This week’s Rugby Video Monday is a little different as The Girl and I are officially announcing to the world that we are ENGAGED! If you want the gooey details, go below…

Our date is November 13, 2010 and we will be getting married on a boat in Austin, TX. We  love water and being outside, so we couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. I like to say that I am getting married on a mother f’in boat and The Girl won’t let me put that on our invitations…so I have been watching this video all the time:

How we met
Almost 10 years ago The Girl and I played rugby at rival colleges. The Girl played at Texas A&M and I played at Oklahoma. The rivalry between Texas A&M and Oklahoma is still strong and for our rugby teams at the time we were the best college teams in our region. Our teams played each other often and the games were intense and close in score.

After college we played on a few LAU and All-Star teams together and then in 2006 we each moved to Austin. The Girl moved in early 2006 and began playing with the Austin Valkyries. Unknown to me, I moved to Austin in June 2006 as well.

Date of engagement event
12/17/2009

How we got engaged
This part was written by The Girl: We decided to have date night (movie and dinner at Alamo Drafthouse) which we do almost once a week.  We went to the theater where we had our first date 3 years ago.  Now, I didn’t think anything of it because we go to this theater all the time.  I just thought it was a typical Wednesday night dinner and a movie.

Well after the movie we got in the car to head home.  Wendy decided to turn down a row in the parking lot in the opposite direction of the exit.  Claiming she was “turned around” and forgot where the exit was.  I proceeded to get a little impatient and questioned how she could possibly be “turned around” in a parking lot.

She then parked, turned off the car, and took off my seat belt.  She asked me if I knew where I was. Umm hello, I’m in a parking lot at the theatre.  She then replied with “this is where is all started.” (She parked in the same location we parked 3 years ago when we had our first date.)

She then handed me a present to open.  Those who know Wendy know she cannot stand looking at presents and not opening them, so it wasn’t a surprise that she wanted me to open an early present.

The present was a Shutterfly picture book.  She wrote a story of our first 3 years together.  It was very creative and very sweet, she has such an imagination.  She called us rugby knights from different kingdoms, fighting evil to find our way to each other.

The last page of the book had a picture of the ring and read “they lived happily ever after”.

She pulled out the ring and asked me to marry her and of course I said YES!

I just booked flights for The Girl and me to Orlando, FL for USA vs Canada!! YSC will be commentating on the live video feed again for USA Rugby on Ustream. We will also have lots of YSC merch to sell…so come find us!

from USA Rugby:

BOULDER, Colo. – The USA Rugby Women’s National Team (WNT) will kick off the new year with a two-match Atlantic Cup series versus cross-border rivals Canada on Jan. 12 and 16, 2010 at Tigertown athletic complex in Lakeland, Fla.

Both Atlantic Cup matches, which provide crucial first steps in the team’s preparation for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, are set to kick off at 3 p.m. (EST) and will be webcast live viaUStream. The USA Under-20 Women will also face off in a curtain raiser match against the Canada U-20s on Jan. 16 (kickoff – 1:30 p.m. EST).

“We are looking to keep the players very involved over the next year. Our biggest obstacle is the lack of time together and as we look ahead to the Women’s Rugby World Cup, we must take full advantage of each assembly,” Women’s National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores said.

The USA last faced Canada in Nations Cup competition in August 2009, and edged out their northern neighbors 15-10 — the Women Eagles’ first win versus Canada since 2006. Much of the USA’s Nations Cup squad returns for the Florida assembly.

“Having beaten Canada in the last minute of our match in the Nations Cup shows that both teams are well matched and we expect these two matches to be no different,” Flores added. “We expect fierce competition, as Canada has just played the French twice and beat them in their first test. However, as with any rivalry, we are prepared to battle for the win.”

New additions to the squad since Nations Cup are forwards Naima Reddick and Kate Daley, who returns from injury, with Kelly Griffin joining the backline following an impressive season with the Berkeley All-Blues in the inaugural year of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

Forwards invited to the Atlantic Cup include:
Sharon Blaney (Beantown), Stacey Bridges (Texas A&M), Jamie Burke (Beantown), Lisa Butts (At-Large), Kate Daley (Keystone), Melanie Denham (Beantown), Farrah Douglas (Keystone), Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All-Blues), Phaidra Knight (New York), Jillion Potter (Univ. of New Mexico), Naima Reddick (Berkeley All-Blues), Beckett Royce (ORSU), Lara Vivolo (New York), Kitt Wagner (Beantown), Mari Wallace (Beantown), and Kristin Zdanczewicz (Minnesota Valkyries).

Backs include:
Claudia Braymer (Albany), Stephanie Bruce (Berkeley All-Blues), Emilie Bydwell (Beantown), Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues), Victoria Folayan (Berkeley All-Blues), Kelly Griffin (Berkeley All-Blues), Melanie Kanuk (Minnesota Valkyries), Ashley Kmiecik (ORSU), Lynelle Kugler (Twin Cities Amazons), Kim Magrini (Keystone), Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All-Blues), Christy Ringgenberg (Minnesota Valkyries), and Hannah Stolba (Minnesota Valkyries).

The Atlantic Cup is the USA’s first stop on its road to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England from Aug. 20 – Sept. 5, where the team is set to face 2006 runners-up England, Ireland and Kazakhstan in Pool B competition.

