Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

Found this on the web today in my surfing around...the source is here. While some of these descriptions are not entirely correct...Virgo and Pisces they are pretty funny to read. Enjoy and remember they are in good fun!

Aries - Also known as the Ram; usually plays in the scrum and hence ends up with scrolled ears. Ready to battle and lock horns at any moment, these muscular specimens are best suited to no. 8’s or blindside/openside flankers. The Ram is not afraid to go where others fear to tread (or put their heads).

Taurus – The Bull; bigger and beefier than the Ram, the Bull is the most stubborn and aggressive of the signs. These animals usually have big bollocks and do not take instructions very well from smaller forwards. Fiercely loyal and practical, this creature is easy to ire and prone to stomping or rucking. Flaring nostrils are its “tell” and one should avoid direct eye contact once nostrils have been activated. Make great props.

Gemini – The Twins. This pair work best in tandem and have a give and take system going. Usually found in lock positions, these two generally decide before who is going for what so that there is no doubling up or misunderstanding of moves. Unusual for them both to catch the bouquet at the same time, but both are good jumpers. Thank goodness most are not identical.

Cancer – The Crab can move at remarkable pace and, due to its sideways moving proficiency, makes an excellent (no, not soup) scrum half. Also well known (notorious) for nipping at referees’ ankles and being incessantly talkative. Don’t be fooled by their size; if they grab hold of you with their pincers they can hold on for dear life and may need to be prized off. Boiling water can help with this or if desperate, urine works just as well, apparently.

Leo – The Lion. This dominant beast rules the center section of the line. Ferocious, fierce and agile these centres can break lines and bring down any of the other big five opposition. Good defenders and attackers. Often have flowing mains (dreaded) and can tend to be vain if left unchecked.

Virgo – The Virgin. A shy, reticent creature, the Virgin is extremely rare and not often spotted on the paddock or in the changing rooms. Difficult to identify as never admits to being part of this genus.

Libra – The Scales. This skilled professional has great balance, good judgement and is not afraid of the up-and-unders. Plus these full backs traditionally have lots of pace, sense of fair play and their point of reference is the back line. Can get unbalanced when under pressure and lose concentration when there is too much action near them messing with their equilibrium.

Scorpio – The Scorpion is the most vengeful of all the signs. Mean and cunning, this anthropoid-type creature is most suited as flanker. It has a tough outer armour and venomous sting, and will do almost anything to get what it wants. Often has a distinctive fluorescent marker in its hair.

Sagittarius – The Archer. Half man half horse (we all know which half we would prefer) the archer is tough as a stead but can still manage to elegantly arch back and throw quite accurately. These hookers sometimes get confused with lots of combinations being called out mixed in with crowd noise. This can lead to a crooked throw, an incorrect placement or loss of possession. In these situations the Archer is then transformed into a half idiot half ass.

Capricorn – The Goat-fish. One of the most versatile of the lot, this species is good at running over rocky opposition or swimming through defensive lines. Quite methodical by nature and good at tactical decisions, often found at fly-half. The conservative nature and practical aspect can lead to obsessive and anti-social behaviour in some cases.

Aquarius – The Water Carrier. The least favorite of the signs, the water carrier is never by choice, but depends on injury, form or reconditioning selections. Can adopt other signs' characteristics if given a chance but sometimes these unfortunates are confined to the bench and the sheds for long cycles.

Pisces – The Fish is the final sign of the constellation and is a versatile, adaptable, and creative creature. These prefer the wings and if confined tend to create space. They can be small and fast, or big and strong depending on their migration lines. Can also apparently drink like fish.

Saw this on American Rugby News today. "The West Coast Rugby League has launched a drive to set up franchises from California north to Washington and Idaho, and from Montana and Wyoming south to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Clubs are forming in places like Colorado, Nevada and Utah, and earlier this month the fledgling league held a training camp in Los Angeles. Potential future players traveled to the city of angels from as far afield as Portland, Phoenix and San Diego." The league's website has more information for your perusal at http://www.wamnrl.com/.

When I played at the University of Oklahoma a few of our men's players were invited to play on Super League teams in Chicago etc and played for some time, but they all eventually came back to Oklahoma. I never did get around to asking why they came back.

