Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

Just received this in my inbox and thought it was interesting. I have posted about the ELVs (Experimental Law Variations) quite a few times, click here if you would like to view the IRB video explanations here and I also posted some funny excerpts by other bloggers and a correction from USA Rugby regarding the laws here.

NOTE: You may be contacted unless you OPT-OUT below using their form! So don't fill anything out and you may be contacted to take part in the survey.

Dear USA Rugby Members,

As a valued member of our Union, I would like to offer you the opportunity to take part in an important research study being conducted by the IRB into attitudes toward the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs), which are currently being trialed.

The study is being conducted across 14 individual unions worldwide. The objective of the study is to gather the opinions of players, coaches and officials on the ELVs. The findings from this study will feed directly into the IRB’s review of the ELVs in early 2009.

For the purposes of this study the research is being conducted by TNS mrbi, an independent market research based in Dublin, Ireland. The TNS group has a strong track record in providing valuable research for many of the world’s leading sports organizations, including The Premiership (in the UK), UEFA and FIFA.

You may be selected to take part, and if contacted, USA Rugby would very much appreciate if you participated. The research will involve an online survey that will take approximately 10 minutes to fill out at a time and place convenient to you. The views of each individual taking part in the study will be merged with the views of all other respondents in a final report – individual views will be maintained as absolutely confidential. The survey therefore represents an ideal opportunity for you to express your views, in the knowledge that your identity will never be disclosed.

Should you wish to opt-out from being contacted for this survey, please click here to have your information removed from the pool of participants by Monday, November 17. Your name will then be removed from any list that will be forwarded onto the research agency to take part in this study.

As with all TNS mrbi research, this study will be conducted in accordance with the Code of Conduct of ESOMAR, the World Association of Opinion and Market Research Professionals. You will only be contacted to take part in this specific study and will not be contacted again by TNS mrbi in relation to any other studies without the prior agreement from our organization. Please feel free to view USA Rugby’s complete Privacy Policy.

Many thanks in anticipation and kindest regards,
Kristin Richeimer
Director, Membership Relations

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This feature has been disabled...we are working on a better way for scores to be submitted. Thanks for your patience.

The video this week is a 5-minute documentary by Deb “Bling” Wallenberg who joined the Oklahoma Roses rugby team last season. Tracy Curtis, the head coach, provided the link and also let me know that "no one was injured during the filming of this documentary. Actually, the only injuries the team has suffered are a sprained ankle at practice, and a messed up finger from goofing off on the sidelines."

Here is a link to the video if you cannot view this via your RSS feed etc.

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
11/3/2008: Football's for Girls
10/28/2008: Dallas Rugby Returns
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

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...NOTE: all new videos will be on Vimeo only as they are recorded in High Definition.

Plate Semis
NOVA vs. Washington Furies 39 - 17
Twin Cities Amazons vs. Keystone 17 - 37

Championship Semis
New York vs. Beantown 27 - 5
Berkeley All Blues vs. Minnesota Valkyries 40 - 5

Plate Consolation
Twin Cities Amazons vs. Washington Furies 24 - 14

Plate Championship
Keystone vs. NOVA 12 - 7

3rd/4th place
Beantown vs. Minnesota Valkyries 46 - 15

Championship Match
New York vs. Berkeley All Blues 17 - 25

*Thanks for leaving the scores in the comments ladies!

Results from the Round of 16 in, Mo. October 25-26, 2008 can be found here.


