Your Scrumhalf Connection

Bingham Cup coming this June
Jan 14th, 2010
by Cyd Zeigler jr..

Every couple months I start typing an address in my email and Mark Bingham’s name comes up. It’s been over eight years since I was last able to send him a message, but I can’t bring myself to delete the address. I was honored to be able to attend the Bingham Cup in 2006 when it was in New York, and it’s wonderful to see it still going strong today. The latest installment takes place this June (18-20) in Minneapolis. If you’ve never been, it’s an incredible event. I still don’t know why these guys play full-contact rugby without pads, but I guess that’s why they’re playing rugby and I’m playing flag football.

BINGHAM CUP 2010
Bingham Cup 2010 puts rugby at the center of the event with a venue and tournament structure conducive to serious, competitive sport. While emphasizing the competitive aspects of the tournament, we have not forgotten the sense of fraternity that makes rugby, and particularly IGRAB rugby, such an amazing sport. The memory of Mark Bingham will live on through Bingham Cup 2010, as will the values he lived by both on and off the field: loyalty, honor, brotherhood, courage and unity.

In the spirit of fraternity and inclusion, we have sought to keep registration fees low, increase the level of play and plan some of the most amazing celebrates you will ever see. Get ready. This is Bingham Cup 2010.

ABOUT BINGHAM CUP
The Bingham Cup is a biannual international, non-professional, gay rugby union tournament, first held in 2002. The tournament was named after Mark Bingham, a former University of California – Berkeley rugby star. Bingham died in the September 11, 2001 attacks on board United Airlines Flight 93.

The Bingham Cup was first hosted by the San Francisco Fog RFC, Mark Bingham’s home team. That year, eight teams traveled to California to compete over two days with Fog RFC coming out on top as the tournament’s first winners. With each of the following tournaments, The Bingham Cup has become has become bigger and better. Minneapolis looks to be no different.

ABOUT MARK BINGHAM
Mark was a successful public relations executive who’d played rugby for the perennial national champions, UC Berkeley. His love of the game led him to help establish Fog RFC. The Fog, in contrast to his previous teams, was a newly formed club that hoped to join the competitive Northern California Rugby Football Union (NCRFU) as its first team geared primarily toward gay men and men of color.

Most of the Fog were complete novices to the game, but Mark started showing up anyway. He coached, cajoled, and crashed through their practices, and played No. 8 in their first two friendly matches. He also played in their first tournament (where he promptly dislocated his shoulder). He taught his teammates his favorite rugby songs and made them feel like we were part of something bigger than themselves. That was early 2001.

Over the summer the Fog gained entry into the NCRFU. Mark, traveling in Europe, let them know how proud he was of the club’s achievement. He explained that in being a part of a rugby team comprised entirely of gay men, he “finally felt accepted as a gay man and a rugby player.” His two worlds were one for the first time.

Mark never got another opportunity to play for the Fog. He was aboard United flight 93 when it crashed in rural Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Rugby gave Mark the opportunity to be his true self: a gay man, an athlete, a friend, a son…and our brother. The best way for us to honor his memory is to carry on the amazing legacy he left behind.

from Student Ireland:

For one of the rugby world’s more eloquent stars, the speech was surprisingly brief – but then Gareth Thomas has done a lot of talking in recent weeks. Just before Christmas he did the unthinkable and became the first professional player in Britain to admit he is gay. Last night was his chance to celebrate the announcement.

“Everybody here tonight is celebrating that the world is changing,” he said. “We are here to send the message that it’s OK to be a sportsman and it is also OK to be gay.”

The venue was Movida, a glitzy London club with a bright pink bar and equally garish cocktails – not a very likely hangout for burly rugby players. But this was no post-match celebration, rather an opportunity to tell the world that the sport was longer a place in which gay players had to hide their sexuality. Last night, the former Welsh captain’s friends and supporters joined Britain’s gay glitterati for Thomas’s official “coming out” party – a remarkable display of solidarity that many hope will signal the beginning of the end of homophobia in sport.

Former and current rugby stars including Will Carling, Matt Dawson, Gareth Williams and Lee Byrne were present, along with the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Will Young and Graham Norton. The gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said he hoped Thomas’s decision to publicly declare his sexuality would inspire others.

“If more top-class professional sportspeople came out as Gareth has done they would win huge amounts of public respect for their honesty and courage,” he said. “It would boost their public standing and provide a very powerful and positive role model for young lesbian, gay and bisexual people who are coming to terms with their sexuality for the first time.”

The positive reaction from the public, particularly in Wales where Thomas is a national hero, has convinced him to throw himself into an active campaigning role for gay rights. In the six weeks since he came out, he has already signed up to be a patron of the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month, and is in the process of filming a documentary about homophobia for ITV.