This makes me wonder if this league will succeed and makes me even wonder more if the women will ever have something like this. I wonder if we will see a similar league or some sort super league in our lifetime. I have been pretty jealous to see that Canada has really put some backing to their Women's National Team by giving their players a monthly stipend. A monthly stipend to train and play rugby wouldn't be bad at all! Hopefully the US will see some of these developments over the coming decades.

It seems like last week we had just finished playing the fall rugby season. It blows my mind that the team will begin practice for the spring on January 9...that is less than two weeks away!

With my ACL surgery set for January 7th, I am pretty much out on the Spring season this year. I am excited to have surgery and begin the healing process, but am disappointed that I will not be playing in Atlanta and will miss at least one league game. I was just coming into my own on the Valkyries and it is going to be an adjustment to be on the sidelines. Oh and I just realized that I won't be reffing any rugby games any time soon either! I was doing so well and learning so much, I will definitely have to come back strong and eager to continue learning as a ref.

My doctor is pretty aggressive and I aim to find an aggressive physical therapist too. For my first ACL surgery I had a laid back doctor and a super aggressive physical therapist. I was back on the rugby field at about 4 months. I will not be coming back that quickly this time around but am aiming at around 5 to 6 months. Coming back that quickly was pretty much insane and I would not recommend it to anyone. I just couldn't be kept off the field any longer! Now that I am older and wiser...and am learning to listen to my body...this road will be different. 5 months would be May and there isn't really any rugby in May (maybe 7s). 6 months will be right around ITT's or NASCs and my goal is to be back and in tip top shape for that.

Its hard to realize that for the last month my gf and I have been hitting the gym pretty hard. It kind of feels like that hard work is going to be wasted, and so I am excited to look at the month of January as a fresh start. Sure I just spent a month getting stronger and faster, and will lose that strength in my left leg in a matter of days...but it will be ok.

Don't worry this blog won't be turning into a sob and weep story about my ACL recovery. I will probably blog about my progress, but I am looking forward to a new year. I hope to really amp up this blog as I am really enjoying it. I have worked hard for my readers and appreciate your kind thoughts and emails. I am constantly on the look out for more rugby blogs, shoot me an email and I will add you to the links sidebar.

Have a Happy New Year all!

From: Put Me in Coach!

Spoke with Julie McCoy, the women's 7s coach yesterday, and she asked me to pass this on, as well as some information regarding the USA 7s tournament. There are two big parts, i'll summarize.

USA RUGBY and the IRB need to SEE that women not only participate, but support their own programs in order for the women's final to be played in Petco park.

There are two ways to do this:

1) If you are going to USA 7's for any reasons, to watch anyone - buy your tickets from Kim Brock at USA Rugby.

2) If you want to play 7s, Kim Brock will help arrange for you to find an opponent and you can play on the 7th/8th ... FOR FREE! That's right FREE!! And then get your spectator tickets to USA 7s through Kim for the big event Saturday.

If we can show enough interest in the women's game, the women's International Final can again be played in Petco Park. That's cool. Let's try and make it happen.

See my earlier post for more info here.

From: Letchworth Girls' Rugby

The Welsh RFU have been doing wonders since the men's and women's unions merged last year. One major project has been tracing their national women's team's history - a project that probably puts them ahead of pretty much any other union anywhere.

Their latest is a real gem. Video of the first ever England v Wales women's rugby international - a game which was also the first international for both nations.

The game took place at Pontypool Park on 5th April 1987 - and England and Wales have played at least once a season ever since - 23 times in all - making it comfortably the the longest-running series in women's rugby... and England have won every game.

A "Great Britain" team had played the season before - losing 14-8 to France at Richmond - so for many of the the players this was not quite their first international, but this is still a very early event in the history of the game. The first inter-club tournaments in the UK had only started the season before, most players would have been playing for a handful of years, and it would be another seven years before the RFUW would be formed - the quality of play (and come to that the size of the crowd) is therefore all the more impressive.

Final score: Wales 4, England 22
(before anyone says anything, a try did not become worth five points until 1992/3...)

