Fort Hunt Eagles Rugby Football Club

All Done with Rugby for 2011

2011-08-29T15:02:00.003-04:00

And so we finish our youth rugby for 2011. There is still a lot of old boys Roosters rugby to play for Coaches Dacey, Hughes and Golding in the fall, but the opportunities for the kids are at an end.

What a year. We started with our first year of high school rugby, a full four years ahead of the originally assumed schedule. We had a great cadre of enthusiastic and dedicated young men, and parents familiar with our program, who fell in and got things going. And bam! the girls got themselves going, too. We didn't expect this, and we all managed to make this team go, too.

A big part of this was a great coaching turnout, with a ton of new coaches, and almost all of our coaches getting official USA Rugby Level 1 certification in February. Now we have a core of truly trained and highly experienced coaches.

We had two great high school seasons, with both the Warriors and the Gators going into the playoffs. We did very well, better than we expected, and are set now to really capitalize on our first year with our Spring 2012 season.

Coming with the high school season in 2012 are plans to tour. We don't have a destination set yet, but we intend to tour, likely in July 2012. This can separate boys and girls trips, or a consolidated trip; all of this needs to be worked out. Parent-volunteers will be crucial for this effort, as the coaches have too much on their plates to plan and conduct a tour.

And then we have the annual free-of-charge FCPS spring break clinic in April, and by then it'll be time to register for and start training for Summer 2012, our seventh year. We'll have an all-new jersey design again, and we'll get it going, just like we do every year.

Saturday, 25 June Match Reports and Wrap-Up

2011-06-29T06:56:00.002-04:00

Another great Saturday of Fort Hunt Youth Rugby.

U-9s
The 9s played a great set of matches with subs from BRYC. They won all three matches quite handily, and for a group of kids who have never played until this season they played as a team and used the lessons they have been taught in training. They all had standout performances, running and passing the ball well. They used the outside well, and were able to cut it off when the opponents tried to use it. We have a few speedsters on this side as well, with Kelly just running rings around the opposition.
Tons of scoring, with Michael, Kelly, Jake, Ethan and Grant all getting scores in.
Coach Layton adds: Kelly's scores were very dramatic and frequent. She ran completely across the field diagonally to get to the try zone corner each time in thrilling fashion, which although effective was dangerous and we can straighten that up I believe.
Player of the Match: Michael, for consistent straight-ahead running leading to numerous tries and, stealing ball in the open and lineouts, and even a successful try conversion. Kelly’s scrumhalf-ing was very good and alert, she even helped line up some kids when she was a back. Ethan is also a close runner-up.

U-11s
The 11s had a really great day as well, crushing two of their rivals (Alexandria 1 and Chantilly), and tying the third match with Alexandria 2 .
Our slower but wiser forwards set up a number of our tries with some great runs, taking the ball right up to the goal line, to pass it off to one of the backs. The backs succeeded with SPEED and field sense, reading the defense and beating it. Patrick, Billy, Parker, and James drove through the competition. Clare, Martin, Andrei, Michael, and Fiona all ran the ball fast and smart.
Even though the scrums were uncontested we took them seriously, and the lineouts (practiced all week) were SPECTACULAR. We got the opponents a couple of times on the long ball, and even won a few of their lines just by being smart.
Scoring: Clare, Michael, Patrick, Jack, Andrei, Martin, and Patrick D.
Player of the Match: Clare for the usual leadership, defensive saves, good scrumhalfing and excellent passing, and weak-side scrumhalf runs for a tries. Honorable mention for Patrick D, who scored his first try and intercepted several because he stayed in his lane and did not play magnetball. Michael has really improved and is aggressive inside and both steals ball sand runs through traffic not worried about being tagged and makes non-panic passes, and scored a few times. Martin definitely gets a mention as a much improved player as he tried several positions and was very good at following directions and got a lot of ball and yardage as a result, and a try or two as well. We need to get that trophy up to the forwards soon enough as they all are doing their jobs very well and have learned so much and are playing so well. Fiona is all heart, and speedier and more impressive than last year and a great bad-pass-catcher; she wrote in her school yearbook that one of her goals in life is to play Rugby!

For both 9s and 11s: Or teams played the sport well. They are understanding what to do, and when to do it. Our kids just looked more organized and focused out there than our opponents did. Our blitzing backs on defense swarmed their backfield at times and produced plenty of turnovers and overall mayhem for the opponents. Several kids on the U-9 team gathered and stole their ball away and on U-11 it produced direct interceptions of their scrumhalf-to-flyhalf passing, leading to tries for Andrei on two occasions. As usual our forwards picked up many loose balls that they forced out of the clutches of the opponents. Our quick penalty starts were fast, leading to tries that we were called back for a re-do on several occasions. Opponents’ jaws dropped and parents moaned each time we shot past their turned backs. Our U-9s and U-11s were scored on only when our wings left their side of the field to defend the other and could not return in time. We'll work on that some more. Good job, touch players!

U-13s
We had a great turnout, with enough Alexandria and BRYC players--aided by Joey F and Ben D--to form their own team. We had a number of first-ever players, who all did very well in the match, playing cleanly and solidly, applying what they’d learned in training.
The 13s played a half against host Prince William and then a half against the Alex/BRYC team. We won one and lost one, both by one try apiece.
Man of the Match: demonstrating the two game objectives of the day--communicate and pass-and-loop--Erik R came away with the battered trophy.

U-15s
We showed with just enough guys to form a side, and took the field against host Prince William. In a wide-open game with lots of outside running and increasing use of the kick, we went down to a narrow defeat late in the match, losing by just one try. Good consistent kicking and try conversions from Tom B. Our one weakness is the need to contain the outside run.
Man of the Match: Oscar G, who managed to score four times, consistently running hard and straight with the ball, and tackled solidly in close.

Girls Tackle
The Fort Hunt Ladies travelled to Warrenton and played their first tackle match of the summer season, final score Fort Hunt 58, Warrenton 15.
Due to Warrenton's short numbers, the match was played with six players/side. Honoring the game, Carol, Jadah and Sorenda volunteered, on a rotational basis, to play on the Warrenton side, and are to be commended for their sportsmanship. The Lady Eagles exercised tremendous support play and teamwork, displayed keen sense for tactical kicking, and exploited open space.
Scoring Statistics: Tries: Helen C (4), Carol B (2), Autumn B (2), Patricia G (1), Sorenda B (1); Conversions: Helen C (4).
Woman of the Match: Patricia G. Although this was her first-ever rugby match, she executed every aspect of the game surely and without hesitation. Most notably, she delivered a hard tackle on the opening kickoff that set the tone for the remainder of the match. And her brother got the 15s MoM!
The Borkowskis took a lot of photos, which you can see on their Picasa web album. I've also posted a link to the album on Facebook.

Training
We will practice all days this week, Tu/Wed/Th.
We will practice Tu/Wed, 5 and 6 July.

Next Matches
No matches over the 4th of July weekend.
As of 7 July, we transition to Thursday evening AND Saturday matches.
Next matches, Thursday evening, 7 July.
U-9: home v. PAC and SYC, 6:00pm
U-11: home v. PAC and SYC, 6:00pm
U-13: away v. Chantilly at SYC (Springfield)
U-15: away v. SYC at SYC
Girls Tackle: away v. Fairfax at Fairfax
Game day email will be out within a few days.

Match Reports: 18 June

2011-06-21T12:32:00.000-04:00

9-U Touch
We didn’t have a lot of Fort Hunt players, but our Braddock Road mates helped us out a lot. Jake and Max were moving the ball well, with Max making a few key tags. We are pretty sure we won, but the score is a mystery.
Man of the Match: Max, for good, solid overall play, and an honorable mention for Jake.

11-U Touch
Also just a few, with more help from Braddock Road.
The first half tied at 20-20, but we slowly started to take control, and use more of the field. We used kicking well, did some quick-tap penalties, had good communication, and ended up winning by something like 46-35. Great play from Parker, James (first score ever!), Billy (score!), Claire at scrumhalf (score!), and Andrei (score!).
Man of the Match: Andrei, for his leadership, conversion kicking and good chasing defense, with Claire as the runner-up for her outstanding on-field communication and positioning.

13-U Boys Tackle
Prince William showed with a deep side, and our 13s also had plenty of help from Alexandria and Braddock Road, with at least 8 substitutes ready to go.
We started off well with good ball handling and straight-ahead running, but got caught fixating on the ball instead of the offense, leading to a couple of breakaway tries on the outside when PW spun the ball wide quickly.
Good strong defensive work from Andrew B and Max D, and good straight running from Alex L, Patrick P, and Jimmy F. Final score had us losing by just one try.
Man of the Match: Alex L, for consistent straight-ahead running into contact, with an honorable mention to Jimmy F and Max D for their tackling.

15-U Boys Tackle
The Prince William side had more than 25 kids dressed out and ready to play, and we had our requisite 11, assisted ably by new assistant coaches Chris Tadie, David Fay and Mike Poulin.
The pace was considerably faster than the 13s, match, with a well-coached PW side rucking and counter-rucking very well and quickly spinning the ball wide. Our defense was quite good, with solid tackling and fair play, and only a few penalties for being off-side at the rucks and mauls. Good outside running from Cullen O’B and Logan B, and nice inside work from Ruslan P, Paris M and WDB. In the end we won by an approximate score of 29-22.
Man of the Match: Tom B, for his attacking running and precise kicking, with an honorable mention to Court H for his consistent straight-ahead running and solid presentation of posted ball.

Girls Tackle
Warrenton showed with a light side, but with just a bit of field modification it was game on. Our girls dominated from the start in the 5 v 5 game, with creative play, solid passing, good positioning, looping, and some smart tactical kicking to keep the Warrenton girls off their feet the entire time.
Final score was Fort Hunt A Lot to Warrenton’s 1 try, ironically scored by a Fort Hunt substitute.
Woman of the Match: Autumn Baker, for her on-field leadership, and for consistently running in support with her scoring teammates to arrive in the goal area at the same time, which paid off eventually with her own scoring.

Our First High School Season

2011-05-24T07:58:00.003-04:00

And so our first high school season ends, with both the boys and girls making the state championship semi-finals. I hope no one is upset or angry about this performance; it is truly outstanding. Winning records are always something to be proud of, and winning records that propel you into the top level of the playoffs are even better. For two teams in their very first year of competition. Again, this is a fantastic achievement.

Thank you, players, for your dedication and your discipline, and for your enthusiasm in training and in the matches. Thank you for your bumps, bruises, and scrapes, and for a few of you, the season-ending injuries. We are looking forward to having you back with us next spring.

Thank you, parents, for supporting your rugby players so well. Thank you for supporting our home-game socials, and for providing rides to away matches. Thank you for becoming Fort Hunt Rugby parents.

We are working on plans for a combined boys/girls end of season party, with details out by the end of the week, hopefully.

There are a few loose ends, with a few boys players needing to pay for kit bags, and for shorts/socks. Please step forward and make this happen.

And summer rugby is fully underway now, with training begun and matches to start on 18 June. Go to our website and sign on up.

Boys HS Notes: Focus, Discipline and Dedication

2011-05-03T20:53:00.002-04:00

If you train in a half-assed manner, not taking anything seriously, being lazy, cutting corners, being inattentive and goofing off with your buddies, this is how you will play in matches, since this is how you've trained yourself to behave. You will have missed or ignored important coaching points, and will be unprepared to compete against players who have been paying attention. If you take training seriously, and focus on your individual weak points, and listen to and take on board specific coaching recommendations and instructions, then you will play with discipline and focus, and you will improve.

Game focus flows directly from training focus. You will play the way you train, be it well or poorly. Bad game play reflects poor individual and team discipline. It shows a lack of dedication to yourself to better yourself as a player, and a lack of dedication to your teammates and yoru mission to improve and win.

We have a great deal of exceptional individual talent, and some very serious athletic depth in speed, size and strength, but none of this counts for anything against a team that has trained hard and well, and is cohesive in a single game plan, showing discipline to put into action the skills and tactics trained at practice. Every single player on our team needs to get better. This is not a criticism, but a simple observation based on the fact that we are young and inexperienced, and many of our players are true first-year novices. We need to improve fitness, strength, ball handling, tackling, rucking/mauling, developing the counterattack, and basic knowledge of the Laws of the Game. The coaches are ready to work on all of these, if players are willing to show the discipline and dedication to take it onboard.

Players should take EVERY training session as a unique opportunity to improve their game, to work on a specific weak point--and every player has at least one, and usually many. Training is for serious work, and socializing and goofing off is for before and after, and there is plenty of time for this. Show discipline and dedication to your team and teammates, and buckle down and work hard in training. It will pay off in matches.

High School Rugby: Conduct

2011-05-03T20:46:00.002-04:00

This is for Fort Hunt high school rugby, both boys and girls. Let's talk about conduct.

On the field, we do not talk trash, even when provoked. We do not taunt, even if provoked, whether winning or losing. Let your actions speak for themselves, be it a score, a tackle, or any other aspect of your positive, focused play. When you talk trash or taunt, you are losing your focus on play and team, and thinking about something other than working to benefit your teammates. We are gracious in victory, and we are humble in defeat.

Off the field, you are a representative of Fort Hunt Rugby. If you use a photo of yourself in any form of Fort Hunt Rugby gear in any kind of online forum or post, you are identifying yourself primarily as a Fort Hunt Rugby player and member, and you therefore represent your team, our program, and the Fort Hunt Eagles Rugby Football Club. As such, we expect all of our representative to conduct themselves properly. We expect respectful and thoughtful conduct, in action and in words. This includes online posting. Our off-field conduct can do nothing to bring shame upon you the player, your family and your friends, your team or teammates, or the club.

When in doubt, check out the club player code of conduct for a specific list of what is expected of you, and what can happen if you choose not to abide by the code of conduct.

Girls HS Rugby: TC Williams @ Fort Hunt, 26 March 2011

2011-03-27T10:25:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, 26 March 2011, the Fort Hunt Lady Ruggers played the first match of their inaugural season (the first ever Fort Hunt HS girls match!). They displayed a balanced attack (scoring from penalty kicks, tries and conversions) and a tenacious defense that held their opponent (TC Williams) scoreless. Every member of the team stepped up and played a critical role in the victory. In short, the historic significance of this match was not lost on the ladies; they opened this new chapter of Fort Hunt Rugby with a consummate team effort.

Srt Hunt Scoring Results:
Carol: 5 Points (1 Try)
Maddie C: 10 Points (2 Tries)
Helen: 12 Points (1 Penalty Kick; 1 Try; 2 Conversions)

Player of the Match: Helen
Golden Boot: Maddie C

Big thanks to Dave Evans for stepping to assist with the traditional rugby social for our guests after the match--the "third half" is almost as important as the match itself.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-03-14T07:22:00.002-04:00

A great weekend of rugby, in general.

Terrible that we lost Henry to the ankle injury on Saturday morning. It was just a freak thing, no one's fault, but a shame that Henry has to miss the season, after just joining us and fitting in so well. Stay in touch, teammate, and we want you back, as soon as you're well.

Good practice on Saturday morning, concentrating on body position in the ruck/maul, making the ball available to supporting players, and the quick pickup to carry on the attack or transition from defense. We learned the saddle roll, too.

Saturday night was great under the lights, lots of rugby, especially for our rookies. Great discipline in the off-sides, with very few instances of that, or hands in the rucks. We need to work on player communication, and especially decision making going in to the rucks and mauls--we are putting way too many guys in, both when we're on offense and when we're on defense. We need to keep our heads up and eyes open, see what's happening, and make fast, solid decisions that benefit our side--we'll work this in practice this week.

Big thanks to our parents who supported the concessions sales at West Potomac HS this weekend, especially Barb Roach for leading the effort. If we are going to go on tour every other year--with 2012 being our next year--we need to think hard about fundraising, and parents and players both need to be ready to raise funds.

See you on Tuesday evening.

Tuesday, 1 March

2011-03-01T20:12:00.002-05:00

A great evening for training, clear and crisp. A bit muddy, though.

First night on the scrum sled. Thanks again, FHYAA Board, for hooking us up with this great piece of equipment. Trained two full scrums on the sled and against each other, easing the rookies into the unfamiliar physical setting of the scrum. Worked both on the sled and some gentle pushing against each other. Cant' wait to see the ladies doing some work on the sled.

Had about 12 ladies out tonight, another great showing. Gotta get registered, please, ladies. We've almost got a full team now. Your shorts and socks are in, too.

Custom shorts and socks are in and available, for all players.

Second Practice, Cold and Wet

2011-02-24T21:11:00.001-05:00

Cold, rainy day for rugby practice today. So the county closed Bucknell Manor Park, requiring us to displace to Quander Road School. Great flexibility on the part of players and parents--thank you.

Quander Road School is just north of the Bucknell Manor Park field. Exit the Bucknell Manor Park parking lot, turn right. Take an immediate left on Quander, go past West Potomac HS, and Quander Road School will be on the left.

This will be our SOP until further notice: if Bucknell Manor is unavailable, we will move to Quander Road School. If you get to Bucknell Manor Park and it is empty, look for a sign saying "QUANDER" hung on the park fence; that is the secret club signal to come to Quander Road School for rugby practice.

Next practice: Saturday, 26 February, 9:00-11:00am at Bucknell Manor Park. Bring boots and a molded mouthpiece. We will have waivers for parents to sign and codes of conduct for players to sign. We'll also have the team box with jerseys, balls, stickers, magnets, patches and pins for sale.

--Coach Dacey

First High School Practice

2011-02-23T21:05:00.003-05:00

So, we have begun our Fort Hunt Rugby high school program. A good six years in the making, and now we're on our way. I couldn't be more happy.

We have almost 40 boys out, and 5 girls. Most of our veterans are back, we have a number of rookies, and we are extremely fortunate to have two new UK veterans coming out to help us out. Things are looking up very well.

Rookies: we need to work on our concepts. Discard football, think movement, flow, moving forward, and no whistle after five seconds. Things have to be fluid, so as soon as you get tackled or are a tackler, you've got to get right back up and get back into the game. Next practice we're going to introduce the maul, go over the tackle, and introduce the ruck. We want all rookies integrated into practice with everyone as quickly as possible, because the best way to learn rugby is not drills and lecture but to get into the field and actually play. And we will be doing a lot of play, full-on 15-v-15 scrimmages to get everyone familiar with all aspects of the game.

Mouthpieces. Buy 3, mold it, and bring it. No exceptions, non-negotiable.

Kit Bags: we are going to order kit bags. Need a $50 deposit in the next month, so we can order these. Choice of black/blue or green/gold.

Saturday we'll be doing paperwork: parents will be signing the USA Rugby and Rugby VA waivers, and players will be signing the players code of conduct. We'll have the team box out with gear for sale: balls, stickers, magnets, patches, pins, jerseys, etc.

The bare-bones schedule will be out soon. We're still working on exact dates, times and a suitable venue.

Parents: ask lots of questions.

Fort Hunt Rugby newsletter for March will be out on 1 March, via email, and posted to the website.

