Your Scrumhalf Connection

Florida International University WOMEN NEED COACH

The newly formed FIU women’s team is looking for a coach to start this upcoming Fall in August.

The teams practices on Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-8pm at the Modesto Madique Campus, Intramural Fields.

If you are interested or know of anyone interested in coaching. Please contact the FIU Women’s President Genna Goldsobel at ggold002@fiu.edu

For this week’s rugby video, I thought we could take a look back to last year’s Dallas 7s Tournament! We had 10 women’s teams and of course the infamous Debutante Ball (prom dress rugby). Check out the highlight video of the Debutante Ball and the Championship match between the Glendale Raptors and the Satiated Beavers. If your team is interested in attending the 2010 Dallas 7s on June 3, 2010, check out the details here and if you have any questions email me!

Dallas Debutante Ball 2009 from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

Satiated Beavers vs Glendale – Dallas 7s Final from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

To view more YSC videos hover over the heading ‘Videos’ on the navigation bar up top and choose Rugby Video Monday.

Please continue sending in your videos and I will keep posting them! Send them to wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com.

Erin Barrett runs with the ball as her teammates try to tackle her during the Avengers’ practice Tuesday at Eastern Heights Park. The Avengers went 3–2 at the Binghamton Scrumstock Tournament on Saturday in Binghamton, N.Y.

Tucked away on the outskirts of Ithaca on a field surrounded by the stunning view of central New York’s rolling hills and valleys, a group of best friends convenes twice a week, driving one another into the ground with bone-crushing tackles, lifting one another into the air and throwing, punting and sprinting with an oblong ball.

The Ithaca Avengers women’s club rugby team is never short on laughter, having just celebrated its first full year of existence as one of New York state’s biggest and best club teams.

Despite bruised limbs and taped up elbows and knees, this group of ruggers is more than just a premier women’s club squad. It is a family that stretches far beyond pummeling one another on the pitch.

“There could be a study done on rugby,” captain Adrienne Wilson said. “It’s crazy how you join this group of women and because you’re all going through something new and different and pretty hard that you just bond over that.”

The team’s unofficial slogan — “Make friends, then tackle them” — is the perfect example of the Avengers’ priorities. The club, led by Head Coach Annemarie Farrell, assistant professor of sport management and media at Ithaca College, provides an opportunity for adult women — ranging from recent Cornell University graduates to those in their 40s — to make friends, play a contact sport and engage in a competitive activity.

“We market our team a little bit differently than what most women’s teams do,” Farrell said. “We marketed it around that adults don’t know how to make friends, which is totally true.”

Part of the appeal of playing for the Avengers is the team’s determination to make everything lighthearted and fun, organized and all-inclusive. The Avengers’ recruiting slogan, “Looking for vaguely athletic people of slightly questionable character,” makes potential recruits aware of how anyone interested can play rugby and enjoy the sport.

“We’ve created an environment where everybody plays,” Farrell said. “It’s impossible to ride the bench with us because everyone has equal playing time. We have all-star players on the sidelines while rookies are playing.”

Having a varied group of players and making sure everyone gets equal minutes on the field has not hindered the Avengers’ success. On Saturday at the Binghamton Scrumstock Tournament, the Avengers showed how they can succeed.

Clad in light blue, collared rugby shirts and black shorts, the team fought its way through a day of scrums, rucks and line outs to a 3–2 record on the day. Even before posting a winning record, the Avengers were clearly the team having the most fun right from the start. From opening chants for a game that went on too long to skip the overtime kicking competition and go straight to a dance-off, to cheering one another on with nicknames including Beef, Waack and Sparky, the team laughed its way through brutal hits, nonstop running and a pile of victories.

“We’re not ultracompetitive,” Farrell said. “We do well. We rolled over three good college teams that we shouldn’t necessarily be beating because they’re fitter and practice a lot more than us.”

Overall this season, the team is 4–2 as it picked up a 75–17 win over North Buffalo on April 17. The Avengers’ next match is their home opener at 11:30 a.m. Saturday against Cornell A&B.

Because the team stresses community above all else — even winning — the members are constantly getting together away from the sport for other activities.

“We go out to eat after practices and have social events,” scrumhalf Amanda Kempf said. “[The new players] always say, ‘I’d literally be sitting home by myself if it wasn’t for this team.’ You can just come in, and it’s an instant family.”

The family atmosphere even goes beyond the Avengers. The team makes sure to include the opposition in social events after each game.

“There’s a whole tradition of after the game, you and the other team get together for a party,” Wilson said. “We just crushed one another on the field, so now we’ll go off and party together. Even between opposing teams there’s such a strong connection.”

But sometimes, families need to come together in tragic times as well. The Avengers were put to the test when tragedy struck the team in January.

Ariel Lawson, a member of the team, was killed when driving to work when her car skid over an ice patch. The events were devastating to the team, especially given how important Lawson was to the Avengers. She was the recipient of the team’s Heart and Soul Award in its first year and is never far from the minds of the Avengers.

“It was a really defining moment,” Farrell said. “We all went to the memorial service. We all sat together and went back to our fullback’s house afterward for dinner and celebrated her.”

The team still makes sure to commemorate her in its own way. Lawson had a rugby ball in her car when she was in the accident, which Farrell still holds on to in her office. The athletes never practice with it, and they bring it with them to all their activities and recruitment events.

Through tragedy and triumph, the Avengers are as strong as ever and will continue to remain that way. Whether they’re winning tournaments or learning new skills at practice, remaining a family is the first priority.