Now that the holiday is over, check out some of the rugby news that has been circulating:

• Women's Club Championship VIDEOS!
  
  Well not really, but they say you can email for your own copy. What happens when a huge amount of requests come in? DVDs are cheap, but they aren't that cheap! Here is the note from Katie Wurst:
  
  Dear Women’s Club Players, Staff & Supporters:
  
  We regret to inform you that this year’s Women’s Club Championship match broadcasts will not be available to view online in the USA Rugby media center. Technical difficulties involving decoding during the production have prevented the footage from being provided in an internet usable format. The problem was discovered and adjustments were made leading up to the men’s NASC which is why these matches are available.
  
  What we can offer is copies of the matches sent to your homes. Please write to kwurst@usarugby.org and include your email address and specific matches you are interested in obtaining and they will be sent to you as soon as possible. Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience. On the plus side, we did receive great feedback and will be looking ahead to further broadcast opportunities for women’s rugby in the future. Thank you for your patience and your comments/suggestions are always appreciated. Happy Holidays!
  
  
• San Diego Invitational 7's Tournament - Open to Women's Teams
  From womeneagles.com
  
  12.23.07 - As many people already know, the San Diego 7s event in rapidly approaching. It is the largest international rugby event hosted in North America and a stop on the iRB's 7s World Series. This event will take place on February 9-10 at PetCo Park, home of the Padres, in Downtown San Diego. This event features 16 of the Worlds best 7s teams including New Zealand, Australia, England, South Africa and your USA Eagles!
  
  What you may not know is that on Thursday and Friday, February 7-8 there is another event running in conjunction with the San Diego 7s known as the San Diego Invitational. There will be nearly 50 rugby teams in town ranging from youth, high school, collegiate and Masters (AKA old boys). Also, as a part of the San Diego Invitational, there is an International Women's 7s event featuring teams from Samoa, South Africa, Canada and most importantly, the United States Women's National team!
  
  Last year the women's final between the US & Canada was played at PetCo Park in front of 15,000 spectators who were there to watch the men's event and we are really hoping for this to happen again. This is a tremendous opportunity for women's rugby, not only here in the states, but internationally as well. In order to make this happen, USA 7s is asking us to show that the women's rugby community supports their National Team.
  Slots open in San Diego Invitational for Women's Teams
  
  The San Diego Invitational has all age levels, but for the most part, only male participants. Women's senior and collegiate teams have not shown interest in participating. I am not sure if this is due to lack of knowledge or interest in the event.
  
  If we, the women's community, can band together and show that we are participating in the San Diego Invitational and purchasing tickets to the USA 7s event (at a discounted group rate) it will help the USA 7s make the decision to have the women's final inside the stadium once again.
  
  How does the San Diego Invitational work/how does my team get games? On Thursday and Friday we have 8 fields available all day long. Your team can challenge another team from a different territory or you can submit your interest to Kim Brock and she will work on matching you up to another team who has shown interest. We can work out a round robin format, short halves, full matches or whatever you want your matches to be in order to get you to the event. There is NO ENTRY FEE to play in this event!!!
  
  To get your team registered, contact Kim Brock at USA Rugby now to reserve your team's spot in this prestigious and important event!
  
  
• Women Eagles Europe Tour News
  From womeneagles.com
  
  12.7.07 - For Women Eagles tour news from the 2007 First Sports International England Tour check out our new archive page. For a inside look at what's happened in England take a look at USA Rugby's Player's Daily Journal.
  
  
• Rugby on the RADIO - Houston, TX
  
  This is broadcast weekly here in the Houston area - so if you have anything to get out - tournaments - events - etc...please send to Peter or Richard before Thursday so it can make this weeks announcements...
  
  Best regards, Rick
  
  I have been covering rugby on KPFT off and on for years. We where announcing scores on a weekly basis. Now for the first time we have a better time then ever before. The rugby segment of the sports brief is on at 6:58pm on Saturdays. Its not live but taped on Thursdays. If you guys can get us information of news and things to get out to the public
  we can announce it. Peter Evens is handling the rugby section and you can email him at. peterevans@sbcglobal.net or you can email me Richard Hanna at rad@hipweb.net WE have been moved taken off ect for a while since I have been doing it so this is something that hopefully we can keep.
  
