I have partnered with UR7s to do a monthly blog, so I will post the article here and it will be available on UR7s as well. Very exciting and this will hopefully bring more exposure to the 7s side of things.

from UR7s:

I am so happy to be writing here on UR7s! You may be familiar with my main blog at Your Scrumhalf Connection, but I am branching out to a few partner sites.

I started the blog Your Scrumhalf Connection because I was incredibly frustrated with the lack of coverage for women’s rugby. The original form of YSC was a much smaller version only meant to cover rugby in the Western Rugby Union.

But after a few months when I realized that most of my visitors were from outside the Western Rugby Union, I quickly branched out to include all women’s rugby.

While the focus of YSC is always changing, the main core has been to promote and evolve women’s rugby. As a player, coach, referee and lover of the game I can’t imagine my life without rugby and my blog. But lets be honest, one girl and a computer can’t do it all!

That is why I was so excited when UR7s asked me to contribute on their site. The more positive sites out there with the same purpose to bring women’s rugby into the light means the more support we will have.

Speaking of support, I was so enthused at the turnout at the February USA Sevens Tournament!

Our men and women had some great performances, especially the 2nd place finish for the women. This is the 2nd year in a row that the USA women have come in 2nd at this tournament. It followed up on an encouraging few days at the Dubai Sevens back in December also.

Next up for our National teams is Hong Kong Sevens and we will expect our teams to domintate there as well. WRONG!

The women unfortunately will not be attending Hong Kong Sevens and will actually have a long sabattical from International rugby since there is no Hong Kong funding for the Sevens girls. Well, that kind of makes sense since this is a World Cup year for the 15s program, right? Wait, wait, you say that the 15s program is hurting for money as well?
This disappoints me gravely as our women in both programs have proven themselves over and over on pitches across the world. I don’t want to turn this article into an analysis over how much the women have won or not won compared to the men…but its time to demand equal funding for our programs again.

The USA women’s program is heading to the 2010 Rugby World Cup with minimal funding and minimal training time together. They recently had a Developmental Camp but will only have one other skill camp and possibly two test matches against Canada before we they leave for England on August 8. While there are rumors of a camp leading up to the World Cup, who knows if the funding will arrive in time?
Since there is limited funding for the 15s team to prepare for the World Cup, what will happen in 2016 when the Sevens team heads to the Olympics? We all know that sending an army to a battle with no spears is not very smart and I hate to say it but that is what it feels like!

Now I know our women will rally with what they are given and continue to show their heart, commitment and desire, but can USA Rugby honestly say they have done everything they could have done to prepare our Women’s National teams?

Let us wait and see.

Welcome to another Guest Blog from Monty…this blog post is an interview with a few of the recent USA 7s Eagles at USA Sevens.

Monty Nyriws

It may not be easy being green, but it’s certainly not any easier being red, white and blue… the red, white and blue women’s rugby seven’s team, that is. Everyone who knows anything about rugby in the USA knows about the struggle the sport is facing gaining notice among Americans. And as we all know, very few Americans know anything at all about rugby. Even worse off is women’s rugby. In some ways, these ladies have to put up with much more than the men do. Unlike the men’s team, when the women go to a tournament they have to…

• sleep four to a room
• buy their own shoes
• bring their own kit bag WITH USA Rugby Logo
• bring their own water bottle
• bring their own notebook and 2 pens, 2 pencils and a permanent marker
• press their own khaki pants
• wear jeans with no holes, tears, or patches!
• and launder their team gear on a rotating duty basis…What is this, the Army where you have to do KP duty?

Now consider that the women’s 7s team (like the men) are going to represent our country in the 2016 Olympics. Isn’t it about time that we start promoting both men and women rugby 7s teams, and mounting a serious effort to educate the American public and generate fans for the sport?

At the recent Las Vegas 7s tournament, the USA women played very well against their international opponents, winning all their games in the preliminaries, and losing by only two tries in the finals against China. Women’s rugby may not be as fast and as tough as the men’s version, but once you begin to get to know them, as I started to do at the sevens tournament in Las Vegas, you have to be impressed with how they play — with soul and inspiration.

