Reposted from Rugbystrong.org:

via Lara Gill @ valkyriesrugby.org

In collaboration with the University of Minnesota Women’s Rugby Club, the Valkyries held an impressive clinic for local high school girls on Saturday April 17th, 2010. The all-day event, which began with an exciting scrimmage vs. the U of M, was attended by over 70 local high school rugby women and culminated with a BBQ and time to relax in the sunshine.

The three hour clinic introduced new rugby players to the basics of passing, team play, and tackling, while giving some of the more advanced players time to work on specifics with the coaching staff of over 15 U of M and Valkyrie players.

Sarah Reuter, the event’s organizer says that the event was a success because of “the huge number of people from both the Valkyries and the U of M that were willing to step-up and teach the girls the drills and games we do everyday. We have such a passion for rugby and so we were excited to pass that on the best we could.”

With the large turn-out and support, the teams now plan on making the spring clinic an annual event. “Feedback about the clinic was very positive, so we are already planning on doing it next year”, said Marissa Stevens, president of the U of M club. Rugby Fun in the Sun, as it was called, proved to be true as the weather was clear and in the mid 60’s all day. Event planners say you can expect another high school clinic to roll around next year during the month of April.

Tornado Alley 7s
Norman, OK
July 17, 2010
WOMEN’S TOLA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Men’s Bracket
-Contact Kyle Lubbers @ 405-202-5783

Women’s Bracket
-Contact Kelsey Hudson @ 405-413-0946

Entry fee: $150   Received before July 12 $125
Winner gets their entry fee back.

-There will be a vendor
-There will be concessions
-There will be multiple ways to keep cool, including a staph. free ice bath area =) lol

Singing and visiting at our world famous rugby clubhouse after the matches, traditional OU Campus Pub Crawl to follow. Check out the Facebook invite here for more details.

BOULDER, Colo. – The USA Women’s National Rugby Team has officially announced the roster of 26 players and four reserves who are set to assemble in the weeks leading up to the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup (WRWC) in England.

“It is never an easy task to trim down a squad we have been working with for almost four years,” said Women’s National Rugby Team Coach Kathy Flores. “With the 2010 World Cup less than two months away, we are working to prepare for every variable possible and select according to the needs of the team, in regards to the commitment and dedication of each individual and their contribution to the squad.”

Assembling on July 10, the USA squad will hold a residency camp at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine for three weeks before departing for England.

“The U.S. Women will feel right at home in the college’s top-notch residential and athletic facilities,” Women’s High Performance Manager, Alex Williams said. “Bowdoin is home to one of the few women’s varsity rugby programs in the country and it’s a great environment for the intense final preparations prior to the World Cup.”

The residency camp will include a lot of individual and unit skill work, along with strength and conditioning sessions, video analysis, and creating game plans for its upcoming RWC pool matches. Brought into the camp will be additional skill specialists, sports psychologists, nutritionists and select media personnel who will all work with the players and staff in preparation for the team’s biggest event of the quadrennial.

The National Team’s time at Bowdoin College won’t be all work and no play, however. On July 12, the USA Women’s Team will host an Under-19 rugby clinic for new and upcoming Under-19 female players and then on July 25, the Women’s National Team will play the Northeast Rugby Union All-Star Women’s Team in a final Women’s Rugby World Cup warm-up match for the Eagles.

The U.S. will also have one week of preparation and acclimatization once landing in England, prior to the kick-off of the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

The 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup features the top 12 teams from around the world. The teams are sorted into three pools and will play pool opponents on three match days through August. The fifth-ranked USA Women’s Team is in Pool B along with second-seeded England, Ireland and Kazakhstan.

The USA will face the 11th-ranked Kazakhstan, first, on Friday, August 20. Four days later, the USA will play the eighth-seed, Ireland side, on August 24 and will finish against England on August 28.

“We don’t have the luxury to look past any team at the Women’s Rugby World Cup,” Flores added. “While we were playing Canada in June, Kazakhstan played close matches with South Africa. Ireland is lining up practice competition in the coming month and I am sure England will be training and lining up practice matches as well. No team is taking anything for granted in this event.”

The U.S. Women’s Rugby World Cup Team includes:
Forwards
Sharon Blaney (Beantown)
Stacey Bridges (Texas A&M)
Jamie Burke (Beantown)
Lisa Butts (Berkeley All-Blues)
Melanie Denham (Beantown)
Farrah Douglas (Keystone)
Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All-Blues)
Phaidra Knight (New York)
Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries)
Beckett Royce (Oregon Sports Union)
Lara Vivolo (New York)
Kittery Wagner (Beantown)
Maurin Wallace (Beantown)
Kristin Zdanczewicz (Minnesota Valkyries)

Backs
Claudia Braymer (Albany)
Emilie Bydwell (Beantown)
Amy Daniels (Beantown)
Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues)
Victoria Folayan (Berkeley All-Blues)
Melissa Kanuk (Minnesota Valkyries)
Ashley Kmiecik (Oregon Sports Union)
Lynelle Kugler (Twin Cities Amazons)
Kim Magrini (Keystone)
Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All-Blues)
Vanesha McGee (New York)
Christy Ringgenberg (Minnesota Valkyries)

Reserves
Stephanie Bruce (Berkeley All-Blues)
Kate Daley (Keystone)
Naima Reddick (Berkeley All-Blues)
Hannah Stolba (Minnesota Valkyries)

For more information on the Women’s National Team, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles. To follow the WNT on the road to the Women’s Rugby World Cup or for the chance to sponsor a day of residency for the U.S. Women’s Rugby Team visit www.weWaNTrugby.com. Also, don’t forget to check out the Women’s Rugby World Cup website at www.rwcwomens.com.

About Bowdoin
Bowdoin is an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational residential, undergraduate liberal arts institution founded in 1794. It is located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of 21,000 on the Maine coast. Study at Bowdoin leads to a bachelor of arts degree in one of over 40 departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Bowdoin enrolls approximately 1,750 students from across the country and around the world. For more information, please visit www.bowdoin.edu.

HOARFU will be hosting a coaching clinic in Kansas City July 17-18. The last day for EARLY registration is July 2nd. If you would like to participate please register by Saturday July 3rd because the clinic will be canceled if we dont have 20 participants by then!

If you would like more information email Maddie Pollard mep7733@truman.edu

Hello Ruggers,

This is a reminder that there will be a coaching clinic coming to Kansas City this summer. We will have both Introducing Rugby (level 1) and Developing Rugby Skills (level 2).  You can register and find more information at www.usarugby.org

• Click on Official Site of USA Rugby
• Select Coaches on the top left
• Then select Coach Education

Location: Liberty High School, 200 Blue Jay Dr. Liberty, MO

Date: July17-18

Time: 9am-5pm both Saturday and Sunday

Cost: To get the lowest coat you must register by July 2nd!

Please forward this to your union or anyone you think would be interested!

I hope to see you there!

Maddie

Bloodfest 7s in Austin was a great tournament this year. There were 10 women’s teams and some fierce competition took place! For the full schedule and scores, go here. This week’s video is the Bloodfest 7s Final between the San Diego Surfers and the Glendale Raptors:

Bloodfest 7s Final – San Diego Surfers vs Glendale Raptors from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

Thank you to Jeff Young for videoing! Check out his website at etsy.com/shop/MJ42

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.