  Richard Hanna 90.1 KPFT
  
  I did a google search and found the website: http://www.kpft.org/ and there is a link on the top left to listen live. I will have to try and remember to listen on Saturdays when they are back up and running! Pretty sweet.
  
  
• 2008 YOUTH RUGBY CLINIC IN HOUSTON & DALLAS
  
  No Experience Necessary
  Are you between 14 and 19 years old?
  Would you like to learn how to play Rugby?
  Need a Spring Contact Sport?
  Want to improve upon your existing rugby skills?
  Want that extra step against the competition next year?
  
  If you answered yes to any of the above questions, the CANTERBURY OF New Zealand Youth Rugby Clinic is for you !!
  
  The camp will include the following:
  
  Half Day Introduction to the Game that will get you up to speed even if you have never seen a rugby ball
  Individual Skills- Passing, Tackling, Running
  Scrum Safety and Lineout Techniques
  Team Skills and Decision Making
  
  The camp will be run by the current USA Junior Eagles coaching squad and this will provide each camper with the experience of a lifetime of being coached by some of the best coaches in the USA. The coaches are:
  
  Salty Thompson - Head Coach of the United States U20 National Rugby team.
  Mike Kwedar - Head Coach of the United States U19 Developmental squad & the U19/Collegiate Texas Select rugby teams
  Stuart Low - Head Coach of the United States U18 National Rugby team.
  Sean O Leary - Head Coach of the United States U17 National Rugby team.
  
  In addition to our coaching staff, the clinic will feature a number of current high school varsity rugby coaches who will work with clinic attendees. $30 Registration Fee. Please contact: Rick Marshall for more details.
  
  
• More on the USA Rugby NEEDS YOU CAMPAIGN
  
  See the below message about a new grass roots program that USA Rugby is launching - I am thinking about have each club a 3ft x 2ft banner made with the Rugby needs you, the poster of Z, USA rugby logo and your team logo - so if everyone can send me their team logo in a jpg or some other format - I have a sign person here locally whom will make these banner cheap for me... There are some cards, stickers and a log book I will get copied as well and then I will send each team a package including the banner - you can hang it at every home game, tournament and other function around your local communities - let me know everyones thoughts?
  
  Fyi - I would like to recommend that we Solicit campaign leaders based on geography and gender to get this initiative rolling in Texas. Please send me your thoughts.
  
  Please note that the West has asked Texas to arrange to set up and staff a booth/facility at the three Western championships in 2008. The West will be looking into producing a couple of large banners for use in this effort.
  
  For more information please contact Rick Marshall.
  
  
• USA Rugby Makes Inaugural Appearance at National High School Federation Convention
  From USA Rugby
  
  BOULDER, Colo. – While USA Rugby's Emerging Sports Initiative typically attends the yearly NCAA conventions and other conferences specifically geared toward the expansion of women’s varsity rugby within the NCAA, on December 14-17 the initiative turned its attention to gaining exposure at the interscholastic level by attending the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHSA) Convention in Nashville, Tenn.
  
  Catering to more than 2000 attendees, USA Rugby was able to showcase girl’s high school rugby, which currently exists at the club level in only a handful of states around the country. Attendees of the convention included high school athletic directors and administrators from around the country.
  
  "USA Rugby’s presence at the event helped generate positive exposure for our initiative on the interscholastic side of our cause," Becky Carlson, USA Rugby’s Emerging Sports Program Manager said. "The success of creating high school girl’s varsity rugby within the state high school associations directly affects our initiative at the NCAA level. We were well received in our first ever appearance at this annual convention.”
  
  While USA Rugby’s high school varsity initiative targets specific states, Colorado’s approach has been at the forefront on the state high school level. Although USA Rugby has been enthusiastically received by the state high school associations over the course of recent months, the NFHSA conference brought specific attention from a number of Colorado-based athletic directors. According to Carlson, the positive feedback received by Colorado athletic administrators over the past few months is largely due to the strong effort of Colorado Youth Rugby (CYR) administrators and coaches.
  