CJ Hildreth

After the match I was lucky enough to sit down with two members of the team: Lauren Hoeck, and CJ Hildreth. I tell you, if you see these women charging after you on the pitch, you just want to get out of the way. But off the pitch when you see them smile, you just want to melt! Below are excerpts from this interview.

[See Blogger's Note at the end of this article]

Las Vegas, Sunday, Feb 14, 2010
Interview with Lauren Hoeck and CJ Hildreth

YourScrumHalfConnection: So Lauren, you’re the team captain?
Lauren: I’m the co-captain, with Jo Ward. CJ is the hooker, #2, she’s a stud!

YSC: You guys are all studs. I’m so impressed with all of you… By the way, I’m not comfortable calling women “guys”… You know they call men ruggers “boys,” so maybe we should call you “boys” as well?
Lauren: (smiles) How about ladies?

Lauren Hoeck

CJ: Yes, ladies.
YSC: Great! So, ladies, you did very well on Friday.
Lauren: Yes, we did.
CJ: We went 4-0. We beat China that day.

YSC: Well, now you have to beat China in Hong Kong.
CJ: That would be a great comeback.
Lauren: Is Hong Kong official yet?
CJ: No, it depends on funding. We’re working on it…

YSC: So what do you think of Coach Ric Suggit so far?
Lauren: All around he is really fun, knowledgeable… I really learned a lot.
CJ: Relaxed, at the same time.
YSC: Do you have to teach him anything about managing the women’s 7s team?
CJ: He’s managed women’s 15s and 7s in Canada before. He’s also coached basketball, so he’s done it all.
Lauren: He knows when to delegate and what he needs to do, and he keeps it really simple.
CJ: He’s worked with women and he’s worked with men… he has an incredible coaching awareness.
YSC: So you like his style?
CJ: He treats us with a lot of respect…
Lauren: I’ve never met a coach in any sport I’ve played like him… he has a really different style.
YSC: In what way?
Lauren: More of a management style, I’d say. He’s trusting of us. He figures that you’ve gotten this far, so you know how to run your life… you know how to manage your health and your well-being, so he doesn’t really interfere.
CJ: He just respects you as an adult and as an elite athlete. He trusts that you’re here for a reason.

YSC: What are you most excited about this year?
Lauren: The fresh start. I feel like the team has bonded really well, and I feel like we have a good base. Ric said that he just has more and more to offer. So he seems very knowledgeable and I’m excited to pick his brain as we go along.
CJ: It’s true, the part we saw this weekend was phenomenal, and I think there’s more for him to reveal.
YSC: You ladies must have been pretty good athletes in other sports.
Lauren: How about just calling us “you guys?” (laughing)
YSC: OK, what made you “guys” decide to take up rugby?
Lauren: I got tricked into it by a co-worker. It was during our interview, she talked about rugby a little bit and then I watched some. And then she asked me if I wanted to play. She’s a 15s prop… she’s a 225 pound woman! So I was a little bit like “no I’m not playing.” Then I went out for a practice and it was unbelievably addicting.
YSC: Ric mentioned that one of the important things to him is the building of younger players, the culture of rugby, so that there’s a new stream of players coming up. Do you “guys” get involved with that in your communities?
Lauren: Yes, we play for Nova, and there’s a U-19 team that a couple of our players coach. We go to their fund-raising… we try to support them as much as we can. It’s very developed at this point.

YSC: Typical interview question: What’s one thing you’d like your fans to know about you?
Lauren: CJ is a pro skateboarder. She was here (in Las Vegas) two weeks ago for a tournament.
YSC: You mean like extreme sports skating?
CJ: Yeah, I won the women’s open.
YSC: Very cool!
Lauren: She does that to pay for her rugby (all laughing).
YSC: And you, Lauren?
Lauren: Oh man… I can’t compete with a pro skateboarder. Just give us another question…!
YSC: OK, what’s one thing you DON’T want your fans to know about you?
Lauren: Well why would we say that? (all laughing…)
CJ: Well what we want our fans to know is like a group thing, which is that we need to start traveling internationally on a regular basis, and that’s dependent on support and fans and funding, and a system, like we said, of building from the youth upward. So it’s not just the players in the core, but it’s the whole culture of rugby. We truly are depended on the fans, because that’s part of the funding, and we are dependent on our sponsors, without whom we don’t exist.