--Coach Dacey

Nekkid Rugby in NZ

2010-06-25T06:37:00.001-04:00

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/nude-rugby-is-a-ball-for-players-and-fans-alike/19527289

Only One Ball Counts in Nude Rugby
David Moye
Contributor

(June 24) -- Rugby is tough enough when you're clothed, but it's even
harder when you're naked.

But that may just be the selling point of the annual nude rugby match at
Logan Park in Dunedin, New Zealand.

The seventh annual event was held June 19, and the freewheeling (and
free-balling) contest attracted around 2,500 fans, willing to spend the
first day of winter watching a very stiff competition between the
undefeated Nude Blacks and the visiting Welsh Leeks.

Wait, What?

Players compete in a nude rugby game at Logan Park on June 19 in
Dunedin, New Zealand. A naked rugby match is a traditional prelude to a
New Zealand All Blacks Test match in Dunedin against a visiting team.

The prize? A toilet seat trophy.

The event is the brainchild of Ralph Davies, who told Perthnow.com.au
that nude rugby was in keeping with the student-dominated city.

"Dunedin students are well known for getting their kit off and running
around, so that's how the idea really became, and it's just blown out of
all proportion since then," Davies said.

Although some folks might be offended by the idea, Davies said every
effort is made to keep the game -- and the players -- clean and tidy.

"It's not a nudie perve, it's a kick and giggle," he said.

The event actually ties together two separate but equal events: National
Nude Day and a test match against a local team by the All Blacks, a
rugby team in New Zealand that is as popular in Kiwi country as the New
York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys or Los Angeles Lakers are in the U.S.

Rugby is a brutal sport, and players don't wear nearly the amount of
padding that football players do, so playing completely naked is
obviously even more difficult. Despite that, Davies said there haven't
been any serious injuries since the very first tournament.

"One guy did pop a shoulder once, but apparently this frequently
happened, and it was popped back in and he went on to score a try,"
Davies said in an e-mail interview with AOL News.

"One lady in the crowd did get in the way of a tackled player out of
play and was bundled over, but no damage. I am not sure if she
appreciated the hugs from the players to see if she was OK. But I think
the smile on her face presumed all was OK."

Considering the game took place on the first day of the New Zealand
winter, it might seem that wind chill could be as much of a danger as an
untimely kick in the wedding tackle. Luckily, that was not the case this
year.

"[We had] brilliantly fine conditions -- a balmy winter's afternoon in
Dunedin [64 degrees] was a far cry from the frozen beach for the first
match in 2002, which was around [37 degrees]," Davies said.

But there were some problems. For instance, every year the event is
plagued by some spectator who insists on streaking while wearing
clothes. Inevitably, this scofflaw is arrested by a naked constable.
This year, a woman fan chose to get in on the fun.

"This year, we had a totally random woman drop her kit and run on to the
field to the delight of everyone, including the players as she kissed
and hugged them," Davies said. "She carried on to take part in a
line-out and score a try of her own."

Although playing nude might be a deal breaker for some teams, Davies
said he's never had a problem finding teams willing to do it. But even
if he did, he has that covered.

"We've never had any cancellations," he said. "A core group of Dunedin
University students -- or 'Scarfies' -- makes up the Nude Blacks, and
they can provide extras if we get short on the visiting team."

This year, the Nude Blacks once again won the trophy, and now, according
to the Sydney Morning Herald, the team already anticipates next year's
nude rugby World Cup.

"We know what the Scots wear under their kilts, so we can expect an
interesting matchup for that fixture,'' Davies said.

Since the Nude Blacks don't wear britches, there's no chance of the team
getting too big for them. Davies understands the appeal of nude rugby is
based on its now-you-see-it, now-you-don't quality.

"I think if it was held every week, the interest would wane," he said.
"So we only pull it out once a year as a precursor to the big matches
and thus maintain the interest and fascination of the public.

2010's First Matches

2010-06-23T14:24:00.006-04:00

Well, we finally got to play on Saturday, and here's what I saw/heard:

9-U: I refereed, and you guys did great. We still have to remember that rugby is not keep-away, that unlike football you don't run away from the opposition, you run directly toward them to bring the defense in to create space for your teammates. Our control and passing was good, as was our communication. And it was clear everyone was having fun.

11-U: I refereed this one, too. Still playing a little bit too much magnetball on defense, everyone crowding to the ball to get into the action. Then the opposition makes two passes out, and it's off to the races. That killed us on Saturday. Our ball control on offense was good, but too many players still running sideways instead of straight ahead.

13-U: I refereed this one, too. Almost everybody was standing right outside the action, waiting for the ball to come to him, and therefore we didn't do or get anything; the other team got into the action, they got the ball, and they scored, over and over. Hardly anyone wanted to go into the rucks or mauls, and we therefore lost almost every single one. We had no heart, no aggression, and no grrr, 11 guys all playing their own individual game instead of playing like a team. We finally started to get into the game in the 3rd period, and were doing well, but our defense, and lack of desire to close with the offense and tackle someone, doomed us.

15-U: Very impressive start, guys. We got good help from BRYC, and took it to Warrenton. Our guys did great, even though the scoring was all by BRYC players. We were best at defense, with some really, really good hard, safe tackling. Our offense was lacking, as too many of us are still unsure, not confident with the ball in our hands, and we therefore made a number of blind, panicked passes.

17-U: I heard good things about ball control and team play, and we won.

Girls Tackle: I also heard good things about teamwork, and unselfish play. I heard they were good on defense, with good, hard, safe tackling.

Keep it up, team. Only a month to go.

Playing the Celtic Fest

2010-06-14T15:10:00.004-04:00

Well, I have to admit I was disappointed by the Fort Hunt turnout at the Potomac Celtic Fest in Leesburg this past Saturday. In all, out of 77 registered players, we had six Fort Hunt Rugby players in attendance--and good on them, too. Thank you, Victoria, JT, James, Andrei, Alexandra, and Max for coming out and supporting your club. Thank you, too, to two Aidens (a litle brother and a buddy) for joining us and learning about rugby. We even got some mom/dad participation in there, which was great for the kids. You dedicated players will get a token of thanks at practice this coming week.

And as always, thanks to the moms and dads who got their players out to the demonstration.

That being said, it was optional after all, so I really can't get too upset about folks not being there.

It was a good time, though, a warm day out at the festival, with lots of cool stuff to see and do.

Yes, we do plan on doing this again next year, folks.

Tuesday Miscellaneous

2010-06-01T12:11:00.003-04:00

Saw Invictus on Friday night, and I pronounce it a good film. It's not a rugby movie, as it's not the story of rugby. Rugby is the glue that holds it together, as Mandela finds a way to start to unite black and white behind a common effort, the Springboks' quest to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The film is about leadership and vision, and how that kind of faith and inner strength can genuinely change things, can make things happen.

Another great movie, in which rugby plays a role, is Forever Strong. This is a values movie, about a selfish punk who becomes a part of something bigger than himself, and finds the strength in team, instead of always playing on his own. This movie is also about leadership, making hard yet correct decisions, being honorable and honest, and staying true to yourself, your family and your team. This is a fantastic film for all rugby players, and is a great father-and-son movie.

The weather this week promises to be wacky; I don't know if we'll get to practice tonight. Stay alert, and check the website and your emails for updates.

The parents meeting we missed last Thursday has been moved to this coming Thursday, 7:00pm at Dave Poulin Field (Collingwood Park).

Tackle players: start reviewing the website links on the ruck and maul, and on off-sides. We're losing practice days to the weather, so if you do your homework ahead of time, it will save us a lot of explaining during practices.

Thursday's Weather

2010-05-27T19:36:00.001-04:00

Sorry, team, but that's the way it goes sometimes--I guess we should have practiced. Oh well. That's the price of being safe.

The parents meeting is moved to next Thursday.

See you next Tuesday evening.

Another Great Practice

2010-05-26T06:40:00.003-04:00

Team:

Things are going well, and it looks like we'll have two full days this week to train--stay tuned for weather updates.

Theme
We introduced it last night--DRS. That's Discipline, Respect, and Safety. Have the discipline to stay quiet, listen, do as you're instructed, and keep your head in the game. Be respectful of your teammates, your opponents, officials, coaches, and property which does not belong to you. Be safe at all times, whether it's weather or contact drills and play.

WATER
It's getting hot--bring water to practice, and when the coaches call water break, make sure you drink some.

Touch
You guys are doing great, learning the basics. We're going to reinforce the scrum this week, and move on to lineouts, then the maul.

Tackle
For the experienced players it may seem like baby steps, but we are setting the standard for all players, using our basic contact drills so that it becomes second nature.
As Coach Roach said last night, the more mature you are, the more you pay attention, and the more you work on these drills and master them, the faster we can move on to more complex drills and play.
Bring your mouthpiece!

See you out there this afternoon.

Fort Hunt Rugby Night at Primo's

2010-05-24T08:10:00.003-04:00

Well, we did okay for our very first Fort Hunt Rugby Night at Primo's. We could do better, but we've got three more chances this summer to work it out. I did see Alexandra G and her dad there, Patrick K and his dad, and David B and his dad, too. Good on ya, guys and gals, for supporting our biggest sponsor.

Next Fort Hunt Rugby Night at Primo will be on Sunday (they're always on Sundays), 27 June. See you there!

2010-05-21T06:57:00.002-04:00

Refer first to our website for all questions.

Another excellent practice last night, with super turnout.

Paperwork: players won't get their jersey until all required paperwork is turned in:

USA Rugby registration: this is the signed USA Rugby agreement/waiver, and your receipt with your CIPP number.
Fort Hunt Registration: we have that already, so you don't need to bring it.
Rugby VA waiver: we will have those at practice starting next week.
Commwealth Games waiver: we'll have these at practice starting next week.

Players: bring water. This is your responsibility.

Tackle players: we started the basics of contact last night, with the intro to tackling. This drill is going to be a standard contact warmup for all practices, until it becomes second nature. We'll move this forward next week with the introduction of rucking pads, tackling dummies, and starting player-on-player contact drills. We'll also start getting into the scrum, ruck and maul.

Equipment: remember, take off all jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, watches, earrings. This includes friendship strings, etc. Empty all pockets. This goes for tackle and touch players.

See you next Tuesday.

So We Begin, Summer 2010

2010-05-20T09:21:00.002-04:00

Excellent practice last night, team, over 50 rugby-playing kids out there, learning about rugby. That's fantastic, hopefully on our way to 80+ kids, maybe even 100. Bring a buddy to practice, or two or three.

WATER: Bring water to practice. This is a player responsibility.

Jerseys are ordered, and will be in by approximately 10 June. You can't get your jersey until you are registered and have all required paperwork turned in.

Tackle Players: Take a look at the video of the week--also linked from the splash page of our website. This is how we are going to train in the basics of the tackle. Concentrate on these aspects

Focus on the body core, not head, eyes, ball or feet
Keep a light, moving, dancing stance
Place the lead foot forward, with the lead hand to the center of the body core
Keep the head up, eyes open, with the back straight
Shoot the arms forward on both sides, and link up in back
Take the ball carrier down, then immediately get up and go for the released ball

Too Long No Write

2010-04-09T11:01:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's been too long without writing. Not much to write about in the off-season. And, I have to wonder how many folks actually read this. (Well, I know at least one does...)

High School Rugby: Not enough interest this spring in getting a U-19 team together. Coach Dale--Bog bless him--is so hard-core he's got 7 or 8 of our guys going out to SYC this spring to train and play with them. I hear the boys are digging it--you men will be core of the U-19 side for spring 2011, if we get enough guys out.

Canada Tour: We're still workinng on this, for 16-20 July 2010. Contact Coach Dale if you want to go. We will need adult volunteers, too.

New Equipment: Big thanks to FHYAA for springing for tackling dummies, rucking pads, medical kits and 30 more custom team balls. Now all we need is someplace to store this gear.

Trailer! We need a trailer to store and move our gear. All we need is $2000, and we're all set. Who can donate this, or knows someone who can help out?

Practice: We start on 18 May. Registration is open, so get there, get signed up, and get ready to play.

Fort Hunt Rugby Marching in St. Pat's Day Parade, Saturday, 6 March

2010-03-03T11:01:00.005-05:00

We've been invited to march with the Alexandria Roosters Rugby club and Alexandria youth rugby in the Alexandria St. Patrick's Day parade this Saturday.

This will be a great way to show our program to hundreds of potential players and supporters.

Players, parents, friends and siblings are free to join us--the more the merrier.

Uniform for players is full playing kit: shorts, socks, jersey, but do not wear your studded boots/cleats. Wear comfortable walking/running shoes. Players may bring a ball along if they'd like. Players, be prepared to run basic ball-handling drills when we stop at intersections and any time the parade stops. We won't be doing any contact drills, of course.

Showtime for all participants is 11:45, and the parade will begin at 12:30.

The rallying point is the corner of Harvard and Cameron (near the King St Metro station).

Parking: the best bet is to arrive via Metro to the King STreet station, so you can park at Huntington, Eisenhower, etc. The only problem is that the parade is a straight-line deal, and we all will end up near the bottom of King Street near the river. You can take the trolley back, but I expect it will be very crowded. Another approach would be to park early near the end of the parade, and walk up King Street to the marshalling areas. You can reach Coach Dacey anytime at 301-503-3377.

Coaches will have goodies and flyers for players to hand out along the parade route.

Be there!

Tournament Wrap-Up, Picnic, Etc.

2009-08-03T13:36:00.002-04:00

Dear Fort Hunt Players, Parents and Supporters:

So, our playing season is at an end, with only the picnic this Sunday left to do.

Tournament
Fort Hunt fielded two full teams this year--with no extra players from any other team. This is an important improvement over last year, in which we fielded only a touch side, and no tackle sides at all.

Our program continues to make steady progress, and I expect that next year we should be able to continue with fielding a U-11 touch side, and two or three tackle sides, ideally all four of our teams playing--and being competitive--in the tournament.

U-11s:

Saturday was hot, but our youngsters did great, with fantastic attitudes all day long.

Coach Dave Hughes reports: 1st match, vs. Chantilly. The match swayed back and forth with both teams playing pretty evenly. We played well as a team, and worked the ball down the line nicely. Scoring was spread out between Alex, James W, Andrei, and Connor, each scoring once with Simon converting one of our scores. Alex L even took some shots at a drop goal in open play, none of which went through, though. We won 27-24. 2nd match, vs. Vienna: We played this match on the large pitch and really made great use of the size of the field. We ran around the ends and extended our lines to use our speed. Smart passes and some good kickoffs that we ran down added to offense. The kids were the best team they could be. They did not play a better game all season. Andrei led the scoring with three tries, followed by Connor with two tries and a conversion, Jimmy with one try and Simon with one conversion, to finish at 34-15. 3rd match, vs. Fairfax Police Youth Club: We waited nearly three hours to play our semi final match, and it showed in the first two quarters of the match. Poor passing and sluggish play on our part gave our opponent a lead of 24-0 at the half. Our guys woke up in the second half and played well, outscoring FPYC 15-10, but it was not enough. Scoring for Ft. Hunt came from Connor with two tries and Simon with one.

All in all, the kids played great and showed that they had learned a lot this season. I know if we had not had the long wait before the semi game, they would have won. Everyone who made it out deserves a standing ovation...

Our tournament players: Jimmy F, Andrei G, Alex L, Cooper MacN, Simon M, Clare O'R, Fiona O'R, Connor T, Ciaran T, James W, James H. They were a pleasure to coach.

U-15s:

Sunday was wet and cloudy all day long, with rain off and on. This made the ground soft--and muddy. The U-15s opened the day with a victory over Vienna, 14-0, on scores from Chris B and Colin G, and conversions from Chris B. Colin had another try that didn't count as the referee couldn't keep track of where the try line was. The next match was against our rival, SYC. They chose to pressure us with a kicking attack, and our lack of experience in positioning for and fielding kicks--and some unlucky boounces--led to a number of SYC scores, with the final score something like 29-5 (our try from Colin G as time expired). That loss finished our tournament play, but we managed to put together a friendly with our buddies from Braddock Road, and we played a few more periods of friendly ball in the mudpit so everyone could go home filthy.

Picnic

The end of season picnic will be this Sunday at 3:00 pm in Area E of Fort Hunt Park. A map of the Park is at: http://www.geocities.com/drottlodge/Picnic-Map.htm

The club will supply burgers, dogs, buns, water/soda, plates and flatware (and lots of leftover chips and bottled water).

Families should bring a potluck something extra (side/appetizer/dessert/fruit/whatever), along with a serving utensil.

There is no match fee for this event.

All families, please RSVP with your number attending by Saturday morning. It's fine to bring brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents, relatives, and friends along. Bring a buddy or two who might want to be a rugby player next summer.

We will hand out end of season individual and team awards at the picnic. All players new to our program will get a certificate.

All players and coaches, please wear your jersey so we can take our official club photo, a copy of which we will be giving to both Rooga's and Primo's.

We will have the stickers, patches, balls and jerseys for sale, so bring cash or your checkbook. The more stuff we sell, the more money comes in to the club.

Looking Ahead--We Might Just Go On Tour

Coach Dale Roach has mentioned that our mates from last year, the Strawbridges, have brought up the possibility of hosting a Fort Hunt U-16 team in Ottawa, Canada next summer. So, we will explore the possibility of taking Fort Hunt Rugby on tour next summer.

It likely would be late July/early August, and probably would take the form of an eight-day Saturday-to-Sunday trip, with a social match with a US side on the way up and on the way back (somewhere like Syracuse, NY), something like 4 or 5 matches in 8 days, possibly with a one-day tournament in there, too.

We would be traveling in family cars, not by coach (too expensive). The club would spring for tour kit bags, custom tour jerseys and tour patches (all keepers for touring players), and all other costs would be borne by individuals. We would look to our hosting teams putting us up, so we'd save on lodging. We have no projected costs at this time, but we are thinking of trying to keep it to less than $500/player. This would mean rugby club car washes and other fundraisers next spring and early summer to help the club gain funds. Also, the more Fort Hunt Rugby gear we sell, the more money the club collects.

There is a lot of work to do to arrange this, and it's not a definite event, yet. Please think about it, and talk with your players about it, and we will collect more info to keep everyone informed.

See you on Sunday afternoon.

23 and 25 July Results, and Other Updates

2009-07-26T21:39:00.003-04:00

Two more rugby game days, more results, and we're almost done with our season.

Thursday, 23 July

U-11

Coach Dave Huges reports: Thursday at PAC (Alexandria). As usual, we played better in many respects, but came up short in the end. 13 tries to 4, or PAC 65, Fort Hunt 20. Andrei G scored three times and Conor T scored once for us. Man of the match went to Will H for really putting into play what we have been learning. Claire and Fiona O'R also played a great game, as did Jonah R, who always made sure he was right in on the play. One thing that really stood out was we were able to get the ball moving down the line nicely. Good game, team.

Lastly, PAC put on a nice hosting for us, that unfortunately got cut short by the weather. Fresh cut melon, juice, brownies, chips, really nice.

