Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

USA u23 Squad for Pihlly/MARFU series

Last Name, First Name, Pos. Terr., Team, Age

Kohanski Tess H U19 Syracuse 19
Crapster-Pregont Meg FB NE Cornell 20
Drey Kassie L MW UNI 20
Griffin Kelly C SC UCLA 20
Hughes Brea 8 W Texas A&M 20
Potter Jillion 8 W UNM 20
Tseng Jossy FH P Stanford 20
Ahrendt Kirsten FB NE Dartmouth 21
Black Kathryn P MA West Chester 21
Braaten Sylvia FH MW Marquette 21
McCoy Tiffany 9 MW UNI 21
Benlian Amber FH/ C MA PSU 22
CHOU Katie P P Cal 22
DUGGAN Jillian H SC UCSD 22
Hansen Erica 9 P Stanford 22
Hustwitt Jen FL NE Brown 22
Lear Kristy C MW U of MN 22
Mathews Kara L SC UCSB 22
McGee Vanesha FB/W/C MA Temple 22
Reddick Naima H/FL P Chico State 22
Warden Rachel L/8 MA UVA 22
Bingeli Alicia 12 W AFA 23
Groefsema Blair 8 SC UCSB 23
Hemstreet Allison FL P Berkeley 23
Kuchar Jenny C NE New York 23
Lange Jaime L W Hogs 23
Moreno San Juanita C P Western Oregon U 23
Schmidtke Traci P W Austin 23

I'm going to say it...and I hate to say it.

Soccer players have turned into crying, whining babies.

As a soccer player of 15 years at varying levels from HS to Club to Collegiate...I have to say that I am embarassed! The world cup was a slaughter of yellow cards and red cards. The most EVER in history! 336 yellow cards and 27 red cards...and now FIFA is defending these cards "If you count the number of red and yellow cards ... it’s in proportion,” Siegler, FIFA director said. "Before Sunday’s games, referees had handed out 136 yellow cards and 10 reds in 24 matches."

But I am not embarassed because of the amount of cards...that regrettableble...but I wembarrassedsed that grown men were falling down (taking dives) over and over and over! Stop faking it and play one of the most beautiful games ever!

A funny side note: a video of the Italian team practicing dives...who knows if it is true or not, but hilarious.

Vote for rugby as an icon of English culture!

Like apple pie to us Americans ...

Per Blondie and her blog.

All 6 territorial teams, plus an Atlantis team coached by Emil Signes, played in round robin format to then determine seeding for a single elimination tournament to follow on Sunday. To say National Coach Julie McCoy was testing the limits of all players would be an understatement!

Just briefly (there will be a more detailed account of the weekend's events later ) :

The West team, despite being completely new and having just one day's practice together won the 1st place seeding after round robin play: 4 wins, 2 ties, 0 losses....the only team to go undefeated! The West defeated South, MidWest, Marfu, and Northeast in the first round and tied Atlantis and a much improved SoCal team.

This won them a bye in the single elimination tourney where they lost to the South in the Semi final. The South were the eventual winners over Midwest.

Congratulations to Austin Valkyrie Rosalind Chou for her outstanding performance at Cape Fear 7's as a member of the West 7's select side! Roz played almost every minute of a grueling weekend that began with 5 matches (yes, I'm serious) on Saturday and 2 matches on Sunday. Roz's fitness served her well as well as her super-positive attitude and dedication to her new team-mates.

Please congratulate Roz when you see her! She was completely awesome and represented the Valks well!

Arrived at work this morning at 5:30am. Whew...hate these early mornings, but at least I get done by about noon and have the whole day ahead!

I was watching ESPN Classic at around 7:30 and the special Who's Number 1 came on. It was AWESOME! They had a number of women listed including:

Nadia Comaneci: first woman gymnast to achieve a Perfect 10 (they have since changed the rules in gymnastics and no one will EVER recieve a 10 as the scoring has moved to a scale of 20.)




Mia Hamm: Youngest National Player and World Cup Player. First-ever three-time U.S. Soccer athlete of the year, male or female (1994-1996) ... Member of the Gold Medal winning U.S. Women's National Team at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.

Gertrude Caroline Ederle: Was the first woman to succesfully swim across the English Channel, completeing the feat on August 30th (my birthday!), 1926, in 14 hours and 39 minutes.



So then I did a simple search on Google for "greatest women athletes of all time" and found that Sports Illustrated did a piece on it...here are their results!

1. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Track and Field
-Won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals over four consecutive Olympic Games. (1962)

2. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Track and Field
-Ultimate multisport athlete won three Olympic medals to go with 31 LPGA titles. (1911-1956)

3. Billie Jean King, Tennis
-Opened minds by beating Bobby Riggs in 1973 "Battle of the Sexes"; opened doors by helping establish Women's Sports Foundation in '74. (1943)

4. Sonja Henie, Figure Skating
-Dominated figure skating with 10 consecutive world championships and three Olympic gold medals. (1912-1969)

5. Maritina Navratilova, Tennis
-Martiina Navratilova (#5) and Chris Evert (#6) each won 18 Grand Slam titles; together, their rivalry elevated women's tennis. (1956)



6. Chris Evert, Tennis
-Martiina Navratilova (#5) and Chris Evert (#6) each won 18 Grand Slam titles; together, their rivalry elevated women's tennis. (1954)



7. Bonnie Blair, Speed Skating
-Won a U.S.-record five individual gold medals over three Olympic Games. (1974)

8. Wilma Rudolph, Trach and Field
-Overcame polio to win Olympic gold. (1940-1994)

9. Nadia Comaneci, Gymanstics
-First gymnast to receive a perfect score in Olympic competition. (1961)

10. Tracy Caulkins, Swimming
-Most versatile swimmer ever and winner of three Olympic gold medals. (1963)

11. Florence Griffith Joyner, Track and Field
12. Mia Hamm, Soccer
13. Nancy Lopez, Golf
14. Steffi Graff, Tennis
15. Cheryl Miller, Basketball
16. Margaret Court, Tennis
17. Mary T. Meagher, Swimming
18. Olga Korbut, Gymnastics
19. Peggy Fleming, Figure Skating
20. Joan Benoit Samuleson, Distance Running
21. Dawn Fraser, Swimming
22. Teresa Edwards, Bastketball
23. Julie Krone, Horse Racing
24. Ann Meyers, Baskteball
25. Jean Driscoll, Wheelchair Racing
26. Fanny Blankers-Koen, Track and Field
27. Mickey Wright, Golf
28. Maureen Connolly, Tennis
29. Janet Evans, Swimmer
30. Althea Gibson, Tennis
31. Mary Decker Slaney, Track and Field
32. Dorothy Hamill, Figure Skating
33. Suzanna Lenglen, Tennis
34. Lyuboz Egorova, Cross Country Skiing
35. Kathy Whitworth, Distance Running
36. Larrisa Latynina, Gymnastics
37. Grete Waitz, Distance Running
38. Katarina Witt, Figure Skating
39. Amy Van Dyken, Swimming
40. Michelle Akers, Soccer
41. Pat McCormick, Diving
42. Getrude Ederle, Swimming
43. Wyomia Tyus, Track and Field
44. Nancy Lieberman-Cline, Basketball
45. Picabo Street, Skiing
46. Anne Donovan, Basketball
47. Tenley Albright, Figure Skating
48. Lyne Hill, Rock Climbing
49. Rosi Mittermaier, Skiing
50. Susan Butcher, Dogsledding

Thanks to all these ladies that have changed the face of women's sports as we know it. Without their efforts we wouldn't be where we are today! Free to compete!

Austin Bloodfest June 24, 2006
Since this was a social tournament the Satiated Beavers decided to play it a little differently. Instead of having "selections" we decided that if you wanted to play you should just raise your hand! (I missed that memo as I was out getting McDonalds and hot choc...damn you Wendy!)

Our first game was against TX A&M...and we had just taught them how to play 7's about 15 minutes before we played...so we thought we had it in the bag. Not so much...they caught us on our heels several times and were able to take advantage of their fitness. They caught a big lead on us in the first half and we weren't able to recover enough in the second half.

The second game was against Alamo City/San Antonio. Once again we showed a hand if we wanted to play...this time I was ready! It was a tough match and there were only two tries scored. One by me and one by Alamo. We both missed our kicks and the game ended in a tie.

The third game was against Alamo City/San Antonio again. This time we beat them soundly by 15 or 20 points. Nice work ladies...finally we were working together and feeling the groove.

The fourth game was against Denton...since we had played them before in Dallas we knew what to expect. Speedy little girls they are! But we were able to defeat them by 5 or 10 points. NICE!

The fifth game was a motley against TX A&M. This was alot of fun to play in! We had a few beavers (including me!), Oklahoma and Alamo City players. TX A&M beat us easily though and went on to win the tournament. Nice work ladies!

As for the rest of the Beavers 7's season...I believe we are going to Corpus Christi in a few weeks and having a friendly against TX A&M next week. Keep up the fitness ladies!

Sorry all...been SUPER BUSY with the move and all to Austin.

Here's basically a summary of what has been going on around locally and for me in general...

NATIONAL ALL STAR CHAMPIONSHIP JUNE 9-11, 2006

Found a SUPER cheap ticket to Colorado and arrived Tuesday afternoon...was picked up by my AWESOME brother (Hi Jeff!) in his new fun car. Its a 70's VW Thing. I have attached a pic because it is such a fun car!! He just got it a few months ago and was super excited to show it off!

