Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

I left Austin last night and flew through St. Louis and finally arrived in Minneapolis, MN around midnight. I was supposed to get in around ten, but some crazy weather made the flying a little treacherous, so they flew around it. So I met up with a few other players from the team (their flights had been delayed as well) and we headed to our hotel.

We are in the same Super 8 that we stayed in last year for the exhibition matches against USA A and Midwest B. It kind of feels like home as we had our meetings in the indoor pool room and demolished breakfast this morning in the little breakfast room.

Last night was a rough night of sleeping, the first night at a different place is always difficult for me. I laid there going over the plays and visualizing everything and couldn't turn my brain off. I think I finally dozed off around 2:30. Luckily we didn't have training until 11am...so I didn't have to really think.

We had a team meeting at 9am where we discussed a few things. Geoff our forwards coach had some personal issues and couldn't attend after all. So they had replaced him with Mark and Wendy Cook was brought in to help with the backs. I was sad that Geoff was not attending, he is a HUGE guy with a big heart and always positive. I loved being coached by a real live Kiwi! He played for them in the 80's, but the replacement of Wendy Cook was a big attribute as well she is a very experienced player and a great coach.

Anyways, we started training at 11am with our usual skill work and dynamic warm up. Mark got my hopes up when he had me and Edwards switching out at scrumhalf drills...but when we finally split I was put at the flyhalf position. I know scrumhalfs and flyhalfs are supposed to be interchangeable...but I like wearing the #9 and I LOVE being with the pack. I had come up here knowing that I may be playing flyhalf, but still was hoping I would be in my comfort zone.

We have a few players that are playing out of position and that has been interesting to watch develop. I am playing flyhalf instead of scrumhalf, Melissa is playing wing instead of center, Lynelle is playing center instead of flanker and the list goes on. But these changes are all about the combinations as Mark keeps reminding us. If we can find the right combination it doesn't matter what position we play.

Training was really good as we were able to simplify some of the things that were confusing everyone in Kansas City and our timing has improved IMMENSELY. You can tell we are starting to trust each other and feel each other out more. I think we will be really successful on Friday against the South. We are a very talented team that has a lot of fun off the field and we need to bring that discipline and fun to the field on Friday.

Well its about 10 minutes till our next training, so gotta go! I will try and post some pictures later this week.

West 2007 All Stars Roster

KJ Abel- Ruch
Molly Albano
Breanna Alexander
Sara Edwards
Molly Rose Graves
Joy Hernandez
Allegra Howell
Devin Keller
Jen Kelley
Kim Klahn
Alena Kolarsky
Jenny Kuchar
Lynelle Kugler
Jaime Lange
Melissa McKibben
Cody Monroe
Angie Poe
Mandy Rasmussen
Erin Riley
Sarah Webel
Lindsay Wieczorek
Katie Wurst
Wendy Young


Coaches
Mark Bullock
Geoff Old
Susan Stabler
Wendy Cook

Ladies-

I have just spoken to the Bloodfest authorities and have managed to get the price of the tournament reduced.

$125 if PRE-PAY and $150 the day off!!!

This is CHEAP CHEAP! If possible they are asking that we all pre-pay so that we can have CONFIRMED teams. Please go to http://www.hunsrugby.com/ and pre-pay using paypal. You can pay with credit card or if you have paypal...well you know how it works.

IF YOU ARE COMING, but cannot pre-pay, please EMAIL ME ASAP!!!

Thanks,
WE

As you can see I have changed the site again. Finally found a simple, clean 3 column hack that I liked.

Look forward to blogging from the National All Star Championships this weekend...hopefully I will be motivated to blog! I leave tomorrow around 2pm and return Monday afternoon...here's to a week of hard training and matches!

Wish me luck!

The Austin Valkyries Women’s Rugby Club is in need of an experienced and motivated coach. Currently, our self-coached team is the reigning champion of the West Division I and is widely regarded as the team to beat. Our enthusiastic and well-trained squad routinely competes against teams from other cities and in national-level tournaments and includes players from all over the United States. Our skill levels range from those who have played for national-level teams to those who are eager to learn a new sport.

We are continuously looking for ways to increase our level of play and recruit high-caliber players and staff to the Valkyries. A passionate and qualified coach who also enjoys having fun would considerably help us improve and expand both our skill level and excitement for the game. Our practices are Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7pm to 9pm at Burnett Middle School, located in north Austin. We would like a coach to begin in late August and help train us through the fall. The position is on a volunteer basis, but the rewards will be immeasurable.

If interested, email a team officer with a resume and letter of intent.