U-13/U-15/U-17

The evening started off poorly, as we had U-13 strength on the Marshall HS main turf stadium field, only to find out Vienna had sent their U-13s to play with BRYC. So, we made the best of it and split into groups and ran a quick tackle scrimmage among ourselves. The guys were running straight, working on their tackling, and having fun playing on the big field.

The U-15s took the field, and things were shaping up nicely with our U-15 speed and ball running taking it to Vienna early. But, midway through the second quarter we detected lightning and instituted an immediate halt. Unfortunatey, the lightning and thunder did not abate, and we finally abandoned all play a little bit before 8:00.

Scoring from the U-15s was: Coling G (1 try), Peter F (1 try), and Chris B (2 conversions). The U-17s did not get to play.

There were no man of the match trophies awarded for any of the three tackle sides.

Saturday, 25 July

U-11

Coach Dave Hughes reports: Saturday at Winchester. We played six a side with Winchester giving us one player for each quarter. We kicked more in this game than in previous outings, including five attempts at converting the try. Though we did not make any of our kicks, Winchester made a few of theirs adding to their score. We lost, 51-25.

Conor T and Will H really stood out with James W having a great take-charge attitude. Simon M, even with his bad knee, made the trip to cheer us on. Tries were scored by Conor T (3), and Will H. The other Ft. Hunt score came form one of our Winchester loaner players. Man of the match went to James W and James H for their dedicated play (voted by the parents there).

After the game, the Winchester players brought over Gatorade and Chips. While it was a shame that we could not field a full side, everyone had a great time.

U-13/U-15/U-17

Our last home matches of the season. The day was long and hot, but we had a great day of rugby, with our last-minute guest in Chantilly at U-15.

Howard County came down to repay our U-17 visit for the first match of the season. They were very good opponents, lending us players, and played well, with enthusiasm and sportsmanship.

Unfortunately, we don't have our detailed results, scoring stats and man of the match awards ready right now, but we'll provide them as soon as we get them.

---------------
Practice

We will practice Tu/Wed/Th this week, 6:00-8:00. We will go light on contact for tackle players, with an emphasis on rest and recuperation ahead of the tournament. All players still should bring their mouthpieces.

The weather this week is supposed to be wacky, so stay tuned to email and the website for practice updates.

Tournament

The tournament will take place this Saturday and Sunday at Franconia Park, which is at 6432 Bowie Dr Springfield, Va 22150. There is a parking lot at Bowie Drive, and there is also a parking lot at the end of Cloud Drive.

Exact times will be out later this week. Expect to be at the field by 8:30 a.m. both days, and the first games to be at 9:00 a.m. Things should wrap up both days by 4:00 p.m.

The touch tournament will be on Saturday, 1 August. We have entered our U-11 side. I will be there early, and will be there until about 1:00 pm.

The tackle tournament will be on Sunday, 2 August. We have entered our U-15 side. Thirteen-year-old U-13 players who have played up with the U-15s this season may play with the U-15s. U-13 and U-17 players who would like to play on Sunday should show up ready to play, and the coaches will do their best to get players into as many matches as possible.

Parents should bring chairs and canopies, and sunscreen. The club will have water and cold drinks on hand. SYC will provide concessions for food, and there likely will be a rugby outfitter there selling rugby gear.

The Fort Hunt Rugby Store is Open!

We have a growing selection of Fort Hunt Rugby gear for you and your players. I have these at every practice, and they'll be at the tournament.

Jerseys: We have a number of extra jerseys. Jerseys from this year are $25 each ($40 original cost). Jerseys from past years are $15 each--great for practice, and to have an extra. Great for moms and dad, little brothers, birthdays, etc.

We have custom club balls for $25 each. There are about 25 left.

We have small and large club stickers. The large stickers are $5 each, 2 for $8. The small stickers are $3 each, 2 for $5.

We also have Fort Hunt Rugby patches, perfect for your kit bag, $5 each.

Trophies/Medals

Coach Dacey will order the trophies and medals on Friday evening, for handout at the picnic. If it's ordered but not paid for, he will not order it.

Medals are $5 and trophies are $7, payable in cash or check to Coach Dacey. His home address is 2207 Wittington Blvd, Alex, VA 22308.

Picnic

The team end of season picnic is on Sunday, 9 August at 3:00 pm in Area E at Fort Hunt Park.

The club will bring the main goodies, with families to bring extras.

We will hand out end of season individual and team awards there.

End of Season Awards & Trophies

2009-07-21T11:01:00.002-04:00

End of Season Awards/Trophies

The votes are in, and the choices are: a medal on a ribbon and a small trophy.

All awards are by individual choice--there is no requirement to order one for your player.

We'll use Crown Awards.

The medal on a ribbon will basically look like this, with a green and gold Fort Hunt ribbon, and customized name plate on the back.

Each medal will be $5.00.

The trophy will look like this with a rugby figurine and rugby insert, and with a name plate.

Each trophy will be $7.00.

I will place the order for all medals and trophies on the evening of Friday, 31 July. I need to have all orders and full payment by that time, in cash or check, payable to me (John Dacey).

You can email me the info, and mail me the payment, to 2207 Wittington Blvd, Alex, VA 22308. Or you can give me a note and payment--ideally in an envelope--at practice or a match.

End of Season Picnic, Sunday 9 August, 3:00 pm

2009-07-21T10:59:00.002-04:00

End of Season Picnic

Well, the votes are almost all in, and the majority points to Sunday, 9 August as the day for our picnic. So shall it be done.

The venue is Fort Hunt Park, Area E. This is the same place we did the picnic last year.

The time is 3:00 p.m.

The club will buy burgers, hot dogs and drinks. We'll also spring for plates, napkins and flatware. Families should bring along something else to round out the food offering, like sandwiches, chip/dip, watermelon, cupcakes, cookies, bucket o' chicken, veggie platters, salads, fruit, deviled eggs (yuck!), the typical picnic fare.

Families should bring chairs and canopies.

Players need to wear their jerseys, as we will be taking the formal team picture to record our club for 2009. All coaches need to wear their coach's shirt.

We will hand out individual awards and trophies at the picnic (see the separate post), and also will hand out team awards. All players new to the program will get a Fort Hunt Rugby certificate.

We also will have stickers, patches, team balls and extra jerseys for sale, so get a jump on Christmas and bring your checkbooks.

Thursday, 16 July / Saturday, 18 July Wrap-Ups

2009-07-19T12:42:00.002-04:00

Thursday, 16 July

First, we have to finish the reporting for Thursday evening.

U-11s: Coach Jim Woods adds to the previous U-11 reporting: The kids played great and Dave Hughes and Layton Golding were terrific in both reffing and coaching. Jim, who is the coach of their team was a very nice guy and he was praising our team after the match. I also had several of their players come up to me to thank us.

U-17s: The stalwart Fort Hunt U-17s who traveled to Chantilly were Peter L, Nick A, Mike P, Joe Tr, Austin W, Ryan K and Mark P.

The final score was Fort Hunt 14, Chantilly 48. The Fort Hunt scorers were Mike P (1 try, 1 conversion), Nick A (1 try), and Joe T (1 conversion).

The Fort Hunt man of the match was Mike P for his tenacious defending, solid tackling, and the dashing try he scored from an incredibly well-placed clearing kick from Mark P.

Saturday, 18 July Wrap-Up

U-11s: Coach Jim Woods reports: Our kids played great. We stayed spread out more than ever, made very few emergency passes, and ran some great runs. Claire almost had her first try, but got stopped just shy of the try zone, and passed off to Connor for the try. Andrei had some incredible runs with some amazing dekes that left Winchester sprawled on the ground. James H really got into going for any ball that was on the ground and wrestled some nice pick ups for us. As usual James W played with grit and determination, making sure that every touch counted. Cooper just seemed to never give up and was were he needed to be every time. Fiona had some nice runs and made sure that her passes were on target.

So, we were able pretty much to stop most of the long runs by our opponents that we have seen in the past, and were able to break up many of their plays.

The final score was a win: Fort Hunt 30, Winchester 25. Tries were by Connor (4) and Andrei (2) I think, from the ref's position, I was trying not to see our players individually, but Jim has the score sheet. Man of the watch went to Cooper, for his all around great play.

Great day, guys

U-13/U-15/U-17: The day had all three tackle sides hosted at BRYC. The format was a little screwy, as BRYC has now combined with Vienna, and SYC showed up as well. So, in true rugby fashion, we set a round-robin schedule and we borrowed players from each other so as many young men as possible could play as much rugby as possible.

U-13s: We started the morning by placing two of our U-13s with SYC per quarter as they played BRYC, so all of our U-13s who came out got a warmup in SYC jerseys. We then played two periods against BRYC, with a couple of SYC players filling out our side. Play was pretty even, with a lot of wide runs taking advantage of the very wide pitch.

Then we played two quarters of Fort Hunt against hosts BRYC, with a few SYC mates filling our numbers. The final score was something like Fort Hunt 5, BRYC 25.

The Fort Hunt scoring was from Jack K (1 try).

The U-13 man of the match was Ruslan P, for the second match in a row, for his unceasing running absolutely straight up the field with the ball, and his fierce defense and contact in rucks and mauls. An honorable mention goes to Jack K for his long chases and cross-field defenses saves, including two full-field defensive chases with successful open field tackles to prevent the score.

BRYC did a great job of hosting us, with food and drink after the match, and even a spirited rendition of "Father Abraham."

U-15s: The U-15s took the field with a few of their U-13 mates playing up, and against the same SYC team that had beaten us by one point on Thursday evening.

SYC scored first in the first and second quarters, leading 12-0 at the half. But then Fort Hunt caught fire, and by the last minute of the match we were up by 7. A long kick coupled with a lucky bounce put SYC within a conversion of tying the game right at full time, and when our players (illegally) yelled during their missed conversion attempt, they were given another attempt, which they then made, to save the tie at Fort Hunt 19, SYC 19.

Our U-15 play continues to mature and improve rapidly, with better skills and on-field decision making over Thursday evening. The light is going on for our players; our guys really are starting to get the nuances of the game, and the types of immediate decision making that makes the difference in the match.

The scoring was Colin G (3 tries) and Chris B (2 conversions).

Man of the match was the Fort Hunt scrum players, for a particularly good, sustained 30-meter drive into the try zone and a Fort Hunt score. They performed well in the loose, and in the lineouts, providing the grit that wins games. Honorable mentions go to Nick A for his leadership at scrumhalf, and to the one-two punch of try-scoring and conversion, Colin G and Chris B. Chris even attempted a drop goal in open play--a Fort Hunt rugby first. His line was dead-on, but it fell just short. My offer still stands of buying a round of pizza for the team in the name of the first player to score a drop goal in open play.

After the SYC match, we combined to play another two U-15 quarters against our hosts, BRYC. The score was approximately Fort Hunt 24, BRYC 10. We had tries from Nick A, Austin W (2), Anthony A (2, and playing up!), and Chris B. Chris B also made two conversions.

BRYC hosted the U-15s very well, too, with chow and drinks after the match.

U-17s: The U-17s did not play as an official team due to our and our opponents' lack of numbers. But for those hard-core 17s who showed--Nick A, Austin W, with Chris T injured but present and cheering for his mates--we managed to work them into the U-15 play so everyone got some game time (covered in the U-15 report).

Upcoming

We will train on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

On Thursday evening, the U-11s will travel to PAC (Alexandria), and the U-13s/U-15s/U-17s will be at Vienna. Game day email to be out soon.

On Saturday we will have our last regular season matches, with the U-11s traveling to Winchester, and the U-13s at home v. BRYC/Vienna, U-15s at home v. Vienna, and the U-17s at home v. Howard County. The game day email will be out in a few days.

Thursday, 16 July Wrap-Up

2009-07-17T09:11:00.003-04:00

Another great summer night--but hot!--for rugby:

U-11
SYC Blue at home: Coach Dave Hughes reports: Okay, so Springfield is a good team. We lost 55-10 (11 tries to 2) . But through that we had some great play from our team. Fiona and Claire were selected as Women of the Match for Fort Hunt. They both kept in on the plays, made good passes and catches, broke up some of Springfield's plays, and just would not give up. Andrei had one try, also would not give up and really tried to cut their men off from running away with the ball more than they did. Simon, who had the other try, played a short but great game. He had a wonderful run but got knocked right into the try zone and cut open his knee again. We will miss him for the rest of the season, he is a great kid who has a long rugby future ahead of him. Alden had a great game as well, and ran to keep himself in the game; some nice catches and passes. The rest of the team played a good game, and continue to improve. Our weakest points were some costly desperation passes that resulted in interceptions and tries. This is where some kicks would have come in handy. All in all the U-11s played well and have learned a lot, and nobody killed the ref.

U-13
At SYC: These were the same guys we played last week, losing by a wide margin. Their home-field advantage meant lots of depth, and they substituted often. We played tens due to our low numbers, with a few of our U-15s playing down to fill the side out--thanks, men. The final score was Fort Hunt 0, SYC 74. SYC has some extremely talented and experienced young rugby players, and our disorganization worked against us. Our biggest weakness continues to be ball fixation, and not rapidly marking offensive players preparing their attack.

Man of the match was Connor C for his tackling and his outstanding rucking, often by himself. Will C gets and honorable mention as a man of the match runner-up.

SYC chose their Fort Hunt man of the match, and selected Ruslan P.

U-15
Our 15s got their four mates back from the U-13 match, and with the help of three BRYC mates, took the field with a full 11. The game opened very evenly, with one each unconverted try by both sides. SYC moved out in the second quarter with three unanswered scores, but Fort Hunt roared back in the third quarter, finally finding their groove. The game came down to the last minute, with Fort Hunt up by four, until a late SYC unconverted try gave them the victory: Fort Hunt 26, SYC 27.

SYC was surprised by our performance; they expected a lopsided victory. They had a lot of depth, and fed fresh substitutes in on a frequent basis. Our men kept up the pressure, playing hard and fast from the beginning, with excellent tackling and rucking, and seriously improved team play, moving the ball well and supporting each other. This is the best this side has ever played, and gives me a great deal of hope for a full and competitive U-15 side in the tournament on 2 August.

The Fort Hunt man of the match was David F for his dozen or more outstanding tackles, and his fierceness in the rucks and mauls. Honorable mentions go to Peter F and Connor C.

The scoring was: tries from Colin G (2) and Peter F (2), with 3 conversions from Chris B.

U-17
We'll send this wrap-up separately.

Saturday
The U-11s host Warrenton at home on Saturday morning. Jim Woods is in charge.

The U-13s/U-15s/U-17s will be at BRYC. John Dacey is in charge.

We will practice on Tuesday evening.

--Coach Dacey

End of Season Tournament: TIME TO COMMIT!

2009-07-15T10:33:00.001-04:00

Dear Eagles Players, Parents and Supporters:

The end of the summer rugby season is approaching, and so is the 1-2 August tournament.
The touch tournament will be played on Saturday, 1 August. It runs approximately 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. This would involve only our U-11s, and requires 7 players on the field, and a depth/replacement roster of at least 5 players, for a total of 12.
The tackle tournament will take place on Sunday, 2 August. The times are the same. This would involve our U-13s, U-15s and U-17s, and any U-11 players who would like to play up to U-13 tackle. U-13/U-15 requires 11 players on the field, and a depth of at least 4, for a total needed of 15 per team. U-17 requires 7 on the field, and a depth of at least 3, for a total of ten needed.

We need your honest, solid assessment on whether your player(s) will be available for this tournament. It is an all-day commitment. If we do not have sufficient numbers, we will not declare a team for that age group, and that team's playing season will end with their matches on Saturday, 25 July.
Please go to the poll (right) on whether your player can make the tournament for his/her team. Be sure to click both applicable boxes if your player is available to play up to the next age bracket.
Vote once and only once.
All commitments need to be provided by noon on Sunday, as we need to commit to SYC, the tournament organizer. We will make team declarations based on this poll, so please be honest and prompt.

End-of-Season Pick-a-Nick and Awards

2009-07-14T10:38:00.002-04:00

Our season will end by 1-2 August, with the touch and tackle tournaments. It's time to think about wrapping it up.

Picnic
When do we want our picnic? Go to the poll (right) and register your vote.

I strongly recommend Sunday, 9 Aug, so we can wrap the season up as quickly as possible once it's over (also, I'm out of town 15-16 Aug).

We'll hold the picnic at Area E or F at Fort Hunt Park, same as last year, probably about 3:00 or 4:00 pm. The club will spring for burgers, dogs and drinks--no match fee!--and folks can bring additional items if they'd like.

We'll do all end of season and team awards at the picnic.

Awards
What kind of awards do your players want? It's basically a medal or a trophy, big or small. Talk to them about the options, and vote in the poll (right).

The cost for a medal on a ribbon is less than $5, with a small trophy at about $6.50 and a large trophy running about $20.

We will order through Crown Awards. Run a keyword search (top left) on "rugby," and a good selection of awards will come up. I'll order any medal or trophy a player wants, all you have to do is give me the details.

Last year players ordered trophies and medals, and I was left at the end of the season holding about $60 in unclaimed and unpaid for awards. So, this year all awards will be paid for upfront.

The order deadline will be 31 Jul 09.

--Coach Dacey

Saturday, 11 July Wrap-Up / Looking Ahead

2009-07-12T21:51:00.005-04:00

We had an excellent day of rugby yesterday, excellent weather, with all four teams playing. Despite our losses, all players I polled said they had fun, which is this club's #1 goal.

For scoring stats, see the document on our match info page.

U-11s

The hosting report from Vienna was sadly the same as Fairfax on Thursday night--nothing for our players after the match. We continue to do it right, though, in the true rugby tradition.

Coach Dave Hughes reports: What a great game. We played four quarters with 12 players, so everyone got to play at least two quarters. Man of the Match was Tom for really being a great leader on the field, but everyone played great and with a lot of heart. It was a BIG field at Marshall High School, so everyone got to run a lot. A lot less magnetball than in previous games; they just continue to get better and better. Good passing, lineouts (we even won a couple from the other team), and we really are working on cutting off the angle and stopping those long runs by the opponent. Did I say everyone played really well. Claire and Fiona NEVER gave up. Andrei just keeps running and running. Both James W and James H cut the angles to stop some long runs. Then everyone else, and sorry for not mentioning everyone...what a match...and we did not lose.... 7 tries to 7 (35-35). Can't wait for practice Tuesday.

Coach Jim Woods adds: I agree 100% with Dave's analysis. The team is really starting to play together as one. Andre had four tries, and Tom had two. Tom was awarded the man of the Match for his leadership skills at scrumhalf and scoring two tries on the weak side. He went for a third but was caught. Jimmy also had a try catching the ball in a line out on the oppositions try line and falling to the ground. Classic stuff. Clare almost had a try but was tagged a yard from the try zone. The kids had a great time and are looking forward to a home match. Finally although Simon M was hurt he attended the game in uniform. He is a team player!!!!