“I am continually impressed with the dedication and determination shown by our athletes in their journey to the Women’s Rugby World Cup.  We’ve put together an ambitious schedule for 2010, with a goal of 100 days of assembly, and every single athlete is committed to that goal despite personal and financial sacrifice,” Women’s High Performance Manager Alex Williams said. “They are true examples of elite-level amateur athletes and wonderful role models for all the girls in this country who dream of one day becoming an Eagle.”

Geared toward the future generations of USA Eagles, the Women’s National Team and WNT coaches will host a Rookie Rugby clinic on Friday, Jan. 8 from 3 – 4:30 pm (EST), also at the Tigertown complex in Lakeland, Fla. Athletes, coaches and rugby supporters alike are invited to attend the event, which include skills tests and demonstrations, practice drills and information sessions. For more information, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/WNT_clinic.

Media interested in attending the Atlantic Cup or the ancillary events should contact Ashley Voss at avoss@usarugby.org. Please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles for more information on the WNT’s 2010 schedule and World Cup preparations.

The U.S. Women’s Rugby Team would like to acknowledge its partners:

The US Women’s Rugby Foundation, founded in 2005, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting girls and women in the sport of rugby.  The Foundation is committed to fostering and sustaining the growth of rugby by working to assure girls and women have a voice, an agency, and the opportunities to participate.  To learn more about the Foundation go to http://www.uswrf.org

Pro Photo Rental specializes in providing convenient and cost-effective rentals on all top quality photography equipment, including a huge selection of Canon, Nikon and Olympus lenses, camera bodies and accessories.  For more information, please visit http://www.prophotorental.com.

Please join the WNT in supporting the Avon/Love Army of Women, an organization that is seeking to recruit one million women nationwide to help researchers learn what causes breast cancer and move beyond a cure to prevention.  Women across the U.S. are encouraged to be “one in a million” by learning more and signing up at www.armyofwomen.org.

from the Canadian Press:

TORONTO — Veterans Leslie Cripps, Gillian Florence and Heather Jaques will lead the Canadian women’s rugby team in a pair of Test matches against the U.S. on Jan. 12 and 16 in Lakeland, Fla.

The tour is part of the Canadian women’s preparations for the 2010 World Cup, set for Aug. 20 to Sept. 5 in England.

Other veterans on the squad include Arabah Chintoh, Sarah Ulmer and Mandy Marchak.

Canada was 3-4 in 2009 with wins over the U.S., South Africa and France. The losses were to France (twice), the U.S. and England.

Canada
Marie-Eve Brindamour-Carrigan, Paige Burdett, Andrea Burk, Arabah Chintoh, Leslie Cripps, Kim Donaldson, Marlene Donaldson, Gillian Florence, Megan Gibbs, Brooke Hilditch, Corrine Jacobsen, Heather Jaques, Shannon Kane, Jen Kish, Leslie Mackenzie, Mandy Marchak, Barbara Mervin, D’arcy Patterson, Ashley Patzer, Cheryl Phillips, Danielle Rowlands, Kelly Russell, Anna Schnell, Tabitha Stavrou, Laura Stoughton, Julia Sugawara, Sarah Ulmer, Brittany Waters, Julianne Zussman.

Head Coach: John Long

For travel packages to England for the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup, go here.

Congratulations Class of 2009!

As the fall rugby season comes to a close, the weather is starting to get colder (its a balmy 75 degrees in Texas!) and the craze for the Holidays is starting to buzz.

I want to take this moment and congratulate all the graduating 2009 rugby players.  Whether graduating kindergarten (if overseas), high school or college this is an exciting time in your life; a fresh start, a new beginning, and most importantly an exciting adventure.  You’ve accomplished many things so far in your life even with all the bumps in the road.  There is much more to come!

I want to take this time not only to congratulate you all, but to remind you of one thing that made this time so special and so unforgettable….Rugby.  A sport that is a part of your life, a part of your family, a part of you.  Please remember this experience and carry it with you in your next adventures.

I received an email a few weeks ago from the USA Rugby Membership Department and I want to share it with all our readers.  It included a breakdown of all the CIPP registered rugby players in the nation broken down by league (club, collegiate, high school, etc.).  It even divided the numbers between men and women.  Here are the stats:

Since 8/15/08, 81,920 Club & Individual Members have registered with USA Rugby.

21,878          Adult members  (Female 3,612; Male 18,266)

28,827          College members (Female 10,230; Male 18,597)

24,253          HS/U19 members (Female 5,133; Male 19,120)

3,388            Youth/U15 members (Female 173; Male 3,215)

1,377            Referee Members (Female 204; Male 1,173)

So, here is my shout-out to all the ladies.  Please continue to play after college and help support this game for future generations.  The numbers don’t lie.  There are 10,000 collegiate players right now, so why aren’t there more women club players?  It’s not even half!  We need to keep this sport alive by continuing to play, coaching, and refereeing.

When you start thinking about walking away from the sport that has brought you so much… road trips…rookie skits… boat races… 6 am practices… All-Star events… National Championships… laughs… loves…and friends.  Think about if you had never started this adventure.

To the Class of 2009…. Carpi Rugby!

The Girl

Welcome to the new YSC site! I hope you enjoy the re-design and are happy with the new navigation. Let me know if you have any problems or questions and I will be glad to help! Email me at wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com for feedback or questions!

Thanks,

YSC Team