Teams
Detroit (Midwest)
Cincinnati (MidWest)
Orlando (USA Rugby South)
Miami (USA Rugby South)
Village Lions (Northeast)
Providence (Northeast)
Brandywine (MidAtlantic)
Chesapeake (MidAtlantic)

Saturday
Game 1 - Detroit vs Chesapeake
Game 2 - Miami vs Village Lions
Game 3 - Cincinnati vs Brandywine
Game 4 - Orlando vs Providence
Game 5 - Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2
Game 6 - Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2
Game 7 - Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4
Game 8 - Loser Game 3 vs Loser Game 4

Sunday
Game 9 - Loser Game 6 vs Loser Game 8 (7/8 Place)
Game 10 - Winner Game 6 vs Winner Game 8 (5/6 Place)
Game 11 - Loser Game 5 vs Loser Game 7 (3/4 Place)
Game 12 - Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 7 (1/2 Place)

D2 Championship
Orlando defeated Detroit (no score reported)

Anyone know if the matches will be streaming or available to watch later?

USA Rugby has been quite busy this fall season, here are a few endeavors they have been working on:

• USA Rugby Launches ‘Rugby for All’
  
  BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby has officially launched its “Rugby for All” continuum, marking the first of several initiatives in the development pathway of USA Rugby players, coaches and referees.
  USA Rugby’s “Rugby for All” continuum has been developed to emphasize the breadth of opportunities in the game and promote rugby’s new image as a vibrant sport that centers around the core values of family, health, fitness and fun.
  
  
  
• USA Rugby Releases Details on the 2008 Under-19 Invitational National
  
  All-Star Championships USA Developmental XV
  Sadie Anderson, Penn State, PA, Fullback
  Candace Barley, Maryville, TN, Flanker
  BrieAnna Barto, Summit, CO, Scrumhalf
  Toni Cattani, Kettle Moraine, WI, Flyhalf
  Lauren Danielsen, Summit, CO, Flyhalf
  Jozy Gessner, Summit, CO, Flanker
  Katherine Gray, Texas Tech, TX, Center
  Melanie Heinemann, Vernon, WI, Prop
  Katie Humphreys, Kent, WA, Lock
  Ima Isang, Oak Ridge, TN, Prop
  Katie Johnson, Hopkins, MN, No. 8
  Brook LeGate, Maryville, TN, Center
  Erin LeGate, Maryville, TN, Center
  Toni Lloyd, Texas State, TX, Wing
  Sophia Nolan, Armstrong, MN, Flanker
  Brittany Rose, Westchester East, PA, Lock
  Seymira Salami, Penn State, PA, Wing
  Catherine Scanlon, Summit, CO, Lock
  Lane Wagner, Traverse City, MI, Prop
  Brittany Woodard, Virginia State, VA, Hooker
  
  Head Coach: Bryn Chivers, Univ. of S. Dakota, SD
  
  Tier I
  Midwest
  Pacific Coast
  West
  Northeast
  
  Tier II
  USA Dev.
  Mid-Atlantic
  South
  Southern California
  
  Note: Tiers determined by 2007 results
  
  November 22
  10:00 am South vs MARFU
  11:30 am Midwest vs Northeast
  1:00 pm West vs Pacific
  2:30 pm U-17 vs SoCAl
  4:00 pm Eagles Red vs Eagles White (Senior Women National Team Exhibition Match)
  
  November 23:
  9:00 AM Tier 2 consolation
  9:30 AM Tier 2 Final
  10:30 AM Tier 1 consolation
  11:00 AM Tier 1 Final
  
  
• Movember: Men's National Rugby Team Joins Movember to Find a Cure for Prostate Cancer in a Fun and Engaging Way
  
  LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The USA Men’s National Rugby Team is changing the face of men’s health this Movember by growing out moustaches.
  
  Movember is an annual, global charity event committed to changing the way men think about, discuss, and treat their own health issues, by growing moustaches for Movember (the month formerly known as November).
  
  Movember participation is fun and simple. On the first day of Movember, with a clean-shaven face, Mo Bros will begin the month-long journey of growing and grooming their Mo. The Mo thus becomes a conversation piece for the Mo Bros to talk with family, friends, and and even strangers about their new appearance and passion for men’s health issues such as prostate cancer.
  
