!
Click here for the original post where the seeds were announced.
When I first starting playing rugby in 2001, the teams in the best teams in the West were Austin, Dallas, New Orleans, and the KC Jazz. Since we were only 3 hours from Dallas, we often played the Debutantes, and they taught me alot of what I know today! They were a tough team but they were great friends and I treasure those memories.
So, I was very excited to hear that they were making a comeback and am proud to welcome the newest Texas team back to rugby! This is from Jecca a former University of Texas player who recently moved to Dallas, TX:
We are being sponsored by the Dallas Diablos Men's team and the website is www.dallasdiablos.org.
Practices are Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:45 at Griggs Park located at 2100 Clark St, Dallas, TX 75204 or 2200 Hugo St, Dallas, TX 75204 (it's right off of the highway and has both addresses listed for mapquest purposes). The first official practice is Sept 3rd (we've just been playing touch with the boys at Lake Highlands, which is where the boot camp will be).
Let me know if there is anything else I can send to you! Thanks again! Oh, not sure if I mentioned it but I'm their recruitment person...any suggestions to build the ranks?
Thanks,
Jecca
Congratulations on the turnout for your Boot Camp in September, that crowd looks incredibly promising!
BEFORE the League Match there is a Bside match of Austin B vs Dallas. I believe the time is 1pm, but am not quite sure. Will update as soon as I know!
UPDATED -
Time: 12:30pm
When: Oct 11, 2008
Why: League Match 2008
Where: Burr Field
Directly after this game on the same field there will be a League Match between the Austin Valkyries and the St. Louis Sabres at 3pm.
We have all played touch rugby in one form or another, as warm-up, in a league, as a game at practice or as a drill during practice. While these short sessions seem to ramp up the energy on our team and is an excellent skill, I can't imagine just playing touch rugby.
This video is from the European Championships of Touch Rugby and is a semi-final match between Scotland and Wales. I can't imagine just playing touch and never getting to tackle, ruck or really lay someone out! But, it is a glimpse at the art form or rugby and it is quite pretty...
and to combat this video...check out my all-time favorite video of Extreme Rugby Hits:
Other Rugby Video Mondays:
9/30/2008: Philly vs Raleigh 9/20/2008
9/22/2008: Girls Play Too!
9/8/2008: Vassar Spotlight
9/2/2008: Funny Rugby Clips
Please keep sending me your favorite videos: yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com!
I just wanted to take a moment and congratulate my big brother and his wife on their new addition to their family. Piper Caroline Young is the 2nd grandchildren for the Young family and is the 22nd? great grandchild. She was born on September 1, 2008 and weighed 7lbs. 3 oz and was 18.5 inches in length.
Also, congratulations to Ainsley and your new baby sister!
from Nancy Campbell:I am VERY excited to announce the teams in the 2008 South Women's DII Championships. The are being held in Memphis on this weekend, October 4 & 5, 2008.
Saturday
Game 1: 10:00am Charleston (Seed 4) vs Orlando (Seed 1)
Game 2: 12:00pm Miami (Seed 2) vs Memphis (Seed 3)
UPDATED: Sunday's Schedule:
10am: Memphis vs. Charleston
12pm: Miami vs. Orlando
Congratulations to Charleston for taking their rugby to the next level. Welcome to the Championships!
Nancy Campbell
USARS Women's Director
Sooo, its already October and that means that it is time to give something away another tshirt to my faithful readers! While the Valkyries were in Denver for our league matches I got stopped twice while I was wearing my shirt. Once by The Girl who was giggling at me because I had spilled my adult beverage on it...oops, never said I was smooth! The other person was a stranger who wanted to know if I blogged about rugby or played as well.
So I got to thinking, if you win my tshirt, its not really like you blog about rugby right? Or maybe you do, and that is awesome! (Make sure you tell me about your blog and I will link to you!) So I changed the design to be more fitting for the everyday rugger who loves to read rugby blogs!Same deal as last time, either comment, email me or facebook me if you would like to be entered into the drawing. If you have already won before, please do not enter again!
Can't wait to see if you win the raffle? Purchase this tshirt ($15.95) or any of my other rugby shirts by visiting my Zazzle Tshirt Shop.
Love this ad:
In a few days voting registration will close, find where to register to vote by visiting maps.google.com/vote.
I ended up having to skip practice last night because of an impromptu conference call that was scheduled at the same time. While I was on the conference call I worked on the video from the Austin vs Glendale game. We thought we had only gotten about 15 minutes, but it looks like we got around 21 minutes before the battery died.