YSC: Right… So what about promoting the image of women’s rugby in particular. What has to be done in this country to get that going?
Laura: In general, once the men’s side gets bigger, then it will trickle down to the women’s side. Until that becomes a big part of American sports, we won’t be there. It’s just like basketball. Once the men’s team got to a certain level the women started catching up.
CJ: Or like soccer, that’s probably a more recent example.
Laura: Exactly. It’s just going to take a while. The men’s side needs a lot of support, too. They’ve got more than we do but they still don’t compare to other American sports.
CJ: There are a lot of IRB-approved 7s tournaments throughout the world, and only a small percentage include women’s competitions in conjunction with them right now. So ideally every single IRB tournament would have men’s and women’s divisions.
Laura: Yeah, we’re not IRB-approved yet.
CJ: When we were first included in the World Cup last year, that was huge for us, and the Olympics will be huge as well.
YSC: When I talked to Ric he said his goal was a gold medal in the Olympics! What do you think about that?
Laura: Sounds good to me!
CJ: Nothing less!
Laura: I think it’s not unreasonable… we got third at the World Cup, and we’re picking up steam as we go.

YSC: Do either of you expect to be playing on the Olympic team?
Laura: We certainly hope so! I know Ric is looking at high schools now so he’s going to get a lot of athletes from there. But he’ll need some leaders in six years! Hopefully that will be us!
YSC: How about the possibility of an exhibition tournament at the 2012 Olympics in London…?
Lauren: I would imagine so. The game basically started in England, so they have all the basic infrastructure there, so it makes sense. They haven’t officially announced it yet.
CJ: We’re used to being non-official (smiles)
Lauren: (laughs) We don’t mind!
YSC: You don’t mind being non-official as long as you get to go!
Lauren: Yeah, we can still tell everybody that we’re going to the Olympics!

—————
Monty’s note: Sometime after the interview, it was made known that the women would NOT be attending the Hong Kong Sevens tournament in March, due to lack of funding. When I inquired as to what kind of funding was required, I was shocked to learn how little was required. (It’s such a minuscule amount, I’m embarrassed to even mention it here.) Now tell me… is there not one brand-name company in this country that would care to sponsor an Olympic-bound US rugby team?

Come on, rugby fans! The women need our help. As coach Ric Suggit pointed out, if the women don’t start participating in more elite-level international tournaments, how can they expect to do well in 6 years? If anyone out there has connections with People In High Places, now’s the time to call in those favors. Those of you who blog about rugby… we have to do more to promote the team and get them into the hearts and minds of Americans, and to get them the financial support and sponsorship they need.

[Monty Nyriws is a rugby newbie whose temperature is easily raised when people are not treated fairly]

Copyright (c) 2010 YourScrumhalfConnection.com and cuestaPhoto.com. All rights reserved.

from Guampdn.com:

The 13th Annual Budweiser True GRIT (Guam Rugby International Tournament) wrapped up yesterday at the Wettengel Rugby Field.

Women’s Division results: Hong Kong 19, Para Todu 5; Royals 32, Guam Rugby Club Women 0; Hong Kong 22, Royals 0; Little Blacks 71, Southern 0; Little Blacks 34, Para Todu 0; Guam Rugby Club 26, Southern 5; Royals 14, Para Todu 7.

Men’s Division results: Kurumi 35, Southside 14; IGETA 29, International Christian University 0; Guam Rugby Club 48, Old Soaks 0; Zenkai 22, Barbarians 7; Samuraiz 36, Southside 0; Para Todu 17, IGETA 0; Guam Rugby Club 68, Zenkai 0; International Christian University 12, Southside 5; Samuraiz 38, IGETA 0; Kurumi 17, Para Todu 0.