Sincerely,

Austin Valkyries

Shannon Shafer sshafer@aol.com – President
Traci Schmidtke tschmidtke@gmail.com – Treasurer
Stephanie Dorsey stephanie.dorsey@gmail.com – Recruiting
Wendy Young scooterwe@gmail.com – Match Secretary
Tiffany Hall discoti@gmail.com - Fundraiser
Rachel Kraft rhkraft@gmail.com – Equipment Manager

One of my good friends Mark has recently joined one of the men’s rugby teams down here in Austin. He attended the Lonestar Dallas 7s Tournament of mud, mud and more mud along with the women’s team. As I watched him play in his first game I was amazed at his tenacity on defense!He left bodies all over that damn field…tackling guys with the ball, or right after they had passed the ball and doing it with such ferocity. It was amazing! He had never played rugby before, but with a history of wrestling and horse wrangling, he was a perfect fit. That is until it came time for offense! He was like a fish out of water! He tried valiantly to be in the right place and the right time, but as every new rugby rookie knows, there is not such place. You are either in the way, in front of the play or left behind!

As I lay in bed this morning I was struck by how this was the exact opposite for me when I started playing rugby. I was GREAT on offense; I have great field vision and love making the gaps. I had to work extra hard on defense and still do…I have to concentrate extra hard to make sure I am tackling and not watching. I tend to watch as I want to see what they will do with the situation instead of smacking them into the ground!

Are some players just blessed with the ability to be amazing on offense and defense or do we all have one strength? As we all know, offense is horribly important, but so is your defense! When you are backed up on your try line, NOTHING is more important than smart, swift and tactical defense. Coming up together, communicating your man…all of that is highly critical. And if you can get under the ball if they do manage to cross the line, you are a superstar in my eyes!

Just something I was thinking about this morning…have a great day!

This and more at http://rugbydirt.com

Its on a small scale, but this tool is AMAZING! I wonder how long it will last though, till someone sues...

Check out maps.google.com for a trial yourself, just click Street View (without entering an address) and click away!

Here are some of the funnier images found:
http://mashable.com/2007/05/31/top-15-google-street-view-sightings/


You can also do a 360 click and drag if you want to see what is behind you...and then there is zooming capabilities. This is a FUN tool!

So I've started blogging for Rugby Dirt, check it out:

Hey all,

Guess I should have introduced myself. I am Wendy Young (even though my pen name is David Leach...maybe they will fix that soon) and I have been playing rugby for almost 7 years now. Scary...7 years, feels like I just stepped on that pitch at the University of Oklahoma yesterday. I played 5 years in college for OU and then picked up and moved to Austin to play with the Austin Valkyries.

I have a rugby blog at http://westrugby.blogspot.com that covers all aspects of rugby, but mostly the women's end. There are a TON of us bloggers out there, since Goffon rugby and some of the larger, well known publications don't cover the women as much as they should. I mean when you have 40 articles on men's rugby and then 2 on women's...something isn't right.

I decided to blog for Rugby Dirt because it will be a different and new experience and can expand the blogging world. I will be posting on Rugby Dirt and my women's rugby blog so you may seem some duplication, but not always.

Anyways, wanted to blog about Dallas 7s this weekend, it was AWESOME! It was a muddy, muddy weekend, but who doesn't love playing rugby in the mud? This year I worked my butt off to try and revive the women's bracket at this tournament. In years past they have had a hard time getting teams to attend, but this year I was able to get TEN women's teams to attend.

It was FREAKIN' SWEET! We had two pools of great competition:
First Place: Texas A&M University
Second Place: Satiated Beavers A (Austin Valkyries)
Third Place: Houston (in a decisive boat race decision for the win!)
Baton Rouge
Philadelphia
Little Rock
Arkansas
Denton
Alamo City
Satiated Beavers B

Also this weekend was the revival of the Debutante Ball...and it included TWO original Debutantes from the Dallas team many years ago. We had about 24 participants in dresses and the referee was awesome. He was from Sweden and was a great addition to the tradition. The game ended in a tie, 10-10...thanks for the participation!

As for my side of things, I played on the Satiated Beavers A side I played scrumhalf mostly and had a good weekend. The legs and body were strong, taking me to 5 tries and a few conversions. Our team played very well together down to the final against A&M. With playing one game with the social team, I counted up that I played in EIGHT GAMES...and I was utterly exhausted after the last game. I have never played that many games before in one day...so I know my fitness is where it needs to be.

Next up for me is Bloodfest 7s in Austin, National All Star Championships (WEST 15s) in Blaine, Cape Fear 7s (WEST 7s) and National All Star Championships (WEST 7s) in Park City, UT. Wish me luck in all my adventures!

See this and more at http://westrugby.blogspot.com

Lone Star 7s
June 2, 2007

Send me your picture links from the weekend!! I am waiting for someone that took pictures of the debutante ball!

Traci Schmidtke from the Austin Valkyries sent these in: http://ou.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2137607&id=9611795
Sarah Anne from Denton posted these on her myspace site: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=51123715
Annie Stoddard from Texas A&M posted this link:
http://anniestoddard.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album55

Satiated Beavers 2007 Recap

The 2007 Satiated Beavers began their summer campaign in impressive style Saturday at the Lone Star Classic 7's Tournament in Dallas, TX. Sending two squads into a highly competitive women's field -- 10 teams participated this year -- the "Beaver One" squad earned a 2nd place finish while the "Beaver All" squad showed consistent improvement throughout the day. The Beavers played beautiful 7's against a very fit Texas A&M Aggie team, fresh off their top-10 finish in collegiate nationals, in a hard-fought final.