  "We have many key advocates, coaches and teachers involved at the state-based level who have been working to continually improve the competition administration," Carlson said. "Colorado Youth Rugby has done the legwork in predicating the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) mission, so Colorado rugby really stands out."
  
  Given that college athletic directors currently use the high school federation numbers as a primary source of motivation to add intercollegiate programs, USA Rugby soon hopes to legitimately add rugby to the list of high school interscholastic sports. The next public exhibition for the Emerging Sports Initiative will be at the annual NCAA Convention on January 11-13, 2008. For more information on the Emerging Sports Initiative for both intercollegiate and interscholastic sports, please contact Becky Carlson at bcarlson@usarugby.org or 303.539.0300 x102.
  
  
• To Watch Sportmanship, Try Youth Rugby
  Bernie 'Boomer' Martin, our correspondent in the Capital District reports about an article David Farison has written for the Albany Times-Union.
  First published:
  Sunday, December 16, 2007 - DAVID FARISON - dfarison@nycap.rr.com
  
  In response to the letter from Robert Therriault ('Farewell to sportsmanship, Dec. 2) regarding his yearning for the good old days of sportsmanship. Mr. Therriault's opinion was 'I may just be an old fogy yearning back to the old days, but I distinctly remember that at the conclusion of every sporting event, the winners and losers would line up and go about congratulating and consoling each other. I think that was a wonderful tradition and an example of true sportsmanship. I am sitting here wondering whatever happened to that grand tradition.'
  
  Mr. Therriault, I would like to invite you to attend one of the rugby games that will be played this spring by the teams of Capital District Youth Rugby.
  
  Quoting from its bylaws, CDYR was formed last year with the purposes of 'fostering the development of the sport of rugby football for boys and girls' in the region and 'to use the sport of rugby football to teach the concepts of fair play, sportsmanship, camaraderie, and teamwork for boys and girls,' among others. A dedicated group of rugby volunteers recruited and trained about 100 high school-age kids and fielded three boys' teams and two girls' teams. As coach of the Albany Bulldogs boys' rugby team, I can assure Mr. Therriault that we succeeded in both of these goals.
  
  We have all heard horror stories about youth sports: parents arguing with coaches and officials, many of whom are volunteers and might be only high school students themselves. Our players are coached to honor the game, which includes honoring the opposition and the officials. A rugby game is played by two teams of 15 players, and all are watched by one referee.
  
  You certainly see that one official is bound to miss a call or two. But there is no questioning the referee -- his decision is final. Only the on-field captain may speak with the ref, and even he can be penalized if he objects to a call too strongly.
  
  At the conclusion of each hard-fought game, the players join with their teammates at the center of the field and give three cheers for their opponent, three for the referee and, lastly, three for themselves. Then one team would clap the other off the field, shaking hands and congratulating the other on a game well played.
  
  An old rugby adage calls it 'the game for hooligans, played by gentlemen.' I know that the youth rugby coaches that I worked with and coached against tried to instill this in their players.
  
  When our schedule is set for this upcoming spring, I hope to see Mr. Therriault not cheering for one team over the other but for the sportsmanship displayed by these young athletes.

Happy Holidays from Your Scrumhalf Connection!

I am baking cookies and other Holiday goodies with some of my rugby team. We are also enjoying cocktails and homemade eggnog!

Happy Holidays friends...

**I was trying to be politically correct by saying Happy Holidays, but then realized that the image I had chosen said Merry Christmas...oops! Happy whatever you celebrate!

from Goff (subscription required)

December 21, 2007 - The USA women's national team returned from their tour of the UK with three losses and no victories: 24-0 against the Nomads, 34-17 against England A, and 34-0 against England.

"All those games were winnable," said USA captain Kristin Zdanczewicz, one of the very few experienced players on tour, and who cruelly missed the final game with an ACL tear. "Every game we were in a position to win, but we had a very steep learning curve for a lot of players."

So they did. Key among the issues, especially in their last game against England, was winning their own scrum ball, and getting kicks to touch. Neither happened with anything like regularity.