Tackle Play

Coach Poulin comments: Our U17s are aggressive and can defend and tackle, but we are slow to reorganize the backs and return with an offensive attack. As with all the age groups, our rucks and mauls are slow in developing. Our U15s have a lot of good athletes and can run but winning a ruck and turning it into an offensive run can be worked on. Our U13s have a some basic field learning to do which is to be expected. I think at a well attended practice, we should break them apart from the 15s and 17s and just go over basics of the game. They were pretty lost on the field on Saturday. I know having them go over and practice with all the older tackle players can be a good knowledge drop for them, but as a team working together, they don't all understand what to do...

U-13s

With SYC making noises about sharing players to make a full side of 11, we had a couple of our younger U-15s sneak down to fill out our side--thanks, guys.

Overall, we put into play a lot of the basics we've been working on in practice, like posting the ball and driving over in the ruck. The problem is that we are not aware of the ball and drive completely over it, leaving the ball out and the ruck over, with the other team sweeping in to get the ball or to immediately tackle our player who has just picked up. We did well spreading out over the field and covering on defense. We were tentative and not aggressive enough in the mauls, not driving, and not getting in tight to really contest for the ball, at one point doing nothing as one of our opponents was caught with the ball facing our team. There was too much panic at the tackle, players thinking we are playing "keep away," instead of taking the tackle and going to the ground in control and with the ball to post it for our team--we ended up with sloppy passes to no one.

In the end, the SYC core of highly trained and experienced youngsters was just too much for us to handle. The final score was Fort Hunt 0, SYC 55.

The man of the match was Jack K, for his hard running and cross-field chases.

U-15s

Our U-15 strength, athleticism and speed is impressive, but we are squandering it with too many players trying to make the try-scoring run all by themselves, slashing across the field and running wide, thereby running away from both the opposition AND their teammates--we are not playing enough as a team, but are playing as highly talented individuals. This leaves us unable to pass-and-loop, to run the skips, loops, switches and multiple-phase play that we have been practicing. The one-man-running works in some instances of breakaway runs, but in general the approach will not work against a more organized and skilled opponent. Our tackling was good, with much fewer high tackles than in the past.

The match was well played by both sides, with the level of aggression and contact considerably higher than the U-13 match, with good sportsmanship throughout from both sides, with the final score giving Fort Hunt the win: Fort Hunt 45, FPYC 35, with tries from Peter F (2), Chris B (4), Colin G, Shil P and Dan M.

Man of the match was Chris B for his consistently strong defense, cross-field chasing, running in support, and consistently straight running.

U-17s

This was a highly physical match, with a number of very experienced high school players on the FPYC side. Tempers were on edge, with a couple of flares and an FPYC player being shown a yellow card late in the match in an incident in which Fort Hunt showed excellent maturity and restraint. The FPYC side was big and strong, and very well versed in playing 7s rugby. Our 7s play was far improved over last Thursday, with our players showing much better awareness, open-field tackling and coverage, and very good chases in defense and in kick situations. We were consistently running straight and into contact, with good ball retention and posting in the tackle.

But the FPYC strength and experience was too much for us to overcome, with the final score Fort Hunt 0, FPYC 45.

Man of the match was Joseph T, for outstanding open field defense coverage and open field tackling.

Hosting

There are a few outstanding match fee payments--please get with me at practice on Tuesday or Wednesday, $5 per home field player (and for those U-11s who came to the home games and had something to eat/drink).

I owe money to a number of parents for purchases; please see me at practice so I can pay you back immediately. Receipts are not needed.

As usual, our excellent parents' support provided the Saturday hosting that Fort Hunt is becoming known for. The support was outstanding, with no problems at all. Big thanks from all of the coaches to the moms and dads who made purchases and helped run our hosting--our SYC and FPYC guests were impressed, and commented a number of times on how Fort Hunt "does it right" and "in the true rugby spirit." Very well done, moms and dads.

Coming Up

Training. We will have practice on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. All players need to bring water to practice. The weather is officially summer-hot, and it's going to get hotter; we have had too many players forgetting or not bringing sufficient water to practice. A single-serving bottle of water is not enough--minimum for practice should be 24 ounces.

Matches.

I'll have detailed game day instructions out in a day or two, with directions to the fields.

Thursday, 16 July:
The U-11s will be at home on Thursday night against SYC (Springfield). This means hosting duties.
The U-13s will travel to SYC.
The U-15s will travel to SYC.
The U-17s will travel to Chantilly.

Saturday, 18 July
The U-11s will play at home v. Winchester (we traveled out to play them last summer, and lost a close one). This means hosting.
The U-13s will travel to BRYC (Braddock Road)
The U-15s will travel to BRYC.
The U-17s will travel to BRYC.

See you at practice on Tuesday evening.

Coach Dacey

U-11 Report from 9 July

2009-07-10T11:05:00.000-04:00

U-11 mini report:
The U-11 quarters were amazing with all of the kids making so much progress. We won the last quarter! The huge field beat us more so than our opponents. Every one of the opponents' tries were wide sideways runs way around the outside for long breakaway runs, because the field was very, very wide. We played on the football field at less than 1/2 the length but at full width. So the field was wider than it was long. Very strange and very exhausting. If we had played on our field I believe we would have won several quarters. Even while exhausted after many defensive sprints and when losing according to points, I saw smiles all around from the kids. Real troupers, all. We are shaping up so well and the kids are having fun. We will have fun this Saturday and can win as well, so please come out and play.
--Layton Golding

Thursday, 9 July Wrap-Up

2009-07-10T10:04:00.002-04:00

Finally, a beautiful summer evening to play some rugby.

U-11s:
Coach Jim Woods reports: We had a great match this evening. While we played Fairfax, Vienna was also there. This led to us playing a round robin which saw us play five quarters. The Fort Hunt Eagles were able to only field 7 players. We had Tom, James, Andrei, Patrick, Eric, Jimmy and Cooper. The boys played their hearts out and everyone played 100%. The effort factor tonight was unbelievable. When the opposing team ran for a try our guys all ran their hardest to try and stop them. Andre was the only player who had tries, getting three. All players ran straight and supported each other. As far as the man of the match it was awarded to two players. James was able to call two successful mauls, run straight and show wonderful leadership as the fly half. Andre scoring three trys and also showing leadership was the other man of the match. Given the close call on the player count, I think that in the future if the U-13s do not have a match, the U-11s who play up need to help out. Had we had them we may have been able to win a quarter. Hope the U-15s and U-17s had fun tonight.

U-13s:
Unfortunately, the U-13s were stood up and didn't get to play. Big thanks to U-13s Matt G and Max D for doing a great job of running touch for the U-15 and U-17 matches, and to the other U-13s who came out to cheer for their club.

U-15s:
We had lots of players out and ready to go, which was outstanding, and we even lent players to Chantilly, so everyone got to play, a lot. There was only one missing mouthpiece, and that was remedied before game time, so no one had to sit out for lack of required equipment.
As in our last match, the U-15s came out hard but disorganized to begin with, playing magnetball, being drawn in to the breakdowns and focusing too tightly on the ball instead of setting up offense or defense. Chantilly, though, was much less organized, and we got the flow moving quickly with multiple tries in the first quarter, and they just kept coming. The rucking was outstanding throughout the match, with players going to the ground and posting very well, and supporting players driving over to clear the defense and secure the ball. Players were running straight, with mates in quick support, which was outstanding. Our lineouts also were very good, and team discipline and sportsmanship was excellent.
Final score was Fort Hunt 50, Chantilly 15, with tries from Dan M, Peter F (3), Shil P, Chris B (2), David F, Colin G and Adam H.
Man of the match was Peter F for consistently good tackling, straight running, and breakaway pursuits.

U-17s:
The U-17s played a very well coached and highly experienced SYC team. Our play was much more cohesive and organized that the last match, with better tackling, better running straight and into contact, and with better ball control at the breakdowns. But SYC was able to organize much more quickly at the breakdown, and with some sophisticated backline movement was able to score in the corner on a frequent basis.
Final score was SYC 60, Fort Hunt 15, with tries from Pace W (2) and Joseph T. Man of the match was Michael P, for consistently straight running, excellent tackling, and constant defensive pressure.

Hosting
Big thank-you to the parents who helped out with the hosting last night. Once again we showed our guests that coming to play at Fort Hunt is always fun and rewarding.
We did really well with match fees, with only a couple of holdouts--bring outstanding match fees for last night to tomorrow's matches.
For tomorrow, we're just about covered for food and equipment. I need someone to volunteer for 4 bags of ice, to bring 5-gal water coolers, and to collect match fees, please.
For families who have purchased food, ice, and other supplies for home matches, please see me tomorrow so I can repay you; receipts are not needed.

Saturday
U-11s are playing at Vienna. Detailed game info (and travel info for the U-11s) is in the Saturday game day email. Let me know if you've got questions.
U-13s, U-15s, and U-17s are at home again.
U-13s play SYC, with kickoff at 10:00. Showtime is no later than 9:30.
U-15s play FPYC, with kickoff at 11:00. Showtime is 10:30.
U-17s play FPYC, with kickoff at 12:00. Showtime is 11:30.
$5 match fee per player for all players at home tomorrow.

I recommend families bring their canopies and sunblock tomorrow, as the sun will be overhead.

Rugby Game Day, Saturday, 27 June

2009-07-09T07:15:00.002-04:00

Finally, a beautiful day to play rugby.

U-11s
The U-11s traveled to Braddock Road today, and in four periods scored two wins over BRYC, and lost twice to Springfield. Coach Woods informs that the losses to Springfield were close, and that all of our U-11s played 100% better than they did in the wet last week. Scoring stats will come soon.

The U-11 man of the match was awarded to the entire team, as they all played together and cohesively.

U-13/U-15/U-17
The tackle group traveled to Warrenton today. The pitch was in excellent condition, to match the weather.

The U-13s had impressive numbers playing, and had a number of older U-11s playing up, including Eric R, Patrick P and Max D. The Warrenton team had a lot of experience, and in the end were the victors by a score of approximately 40-12. Matt D and Austin L scored tries, and Max D had one conversion. Man of match was Will C.

The U-15s also had a lot of depth, with a number of U-13s playing up. This was a much more exciting game, with Warrenton coming out very aggressively in the beginning and scoring early. Our ball retention in the rucks and mauls was outstanding, again with Warrenton experience giving them the edge. We got much better as the match wore on, with Warrenton tiring and Fort Hunt finding weaknesses, with Fort Hunt scoring two tries in the fourth quarter to Warrenton’s none. The final score was Warrenton 30, Fort Hunt 19, with one try from Peter F, one from Chris B, one from Colin G., and two conversions by Chris B. Man of the match was Chris B, with an honorable mention for Kyle L.

Our U-17s had good numbers, and we actually lent Warrenton one of our players per quarter. Warrenton had a single player who was a devastating open field runner, and who scored consistently as Fort Hunt worked to handle the true open nature of the 7s game. Final score was approximately 35-5, with a Fort Hunt try from Ryan K. Man of the match was Austin W.

Coaches’ Comments: The number of travelers to play was impressive; I can’t wait to see our turnout for a home match. Warrenton was extremely impressed with our level of play and the number of players who showed; they expected us to be weak in numbers and to trounce all three teams, and they got more competition than they expected, considerably more than Vienna U-13s, who were absolutely thrashed. Our young men played very well in what for the majority of them was their first-ever rugby match, the work they’ve put in at practice paying off. The rucking and mauling was good, their tackling was good, and their posting of the ball was very good. We experimented with kicking a bit, sometimes well and sometimes not. We need to work on consolidating the ball at the ruck and maul, and then quickly deciding on an attack. We also need to work on total field awareness. More issues for practice this week.

Thank-You
A huge thank-you to all of the parents who got our players to BRYC and to Warrenton today. You are the engines who make this program go, and thank you for supporting your rugby players and this club.

Upcoming Schedule
We will practice all 3 days this coming week.
There are no matches during the 4th of July weekend.

--John Dacey

Dealing with Breaktime and Injuries

2009-06-25T11:42:00.004-04:00

Parents, please make sure your kids know that at no time will any Fort Hunt Rugby coach give them a hard time, yell, or otherwise make them feel bad if they feel unwell, thirsty, hot, tired, or are injured. If a player needs a break, then they should take it immediately.

Summer is here, and the weather already is hot, and it will get hotter. If a player needs to take a heat or water break, then by all means they should do so. We will break a minimum of every 30 minutes during practice (6:30, 7:00, and 7:30), and more often if the players request it and/or if the weather requires it. If a player needs water or to cool down, they need to do just that.

For injuries, players need to immediately tell a coach if they feel they've been injured. We have basic medical kit with us at every practice and game, and can effect some treatment immediately. If the injury is more severe, we will make immediate decisions on what needs to be done (senior coaches have training in basic evaluation and emergency action). We can do none of this if the player does not communicate this to us.

The coaches will reinforce this message at practices.

--Coach Dacey

We're Just About Ready to Play

2009-06-18T06:38:00.003-04:00

Another great practice last night, with the weather cool and the ground soft.

So, with last night's practice, we have trained in all of the basics of rugby. We know the basics of passing, with the loop, switch, skip and dummy, and we know the basic calls for running lines. We know the basics of the scrum, ruck, maul and lineout, and we're familiar with kickoffs, penalty plays and 22m dropouts. So now it's time to put it all to the test with some real competition.

I'm looking forward to Saturday, as our kids will get to play a lot of rugby and finally put into real practice the things we've been doing at training. I think many of them will see that real competition poses unique challenges.

Thank you to all of our volunteers to get our social together for Saturday. Let's play some rugby and have some fun.

--Coach Dacey

Excellent Thursday Night Practice

2009-06-12T07:00:00.002-04:00

Really great practice last night, team, both the tackle players and our touch players. Big thanks to all of our coaches: Andy, Dale, Jim, Steve, Casey, Katie, Dave and Dave, for coming out to help these kids learn about rugby. Their progress in the last two weeks has been fantastic.

I really liked the way the tackle players were taking to the ruck last night, showing good sense of off-side, entering through the gate, etc. The one thing we need to work on is quickly setting up an offensive line coming from a ruck, and having the patience to hold the ball for a few more seconds to let it come together. We also need to work on setting up a defensive formation against a lost ruck. We'll work on both of those next week.

Next week:

Lineouts. We'll set our basic calls and practice lifting and setting.

Penalty plays. We'll get our basic penalty plays set, and we'll practice all of them.

Rolling Maul. We'll introduce the maul, and then introduce and practice the rolling maul, one of my personal favorites.

And we start playing on Saturday the 20th. It's going to be great.

--Coach Dacey

Finally Started Tackle Practice

2009-06-11T09:24:00.002-04:00

We had a good first tackle practice last night, with all but two tackle players having their mouthpieces.

We are working incrementally to introduce tackling concepts and actions for ball carriers, too. We will work up gradually to more intense tackling drills, making sure all players are ready before we move up.

The five tackling fundamentals:
Hips below the level of the head (low position)
Back straight
Head up (not chin up or chin down, eyes open)
Tackler's head behind the seat of the ball carrier
Wrap with one or both arms

--Coach Dacey

The Coaches, Playing Rugby!

2009-06-08T13:57:00.008-04:00

On Sunday, 7 June, Head Coach John Dacey and Commissioner/Coach Andy Vonada played with the visiting Harrisburg Old Boys (Hobos) against the hosting Wild Geese (Vienna and BRYC youth coaches playing for them) at Lock Overlook Farm near Poolesville, MD. It was really hot, but Andy and John managed to play four full periods out of six, with Andy hooking and propping, and John at second row. Neither scored, but both had tackles and runs, and their share of old-boy goof-ups.

In the end, it didn't matter who won or lost, because we'd had a great afternoon meeting new mates and playing rugby.

So, Fort Hunt players, when we're telling you how it is, believe us; we did it just yesterday.

Getting Ready for Tackle/Contact

2009-06-03T13:20:00.003-04:00

Okay, the time is finally here, the one the older kids have been waiting for: contact.

I stress to parents: our first priority in this club is players' safety. We have gone three full seasons without a single injury, and I intend to prolong this record as long as possible. We do that by stressing safety at all times.

There are two components to this: a player's physical maturity and approach, and his mental maturity and approach.

We are not playing football, where just about all forms of contact are permitted, and any player on the field is eligible to be hit at any time. The terms of contact in rugby are much more specific, even constrained, for the purposes of flow of the game and for players' safety. We aren't wearing any pads; we cannot go crazy with tackling and contact, we cannot throw our bodies around as if we were protected head to toe by foam and hard plastic. If we do so, our players and opponents are going to get hurt.

Our coaches will observe and evaluate all players and their progress in contact training. If our club is not ready to play tackle rugby, we will not until we are ready. If an individual player is not ready to play tackle rugby, he will not be permitted to do so until the coaches consider him ready. This is physical as well as mental, having learned the vital aspects of contact taught at practice, and having demonstrated them to the coaches.

Physical discipline is important here. The object of the tackle is to halt an opponent's forward movement, and to bring him to the ground for the opportunity to gain possession of the ball. We do not measure yardage, so there is no point (except at the try line) of standing a player up and driving backwards; all that matters is to bring the player down, and quickly. Extra effort in a tackle is wasted effort; play is continuous for a 25-minute half, so over-exertion in every contact is not wise.

We also will train players in emotional discipline. There is no reason to think of contact with an opponent as a "hit." It's just a tackle. There should be no emotion involved. They will tackle us and we them, because that's the nature of the game. So to become angry at or as a result of contact is counterproductive, even selfish, taking a player's mind away from the game and away from useful contribution to his team. The referee will deal with foul play; all other contact is simply part of the game.

So, players and parents, let's start tackling, but in control.
Coach Dacey

LeBron James: Poor Sportsman, Negative Role Model

2009-06-02T09:42:00.002-04:00

After the Orlando Magic eliminated Lebron James' Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA playoffs on Saturday and James refused to shake hands with his opponents, The New York Times quoted James: "It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm a competitor."

Wrong. The ultimate competitor is the athlete who makes self, teammates and the game better, through sportsmanship. James is superb on levels 1 and 2. On Level 3, he fell down, badly. He has show himself to be selfish, arguably arrogant, and clearly has no concept of how he is to behave if he is to be a positive role model.

James, admirable in so many ways, is sending a bad message to youth athletes: he, as a "competitor," is too upset by losing to honor the game he plays and which supplies his livelihood.

Former NFL coach Herm Edwards nailed it. "The game is sacred....When you are out on the field, you must remember your legacy and what you are representing."

The best competitors are strong enough to make the game better by overcoming their disappointment--and even anger--to congratulate their opponents at the toughest time, right after they've beaten you. Your opponents will remember this gesture, and you will earn respect by showing your discipline and courage.

-- adapted from a message from Jim Thompson, Positive Coaching Alliance Founder and Executive Director

Great First Practice!

2009-05-28T06:40:00.003-04:00

Excellent first practice last night, team. Almost 40 kids, from 7 to 17, all out learning about and playing rugby--what could be better?