Anyways I arrived a few days early to train with the Olde Girls as I was attempting to play scrumhalf after playing outside center in Minnesota. I was excited to have the opportunity as only one of the coaches had ever seen me play scrumhalf and none of my mates had EVER seen me play there. Thanks for the chance coaches and mates!

West vs. Pacific
Our first game was Friday against Pacific. We arrived at the field a nervous bunch...hours before we had to play. So the apprehension began...and we finally got to warm up. Most of us had our boots on WAY before we were supposed to! I was selected as one of the 5 reserves as scrumhalf and made sure I was mentally prepared to come in at any time but knew I would get some playing time at the half. The game started and as a team that usually starts on their back foot we had made a goal to start at a running pace and control everything. We did an excellent job of bonding together and stepping up to the goal.

I don't know the exact scores...and can't find them anywhere on the internet! But I am remembering that Pacific scored a few times in the first half. The second half began with a few substitutions including myself and Hoops. We were SO pumped...and then the storms that had threatened all day started producing lightening. USA Rugby called for a game delay of at least 30 minutes. So all the adrenaline and pace-setting we had done as a team was shot down. We spent at least an hour in the parking lot before we were allowed to warm up and start playing again.

The second half went well, we had some GREAT runs and got very close to scoring but couldn't quite get the ball into the try zone. We ended up losing...we had them on the run at the half, they were starting to tire...but damn colorado storms.

On Saturday we were able to watch the USA Women play Canada. What a match!! It looked like a tough one for the eagles, but then Ellie Karvoski stepped up and notched a few tries to make it look easy. Great job ladies! Shout-out to DUDE!

Northeast def. West, 29-6
Sunday morning we knew that we had to play early against the North East and that if we wanted to stay in Tier 1 we had to have a win. I was selected as starting scrumhalf and was nervous as hell! But I knew that they wouldn't put me in that spot unless they had full confidence...we had to win!

We were moving the ball well, setting clean rucks and doing all the hard work but couldn't seem to get the ball into the try zone again. Over and over we had great continuity, support and fitness...but just couldn't make it happen. The penalty kicks by Val were great though!

So all in all the weekend didn't go quite as we had imagined...as for the U23 women though, they kicked ass all weekend and were able to take 1st place! Nice work ladies!

5-22-2006 - Women's World Cup Squad Named
USA RUGBY WOMEN'S RUGBY WORLD CUP ROSTER

BOULDER, Colo. USA Rugby Women's National Team all-time caps leader Patty Jervey has made an unprecedented fifth Women's Rugby World Cup team as head coach Kathy Flores has announced the squad of 26 players and four non-roster reserves that will represent the United States at this year's Women's Rugby World Cup, Aug. 31-Sept. 17 in Edmonton, Alberta.

I'm very happy with the squad we picked, said Flores. We tried to pick a team with a good combination of experience and youth, players that are veterans in the international game and those that will be exposed to it for the first time. We are really seeing the benefit and influence of our U-23 program, selecting players that may have another World Cup ahead of them.

While Jervey will be seeing her fifth World Cup, she will be joined by Hedwig Aerts, Kristin Baja, Jen Crouse, Heather Hale, Patty Jervey, Ellie Karvoski, Phaidra Knight and Meredith Ottens, all who played in 2002's World Cup in The Netherlands and came away with a seventh-place finish.

Position specific non-rostered players that will train and travel in the event of a team injury include hooker Lisa Butts (Chico, Calif.), prop Annie Collier (New York), scrumhalf Kim Magrini (Philadelphia) and wing Jen Sinkler (St. Louis Park, Minn.).

We have a good veteran pool of players that will really be able to teach the younger players that truly want to learn, and learn of the experiences of those older players.

While grateful for the veteran strength that returns, Flores mentioned that not having the knowledge, international experience, on and off-the-field commitment of players like Lisa Rowe, Alex Williams, and Diane Schnapp in '06 will be the real challenge for this squad.

Flores' staff includes Candi Orsini (assistant coach), Krista McFarren (assistant backs coach), Fr. lisa Bartoli (team physician), Tracy Moens (strength and conditioning), Sara Schouse and Katie Peterson (managers) and Anne Barry (program manager).

Prior to World Cup play, the team will assemble in Boulder from June 7-13 for fixtures against Rugby Canada June 10 and 13.

Now that the squad is picked and those players are confident about going, our focus in June will be on playing, game strategy and going forward to the World Cup and our continuity, said Flores.

Sixth seeded USA Rugby will open against England on Aug. 31 and continue cross-pool play against 10th-seeded Ireland (Sept. 4) and seventh-seeded Australia (Sept. 8).

After three match days, with each team having played three pool matches, positional semi-finals will be played with the top four-positioned sides vying to make the WRWC final, and all other sides playing matches in the final two rounds to determine final tournament standings.