Kicking remains an issue in the women's game in the USA simply because a lot of players don't practice it under pressure. Pressure can come in many forms - a defender running hard at you, or just a few thousand people staring at you as you prepare to punt the ball.

"It would go a long way to have both of those aspects [scrums and kicking] in our game," said USA coach Kathy Flores. "With the squad selected, we had few adequate kickers, and, truthfully, kicking is not something that players in this country concentrate on. And the scrums - yes it would have been nice to count on our own possession to attack with."

Fixes are there. Flores said players will worked harder on their kicking because they can't be caught unable to boot a cold, hard ball on a chilly, windy day again. And the scrums? Well it's the same issues the USA men faced, issues of unity, power and understanding.

"We have major work to do on our tight five and they know it," said Flores ominously. "They didn't like running backwards. The major issue is not having the time and money to work together. The schedule for players is getting incredibly hectic with all the choices of rugby to play and it becoming an increasing burden monetarily. However, it doesn't deny the fact that we need to have position-specific camps in order to train the way we need to play internationally."

Please continue to the link above for more of the article...

The comments are getting lengthy and out of control again, wonder if Goff even reads them?

New to rugby? Get ready to experience the ultimate team sport. People who differ in culture, age and gender are unified by the passion that surrounds this unique sport.

USA Rugby has created "Rugby Needs You" to provide everyone with their own way to get in the game. This grass roots driven initiative is going nation wide as campaign leaders from all areas are setting up shop at local tournaments and events. Locating volunteers from all backgrounds is the focus. Maybe your passion is teaching....why not give coaching a try? The possiblities are limitless and the "Rugby Needs You" database can get you connected. You can help rugby reach its full potential in the USA. Join the campaign and make a major difference in the lives of rugby players and their families.

Ready to sign on? Complete the form below. Remember this DOES NOT confirm commitment; merely that you are interested in receiving information from a local representative.

**I signed up...so we will see what information a coach, administrator, volunteer or supporter actually gets in an email!! Sign up yourself here.

**UPDATE: I have received nothing from USA Rugby after signing up. It would be SO easy to setup an auto-responder that welcomed the person that signed up, sent them relevant information...etc.

USA Rugby has been busy with the updates, emails and more lately. I love the increased publicity but wonder who are all the emails going to? I know I signed up when the service first came out, but are they pushing these articles to all the resources they could?

I wish they would push their articles to places like digg.com, reddit.com, stumbleupon.com, etc. These sites have million of viewers a day and could really give our sport the publicity it needs.

Anyways, here are a few of the updates over the last few days:

• Women’s National Team Age Grade Structure to Change in 2008
  
  BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby announced today structural changes to the Women’s National Team’s age grade program that will take full effect during the 2008 select side season to further improve player development.
  
  To better prevent potential players from aging out of the developmental pipeline, the Women’s National Team Program will now consist of the USA National Guard Under-20 National Team, which takes the place of the former U-19 squad, and the USA A Team in place of the Under-23 Team, and culminate in the USA Women’s National Team (Eagles).
  
  The U-19 to U-20 adjustment will align the USA Women’s structure with other international programs and the IRB, and will also give players an increased opportunity to improve their game through an additional year of training with Women’s U-20 Coach Bryn Chivers (previously U-19 Coach).
  
  Former Under-23 Coach Barb Fugate will now head up the USA A Team, which will be selected independent of the National Team, train at camps and play international matches. The USA A side will continue a schedule much like that of the previous U-23 squad, with the 2008 CanAm competition specifically designated an A Team event.
  
  The USA U-23 National All-Star Championship will continue exactly as in previous years. USA A Team coaches (former U-23 staff) will still attend this event and select players from the U-23 Territorial Unions; however, the only difference is that those players named to the USA A pool may now train alongside athletes who are 24 years of age or older.
  
  Furthermore, the structural changes will make the relationship between the USA A Team and the Women’s National Team more fluid, without age grade restrictions. Athletes will now be able to move up and down between the squads, depending on the venues available and on the individual athlete’s developmental path and performance. This streamlined relationship will also allow the National Team and USA A Team coaches to work more closely in jointly training and tracking the progress of athletes.
  