Thomas said last night: “The most important thing in my life is rugby and that will always be the case. But I will inevitably become something of a role model and that’s something I’m happy to embrace. It’s not about self-promotion, it’s about actually doing something positive that will help other people.”

Matthew Todd, editor of the gay magazine Attitude, which co-hosted the party, said it was clear that Thomas intended to be known as more than just a rugby player.

“Not since Sir Ian McKellen came out have we seen someone throw themselves into the gay rights cause with such enthusiasm,” he said.

- Jerome Taylor

Your club is invited to participate in the 30th Annual “Throw Me Something, Rugger!” Mardi Gras Women’s Rugby Tournament!  Attached is a flyer with all the information you need about it.  Please note that the tournament coincides with President’s Day Weekend (Feb. 13-14, 2010) this year, so many have the extra day to stay through Monday. We’d love to have you!  Please let me know at your earliest convenience if you plan to come.  Thanks!

2010 Mardi Gras Tournament
February 13-14, 2010

The tournament will feature college and club brackets, with a minimum of three games for each team.

The entry fee is:
$300.00 if received by January 1, 2010
$350.00 if received by January 15, 2010
$400.00 if received after January 15, 2010
Please call or email Karen Dicke (kdicke@halfmoonsrugby.org or 504-812-5742) for the mailing address.
The Endymion parade will roll on Saturday night.
That weekend is also President’s Day weekend.

Tournament Hotel
A block of rooms have been reserved at the La Quinta New Orleans Westbank (504-368-5600) for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The cost is $90 per night. Say that you’re with the Women’s Rugby Tournament to get the rate. The block expires January 22, 2010.

Karen Dicke
Tournament Director
kdicke@halfmoonsrugby.org
504-812-5742

Also, this year the Women’s Rugby Foundation will be hosting their Habitat for Humanity build again:

Habitat for Humanity Link: http://www.uswrf.org/2009/mardiGras2009followup.aspx
Tourney Link: http://www.halfmoonsrugby.org/

Calling all Ruggers!

Please forward this on to your teams to discuss and let me know if you are interested.  Chicago Women and Madison Women are putting together teams to go to the Mardi Gras Tourney this year as well as volunteer for the Habitat for Humanity project that is on its 4th year.  We were hoping to encourage other higher competitive teams into sending a group as well.  Habitat is Feb. 11th & 12th and the tourney is the 13th and 14th.  Monday is President’s Day as well so many may have off already.  I also have the hotel block info already.  Please let me know if you are interested in sending a team, otherwise if you have a partial team I will organize efforts to put together a full team granted the tourney fee of $300 is covered.  Thanks so much and hope you are all well!  Corrie

Dear Coaches and Players,

Please forward this message to your team and teammates or anyone we may have missed!

With the Holidays quickly approaching, we wanted to make sure that EVERYONE is aware that their have been some changes for the upcoming “Forwards Clinic” on Jan. 23rd

First~ Price reduction! We are able to reduce the price due to changes with the facilities.
Players: $15 per session or $25 for both
Coaches: $30 per session or $50 for both

Second~ We want to see EVERY PLAYER in the area, that wears a 1- 8 on their back available to participate in this clinic.
SCHOLARSHIPS are now available! *contact Shawn Loudenback for details.

Third~ there will be T-shirts for the first HIGH SCHOOL TEAM TO REGISTER!

Registration: http://www.huskyrugby.com/Clinics.htm

The University of Washington Men’s Rugby Club is pleased to host technical clinics for both players and coaches. The session will focus on coaching the scrums and lineouts safely and effectively and to better learn basic offensive and defensive strategies in and around the set pieces.

Coach of the lineout session will be Luke Gross, former US Eagle and the most capped
international player in US history.
The scrum session will be led by Bill LeClerc, USA Rugby Men’s National Team Scrum Coach and ex-US Eagle prop.

For attending coaches, EACH session will provide 5 credits in the USA Rugby Coach Certification Program.

Time: Saturday, January 23, 2010

High School
(Boys/Girls)
Collegiate
(Boys/Girls)
9 AM – 1PM

SCRUM SESSION
w. Bill LeClerc
2PM – 6PM

LINE OUT SESSION
w. Luke Gross

Senior Clubs
(Men/ Women)
LINE OUT SESSION
w. Luke Gross
SCRUM SESSION
w. Bill LeClerc

Location: Magnuson Park (both rugby field and classroom)
7400 Sand Point Way in Seattle

Cost: Players = $15 per session, discount to $25 for both
Coaches = $30 per session, discounted to $50 for both

Coaches and players are strongly encouraged to attend together for full benefit. Space is limited in both sessions and will be granted strictly on a first come/first served basis.