The Eagles have a strong World Cup history as the U.S. won the first World Cup in 1991 (defeating England 19-6), and brought home runner-up finishes in both '94 and '98.

USA RUGBY WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM | 2006 WOMEN'S RUGBY WORLD CUP

AERTS, Hedwig
BAJA, Kristin
BRAYMER, Claudia
BURKE, Jamie
CABRERA, Laura
CARTER, Erin
COX, Kate
CROUSE, Jen
DUBRAY, Carrie
ENGLISH, Ashley
HALE, Heather
JERVEY, Patty
KARVOSKI, Ellie
KNIGHT, Lee
KNIGHT, Phaidra
KOSANKE, Pam
McDONALD, Laura
McMAHON, Kelly
MILLER, Danielle
NEDER, Pat
NESBERG, Tina
OTTENS, Meredith
POPE, Kate
WALLACE, Mari
WARNER, Keenya
ZDANCZEWICZ, Kristin

NON-ROSTERED RESERVES
BUTTS, Lisa
COLLIER, Annie
MAGRINI, Kim
SINKLER, Jen

RESERVES
AERTS, Kirsten
ANGLADE, Olivia
BARTH, Suzanna
BENNETT, Stacy
BRUCE, Stephanie
COSTELLO, Brenna
DOUGLAS, Farrah
HENRY, Tyshawn
JOYCE, Jen
KANUK, Mel
KUGLER, Lynelle
LANGE, Jaime
MACCALLUM, Katie
RINGGENBERG, Christy
TRUCANO, Chris
TURPIN, Kate
WARNER, Courtney
WHITMAN, Heidi
WHITMORE, Rose

USA RUGBY MANAGEMENT
Kathy Flores, Head Coach
Candy Orsini, Assistant Coach
Krista McFarren, Assistant Backs Coach
Dr. Lisa Bartoli, Team Doctor
Tracy Moens, Strength & Conditioning Coach
Sara Shouse, Katie Peterson, Managers
Anne Barry, Program Manager

2006 WOMEN'S RUGBY WORLD CUP | USA RUGBY SCHEDULE
Aug. 31 vs. England
Sept. 4 vs. Ireland
Sept. 8 vs. Australia
Sept. 12, TBA
Sept. 16, TBA
Sept. 17, Finals TBA

So as most of you know, Goffonrugby.com is a partial-pay site...meaning that he has some access to free articles, but the juicy ones require a membership. I think that is nice and all...since I share a membership...ahem. Anyways, just wanted to throw up the latest college rankings since the Collegiate Championships or two weeks ago.

Check out Airforce at #9, TX A&M at #17, and in the honorable mentions a few teams from the west: Colorado, Oklahoma, Colorado State, New Mexico. Nice work ladies, lets keep working our way up the ranks!

1. Stanford (1)
Current Record 18-0-1
Last Week won 45-12 over Navy (3), won 15-12 over Penn State (2)
This Week idle

2. Penn State (2)
Current Record 20-3
Last Week 54-5 over Ohio State (4), lost 15-12 to Stanford (1)
This Week idle

3. Navy (3)
Current Record 17-6
Last Week Lost 45-12 to Stanford (1)
This Week idle

4. Army (6)
Current Record 18-4
Last Week idle
This Week idle

5. Ohio State (4)
Current Record 8-3
Last Week Lost 54-5 to Penn State (2)
This Week idle

6. Virginia (5)
Current Record 21-2
Last Week idle
This Week idle

7. Chico State (7)
Current Record 19-3
Last Week idle
This Week idle

8. UC Santa Barbara (8)
Current Record 6-3-1
Last Week idle
This Week idle

9. Air Force (9)
Current Record 10-3
Last Week idle
This Week idle

10. California (10)
Current Record 15-6-1
Last Week idle
This Week idle

11. West Chester (11)
Current Record 9-5
Last Week idle
This Week idle

12. Eastern Illinois (12)
Current Record 9-1
Last Week idle
This Week idle

13. Vassar (13)
Current Record 13-5
Last Week idle
This Week idle

14. Radcliffe (14)
Current Record 13-10
Last Week idle
This Week idle

15. U. Northern Iowa (15)
Current Record 8-2
Last Week idle
This Week idle

16. UC Davis (16)
Current Record 5-3
Last Week idle
This Week idle

17. Texas A&M (17)
Current Record 10-1
Last Week idle
This Week idle

18. North Carolina (18)
Current Record 12-4-1
Last Week idle
This Week idle

19. Princeton (19)
Current Record 9-7
Last Week idle
This Week idle

20. Yale (20)
Current Record 13-4
Last Week idle
This Week idle


Honorable mention: Arizona State, UCSD, James Madison, Providence College, U Mass, Colorado, Oklahoma, Clemson, Colorado State, New Mexico, Dartmouth, Cornell