Thanks to Mary G. for taping and I wish I would have brought my extra battery! Argh! As always only long periods of time for penalties or injuries were edited out, other than that it is raw rugby.
Enjoy!
Austin Valkyries vs Glendale (Cup Match 2008) from Wendy Young on Vimeo.
Austin Valkyries vs Glendale (bonus video!) from Wendy Young on Vimeo.
Other Recent Videos:
9/30/2008: Austin B vs UT
9/30/2008: Austin B vs Texas A&M
6/25/2008: Satiated Beavers (Austin) vs HARC
6/25/2008: Satiated Beavers (Austin) vs Little Rock
6/25/2008: Satiated Beavers (Austin) vs Phatties (Texas A&M)
If you would like to subscribe to my Vimeo Channel and be updated when I upoad new videos, make sure to join my Channel.
Or you can follow me on Twitter and get up to date alerts of when I blog about rugby or my life!
BOULDER, Colo. – Following the footwork and skills camp in Little Rock over the weekend, USA Women’s Sevens Team Coach Julie McCoy has named her final squad set to compete at the upcoming Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifier in the Bahamas on October 25-26.The team of 12 athletes, plus two traveling reserves was chosen from an initial pool of 21 athletes who assembled at the Greater Little Rock Inc. Rugby Complex to undergo fitness testing September 26-28. Saturday's work was spent on attack, and the players spent Sunday working on defensive footwork and tracking drills with USA Defensive Specialist Coach Peter Baggetta. The weekend culminated in four seven-minute scrimmages used for selection purposes.
"Overall, I thought the squad fitness was good, although there is room for improvement, as the numbers are non-peaking," Coach McCoy said. "We are working hard together on the principles of Sevens, practicing the fundamentals and adding pressure to the group.”
“So far the athletes are showing great mental strength and responding to the challenge with great maturity and poise – I also have a great staff and consider myself a very lucky coach to have such great support," she added.
Upon final evaluations from the Women’s Sevens coaching staff, the following players were named to represent the USA at the NAWIRA (North America West Indies Rugby Association) regional World Cup Qualifier:
Kirsten Ahrendt (Keystone RFC)
Ida Bernstein (Keystone RFC)
Ellie Karvoski (Little Rock RFC)
Phaidra Knight (New York RFC)
Pam Kosanke (Chicago North Shore RFC)
Teena Mastrangelo (Chicago North Shore RFC)
Christy Ringgenberg – Captain (Minnesota Valkyries RFC)
Ines Rodriguez (Keystone RFC)
Jen Sinkler (Keystone RFC)
Lindsey Stephenson (At-Large)
Jess Watkins (Stanford University)
Kelly White (Belmont Shore RFC)
Reserves:
Tyshawn Henry (New York RFC)
Melissa McKibben (Kansas City RFC)
Also present at the camp were:
Amy Daniels (Beantown RFC)
Yancy Graf (Beantown RFC)
Alison Price – inj. (New York RFC)
Jenn Starkey - inj. (NOVA RFC)
Donna Thomas – inj. (Little Rock RFC)
Non-traveling reserves:
Lauren Rosso (Keystone RFC)
Heidi Whitman (Austin RFC)
USA Women’s Staff includes: Head Coach Julie McCoy, assistant coaches Chris Ryan and Drew Fautley, Team Manager Sadeana Green, General Manager Tristan Lewis and physios Dr. Lisa Bartoli and Michael Moses.
The team next assembles in Miami, Fla. from October 18-22, before heading to the Bahamas for the Sevens WC Qualifier on October 23. The USA Women must finish among the top two places out of their North American and Caribbean competition to qualify for the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Given the team qualifies, the U.S. Women will train together in Little Rock starting in mid-January and spanning through the end of February before McCoy names the final squad for the IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens, which will be held in Dubai from March 5-7.
Women’s Sevens Team Schedule
U.S. World Cup Qualifying Assembly, Miami, Fla., October 18-22
U.S. World Cup Qualifier, Nassau, Bahamas, October 23-27
IRB Dubai Sevens, Dubai, UAE, November 22 – December 1
U.S. Sevens Testing/Skills Camp, Little Rock, Ark., January 16-18
U.S. Sevens Residency Training, Little Rock, Ark., January 30-February 9
IRB USA Sevens, San Diego, Calif., February 9-16
U.S. Sevens Residency Training, Little Rock, Ark., February 16-23
IRB Sevens Rugby World Cup 2009, Dubai, UAE, March 1-9
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