“We’re not really focused on winning,” Kempf said. “The beer still tastes the same afterwards.”

On Saturday, the Buffalo Rugby Club hosted their 15th annual “7s in the Snow Tournament”. The tournament began in Delaware Park with half a dozen local teams, though it has grow to over 35 teams from NY, Pennsylvania and Canada.

This year there were over 400 participants playing rugby on 5 fields. The teams included men’s, women’s and college teams. 7 on 7 rugby is a shorter, more wide open format that is used for the tournament. Instead of the normal 15 on 15 teams, the 7 on 7 leads to more scoring which is more fun for the fans and participants.

The Buffalo Rugby Club is the premier rugby club in Western NY. Founded in 1966, they currently have two competitive sides. The first side competes in the Midwest in Division 1. The second side competes in NYS Division 3; it won the 2009 NYS championships and finished 2nd in the Northeast. By virtue of that, the team qualified for the National Sweet 16 championships in May.

To: All Division 1, 2 and 3 Women Collegiate Athletes and Coaches
From: Alex Williams, USA Rugby Women’s High Performance Manager
Re: 2010 Women’s Collegiate All American Nomination Process
Date: March 10, 2010

Nominations are being accepted for the Collegiate All American Women (CAAW) Honor Roll. All coaches interested in submitting an athlete for consideration must follow the process outlined below to ensure that their athlete is considered for the All American honor roll. The process has been changed from prior years in an effort to consider a broader spectrum of athletes rather than restricting the selection to athletes playing for teams competing in the collegiate playoffs.

The 2010 CAAW Honor Roll will name a pool of First Team All Americans and a pool of Second Team All Americans, pulled from all three divisions. Athletes who are named to the Honor Roll will be recognized in a USA Rugby press release and by letters to the athlete and to their school. In addition, athletes who make the CAAW Honor Roll will be considered for selection to the 2010 CAAW squad, to compete in the 2010 NASC event in late May.

Athlete Eligibility

1. Athlete must meet the Collegiate eligibility rules found on usarugby.org
2. Athlete must be CIPP’d with USA Rugby.

Athlete Nomination Process

1. Create a highlight video of the athlete (specs below).
2. Coach to submit the video with all required specs via the Online Video Submission Process (directions below) by Wednesday, April 14, 2010.
3. Coach to fill out the online Athlete Data Form to provide additional required information about the athlete (details below) by Wednesday, April 14, 2010.
4. Ensure that a coach from an opposing and/or select side team who has viewed the athlete in a match in 2010 fills out the Athlete Recommendation Form (details below) by Wednesday, April 14, 2010. Recommendations from up to five coaches will be accepted.

Note: Each of the steps above is mandatory. No athlete will be considered unless all required information has been submitted by Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

Honor Roll Selection Process

1. Videos will be viewed by the 2010 women’s CAA Selection Panel: Convener Alex Williams, WNT Head Coach Kathy Flores, WNT 7s Head Coach Ric Suggitt, USA-A Head Coach Martha Daines, U20 Head Coach Bryn Chivers and 2010 CAA Head Coach Lisa Rosen.
2. Members of the selection panel will attend the Collegiate Playoffs and Championships.
3. All TU U19 and U23 Head Coaches will be asked to submit a list of recommended athletes from their territory to the panel.
4. The Panel will review videos & recommendations and select the women’s CAA Honor Roll.
5. The 2010 CAAW Honor Roll will be announced the week of May 3, 2010.

Note: As above, selections to the actual CAAW squad to compete at the NASC will draw heavily from the Honor Roll but will be made solely by the 2010 women’s CAA Head Coach.

HIGHLIGHT VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS

1. Maximum length is 10 minutes.
2. Preferably includes some offensive and defensive exposure.
3. Must be titled with Athlete’s Name, School and Position.
4. Can be a mix of clips from several games or all from a single game.
5. Must meet the requirements for the Online Video Submission Process below.

ONLINE VIDEO SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS – Sponsored by YourScrumhalfConnection

1. Go to the following link to access the Vimeo video submission site and explicit instructions: https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzodJlUf5BFuMTAzNzkwNmYtMThiMi00ZGNiLWEwOTYtMDE4ZjJmOWYzNzI5&hl=en
2. Please contact Wendy Young of YSC with any technical questions (wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com)
3. Video must be submitted by Wednesday, April 14, 2010!

ATHLETE NOMINATION FORM INSTRUCTIONS

1. Must be filled out by the athlete’s collegiate coach.
2. Every data field must be filled out (list of data fields below).
3. Go to the following link to access the online data form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGRGTEpRSzZzcmZEdzB6RVJ3blEyU3c6MA
4. The data will be submitted to a form accessible only to the Selection Panel.
5. Athlete Data Form must be submitted by Wednesday, April 14, 2010!

SUPPORTING RECOMMENDATION FORM INSTRUCTIONS

1. Each nominated athlete must have at least one recommendation filled out by an opposing coach who has viewed the athlete in a match in 2010.
2. Athletes may have up to five total recommendations submitted in support of their nomination; all must be from coaches at the collegiate level or higher.
3. Every data field must be filled out (list of data fields below).
4. Go to the following link to access the online data form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dENILWJ6Z1VhbjAtMkJyaUZGdmlMdXc6MA
5. The data will be submitted to a form accessible only to the Selection Panel.
6. Athlete Recommendation Form must be submitted by Wednesday, April 14, 2010!

Please direct any questions to Alex Williams at awilliams@usarugby.org or 415-336-7981.