  
• USA Rugby Hosts International Doubleheader in Salt Lake City
  
  BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby is set to host a doubleheader that features an international test between the U.S. Men’s National Team and Uruguay and a curtain raiser match between the U.S. Select XV and New Zealand Heartland at the new Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah on Saturday, November 8.
  
  “Having the opportunity to play two games in a great stadium brings added value to the experience,” USA Rugby CEO and President of Rugby Nigel Melville said. “When I visited Salt Lake City earlier this year, the community was extremely passionate about the sport and keen to host this match. Considering the amount of National Team members who have come out of this area and the amount of support from their rugby community, it goes without saying that we would be extremely interested in developing a strong relationship with Real Salt Lake and the Rio Tinto Stadium.”
  
  
• Rookie Rugby: Just Pick up the Ball and Run with It!
  
  BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby officially unveiled its plans to build the youth foundation of the newly launched ‘Rugby for All’ continuum with the debut of Rookie Rugby, a basic non-contact version of the game designed to involve the whole family.
  
  “USA Rugby is delighted to introduce Rookie Rugby, a very safe, non-contact, easy-to-play game for both boys and girls. Rookie Rugby is designed to give young players a fun, safe and enjoyable sporting experience. The rules are simple, the game is easy to learn and minimal equipment is required. All you have to do is pick up the ball and run with it,” USA Rugby’s CEO and President of Operations Nigel Melville said.
  
  Geared primarily toward children from 6-12 years old, Rookie Rugby aims to introduce a new generation of fans and athletes to the exciting global game through programs administered through schools, community-based and state-based rugby organizations (SBRO), as well as USA Rugby national events.
  
  
• Nigel Melville's Blog
  
  For an insiders look into USA Rugby, make sure to check out Nigel's blog.
  

from the U.S. Women's Rugby 7's Blog:

The next event for the USA 7's Women's World Cup squad is the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament on Nov. 21. The tournament will actually be Nov. 27-29 in a brand new stadium called “The Sevens.” Make sure to click that link as the description of the stadium is inspiring! Hospitality areas, broadcast and medical facilities...a second pitch...its like a dream come true for all rugby players!

Traveling Squad:
Lindsey Stephenson, At Large
Amy Daniels, Beantown RFC
Tyshawn Henry, NY RFC
Alison Price, NY RFC
Melissa McKibben, Kansas City RFC
Kirsten Ahrendt, Keystone RFC
Teena Mastrangelo, Chicago Northshore RFC
Pam Kosanke, Chicago Northshore RFC
Christy Ringgenberg, Minnesota Valkyries RFC
Jen Starkey, NOVA RFC
Jen Sinkler, Keystone RFC
Jess Watkins, Stanford University

Coaching Staff
Julie McCoy
Chris Ryan
Sadeana Green
Lisa Bartoli
Tristan Lewis

(photo credit: Sabrina Asch)

This months free raffle will not be a Your Scrumhalf Connection tshirt, but will be a new product! If you are bummed that I am not raffling off my tshirts, don't worry they are for sale here or you can wait until next month!

The best women's shoulder pads on the market - Design, Protection and Shape - all female specific!!!

- 14 areas of padding for complete protection.

- Shoulder and Chest protection in ventilated EVA thermoflex.

- Ergonimic design in DRYGTex material for rapid drying and total comfort.

This free raffle is courtesy of CSS Rugby, a rugby merchandise shop in the UK. To see more of their products, please be sure to visit http://www.css-rugby.co.uk/.

To enter the raffle, please either email me, facebook me or leave your entry in the comments. The last date to enter the raffle is Nov 14, 2008. A winner will be picked around Nov 15, 2008 and will be notified via email.

After the Men's Soccer World Cup I enjoyed the many videos of soccer players flailing all over the place, but this was a new one that I hadn't seen yet. It came across a rugby listserv I subscribe to: American Rugby News administered by Dan Santoro.

Here is a link to the video if you cannot view this via your RSS feed etc.

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
10/28/2008: Dallas Rugby Returns
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.