Your Beaver Coaching Staff is most pleased with our newcomers' performances on the "Beaver All" social side, including rugby rookie Alexis and 7's/Beaver rookies Jecca, Shalynn, Mary & Jen DeGroot.

Veteran Valkyrie Angela Adams made her return to the pitch and tested the 7's waters for the first time, while Lisa "Mad Dog" Houy donned the Beaver orange on the competitive side. Joining Mad Dog Houy on the near-champion Beaver Ones were 7's rookie Rachel Kraft as well as a strong returning Beaver class of Ros, Tiff, 2-Shay, Wendy, Steph/Kitty, Karla, Bags & Heidi.
Immediately following the men's final, Wendy Young organized a much-loved Dallas tradition, the Debutante Ball. Outfits ranged from simply a tuxedo shirt to
bridesmaid and 8th grade school dresses. With a good-humored sir the deb's played 20 minutes of spirited 15's rugby, sort of, with a final score of 10-10.

We look forward to keeping the Deb Ball tradition alive, and to a successful Beaver season, on tour & here at home.
Thanks to all, Heidi & Bags

After a long weekend away from the email...there is tons of rugby in the inbox and across the web. Check out what I found interesting this week:

• Women's rugby: 'It's a lifestyle, not just a game'
  By Larry Claflin Jr., Staff writer
  Eagle-Tribune
  
  Those who think the rough-and-tumble sport of rugby is a man's game should attend a North Shore Women's Rugby practice or match. The team - based in Lynn and including several players from the Merrimack Valley in its ranks - will change your opinion.
  
  "I love rugby because you're supposed to hit people," Shannon Horn, 23, of Haverhill, said after a recent practice.
  
  Horn said she began playing soccer at 6 and became more aggressive in the sport as she got older. Rugby, she said, gave her a good outlet for aggression.
  
  
• Lonestar 7s Results (Women's)
  1st Place: Texas A&M University
  2nd Place: Satiated Beavers (Austin, TX)
  3rd Place: Houston
  Most Honored Woman: Kim Smith
  
  The Debutante Ball was a success as we had 24 lady ruggers in assorted dresses participate. The Austin Valkyries hope to continue this old tradition in the coming years. Dust off your boots ladies!!
  
  
• Rugby in Hungary
  by Gary Duffy
  
  On Friday I was lucky to be invited to coach The Aylesford Bulls touring women's Rugby team, on tour here in Hungary. On Friday we had a light training run and I did some league skills with the 30 player squad, then followed a wine tasting and banquet in a small countryside Village.
  
  
• http://www.myspace.com/jewelrybuff wrote:
  
  I have a young high school rugby player, Chris Claus who has just made the Texas Select Rugby Team. Yeah! He is the Allen HS team's first to make Select.
  His first tournament is June 14-17 in Denver and the family needs to raise the last $350 to offset expenses.
  If you can contribute to this young man's rugby efforts you can contact me (I'm the team sponsor) or Chris has his own myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/idiot22090
  
  Much Thanks
  Betty
  Rugby Mom

Check out these blogs and more here: http://www.rugbydirt.com/blogs/index.php

10th Annual Bloodfest 7s Westerns Super Regional Qualifier - 23 June 2007
Zilker Park, Austin, TX

GOT BLOOD?
GIVE IT!
Tournament promotes the Central Texas Blood & Tissue Center

Entry Costs: (Pay now to play later)
Super Qualifier Division $225 ($300 after 6/15/2007)
Open and Social Division $175 ($225 after 6/15/2007)
Women's Division $150 ($200 after 6/15/2007)

Pre-Tourney Party at Nasty's. Wear your rugby colors for drink specials.
Beware our infamous Pub Crawl! Many times the fun of a Pub Sit (see Nasty's, above). There will be over 200 ruggers helping you find the next bar.
Win money in the Original Rugby Olympics, or simply thrill at the pretty girls:
All Men's Brackets Guaranteed FOUR Games (each of regulation length)
Beat the heat, quench your thirst, and satisfy your hunger in our Shady Biergarten!
You need a place to stay. Right near the pub crawl you'll find the Courtyard by Marriott® Hotel Austin Downtown. The Bloodfest price is $119/night for up to four comfortable guests. Click here to reserve at that fantastic rate.
In 2006, 15 teams won hardware!
8:00am Registration (you must pay to play) Captains meeting for ALL brackets at 8:30am An additional meeting for the Qualifiers will be held after the captains meeting.
Entry Costs: (Pay now to play later)
Super Qualifier Division $225 ($300 after 6/15/2007)
Open and Social Division $175 ($225 after 6/15/2007)
Women's Division $150 ($200 after 6/15/2007)
Click a Paypal button above, or send a check to: Joel Richardson, Tournament Chairman, 2507 Woodmont Ave., Austin, TX 78703. Important: If you want to enter more than one team or make other arrangements--ask TJ.
Beautiful Zilker Park is conveniently located: 2100 Barton Springs Rd Austin, TX 78746	Google Map

More information: Huns Rugby Website