I'm especially impressed with our teenagers, a big group of strapping young men who clearly are eager to start playing some real rugby, and with a number of experienced players as well.

Equipment:

1. Good to see everyone had studded boots--wear those cleats for every practice.

2. Get your mouthpieces now, and starting bringing them to EVERY practice. Buy three, one to wear, one extra to bring along, and one extra to keep at home.

3. Leave the jewelry at home. No necklaces, watches, earrings, bracelets, etc. This is for safety purposes, for the safety of you, and other players.

Conflicts with Rugby

2009-05-27T07:46:00.003-04:00

A number of parents have asked about committing to rugby, when there is so much else going on during the summer. There are camps, swim and dive team, vacations, holidays, and a ton of other stuff going on, so is it reasonable to commit to rugby?

Of course it's reasonable. Our program is a summer program because the big, mainstream sports have a lock on the fall, winter and spring; that's just the way it is, and we'll take that. So, we'll take rugby players regardless of their ability to commit to a full season. If a kid comes out and has fun playing a week or two of summer rugby, then we've achieved the #1 aim of our program: have fun.

So, parents, don't worry about other commitments during the summer. We are happy that your player is able to come out, regardless of how much time he/she can give.

Coach Dacey

First Practice Rained Out

2009-05-27T07:43:00.002-04:00

If I remember correctly, our first practice was rained out last year, too. How disappointing. Man, I'm ready to get out there and teach kids (and parents) about rugby; I can't wait.

But, we're at the mercy of the field status, and if the field is closed we have to respect that.

We'll take another run at it today--if the weather holds.
Coach Dacey

Thinking About Training

2009-05-18T09:15:00.002-04:00

Some thoughts about training, which we'll start next Tuesday:

Our training is not about fitness, as we really don't have time for fitness drills, when almost all of our players are rugby novices. We will focus exclusively on the rugby basics, passing, tackling and basic understanding of the Laws, so players can have fun playing in a real match right away. That being said, our practices will be busy and will go a full two hours; I guarantee any player that comes to practice will leave the season more fit than when he started.

The emphasis on safety will be very high. I will not allow our team, or individual players, to engage in a tackle match until I consider them ready to do it properly and safely. We will be very stringent in training about proper contact in rugby, and those players who pick this up and apply it will be the ones who play first.

It's gonna be hot, so bring water. We'll probably have a water jug on hand, too.

I'm looking forward to our fourth season, and expect it to be our biggest and best so far.
--Coach Dacey

What's This Rugby Clinic All About?

2009-03-17T13:49:00.004-04:00

The free-of-charge Spring Break rugby clinic we'll be hosting at Collingwood Park 6-10 April is all about introducing kids to rugby, and refining the skills of our returning players.

Any kind interested in learning something new, and possibly discovering a lifetime sport, should come on out and have some fun.

We will work on passing and running, player positions and positioning, and the basic Laws of the Game.

We will be practicing and playing touch only. There will be no tackle during this clinic. If you want tackle, then come back for the full summer season, but only for players 11 and older (10-year-olds may play tackle, with written permission from a parent).

This clinic is open to both boys and girls, and they will practice and play together.

Free Spring Break Rugby Clinic, 6-10 April

2009-03-13T16:36:00.005-04:00

Fort Hunt Rugby will be hosting a FREE, come-one/come-all youth rugby clinic at Collingwood Park every day, 4:00-6:00 pm, during the Fairfax County Public Schools spring break, 6-10 April.

Collingwood Park is between Collingwood Road and Wellington Road on the immediate east side of the GW Memorial Parkway, south of Alexandria.

This clinic will be touch-only; there will be no tackle drills or play.

This clinic is open to any youth, 7-17, boys or girls. Boys and girls will play together during both drills and game play.

Each day we'll go over basics and skills for the first hour, and will play real touch rugby matches in the second hour.

Equipment: players should show up with a pair of studded sports shoes. Football boots (cleats) must have the toe stud removed/shaved off. Players should have a sturdy pair of shorts and a t-shirt or jersey (weather-appropriate), and a water bottle. A mouthguard is strongly recommended, but is not required (although we will not be playing tackle, we will be running a lot and in close proximity; collisions do happen).

A parent/legal guardian must sign an agreement/waiver/release for each clinic participant.

After practice on Friday the 10th, we will host a free, traditional rugby social for all players, siblings and especially moms and dads, with Fort Hunt Rugby stuff for sale to raise funds for the organization.

Volunteers: We'd love to have lots of help running the clinic, and for the social on Friday. Please help out.

For more information contact John Dacey at 703-780-5859 or rugby007@aol.com.

Rugby Wrap-Up

2008-08-10T22:00:00.001-04:00

Thank you for coming out to the picnic this evening. It was a shame we got rained out, but we did manage to get our awards handed out in time.

Thank you for the superbly thoughtful and perfectly aimed coaches' gift--outstanding idea and execution.

Congratulations to our team winners:
U-11 top scorer: Simon M.
U-11 season MVP: Matt G.
U-13 top scorer: Anthony A.
U-13 season MVP: Andy L.
U-15 top scorer: Pace W.
U-15 season MVP: Ruslan P.

If anyone needs an extra certificate, or if I misspelled a name, just let me know and I'll send you a new one.

I still need 11 trophy/medal payments, please. Trophies are $6.16 and medals are $4.17, cash or check made out to me. You can mail it to me at 2207 Wittington Blvd, Alex, VA 22308.

I am holding trophies and medals for:
Connor T.
Cory C.
Mark P.
Jon D.
Peter F.
David F.
Connor C.
Tom B.
Anthony L.
Denis P.
Dan M.
You can come by the house between 6:00 and 8:00 to pick them up. Call first: 703-780-5859.

Next rugby event is the "Forever Strong" movie, and we'll look to go as a team on Saturday afternoon, 27 September.

Thanks so much for another great Fort Hunt rugby season. I can't wait for next year.

Tournament Recap, Picnic, Awards, The Future, Etc.

2008-08-05T08:25:00.004-04:00

And so the third season of Fort Hunt Rugby goes into the history books...

Gratitude

First and foremost, from me and on behalf of Andy and all of the club's leadership, THANK YOU, moms/dads/supporters for making this club and our program go. Thank you for having the open mind to bring your player into the unknown/fringe/misunderstood sport of rugby, and for sticking with it. Thank you for having confidence in the program and in our coaches. Thank you for collecting money, keeping scores, taking on passengers, cooking hot dogs, etc. Thank you for helping out in all of the ways you have. We cannot make this club work without you, and you all have done a magnificent job of bringing this still very new program to a new level of success. Big, big thanks to all of you.

Thanks to Commissioner Andy Vonada for handling our registrations and finances, for scheduling our field, and for representing rugby to the leadership in FHYAA. Thank you to Andy for conceiving of this program, and for getting it off the ground.

Thank you to FHYAA for making rugby part of its sports program.

And super-mega-honkin' big thank-you to the coaching staff--Andy Vonada, Bobby Strawbridge, Dan Dickert, Dale Roach, Jim Woods, Dave Poulin, Layton Golding, and every parent who got out there and ran with us and helped the kids learn this sport.

Tournament Recap

Last year Fort Hunt fielded a single U-11 touch team, onto which a few of our older players snuck. This year we fielded full U-11, U-13 and U-15 sides, and competed fully in all of our matches, without having to rely on in-fill from other clubs. We played nine rugby matches in six hours with enthusiasm and positive attitudes, and clearly improving play as the day went on.

The U-11s finished #5 in the 8-team field.

The U-13s finished #3 in their 4-team field.

The U-15s took second in their 2-team field. What really impressed me about the U-15s was that the first match was all Bailey's, and by the time we got to the final, two matches later, we had the cohesion and confidence to play them solidly, with the score at half 19-0, in our favor. We got a trophy for our U-15s, and we'll hold a drawing on Sunday among the U-15s players (who were at the tournament) to determine who gets to take it home.

On Sunday, Anthony A, Adam H and Cory C came out for tackle. They hooked up with Braddock Road, and all three started in the first BRYC match, ahead of the BRYC players in attendance--that speaks greatly to the character and abilities of our players. I watched them play in two matches, and they performed outstandingly, running straight and true, holding the ball well, posting correctly in the tackle, showing unselfish play and both teamwork and sportsmanship; they represented our club beautifully.

Trophies/Medals

The mementoes are ordered, and will be here in time for the picnic. The picnic will be the main venue for handing them out.

Trophies are $6.16.

Medals are $4.17.

You can pay me in cash or make a check out to me.

If you'd like to come by my house and pick up the trophy/medal, feel free to come by in the evenings. They won't be here until Thursday at the earliest.

Picnic

We will hold our end of season picnic this Sunday at 4:00 in Area E at Fort Hunt Park (see map).

All players, wear your jerseys, as we need to take team pictures. All coaches, please wear your green coaching shirts.

The club will provide burgers, dogs, drinks and plates/napkins/cups/etc. Anyone who has any leftovers from the season, please bring that out.

You come with non-flatware-required food (sandwiches, cookies, brownies, chips, veggies, etc.) for your crew and 2-3 others. Don't worry about main course, appetizer, dessert, and all of that over-specialization; keep it simple.

I will buy all of the stuff on Saturday, so please give me an RSVP with adult/kid numbers by the end of the day on Friday.

Guests are welcome, especially prospective rugby players.

We'll hand out certificates, trophies/medals and team awards, and should be done and clear by 6:00 or so. There might even be time in there for the much-rumored Dads vs. Kids touch match... for the Ultimate Championship of All Space and All Time! Coaches/Dads: if you're up for this, wear good shoes and comfortable clothes.

Extra Gear For Sale

At the picnic on Sunday we will have extra jerseys for sale, and our team patch for sale. The jerseys are great for siblings, moms and dads, and are a powerful recruiting tool--buy lots!

We have jerseys in the following sizes: 2 XLs, 10 Larges, 2 Mediums, 1 Small. Cost will be $40, check or cash.

Patches are $5.

Upcoming Events

Some of you may have seen the banners at the tournament for the rugby-themed movie "Forever Strong," which opens on 26 September. I propose that we meet as a team on the evening of Saturday, 27 September, all of us wearing our Fort Hunt Rugby gear, to see the film as a group. I figure the Hoffman AMC will be the best bet.

The film's website is: http://www.foreverstrongmovie.com/

Check out the trailer at http://www.rugbymovie.com/, http://www.mtv.com/movies/, http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?vid=263356

The film has not yet been officially rated; it most likely will be PG or PG-13.

More info as the date approaches.

Coming up on Sunday, 9 November is the Ambassador's Shield rugby competition at Trinity College in DC. See the website at: http://www.ambassadorsshield.com/index.html (it hasn't been updated yet).

This is a day of high-level competition starting with a U-19 (high school) 7s match, followed by U-21 (collegiate) men's and women's matches between territorial sides, culminating in the final match between the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union Select XV (all-stars) against a hand-picked New Zealand national representative side of Kiwis playing in North America. This is the best way to get to see a haka live and in-person. Max and I have gone the past two years and it is a great day of rugby watching, with lots of souvenirs to buy, too.

More details to follow as it gets closer.

We will try to host a rugby clinic during the Fairfax County Public Schools spring break, 6-10 April 09.

Right now it's looking something like three two-hour sessions running Tuesday-Thursday, but may expand it as we develop our plans, maybe going each night, M-F, and finishing with a proper rugby social/BBQ on the last day. If anyone has ideas, let me know.

Cost is likely to be free.

More info to come.

The Distant Future

My goals for Fort Hunt Rugby next summer are:

100 registered kids (we had 53 this year)

Full U-9 and U-11 touch.

U-13 and U-15 touch programs for players who want to play only touch.

U-13 and U-15 tackle-only teams.

Enter U-13 and a U-15 tackle teams in next year's tournament and play all day without fill from another club.

I stress this again: if players want to play tackle at U-13, U-15 or U-17 next season, we will need early commitment from all interested players so we can form a team and make commitments to the league. If players want to play tackle, they need to recruit sufficient numbers to make it happen.

My overall goals for Fort Hunt Rugby are:

U-13, U-15 and U-17 tackle rugby every summer, and to be competitive in the tackle tournament.

A Mount Vernon HS/WestPo HS combined Fort Hunt U-19 rugby club (for kids 15+), which will take part in the March-June Rugby VA spring season each year.

Build a catalog of Fort Hunt Rugby gear, to include custom jerseys, t-shirts, patches, team jackets, hats, stickers, pins, coins, hoodies, ties, etc. This will reinforce team, build pride, will help recruitment, and will generate funds for our program.

Get more parents into coaching, and get coaches to national certification training. This further legitimizes our program, and makes our coaches better at applying the latest methods in top-flight instruction to our kids, directly from the national level.

My long-term goals for Fort Hunt Rugby are:

A late summer or spring (tackle) rugby tour for U-15s, U-17s or U-19s. Possible destinations include Canada, the Northeast, the Southeast, or West Coast. This would be a proper rugby tour, with club ties and blazers, club kit bags, matching uniforms, formal dinners and lots of rugby union football. It is not unreasonable to consider doing something like this in the late summer of 2010, or the spring of 2011.

An overseas tour. This is quite a ways off, but something to think about.

Recruiting

There are two key assets to recruiting for our program: players and parents.

Players: if the kids want a full tackle team for next summer, they must bring their buddies out to play. Have them wear their jerseys to school, have them talk about rugby, and have them bring their friends along. This is one of the big reasons we'll be doing the spring break clinic, to introduce new kids to the sport.

Parents:

You are key to dispelling the untrue myths and unjust prejudices many parents have about rugby; you are key to convincing other parents that rugby is not an uncontrolled melee, that rugby is dangerous for their kids, and that rugby is a clean, safe, actively coached, controlled and positive experience in every way.

Stress that for the third year, we have had no injuries, in practice or in matches.

Stress that our coaches are nationally certified (Andy and me), and that we are trained specifically in introducing rugby to and coaching youth players who are brand-new to the sport.

Stress the sportsmanship, respect for the referee, playing aspects of decision making/teamwork/common skills and that every kid no matter how small or big not only can but is supposed to run and score, and the highly important social aspect of the sport.

Volunteers

Our volunteering this season was fantastic--thank you again to everyone who lent a hand to make our program go, especially the home game socials--this is a key aspect of our sport, and we did it the right way every single time, unlike many of our opponents.

We still need a number of volunteers. These will not just be needed/nice to have in 2009, but absolutely critical if we do in fact turn out 100+ kids.

Next year, we will need the following:
Dedicated U-11 coach.
Dedicated U-13 coach.
Dedicated U-15 coach.
Assistant coaches for all teams.
Match secretary, for arranging all club home and away match details.
Equipment and field manager, to take care of all aspects of field marking and setup/take-down for home games, and to manage the club's expanding physical kit.
Social chairman, to arrange for home game socials.

I will be in contact in the spring to ask for volunteers for next summer's season.

Donations

When you sign up for any FHYAA sport, you have the option of making a donation in addition to registration fees, and you can tag that donation specifically to the sport of your choice. If you donate to FHYAA rugby, that allows us to buy more balls, tackling pads, cones and disks, goalpost pads, medical kits, training jerseys, kicking tees, drink coolers, etc.

I believe that FHYAA donations are tax-deductible.

Thanks, in advance.

Communication

The good news is that the nonstop barrage of emails from me is going to stop, by the end of the week.

I will continue to send out email notes from time to time, and will do my best not to clog your in-boxes.

If you'd like to be taken off the club email list, just let me know.

I will continue to update the club blog, so check it often.

Do not ever hesitate to contact me, about any issue.

That's long-winded, and you'll get to hear a good portion of this again on Sunday--thanks for bearing with me.

See you on Sunday.

Rugby Game Day, Saturday, 2 August + Updates

2008-08-01T09:19:00.002-04:00

Tournament

All tournament details are contained in the detailed post, below.

The U-13s play first at 9:00, so everyone needs to be there by 8:30.

U-11s play at 9:30, so need to be there no later than 9:00. The U-13s may be a little low on numbers, so I recommend U-11s show up a half-hour early and you can run with the U-13s.

Then the U-15s play at 10:00, and Fort Hunt has a game going in every single block until noon. There will be plenty of chances to play, all day long.

All players please bring and wear your mouthguards.

Sunday play: all players who want to play tackle, please come out by 9:00 on Sunday morning. Bring your mouthguards, or you will not play.

Registration

I have checks for registration from Conway, Africano and Collett that I need to return to you--the club picks up this cost. Please remind me tomorrow, and I'll give you your checks back.

Trophy/Medal

Trophies and medals are ordered, and we will have them in time for the pic-a-nic on the 10th.

The medal cost is $4.17, and the trophy is $6.16. You can pay me in cash or check ("John Dacey"). You can mail it to me at 2207 Wittington Blvd, Alex, VA 22308.

See you tomorrow morning.

Post-Tournament Rugby Party, Saturday, 2 August

2008-07-31T11:47:00.000-04:00

SYC has arranged for a party/get-together after the tournament on Saturday, details below:
There is nothing official scheduled, there is no requirement to attend, and all costs are borne by individuals/families.

-----

You're invited!

Who: Coaches, Referees, Parents, & Kids
What: Virginia Rugby Tournament Fiesta
When: Saturday August 2, 5:00pm - ?
Where: Lucky's Sports Bar in Kingstowne...fairly close to Hooes Rd Park

Secret Password to Tell the Hostess: "Rugby rocks!"

Informal get-together immediately after the tournament on Saturday. Lucky's has a restaurant and bar, plus lots of games for the kids. See their web site at http://www.luckyssportstheatre.com/. We don't have anything organized there on an official basis, but we're rugby players so we may as well take over the joint. ;-)

Directions from Hooes Rd Park:
* Go back out of park and turn right onto the Franconia-Springfield Pkwy
* Follow 1-2 miles. You'll see the metro station on the right as you drive by.
* Turn left at the next intersection with Beulah Rd (has stoplight).
* Almost immediately, turn right into the strip mall. Lucky's is on the right, in a free-standing building.
* Finding a parking spot, come in, and get Lucky.

End of Season Trophy/Medal

2008-07-30T08:30:00.002-04:00

Alas, the end of the season is approaching, so it's time to start thinking about a memento. It's up to the individual on this, and I'll offer a choice of trophy or medal on a ribbon.

Trophy

This will be a six-inch trophy with a distinct rugby medallion insert which also spins. Each trophy will be customized with the player's name and club name. Cost will be approximately $9 each.

Take a look at the trophy at http://www.crownawards.com/StoreFront/TRSPIN.Rugby.Trophies.6%22_METAL_Spin_Insert_Trophy~4.prod

Medal

This will be the same as the man of the match medals we hand out to visitors, with a green/gold lanyard. Each one will be customized on the back with the player's name and club name. Cost will be approximately $5 each.

Take a look at the medal at http://www.crownawards.com/StoreFront/CM09RGRG.ALL.MedalsDogtags.Rugby.prod

Orders Due Thursday, 31 July

I need all trophy/medal orders by Thursday, 31 July. I will place the order that evening, to hand out at the end of season party. I need only confirmation that a trophy/medal is wanted, and the name to go on it. Payment can follow later, when I determine final pricing.