  “The USA Women’s National Team, USA A and USA U-20 National Team staff is very enthusiastic about these changes,” USA A Team Coach Barb Fugate said. “We believe we are providing an elite athlete identification and development program that will benefit our athletes, and will ultimately help the USA compete successfully on the world stage.”
  
  For more information on the Women’s National Team Program, please visit www.usarugby/org/goto/National_Teams or contact Women’s National Teams Administrator Yvonne Parkhurst at yparkhurst(at)usarugby.org.
  
  
• USA Rugby Course Leader Training Workshop Achieves Quality Results
  
  BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby hosted its annual Course Leader Training Workshop December 6-9 in Atlanta, Ga. with 23 USA Rugby course leaders and three NAWIRA (North America West Indies Rugby Association) Development Officers in attendance.
  
  Upon completion of the workshop’s challenging curriculum and a stringent performance assessment, course participants received the new IRB Coach Educator License.
  
  “The ability for our course leaders to deliver quality workshops is at the heart of developing coaches across the U.S.,” said Nigel Melville, USA Rugby CEO and President of Rugby Operations. “Partnering with the IRB in coach education ensures USA Rugby is at the forefront of coach development delivering programs that offer the latest philosophies in rugby coaching around the world.”
  
  The course was led by six IRB trainers including Gary Henderson of the RFU and Mike Luke of the IRB, as well as four USA Rugby trainers: Brett Burdick, Nigel Davies, Norm Mottram and Rick Humm. The training workshop also included a special Thursday night scrum technique session with Bill LeClerc, Men’s National Team Scrum Coach.
  
  “We felt we needed to take advantage of the gathering and augmented the normal agenda to build our course leaders' technical understanding with the scrum session. We also enhanced the training with a focus on a games approach rather than drills, in all of the modules,” said Rick Humm, USA Rugby Coach Development Director. “We were pleased with the performance of our dedicated course leaders throughout the weekend and are proud to continue our partnership with the IRB in equipping coaches with valuable learning methodology and skills.”
  
  For those interested in becoming a USA Rugby Course Leader or to find out about upcoming Coach Development opportunities, check out the Coaches section of the USA Rugby website at www.usarugby.org/goto/coaches.
  
  
• USA Rugby Announces its Spring 2008 Championship Venues
  
  BOULDER, Colo. – After careful consideration, USA Rugby is pleased to announce the locations of its spring 2008 National Championship Series.
  
  The 2008 season features the official sponsorship between USA Rugby and the Army National Guard, an alliance that includes the title sponsorship of USA Rugby’s College and High School Championships as well as select National teams.
  
  “We are working with many new partners this year and looking forward to again raising the quality and visibility of the National Championship Series,” said Kim Brock, USA Rugby Director of National Championships.
  
  The championship season will kick off in a new way in 2008. For the first time, all 48 teams competing in the USA Rugby National Guard Collegiate Playoffs will compete in one location. This collegiate rugby festival will provide endless opportunities for many ancillary events. USA Rugby will partner with the Albuquerque Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) in hosting this flagship event.
  
  “We believe Albuquerque will provide everything to make this event all that it can be. Albuquerque offers a centralized, affordable location with an accessible airport and a city that is very easy to travel to and within,” Brock said. “The Balloon Fiesta Park offers pristine fields exclusively for this rugby festival.”
  
  “Albuquerque is very excited and honored to be apart of this new event, which we think can trigger an outstanding growth in the sport of rugby,” said Tara Alarid, Sports Marketing Coordinator for the Albuquerque CVB.
  
  The nation’s top men’s and women’s college squads will once again take the field at Steuber Rugby Stadium in Stanford, Calif. for the USA Rugby National Guard Collegiate Championships on May 2-3. The event will be hosted by Stanford University.
  
  Having played host to the Senior Women’s Club Playoffs in this past fall, in May 2008 the Austin Rugby Consortium - comprised of the Austin RFC, the Austin Huns RFC, and the Austin Sports Council - will host the Division I, II and III Senior Men’s Club Playoffs, which feature 40 of the country’s best Men’s Club teams.
  