SYC Touch Tournament Details, Saturday, 2 August

2008-07-29T14:35:00.001-04:00

Okay, here are the tournament details. Read this through all the way, please.

The tourney location is Hooes Road Park, 7233 Hooes Road, Springfield VA. Directions are attached in the notification email.

Bring chairs, shade, water and sunscreen. We will have the big NFL cooler on hand for the club to use, and will stock it with drinks.

The match schedule was attached in the notificatin email. First games kick off at 9:00am each day, and play will conclude by 4:30. The tournament WILL stay on time.

All players check your boots to make sure you do not have a single toe stud at the front of your boots. Molded, or screw-in, this stud must come off/out. If you have screw-in studs, make sure the rest of the studs are serviceable (no metal showing).

No regular eyeglasses in touch play; only sports goggles are allowed. No eyewear permitted in tackle.

EMTs will be present both days. Bring your own tape and supplies if you want to get taped.

Concessions and t-shirts: SYC will be selling hot dogs, drinks, etc. There will be a limited quantity of Rugby VA t-shirts available, as well as lots of SYC Rugby merch. Possibly also some rugby merch from Balls Out, though they won't have a separate booth.

Touch rugby laws... Remember that touch rugby is touch rugby. No dangerous play tolerated.

All coaches, parents and players must conduct themselves with sportsmanship and civility. We're all competitive people, but let's keep things in perspective that ultimately this is just a game, and we need to set a good example for the kids.

For Sunday tackle play, all interested players need to be at the site by 8:30 to get onto a team. I will be there to help out.

Players have to be on time, as games will start spot on time, and teams not on the field or with insufficient players will forfeit.
PLayers may play up a division, so if you are U-11, you can play in the U-13 matches. If you are U-13, you can be used in the U-15 matches. This may mean showing up earlier than your division's scheduled matches.

U-11
First match is at 9:30 on Field 4, so showtime is 9:00.
The next match will be at 11:00 on Field 4.
U-11 will have at least one more match, depending on its performance in the first two.

U-13
First match is at 9:00 on Field 3, so showtime is no later than 8:30.
Next match is at 10:30 on Field 3.
There are only four teams in U-13, so a third game is guaranteed, and it will be at 2:20, on either Field 2 or Field 4.
Depending on our performance/If we win, the U-13 final will be at 3:40 on Field 3.

U-15
There are only 2 teams entered, so it is us against the same team--Baileys--all day long.
First game is at 10:00 on Field 3; showtime for players is 9:30.
Next game is at 11:30, and the U-15 final is at 3:00.
We have a very good chance of winning this division, and there is hardware for champions, so players need to stay all day.

See you at practice this evening.
John Dacey

Registration Requirement

2008-07-29T12:02:00.003-04:00

Dear Eagles Players, Moms, Dads and Supporters:

Please read this--it's important, and absolutely required if your player wants to be in the tournament, either Saturday or Sunday.

If your player will not be playing in the tournament, this is not required, as our league playing season is over.

If your player's name is below, there is nothing more to do--you're good to go. If your player is not registered, please choose one of the options below. The easiest option is to get with us at practice tonight, tomorrow, or Thursday.

-------------------------------------

David B
Cory C
Will C
Jonathan D
Benjamin F
Peter F
David F
Andrei G
Matthew G
Colin F G
William H
Adam H
Alex L
Austin L
Peter L
Anthony L
Megan Mc
Neel M
Grayson M
Daniel M
Max P
Ruslan P
Mark P
Denis P
Michael P
Patrick P
Austin R
Dale R
Erik R
Brennan V
Monica V
Pace W
Connor W

---------------------------------------

Since all players must be registered with USA Rugby in order to play in the upcoming tournament, the parents of those who plan on playing this Saturday have two options:

1. Go online and register the player themselves and bring a completed/signed copy of the attached waiver form to us at practice or the tournament (with this option, they must pay $6.67 + $1.50 via credit card).

Online registration must be completed no later than noon on Friday so I can print a roster from the USA Rugby website on Friday evening - I need to take a copy to the tournament.

2. Complete and sign the attached form (with the exception of the payment information) and provide it to me at practice and I will register their player (with this option, there is no cost to the parent the - registration fee will be absorbed by their FHYAA registration - and, it saves them the burden of online registration).

Andrew L. Vonada
O: 703-354-9414
C: 703-300-1858

End of Season Picnic, Sunday, 10 August

2008-07-29T11:44:00.004-04:00

We'll have our end of season picnic at 4:00 pm on Sunday, August 10th.

The location is Area E in Fort Hunt Park (see map). This is located on the "back side" of the park. Continue on the circular drive, and Area E is the first picnic area on the right after you pass the horse stables. There is a parking lot and restroom there, too.

Food: The club will provide burgers and dogs, fixin's and drinks. Families should bring potluck handfood--chips, sandwiches, cookies, brownies, etc.--to keep us from having to deal with flatware. Your planning factor for food preparation is your family group + 4 others.

We'll hand out certificates and end of season awards, maybe play a game or two, and take some pictures. We should be done by 6:00 or so.

Tackle Opportunity at the SYC Tournament, Sunday, 3 August

2008-07-28T09:29:00.001-04:00

The Fort Hunt Eagles will field U-11, U-13 and U-15 teams for the SYC-hosted touch rugby tournament this coming Saturday, 2 August.

There is a separate opportunity for those players who want to play tackle rugby to come out and play on Sunday, 3 August. There are a number of teams that have entered the tackle tournament, and many of them have contacted me to ask if we can provide tackle players. This is for both U-13 and U-15 players.

There is no need to make a firm commitment to play tackle on Sunday. I will be on hand at the tournament to help place our players--likely as a single Fort Hunt group--with a team in need, most likely BRYC or FPYC. I will remain on hand all day Sunday for any of our players who are engaged in the tackle tournament.

Feel free to ask questions at practice this week.

More details about the tournament to follow later in the week.

Eagles Update, 27 July 08

2008-07-27T11:34:00.002-04:00

Recap
It was a tough day of rugby yesterday, with vacations taking their toll on our numbers.

The U-11s traveled to Braddock Road once again, and despite their efforts went down in defeat. Lots of tries scored by us, but we just couldn't get around their game-killing yet legal rolling maul tactic.

The U-13s traveled to Warrenton with only six, truly stalwart rugby players. All reports is that all of the lads who came out did very well in only their second tackle outing, with lots of heart. Man of the match went to all six, for showing up and playing on.

the U-15s traveled to Fairfax, and showed with only five. We borrowed one and played 6s for a full match. Mike P kicked two conversions and Sam L got his first try on a 10m rumble. Sam got man of the match for running straight and true, and in support.

Training
We'll practice Tu, Wed and Thur this week ahead of the tournament next Saturday, 6:00-8:30 at Collingwood Park.

Tournament
All three of our teams will play in the touch tournament this coming Saturday at SYC's Hooes Road Park complex. Touch was a difficult decision, but what it came down to was that we didn't have the depth to field a full team of 11 all day long, with sufficient substitutes.

Start time probably will be 9:00, and play will continue all day long--bring camp chairs, a shade canopy if you have one, and lots of water.

There will be concessions on site, as well as port-a-johns. There probably will be a rugby outfitter selling t-shirts and trinkets.

We will be guaranteed three matches, and if we do well, we will play 2-3 more up to the championship. If we do well, we could be there up until 5:00, and if we do not do well, each team could be done by 12:00 or 1:00.

U-11s may play up to U-13, and U-13s may play up to fill out a U-15 side. Players may not play down.

Players who want to play tackle on Sunday can come out, and I and the other coaches will be on hand to place players--ideally as a single Fort Hunt unit--with a team that needs players.

End of Season Trophies/Medals
These are strictly voluntary.

The choice is a modest trophy or a medal on a lanyard, both of which will be customized with name.

The trophy will be approximately $9, and the medal approximately $5.

I need all answers by the end of practice on Thursday. Payment can come later.

End of Season Picnic
We'll meet at Area E in Fort Hunt Park on Sunday, 10 August.

Time is 4:00, and we should be done by 6:00 or so.

We'll hand out trophies, medals and certificates, highlight man of the season for each team, and have some chow. And take some pictures.

Basic format is potluck, emphasis on handfood, to avoid the need for plates and flatware.

More info to come out later this week and early next week.

See you at practice.

Rugby Game Day, Saturday, 26 July

2008-07-25T13:36:00.005-04:00

Dear Eagles Players, Moms, Dads and Supporters:

What an excellent evening for rugby last night. All reports of the U-11s were positive, with lots of play and even some singing afterwards.

The U-13s and U-15s got in a lot of play for our mini-festival, and the hosting was outstanding. Big thanks to the coaching staff for keeping things organized and moving, and even bigger thanks to Kelley Perconti and the parents who helped out with ice, chow, and manning the tables to get everything done. Our opponents know that we treat our guests well, and they're always eager to come back and play us.

From watching the play last night, it is so obvious that our players have got the fundamentals of rugby down. The running was good, and usually straight, there were very few instances of forward passes, and players are running in support. We're even getting the kicking game into play, which is impressive.

And now for tomorrow's festivities

U-11
The U-11s will return to BRYC for another match with them.

Kickoff is 10:30, so showtime for players is 10:00.

The location is the same as last night, Braddock Lake Park, 9450 Lake Braddock Drive, Burke, VA 22015.

All players should play with a mouthguard, but this is not a requirement for touch. No eyeglasses, please.

Jim Woods will again take charge of the U-11s. Pull his email address out of the cc line if you need assistance with directions or a ride.

U-13

The U-13s will travel to Warrenton to play tackle.

Kickoff is at 10:30, so showtime for players is 10:00

This is a tackle match so all players must bring a mouthguard. Players without a mouthguard will not play.

Our hosts have advised us to bring shade.

Directions: Great Meadow field event facility. Take I-66 west to exit 31 (The Plains & Old Tavern). Turn left on Rte 245. Go about 3 miles to Great Meadow on the left. Turn in at Gate 2 and then immediate right to follow the boundary fence all the way to the rugby pitch.
Google maps link: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=great+meadow+event&ie=UTF8&ll=38.833289,-77.795906&spn=0.056296,0.105743&z=13

Coaches Vonada and Strawbridge will be in charge of this match-up. Their addresses also are in the cc line if you need assistance with a ride or directions.

U-15

The U-15s will travel to Fairfax (FPYC) for a tackle match.

Kickoff is at 10:00, so showtime for all players is no later than 9:30.

This is a tackle match so all players must bring a mouthguard. Players without a mouthguard will not play.

The venue is Paul VI High School, 10675 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22030; directions are attached to the announcement email message.

I will be with this team, as will Dan Dickert.

Rugby Game Day, Thursday, 24 July

2008-07-23T06:41:00.001-04:00

Dear Eagles Players, Moms, Dads and Supporters:

We have an evening of rugby set up for tomorrow night. As the summer wanes, we need our players.

U-11
The U-11s will travel to Braddock Road. The address is Braddock Lake Park, 9450 Braddock Lake Drive, Burke, VA 22015. You can also check their website at www.byrcrugby.org for directions.
Kickoff is at 6:30, so showtime for players is 6:00.
Jim Woods will be taking charge of the team at BRYC. if anyone needs a ride, contact him at jwoods24@cox.net.

U-13/U-15
Our U-13s and U-15s will host a mini-festival at home tomorrow evening against SYC and BRYC, with a few from Alexandria coming along to help fill out sides.
All play will be touch.
First kickoff for U-13s will be at 6:30, so showtime for players is 6:00. We will play a round-robin format until we run out of energy or daylight.
Hosting:
Kelley Perconti has purchased all of the chow for our hosting, so we need the following:
5 bags of ice
A couple of volunteers to man the grill to cook the hot dogs
A volunteer to collect a $5/player match fee
I will bring the big cooler, 5-gal water cooler, cups and camp table

We will practice this evening at home, 6:30-8:00.
See you there.

The Haka

2008-07-11T10:23:00.005-04:00

We have been telling our young novice players about the rich history of Rugby Union Football, and one of the greatest things to learn about is the New Zealand haka.

From the Wikipedia entry: "The All Blacks, the international rugby union team of New Zealand, perform a haka (Māori traditional dance) immediately prior to international matches. The Haka is also performed by some other New Zealand national teams, such as the Kiwis (rugby league) and the Tall Blacks (men's basketball). Over the years they have most commonly performed the haka "Ka Mate". In the early decades of international rugby, they sometimes performed other haka, some of which were composed for specific tours. Since 2005 they have occasionally performed a new haka, "Kapa o Pango.""

Learn more about it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka_of_the_All_Blacks

Check out these incredible haka videos:

Rugby Game Day, Saturday, 12 July 08

2008-07-11T09:59:00.002-04:00

It was a great evening of rugby for the U-11s last night, and I heard the U-13s and U-15s did well also. I'll get the match rundown out a little bit later today, probably.

We've got more rugby competition on tomorrow morning:

U-11
The U-11s will travel to SYC (Springfield) to play SYC Red tomorrow morning.
The location is Hooes Road Park, off the Fairfax County Parkway just west of I-95. Directions are attached.
Kickoff is on Field 3 at 9:00 a.m., so showtime for players is 8:30.
Jim Woods will be in charge of the U-11s tomorrow. His email is jwoods24@cox.net
U-11s should play with thier mouthpieces.
There is no overhead shade at SYC, so I recommend you bring a sunshade or umbrella, and a chair or two if you can. And the sunblock.

U-13/U-15
The U-13s and U-15s will host BRYC (Braddock Road) at home tomorrow.
Kickoff is at 11:00 for the U-13s, with the U-15s to follow after two periods (and with play alternating). Showtime for all players is 10:30.
This is our first weekend of tackle rugby, and I will be there to referee and maintain very tight control of play.
All players must wear a mouthguard, no exceptions.
The field lining is just about done, and I will have the flags and markers.
Hosting:
I will bring the following: camp table, filled 5-gal water cooler for drinks, cups, NFL ice chest, about two dozen Gatorade bottles from the last U-13/U-15 home match.
We need the following:
5 bags of ice
hot dogs, buns, chips, drinks, some lemonade or Gatorade mix for the 5-gal cooler, condiments (big squeeze bottle each of mustard and relish, 2 for ketchup) for ~60 rugby players (at least 100 hot dogs)
napkins, foil for the dogs
small grill (gas or charcoal), with tools, and someone to man it
I strongly recommend one person purchase all of the goodies (to include the napkins and foil), bring it all, and collect a $5 match fee per home player
None of this has to be ready until after play has concluded, so we can work a lot of this out at the field tomorrow, with the Hollin Hall Safeway all of 1/4 mile away.

Note: I am off to Scout camp with Max on Sunday, so will not be at practice this week or the matches on Thursday night. Andy Vonada will be in charge for the week. I'll be back for our matches at Vienna next Saturday, where all 3 teams will be together for the only time this entire season. It will be picture day for us, so everyone should come out.

See you tomorrow.
J

Match Info for Thursday Evening, 10 July

2008-07-08T12:34:00.001-04:00

We will play touch rugby matches this Thursday evening:

U-11s
We will host Vienna at home.
Kickoff is 6:30, so showtime for all players is 6:00.
I will skipper the U-11s.
Field lining commences at 5:00--I will need assistance.
We will host, so I need volunteers for:
5 10-lbs bags of ice
grill and fuel/charcoal, tongs, and volunteers to get it cooked and presented
hot dogs, buns, chips, drinks for 30 kids--purchase, transport and setup
I recommend we do this the same way as last time, with 1-2 volunteers doing the purchasing, and a $5 match fee per player to cover the costs. I have a lot of leftover supplies from last time, including cups, napkins, foil, and condiments.

U-13/U-15
They will play at Bailey's Crossroads.
Kickoff is at 6:30, so showtime for players is 6:00.
The match location is Bailey's Elementary School. Directions are at: http://www.fcps.edu/maps/besas.htm
Andy Vonada will skipper the teams at this venue.

All players must bring and wear their mouthguards--U-11 included.

Saturday, 13 July Matches
The U-11s will travel to SYC. Jim Woods has volunteered to skipper the team on Saturday.
The U-13s and U-15s will host Braddock Road at home in our first tackle matches. I will skipper the effort. Mouthpieces are mandatory for tackle--no exceptions.
Match information for Saturday is coming, due by tomorrow or Thursday.

See you at training tonight and tomorrow night.

28 June Match Wrap-Up and Update

2008-07-02T07:16:00.003-04:00

Dear Eagles Moms, Dads and Supporters:

Sorry that this is a bit late--it's taken a while to get the match reports together.
Who would like to be a contributor to this blog? This would come in very handy for posting photos—send me an email and I’ll add you to the blog team.

And so we conclude our second weekend of rugby matches, in our brand-new rugby jerseys.

I hope both players and parents/supporters had a good time.

Overall, all teams showed greatly improved play over last weekend. The magnet-ball mentality is still there, especially in the U-11s and U-13s, but not nearly as much as last weekend. Our rugby players are definitely coming along.

U-11s

The U-11s traveled 60-odd miles west to visit Winchester. We had 8 hard-core rugby players in attendance.

In a straight-up match of 4 10-minute quarters, Winchester squeaked it out at the very end on the strength of a final try and conversion. Final score: Fort Hunt 32, Winchester 39.

Tries were scored by Erik Roach (1), Max Dacey (1) and Simon Miller (4), including one Simon Miller try in which the referee had called “Advantage!” to Fort Hunt and all players stopped dead, thinking play had stopped; the light went on for Simon, he picked up the ball and ran unopposed from midfield for the score.

Simon was selected the U-11 man of the match.

U-13s

The U-13s hosted SYC and a contingent of BRYC at home at Collingwood Park.

The U-13s struggled, with SYC going way out and not coming back, the final score, SYC 56, Fort Hunt 7 (our try scored by a BRYC sub).

Our weakness was magnet-ball, with too many players clustering to the ball, leaving their outside players unmarked.

The U-13s man of the match was David Finfrock.

U-15s

The U-15s also hosted SYC and BRYC at Collingwood.

The turnout was much different in this competition, with our U-15s taking it to the visitors, 48-14. Tries were scored by Mike Poulin, Peter Finfrock, Pace Woods (2), Nick Africano (2) and Connor Woods (2). Ruslan Pietra (2), Connor Woods and Nick Africano had conversions.

The U-15s had good all-around play, with good defensive positioning, impressive quick hands and passing after the tag/making the tackler commit, as well as strength in kicking conversions.

The U-15s man of the match was Connor Woods.

Looking Ahead

We will practice this evening, Wednesday (informal) and Thursday this week. I’ll be at practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Andy Vonada will take practice on Thursday, 3 July.

All players: bring your mouthpiece to every practice and every game. The U-13s and U-15s will be concentrating heavily on tackle at practice from now on.

Blog

The club blog is at http://forthuntrugby.blogspot.com/. Bookmark it and tell all your friends and neighbors!

I am updating the blog, and am looking for more photos. If you’re taking photos at the matches, send them to me or give me a CD at practice, and I’ll add them to our album.

There are no matches scheduled for the 4^th of July weekend.

28 June Match Wrap-Up and Update

2008-07-02T07:16:00.002-04:00

And so we conclude our second weekend of rugby matches, in our brand-new rugby jerseys.

I hope both players and parents/supporters had a good time.

The U-11s traveled 60-odd miles west to visit Winchester. We had 8 hard-core rugby players in attendance.

In a straight-up match of 4 10-minute quarters, Winchester squeaked it out at the very end on the strength of a final try and conversion. Final score: Fort Hunt 32, Winchester 39.

Simon was selected the U-11 man of the match.

U-13s

The U-13s hosted SYC and a contingent of BRYC at home at Collingwood Park.

The U-13s struggled, with SYC going way out and not coming back, the final score, SYC 56, Fort Hunt 7 (our try scored by a BRYC sub).

Our weakness was magnet-ball, with too many players clustering to the ball, leaving their outside players unmarked.

The U-13s man of the match was David Finfrock.

U-15s

The U-15s also hosted SYC and BRYC at Collingwood.

The U-15s had good all-around play, with good defensive positioning, impressive quick hands and passing after the tag/making the tackler commit, as well as strength in kicking conversions.

The U-15s man of the match was Connor Woods.

Looking Ahead

We will practice this evening, Wednesday (informal) and Thursday this week. I’ll be at practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Andy Vonada will take practice on Thursday, 3 July.

All players: bring your mouthpiece to every practice and every game. The U-13s and U-15s will be concentrating heavily on tackle at practice from now on.

Blog

The club blog is at http://forthuntrugby.blogspot.com/. Bookmark it and tell all your friends and neighbors!

I am updating the blog, and am looking for more photos. If you’re taking photos at the matches, send them to me or give me a CD at practice, and I’ll add them to our album.

There are no matches scheduled for the 4^th of July weekend.

Sponsorship!

2008-06-29T20:19:00.004-04:00

We have secured sponsorship for our club this season!

Primo's, located in the northwest corner of the Belle Haven shopping center, has very graciously decided to partially sponsor our jerseys this summer.

So, check out Primo's: 703-765-6766; they offer quick and inexpensive carry-out.

Jerseys Are In!

2008-06-27T20:47:00.002-04:00

Yes! Just in time for tomorrow's matches, our jerseys are in, and they are fantastic!

Players, come on out and play in your new jersey tomorrow. Or, you'll have to wait until Tuesday to pick it up.

Coaches' Contact Info

2008-06-26T11:15:00.004-04:00

If you need to reach any of the coaches, here you go:

John Dacey
home 703-780-5859
cell 301-503-3377
primary email: rugby007@aol.com
secondary email: johnrd4@dni.gov, john.r.dacey@ugov.gov, daceyj@centratechnology.com, john.dacey@associates.dhs.gov

Andy Vonada
email: alvonada@hotmail.com, avonada@hotmail.com, avonada@jbmanagement.com, alvonada@jbmanagement.com

Bobby Strawbridge
home: 703-360-6276
email: the_strawbridges@yahoo.co.uk

Daniel Dickert
email: ddick6gj@umw.edu

Saturday, 21 June Match Wrap-Up

2008-06-26T06:51:00.002-04:00

And so we conclude our first weekend of rugby matches. I hope both players and parents/supporters had a good time. The weather, although hot, was just about perfect.

U-11s
The U-11s hosted Chantilly on our home field at Collingwood Park.
In 5 periods of rugby, Chantilly pulled away, but just barely, taking home the victory, by a score of something like 13 tries to our one (65-5).
Both sides suffered from playing magnet-ball during the opening periods (when Chantilly scored 9 of their 13 tries), but play was much better and flowing by the final two periods.
Matthew Gottlieb scored our one try, and was selected the U-11 man of the match for his positive attitude and running straight and in support (trophy to be presented at training on Tuesday).

U-13s
The U-13s went on the road to Braddock Road (BRYC).
Coach Strawbridge noted highly positive play and enthusiasm from all Eagles players throughout--good on ya.
Tries were scored by George Strawbridge, Neel Metha and David Finfrock.
The U-13 man of the match was Neel Mehta (trophy to be presented at training on Tuesday). A very close runner- up was Will Cummins

U-15s
The U-15s went to Springfield (SYC), and played a round-robin with SYC and Bailey's Crossroads.
The first period against Bailey's saw the Eagles triumph, 24-14, with 2 tries each from Nick Africano and Mike Poulin, and two conversions from Mike Poulin.
The second period saw SYC win 10-7, with a try and conversion by Pace Woods.
The third period had the Eagles over Bailey's again, 19-0, with tries from Pace Woods, Daniel Morris and Nick Africano, and two conversions from Mike Poulin.
The final period saw a draw with SYC, 7-7, with Peter Finfrock scoring and Mike Poulin converting.
The man of the match was Mike Poulin, althrough Coach Vonada stresses the choice was very difficult based on balanced and intelligent play by all (trophy to be awarded at training on Tuesday).

Looking Ahead
This weekend we have the following:
Tuesday/Thursday: regularly scheduled training, 6:30-8:00.
Wednesday: informal training, at 6:30, running no later than 8:00. These informal Wed sessions are going to be very valuable for the U-13s and U-15s as we transition into tackle.
All players: bring your mouthpiece to every practice and every game.

U-11s
The U-11s will travel all the way out to Winchester to play their youngsters. This is the first time Fort Hunt has been out there, and our longest trip yet--it should be interesting.
I am available to provide carpooling. I can take 5 or 6 rugby players along with me.
If we opt for carpooling, we will meet in the parking lot at Collingwood Park, time TBD.
More information on this trip as the week moves along, and once I coordinate with the Winchester team.

U-13/U-15
Both teams will host SYC at home this Saturday.
Kickoff most likely will be at 11:00. We'll firm this up once we talk to SYC.
The field will need to be lined prior to play. Many hands make light the work, so I encourage volunteers to help out.
Hosting. The planning factor should be 50 rugby players. The U-11 moms and dads did such a fantastic job on Saturday, showing our Chantilly guests how it is done. The best way to go is a small grill, with hot dogs, chips and sodas in the big cooler. The U-11 approach was for one buyer with everyone else chipping in. We'll settle on the approach at practice on Tuesday evening.

Team Breakdowns and Contact Info

2008-06-26T06:35:00.004-04:00

current as of Sunday, 29 June 08

Fort Hunt Eagles Rugby Football Club

Team Breakdown and Contact Information

U-11 (players under 11 years of age as of 1 July 2008)

Joseph A.
Thomas B.
Max D.
Justin E.
Ben F.

Andrei G.
Matthew G.
William H.
Alex L.
Alex M.

Simon M.
Patrick P.
Erik R.

James W.

U-11 email contact list:
africano5@earthlink.net, chuck.africano@isai-usa.com, sburr1@cox.net, YTart@aol.com, yvonne.dacey@fcps.edu, jelmo@cox.net, helen.elmore@cox.net, Fornshill@aol.com, gottlieb2@verizon.net, mkwih@verizon.net, mlagow@cox.net, robert.lagow@gmail.com, julianmaster@gmail.com, julian.master@smithgroup.com, tjslmiller@cox.net, jmiller@hudginslawfirm.com, anneep@cox.net, bjwroach@cox.net, jwoods24@cox.net, dale.roach@noblis.org, rugby007@aol.com, the_strawbridges@yahoo.co.uk, ddick6gj@umw.edu, johnrd4@dni.gov, avonada@hotmail.com, christopher.brandenburg@gmail.com, jwoods24@cox.net, alvonada@jbmanagement.com, daceyj@centratechnology.com, alvonada@hotmail.com, Dale.Roach@noblis.org, John.Dacey@associates.dhs.gov, avonada@jbmanagement.com, john.r.dacey@ugov.gov,

U-13 (players under 13 years of age as of 1 July 2008)

Anthony A.

Daniel B.

Cory C.

David C.

Will C.

Jon D.

David F.

Adam H.

Austin L.

Anthony L.

Andy L.

Neel M.

Grayson M.

Max P.

George S.

Brennan V.

U-13 email contact list:

africano5@earthlink.net, chuck.africano@isai-usa.com, berkon5@aol.com, dberkon@culmen.com, vhsignco@aol.com, DCummins@FDIC.gov, d.cummins7@gmail.com, clfinfrock6@cox.net, hitchings39@hotmail.com, mlagow@cox.net, robert.lagow@gmail.com, rajalower@cox.net, robl338@yahoo.com, JOEANDSAM@aol.com, tmehta@cox.net, hilarimoore@cox.net, bmoore@cla-val.com, kperconti@cox.net, jjpoole@cox.net, the_strawbridges@yahoo.co.uk, bhvaughan@cox.net, rugby007@aol.com, the_strawbridges@yahoo.co.uk, ddick6gj@umw.edu, johnrd4@dni.gov, avonada@hotmail.com, christopher.brandenburg@gmail.com, jwoods24@cox.net, alvonada@jbmanagement.com, daceyj@centratechnology.com, alvonada@hotmail.com, Dale.Roach@noblis.org, John.Dacey@associates.dhs.gov, avonada@jbmanagement.com, john.r.dacey@ugov.gov,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U-15

(players under 15 years of age as of 1 July 2008)

Nicholas A.

Connor A.

David B.

Connor C.

DJ C.

Jonathan D.

Peter F.

Colin G.

Taylor J.

Peter L.

Sam L.

Megan M.

Daniel M.

Ruslan P.

Denis P.

Mark P.

Michael P.

Dale R.

Erik R.

Monica V.

Connor W.

Pace W.

U-13 email contact list:

africano5@earthlink.net, chuck.africano@isai-usa.com, andersonfthunt@verizon.net, barritt@fr.com, lcollett2@cox.net, jcondon2@cox.net, dcrane5@cox.net, edalch@cox.net, dalchs@state.gov, dalcsm@state.gov, clfinfrock6@cox.net, vsanchezinteriors@cox.net, pjackson1@cox.net, cindy.laporta@kwccpa.com, cindylaporta@cox.net, JOEANDSAM@aol.com, smckinn2001@yahoo.com, blu68caddy@hotmail.com, kekm64@hotmail.com, peter.pietra@dhs.gov, petertraci@verizon.net, jjpoole@cox.net, anneep@cox.net, bjwroach@cox.net, Dale.Roach@noblis.org, kejohnsonmd@cox.net, jdromanin@cox.net, hvroomen@tfi.org, Suzqltva@aol.com, dwoods1054@cox.net, bwoods@cbmove.com, rugby007@aol.com, the_strawbridges@yahoo.co.uk, ddick6gj@umw.edu, johnrd4@dni.gov, avonada@hotmail.com, christopher.brandenburg@gmail.com, jwoods24@cox.net, alvonada@jbmanagement.com, daceyj@centratechnology.com, alvonada@hotmail.com, Dale.Roach@noblis.org, John.Dacey@associates.dhs.gov, avonada@jbmanagement.com, john.r.dacey@ugov.gov

U-11s: Directions to Winchester for 28 June Match

2008-06-25T22:09:00.000-04:00

Directions to Winchester:
The good news is that we don't have to go all the way to Winchester.

Sherando Park: http://www.co.frederick.va.us/parkandrecreation/SherandoPark.htm

Mapquest: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=%5b200%2d299%5d%20Splash%20Ave&city=Stephens%20City&state=VA&zipcode=22655&country=US&geodiff=1

Route 66 West to the Front Royal Exit/Rt. 522 North.
At the bottom of the ramp keep right and merge onto Rt. 522 North.
Go to the second four way intersection, on your left hand side there will be a 7-11 store on the front left and Dinosaur Land on the near left. At this intersection take a left onto Route 277. Follow route 277 for approximately three miles, passing through one four way intersection, the entrance to the park will be on you right hand side after the White Oak Campground.

I'll be at Collingwood Park by 7:45 on Saturday morning, and will depart at 8:00 sharp. If anyone needs a ride, let me know. My cell phone is 301-503-3377.John Dacey

The Rugby Social/Hosting Protocols

2008-06-25T20:51:00.002-04:00

Dear Eagles Moms, Dads and Supporters:

There have been some questions about how snacks and drinks work for rugby, so I'll explain.

Home Games

When we host a team at our home field, we take care of snacks and drinks for BOTH them and us. Upon conclusion of play, our players grab a snack and drink and before anyone on our side has a refreshment, we make sure our visitors are fully taken care of. Our players grab a dog and a drink, and they seek out their opposite number--or any opponent--and hand it to them, thanking them for coming to our field to play. Only when all of our guests have been taken care of do our players get their own.

Ideally, we host with like hot dog and chips, with a selection of drinks (water, gatorade, CapriSun, etc). This doesn't have to be a full-on feed with plates, flatware, potato salad, cloth napkins and tufted wingback chairs, but should be better than a dinky bag of lame, dry cookies and a lukewarm juice box as everyone heads for their cars.

The social aspect of rugby is a major part of our sport, of the larger rugby lifestyle, and we take it very seriously; we look forward to hanging for a while after playing with our fellow rugby players, and taking a little bit of time getting to know them. We will see each other again on the rugby pitch, whether it's next week, next month or next summer, so we should be mates.

For this Saturday, I'll have a big cooler full of ice and we'll stock it with some drinks. We're looking to have a small charcoal grill, and we can do hot-off-the-grill hot dogs for all of our guests. As we show them that we know how to properly host, they will remember us, and they will look forward to coming back.

Away Games

When we visit another team, the above kind of treatment is what we should expect.

We should bring with us plenty of hydration to take care of ourselves during the match, but we do not have to have our team bring snacks and drinks for our players for the end of the match--this is the responsibility of the host.

It is a great feeling to be hosted properly, to be welcomed at another team's field and to be thanked for coming to play. We are opponents while on the pitch, but off the field we are all rugby mates, and this is the kind of thing that makes it happen.

Singing

For those of you who have ever been to a proper, adult rugby post-game social, you'll know that it can get quite, ahem, entertaining. We aim to try this, tempered to the needs of the youth program.

We will attempt to sing a few songs, especially when we host. For anyone who's done Scouting, songs like "Singing in the Rain" or "Father Abraham" work quite well. We'll also do "Sunshine Mountain" and a few other, entry-level songs. Players will learn as we go.

Match Information for Saturday, 28 June

2008-06-25T20:42:00.001-04:00

Dear Eagles Moms, Dads and Supporters:

We've got another fun weekend of touch rugby coming up, and here are the details:

U-11s
I will skipper the U-11s on the first real road trip this club has ever undertaken, way on out to Winchester.
Kickoff is 10:00 a.m., so all players should show by 9:30.
I figure a travel time of approximately 90 minutes, so recommend a departure no later than 8:00.
I have room for up to six rugby players (and moms/dads, if needed) in my truck. The rally point will be Collingwood Park, with a departure promptly at 8:00. Let me know if you need to carpool.
I anticipate about an hour of play, with another hour or so of hosting (if they do it right). If we depart by noon, that should have us back here by approximately 2:00 pm.
We still do not have directions from Winchester, and I will send those as soon as we get them.

U-13s/U-15s
Both will play at home on Saturday at Collingwood Park.
The U-13s will lead off with a kickoff at 11:00. Both U-13s and U-15s need to be at the field by 10:30.
Both SYC and Braddock Road will be coming, so we'll play 2 10-minute periods of U-13, followed by 2 periods of U-15, and on until everyon'e gotten to play and the kids are all tuckered out.
Coach Vonada will need the following assistance:
Line the field, starting at 9:00. If four folks help out, you can go over the lines I put down last Saturday and have the field done in about 45 minutes, flags, posts and all.
Someone needs to track our scoring stats for all of our matches, first and last names and scores, as I'm tallying this for all teams.
Kelley Perconti, Sue McKinney and the rest of the volunteer U-13 and U-15 parents have gotten a really good handle on hosting, so take their leads. We may need a volunteer or two to make a quick run to the Safeway for last-minute items, but that's easy to do.

Jerseys
We are still waiting for our jerseys, and will distribute them as soon as possible. Players who already have a jersey from past play should wear it, to show our colors.
We have the loaners for wear once more.

Mouthguards
All players bring your mouthguards, especially the U-13s and U-15s as we're going to work on tackling and contact at training tomorrow night. A player without a mouthguard will not participate in contact training, and will not play in tackle matches.

Man of the Match Trophy
Last Saturday's man of the match winners need to bring their trophy to their matches so it can be awarded to this Saturday's man of the match. See you at practice tomorrow evening.

John Dacey

Directions to Fort Hunt Eagles RFC Home Pitch--Collingwood Park

2008-06-25T07:18:00.009-04:00

From Points North/East
Exit the inner loop of the Beltway/I-495 at the Church Street exit. Loop around on the exit and turn right onto S. Washington Street, which becomes the George Washington Memorial Parkway, southbound.
Exit the outer loop of the Beltway/I-495 for Route 1 northbound. After approximately 3 blocks and between the two gas stations on the right-hand side, turn right on Franklin street. Go to S. Washington Street and turn right. This turns into the George Washington Memorial Parkway, southbound.
Go approximately 8 miles south on the parkway, and turn right onto Collingwood Road.

From Points South/West:
Take Route 1 north through Woodbridge, Lorton and Fort Belvoir.
Turn right onto the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway/Route 235.
Follow 235 to Mount Vernon, and take the traffic circle around so that you are headed northbound on the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Travel approximately two miles north, and turn left onto Collingwood Road.

Once on Collingwood Road:
Take an immediate right onto West Boulevard Drive.
The entrance to Collingwood Park is approximately 200m ahead on the left side.
The rugby pitch is at the far end of the park, where the treeline divides the park.

Fort Hunt Eagles RFC Summer 2008 Match Schedule

2008-06-24T07:33:00.001-04:00

Fort Hunt Eagles Rugby Football Club
Match Schedule, Summer 2008

All U-11 matches are touch matches.
U-13 and U-15 matches are either touch or tackle, as noted.

All times TBD, and will be posted here as they are available. Match times also will be sent via email.
Showtime for all players is at least 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
Fort Hunt Eagles home field is Collingwood Park.

Saturday, 21 June
U-11: Home v. Chantilly
U-13: @ BRYC (touch)
U-15: @ SYC (touch)

Saturday, 28 June
U-11: @ Winchester, 10:00 a.m. kickoff
U-13: Home v. SYC (touch), 11:00 a.m. kickoff
U-15: Home v. SYC (touch), 11:00 a.m. kickoff

Thursday, 10 July
U-11: Home v. Vienna
U-13: @ Baileys (touch)
U-15: @ Baileys (touch)

Saturday, 12 July
U-11: @ SYC Red
U-13: Home v. BRYC (tackle)
U-15: Home v. BRYC (tackle)

Thursday, 17 July
U-11: Home v. FPYC
U-13: @ SYC (touch/tackle)
U-15: @ SYC (touch/tackle)

Saturday, 19 July
U-11: @ Vienna (w/ Winchester)
U-13: @ Vienna (tackle)
U-15: @ Vienna (tackle)

Thursday, 24 July
U-11: @ BRYC
U-13: Home Festival (touch/tackle)
U-15: Home Festival (touch/tackle)

Saturday, 26 July
U-11: @BRYC
U-13: @ Warrenton (tackle)
U-15: @ Vienna (tackle)

Saturday-Sunday, 2-3 August: End of Season tournament @ SYC
Saturday: touch play
Sunday: tackle play

USA Rugby Spectator's Guide to Rugby

2008-06-24T06:59:00.000-04:00

This is a text-only copy of a USA Rugby handout. Contact me and I'll send you the pdf original.