  Following the final approval by the Rugby Committee, the date of the USA Rugby National Guard Boy’s High School, and Boy’s and Girl’s U-19 Championships has settled on May 30 - June 1. The Pittsburgh Harlequins will host the event at Founders Field.
  
  USA Rugby will also start another new relationship with a top notch facility close to home in Glendale, Colo. The city of Glendale is set to host the Senior Men’s Club Championships at Infinity Park. The stadium opened its gates in September 2007 and is home to the Glendale Raptors. Infinity Park is the first municipal U.S. rugby stadium and seats 5,000 spectators.
  
  For more information on the National Championship Series, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/USAR_Championships or contact Jenna Anderson at janderson(at)usarugby.org.
  
  April 18-20
  USA RUGBY NATIONAL GUARD COLLEGIATE PLAYOFFS: Division I Men and Women, Division II Men and Women (All Pools)
  Albuquerque, N.M.: Balloon Fiesta Park
  Hosted by: the Albuquerque CVB and USA Rugby
  
  May 2-3
  USA RUGBY NATIONAL GUARD COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
  Stanford, Calif.: Steuber Rugby Stadium
  Hosted by: Stanford University
  
  May 17-18
  USA RUGBY SENIOR MEN’S CLUB PLAYOFFS:
  Austin, Texas: Zilker Park
  Hosted by: the Austin Rugby Consortium
  
  May 30-June 1st
  USA RUGBY NATIONAL GUARD BOY’S HIGH SCHOOL AND BOY’S AND GIRL’S U-19 CHAMPIONSHIPS
  Pittsburgh, Pa.: Founders Field
  Hosted by: the Pittsburgh Harlequins
  
  May 31- June 1
  USA RUGBY SENIOR MEN’S CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
  Glendale, Colo.: Infinity Park
  Hosted by: City of Glendale
  
  
• Sports News for Kids: Naples Rugby Player Competes Against Australians
  
  Shane Young, a senior at Gulf Coast High School, played for the U.S. 19-and-under team Sunday as America took on a team from New South Wales, Australia. The game was in Orlando.
  
  Young also played last year for the 18-and-under national team when it traveled to England to play the English national team. He has been captain of the Naples Bears Rugby team in all three years of its existence, and was voted the Most Valuable Player last season. Young plays the position of scrum half.
  
  High school rugby started in Florida in 2005, and the Naples Bears were the only Southwest Florida team for the first three years. Bears coach Steve Young recently announced Lely and Cape Coral high schools are adding teams this year. There are now 18 teams throughout the state divided into North and South divisions.
  
  The rugby regular season starts the second week of January and ends in mid April. For more information, contact coach Young at 239-434-5888 or 973-479-1309.
  
  
• Potomac Rugby Foundation Promotes Rugby at Regional Trade Expo
  
  For the fourth year, The Potomac Rugby Foundation is an interactive exhibitor at the NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center, January 13-14, 2008.
  
  Foundation members as well the local rugby community will be talking rugby and distributing the latest USA Rugby game development materials as well as regional club information. Video and live demonstrations are also planned. The Expo (celebrating its 15th anniverasary) is the largest annual event of its type in the region and attracts 90,000 visitors.
  
  The Expo (www.nbc4.com/healthandfitnessexpo/index.html)is one example of how the Potomac Rugby Foundation (www.rugby-foundation.org) "gets the word out" to help promote the game at the grassroots level.
  
  
• Don't Forget! USA Rugby Change in Registration Cycle
  
  Individual and Club Registration now runs on a competitive year rather than a calendar year. If you registered for the 2007 registration period anytime before August 1, 2007, your registration will expire on December 31, 2007. If you registered anytime after August 1, 2007, your registration will expire on August 31, 2008.
  
  As a result of the registration season change, all USA Rugby member and club dues will be pro-rated beginning January 1, 2008. These new dues will update automatically, all you need to do is register!
  
  Type Current/Pro-Rated
  Club $150.00/$100.00
  Senior $35.00/$23.33
  Collegiate $30.00/$20.00
  High School $20.00/$13.33
  Youth $10.00/$6.67