ORIGINS OF RUGBY
Rugby is the precursor of American football and has been played in the United States since about 1870. American football, as well as basketball, owes many of its characteristics to rugby. In fact, basketball was invented by James Naismith as an indoor alternative to Rugby when the New England winters required an indoor game.
Some of rugby’s characteristics such as quick switches between attack and defense, ball handling and committing defenders to attack space are all found in basketball. Some people liken rugby to tackle basketball on grass.
Similarly, American football evolved with many of the same principles, strategies and tactics as Rugby. However, there are several obvious differences. Rugby is played at a fast pace, with few stoppages and continuous possession changes. All players on the field, regardless of position, can run, pass, kick and catch the ball. Likewise, all players must also be able to tackle and defend, making each position both offensive and defensive in nature.
There is no blocking of the opponents like in football and there are a maximum of seven substitutions allowed per team. A match consists of two 40-minute halves.
Rugby is considered to be a gender-neutral sport as almost forty percent of all players in the U. S. are female.

RUGBY ETHOS
All players, coaches, officials, parents and fans are encouraged to remember that rugby holds a unique place in American sport. Rugby is not about hooliganism or violence; however that is often the image of rugby that is projected in the United States. The conduct of every player, coach, official, parent and fan has a lasting effect on the image of rugby in our country.
The iRB Playing Charter states: “Rugby owes much of its appeal to the fact that it is played both to the letter and within the spirit of the Laws. The responsibility for ensuring this practice lies not with one individual -- it involves coaches, captains, players and referees. It is through discipline, control and mutual respect that the spirit of the game flourishes and, in the context of a game as physically challenging as Rugby, these are the qualities which forge the fellowship and sense of fair play so essential to the game’s ongoing success and survival.
"Rugby is valued as a sport for men and women, boys and girls. It builds teamwork, understanding, co-operation and respect for fellow athletes. It is because of, not despite, rugby’s intensely physical and athletic characteristics that such great camaraderie exists before and after matches.”
To help further the positive values that rugby engenders, USA Rugby has partnered with the Positive Coaching Alliance© (PCA). Through its coach education and development programs, USA Rugby promotes the “Double-Goal Coach,” who wants to win but has a second, more important, goal of using sports to teach life lessons; and the principle of “Honoring the Game.” This includes having respect for the rules of the game, opponents, officials, teammates and self.

FIELD OF PLAY
Rugby is played on a field, called a pitch, which is longer and wider than a football field, more like a soccer field. Additionally, there are 10-22 meter end zones, called the in-goal area, behind the goalposts. The goalposts are the same size as American football goalposts.

THE BALL
A rugby ball is made of leather or other similar synthetic material. It is easy to grip and does not have laces. Rugby balls are made in varying sizes (three, four or five) for both youth and adult players. Like footballs, rugby balls are oval in shape, but are rounder and less pointed than footballs to minimize erratic bounces.

PLAYERS & POSITIONS
Rugby has 15 players on each team. Everyone on the pitch plays offense and defense, and the number of each player signifies that player’s specific position.
Jersey numbers above 15 are worn by substitute players. Players numbered one through eight are forwards, typically the larger, stronger players of the team whose main job is to win possession of the ball. They would be the equivalent to American football linebackers and lineman.
Players numbered nine-fifteen are backs, the smaller, faster and more agile players. Their main role is to exploit possession of the ball won by the forwards. Backs may be equated to running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks in American football.

STARTING THE GAME
Just as in American football, rugby begins with a kickoff to the opponent from mid-field. Provided that the ball travels beyond the 10-meter line, any player from either team may gain possession of the ball. You may occasionally see players lift each other to gain advantage here.

MOVING THE BALL
Rugby is continuous like soccer. There is no blocking in rugby. Additionally, rugby does not have downs and it is not required to reach 10 yards and stop.
The player with the ball leads the attack and there are several ways to move the ball. Any player may carry, pass or kick the ball and play is not stopped and therefore continues when the ball hits the ground or when a player is tackled.
• Running: When running the ball, players may continue to run until they are tackled, step out of bounds or run beyond the goal line. Players run the ball to advance toward the opponent’s goal line.
• Passing: The ball may be passed to any player. However, it may only be passed laterally or backward, never forward. Players pass the ball to an open teammate to keep it in play and further advance it.
• Kicking: Any player may kick the ball forward at any time. Once the ball is kicked, players of either team, regardless of whether or not the ball hits the ground, may gain possession. Players typically kick the ball to a teammate in an effort to advance it or to the opposing team to obtain relief from poor field position.

SCORING
There are four ways for a team to score points in rugby:
• Try: Five points are awarded to a team for touching the ball down in the other team’s in-goal area. This is much like a touchdown in American football but requires the ball actually be grounded.
• Conversion: Following a try, two points are awarded for a successful kick through the goal posts. The attempt is taken on a line, at least 10 meters, straight out from the point where the ball was touched down. This is like an extra point in American football.
• Penalty Kick: Following a major law violation, the kicking team, if in range, has the option to “kick for points.” Three points are awarded for a successful penalty kick. The kick must be from the point of the penalty or anywhere on a line straight behind that point. The ball can be played if the kick fails.
• Drop Goal: Three points are awarded for a successful drop kick. A drop kick may be taken from anywhere on the field during play. A drop goal is similar to a field goal in football; however, in rugby the kick is made during the course of normal play. The ball is alive if the kick fails.

RESTARTING PLAY
There are two methods of restarting play following a stoppage caused by either the ball going out of bounds or because of an infraction of the laws.
• Line-Out: If the ball goes out of bounds, it is restarted with a line-out. Both teams form a line perpendicular to the touchline and one-meter (three feet) apart from one another. A player of the non-offending team calls a play and throws the ball in the air in a straight line between the two lines. Players of each team may be supported in the air by their teammates to gain possession of the ball. This is similar to a jump ball in basketball.
• Scrum: Rugby’s unique formation, the forerunner of the American football line of scrimmage, is the method used to restart the game after the referee has whistled a minor law violation. A bound group of players from each team form a “tunnel” with the opposition. The non-offending team puts the ball into the tunnel by rolling it into the middle and each team pushes forward until one player is able to hook the ball with the feet and push it to the back row players of his/her team. The scrum half then retrieves the ball and puts it into play.

OFFSIDE
One of the more challenging aspects about rugby for a first time rugby observer is the offside law. Similar to soccer, the offside line is continually moving up and down the pitch. In most instances, the ball creates the offside line and players are not permitted to participate in play if they are on the opposing team’s side of the ball.
Simply being offside is not a penalty, but attempting to participate in the game from an offside position is.

ADVANTAGE
After an offense occurs, if the referee thinks the non-offending team might benefit by playing on they may play advantage. How much territory or opportunity is needed before advantage is gained depends on the nature of the offense--more for a penalty then for a scrum. Skillful use of advantage can minimize stoppages and provide for a more flowing game.

TACKLES, RUCKS AND MAULS
Players in possession of and carrying the ball may be stopped by being tackled by the opposing team. Players are tackled around the waist and legs and, in general, may not be tackled higher.
Once a player is tackled, however, play does not stop as it does in football. A player who is tackled to the ground must make the ball available immediately so that play can continue.
Supporting players from both teams (one from each team) converge over the ball on the ground, binding with each other and attempt to push the opposing players backwards in a manner similar to a scrum. This situation is known as a ruck. The ball may not be picked up by any player, until the ball emerges out of the ruck. The ruck ends and play continues.
A team that can retain possession after the tackle and the ensuing ruck has a huge advantage.
A maul is formed with a similar gathering of players, except the player in possession of the ball is simply held up, and not tackled. The maul ends when the ball emerges.

OTHER RUGBY TERMS
Drop Kick: A kick made when the player drops the ball and it bounces off the ground prior to being kicked. Worth three points if it travels through the goalposts. Drop kicks are also used to restart play after a score.
Forward Pass: A violation that usually results in a scrum to the non-offending team.
Infringement: A violation of a law.
Knock-On: The accidental hitting or dropping of the ball forward. The infringement is the same as that for a forward pass; a scrum to the other team.
Non-Contact Rugby: A Version of rugby designated to introduce the game to first time players (touch rugby). Two-hand tag replaces the tackle.
Penalties: Penalties occur regularly in rugby. Unlike other sports, there typically aren’t yardage penalties and teams do not have to play shorthanded. Instead, the non-offending team is usually awarded a choice to kick the ball to gain field advantage.
Some of the more important penalties are listed below:
• Penalty Kick: Awarded after a serious infringement of the law. Offenders are required to retreat 10 yards while the opposing team is given the opportunity to restart play unopposed. Teams will often kick the ball up field and out of bounds to gain field advantage. When they do this, play is restarted as a lineout where the ball goes out of bounds. If in range, they may attempt a kick at the goal posts, worth three points. Finally, they may simply tap the ball with their foot and run with it.
• Free Kick: A kick is awarded to the non-offending team for an infringement by its opponent. Unless a Law states otherwise, a free kick awarded of an infringement is awarded at the place of infringement. Also, a free kick may not be kicked at goal for three points.
• Sin Bin: On occasion, the referee will send a player behind one of the in-goal areas (the Sin Bin) for serious and/or repeated infringements for a specified period of time. The team is required to play short-handed until the referee permits the player to return. This penalty is fairly rare, but used by the referees to maintain control of the game.
• Send-Offs: In extreme cases a referee may send a player off the field for dangerous or reckless play. A player who has been sent off is banned from that game and is not permitted to return or be replaced.
Put In: Rolling the ball down the center of the scrum tunnel by the scrum half.
Sevens: An abbreviated game of rugby that follows the same laws except a 7s team consists of only seven players and each half is seven minutes long. Much like a game of three-on-three full court basketball, it’s a wide open contest. Because of its wide open style of play, the 7s version of rugby is a very entertaining game to watch.
Set Piece: A term for scrums and line-outs because these are the only choreographed plays of the game.
Support Players: Players who position themselves to increase the ball transfer options of the ball carrier.
Tap and Go: A gentle kick to oneself, followed by a pick up, used to restart play after either a penalty or free kick is awarded.
Throw-In: Throwing the ball down the middle of a lineout.Touchline: The side boundary of the field (sideline).
22-Meter Line: Balls kicked out of bounds from behind the “22” are restarted by a lineout at the spot where the ball went out. Balls kicked out of bounds from in front of the 22 are restarted by a lineout where the ball was kicked. The exception is a ball kicked out of bounds immediately after a penalty has been awarded. In this case, the lineout is held where the ball went out and the kicking team retains the throw-in.

Contact Information
For more information about rugby or to learn where to play rugby in your area, please visit the USA Rugby website at http://www.usarugby.org/ or contact:USA Rugby 1033 Walnut Street, Suite 200Boulder, CO 80302(p) 303.539.0300 (f) 303.539.0311info@usarugby.org

The Fort Hunt Eagles RFC Basics

2008-06-24T06:35:00.000-04:00

This is the basic info for everyone on the team. If anyone has questions, please call or email me

"RFC" stands for "Rugby Football Club." We play rugby, more formally rugby union football, as opposed to the somewhat different rugby league football.

Background/Introduction
I started playing rugby in 1981. I have played mens club rugby since then, and have played in the US, Europe and Southeast Asia. I played for the US Forces Europe Select XV and US Army sides. I have been a rugby referee since 1987, and achieved the level of B3 in the late 1980s. I recently got my national certification from USA Rugby as a coach, and continuing my formal education as such. I'm just finishing my 10th season as an LMVSC soccer coach, and have coached boys basketball in FHYAA. I'm a Webelos den leader in Pack 1509.
This is the third summer of FHYAA rugby. Our program has grown quickly, and is shaping up to do that, and this season may see us transition to playing some tackle rugby. Our ultimate goal is full sides of U-9 and U-11 touch rugby, with optional touch rugby for U-13s and U-15s, and tackle rugby for U-13s and U-15s, with U-17 and U-19 tackle sides as well.
Eventually I'd like to see a West Potomac HS U-19 rugby team/club, or a combo WestPo/Mt. Vernon U-19 team/club.

Communication
I will communicate primarily via email.
Note that I have a number of email addresses that I use and monitor all day long: rugby007@aol.com john.dacey@associates.dhs.gov johnrd4@dni.gov daceyj@centratechnology.com john.r.dacey@ugov.gov
When you communicate with me, I recommend you use all of these to be sure I see it as quickly as possible. The rugby007 address is my primary.
My home phone number is 703-780-5859. My cell number is 301-503-3377.
If you have additional email addresses, let me know and I will add them to the team collective email list.

Registration
As you all know registration is open now.
Go to the FHYAA website at www.fhyaa.org, and click on the rugby tab to get to registration.
It is crucial that players register early, as we must declare our respective teams by 6 June. For returning players, get registered soon, and push your buddies to register. With the $100 registration fee comes a jersey for keeps. We are working on getting a keeper ball for each player, but this has not firmed up yet.

Recruiting
If we are going to grow our program, most importantly to get enough 11-and-older players to field tackle teams (for both boys and girls), everyone must take an active role in recruiting. If every player brings just one buddy to the club, we will double our participation. SYC has over 130 kids in their program; it is not unreasonable for us to shoot for 50 or more.
Our kids/players are our best recruiting tool. Make sure your players talk up rugby at school, in scouts, at the pool, at church and at other venues. Have them emphasize the sport's uniqueness, it's wide-open play in which all players run and score, the fact that we travel, the unique and highly positive social aspect of the sport, and the fact that we are playing touch (to calm parents' misperceptions).
Have your players wear their jerseys to school at least once a week. Attached are flyers. Please print a few out and hand them out to friends. Ideally, you can print some color copies and ask local businesses to post them, put them up on bulletin boards, etc. We're looking for coverage at Hollin Hall, Belle Haven, the rec centers, business, schools, etc. Can someone hook me up with a contact POC at Belle Haven elementary so I can deliver copies for Tuesday folders?
Many parents have questions about rugby, so have them contact me at 703-780-5859 or Andy Vonada at 703-360-1534.

Practice
Practices will start on Tuesday, 3 June.
We will practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Practice will run 6:30-8:00 pm.
Practice will be at our home field, Field 4 at Collingwood Park (same as last year).

Games and Match Schedule
The first matches will be on Saturday, 21 June.
The match schedule will not publish until approximately 15 June.
Expect Thursday evening matches beginning on 17 July. These could be home or away matches.
We will not have matches scheduled for the July 4th weekend.
The end of season tournament will be held at SYC (Hooes Road Park) on 2-3 August, touch on the 2nd and tackle on the 3rd.

Touch Versus Tackle
Our program has been and remains primarily touch, but we want to transition to a full program of both touch and tackle.
We have a number of middle and high schoolers who want to play tackle rugby, and we want to provide this opportunity. This will depend on how many come out for tackle, and at what ages. For those players who wish to play tackle, we will teach tackle rugby at practice, and will have a number of opportunities to play some highly controlled tackle rugby with other teams or in combination teams as the season progresses.
Unlike football, there is no weight/size basis for tackle ball; it is determined strictly by age. Players 10 and over may play U-13 tackle. Players 13 and older may play U-15 tackle. Players 15 and older may play U-17 tackle.
No players may "play down" for tackle rugby.
Girls may play tackle rugby with the boys, and we will speak directly with these players and their parents about this before we begin.

Volunteers
Parents must volunteer and assist to make our program work.

Coaching
I most happily will continue as head coach. Dan Dickert has graciously volunteered to assist once again this summer. Andy Vonada also will assist when his schedule permits. Jim Woods and Dale Roach also have volunteered to assist, and Bobby Strawbridge is a late and highly qualified addition to the coaching staff.
Any parent who has played rugby before is a valuable asset to our coaching staff, and I ask you to please step forward and help out. As we grow the program, we will need dedicated coaches for each team (U-9, U-11 and up, touch and tackle teams, etc.). This will be essential as our separate teams will not always play at the same time or at the same venue; we will need adult leadership and supervision at multiple locations.

Hosting
For a detailed discussion of this subject, see the "Hosting Protocols" post.
When we are the home team, we host our visitors warmly and completely, and we do it in proper rugby fashion. This is an essential part of the rugby tradition, and we will continue it, actively hosting our visitors. Our parents did some really outstanding work last summer with food and drink for visiting teams, and we will continue it this summer for our home matches. This aspect of our operation will firm up once we get the match schedule.
We also will choose a visitor man of the match, and will award him/her with a keepsake.

Safety
Safety of all players at all times is first and foremost.
All players should come out with a mouthguard--touch or tackle--and have one spare.
Boys are not required to wear a cup, and I do not recommend one.
Glasses: All players who wear eyeglasses should practice and play without them. If they must have glasses to see, then they need to have wraparound sports goggles/rec specs, as the league is very strongly discouraging the wear of regular eyeglasses for any player in touch rugby, as it is dangerous to both the wearer and other players. For tackle rugby, no form of eyeglasses whatsoever is permitted for a player, practice or match.

Equipment
Once again, I recommend Matt Godek Rugby and Soccer Supply, at http://www.rugbystore.com/
Matt has everything a rugby player will need, for youth players as well. He is a local merchant, in Merrifield, so you can go to the store and check out the merchandise yourself. He is also a former Army officer and lifelong supporter of our armed forces.
Players should have a pair of studded shoes. I recommend molded soles over screw-in studs, as summer fields likely will be dry and hard. Do not purchase American football shoes, as they usually have a center toe stud, which is illegal in rugby (and soccer). A player will not be allowed to play with shoes which carry a toe stud.
Players should have a pair of black shorts and black socks for games. I recommend black cotton twill traditional rugby shorts (with a drawstring waist). First, this is basic kit, and it just plain looks right. Second, especially for tackle play, nylon shorts or shorts with an elastic waistband will not stand up to the action.
As always, the jersey is a keeper, and is included with the registration.

Preparation
The best thing you can do for your novice player right now is buy him/her a rugby ball (size 4), and have them handle it all the time. Just roll it, toss it, get the feel in the hands.
There are a few helpful videos of rugby online, but the vast majority of online videos highlight big hits (which mostly are highly illegal and unsportsmanlike tackles) and fights. This is not what rugby is about, so I encourage you to be judicious when viewing or allowing your player to view rugby videos online.
Setanta Sports (channel 615 on Direct TV) runs a lot of top-notch rugby.