Wednesday, November 28, 2012

College 7's Live this weekend




WATCH ALL OF THE 2012 COLLEGE 7S GAMES LIVE

 All field 1 and field 2 games will be streamed live on      www.YouTube.com/USARugbyTV

Full 2012 College 7s Schedule Here - www.usarugby.org under "College Sevens"


Semi-Finals and finals will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 

ESPN3 Live College 7s Schedule | Saturday, December 1, 2012
11:40am - Women’s Cup Semi Final 1
12:00pm - Women’s Cup Semi Final 2
1:00pm - Men’s Cup Semi Final 1
1:20pm - Men’s Cup Semi Final 2
5:30pm - Women’s Cup Final
6:00pm - Men’s Cup Final

Follow all the action
@USAEaglesRugby.  
Use hashtag #College7s to join the conversation!


Further Information:

Laura Gill | Communications Manager |
USA Rugby | lgill@usarugby.org


P.S.  USA Rugby's Communication Manager, Laura Gill is a former DSHA rugby player who went on to play for the University of Minnessota and then the women's club up there.  Her younger sister also played at DSHA and then UWM Women. 

Monday, November 26, 2012

Where Championship Teams Come From


     A perusal of USA Rugby’s National Championship records reveals that no Midwest women’s team has ever won a division one collegiate national championship.  Iowa St. won the division 2 championship in 2007 and Illinois had a nice division one run in 2003, almost a decade ago.  Winona St had an impressive run to the D2 final last year.   Yet, the dearth of midwest teams in the collegiate championship record-books is surprising, especially in comparison to the high school championships and number of Midwest teams participating.  

     It’s worth noting that championships don’t tell the full story.  What strikes the WGR staff as more significant than the number of championships is the number of girls teams that have sprung up.  It’s partly the result of the grassroots growth from the decade or two prior to this.  The grassroots story of women playing rugby is a rich and storied journey beyond the scope of the word count imposed by WGR’s editor-in-chief. 
     Women’s rugby really starting growing in the mid 1970’s.  In fact, one of the first and most successful women’s teams is the Wisconsin Women's Rugby Club.  They were founded way back in 1975 and have been playing rugby ever-since.  Technically classified as an adult women’s club, so they could draw players from all over, they played in the first women’s club national championship in 1979.
     It’s also interesting to note that the first collegiate women’s championship was held officially in 1991.  Only nine years later, the first high school girls National Invitational Championship was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Girls high school teams first started up in the mid-to-late 1990’s.  Kent, Washington is generally considered the first girls team in the country.  DSHA started a year or two after.   In large part as a result of holding the first NIT in Milwaukee and the publicity it generated, WGR had grown to a full conference of ten teams within the next decade.
For those interested,  Rugby Magazine publishes a list of past National Champions and USA Rugby also publishes the officially recognized championship records on their website.
Women’s DI College
Year Winners Runners-Up
2011 Army Penn State

2010 Penn State Stanford
2009 Penn State Stanford
2008 Stanford Penn State
2007 Penn State Stanford
2006 Stanford Penn State
2005 Stanford Penn State
2004 Penn State Princeton
2003 Air Force Illinois
2002 Air Force Penn State
2001 Chico State Penn State
2000 Penn State Princeton
1999 Stanford Princeton
1998 Radcliffe Penn State
1997 Penn State Princeton
1996 Princeton Penn State
1995 Princeton Penn State
1994 Air Force Boston College
1993 Connecticut Air Force
1992 Boston College Connecticut
1991 Air Force Boston College


Women's DII College
Year Winners Runners-Up
2011 Radcliffe Notre Dame
2010 Washington State Temple
2009 Shippensburg Stonehill
2008 Shippensburg Minnesota-Duluth
2007 Iowa State UC Santa Cruz
2006 UC Santa Cruz Plymouth State
2005 Providence College Temple
2004 Temple Providence College
2003 Dayton Northern Iowa
2002 Northern Iowa Minnesota
2001 Northern Iowa Nevada
2000 Plymouth State East Stroudsburg

Monday, November 19, 2012

The Future of Women's Rugby: an Interview

WGR has had a long-running series of interviews with coaches over the years.  This fall's installment is with the head coach of the top ranked women's collegiate program in Division II.  Winona State Professor Roger Riley took a few moments out of his busy teaching day to answer some questions about rugby and women's rugby in America in particular.



1.When did you become involved in coaching women’s rugby?

     I had been coaching men’s teams for a number of years but when I moved to Ithaca College in upstate New York, I was not coaching any team. The women’s rugby club president approached me after the word got out that I was a rugby enthusiast. As a  department chairperson at Ithaca, I was a little hesitant because of the time required by coaching. My first questions was, “how many days per week do you practice” and the answer was “five.” I was impressed that these women were organizing themselves to practice five days per week so I thought I had better get on-board. I started coaching three days per week but felt guilty when they were practicing five. Therefore, I started going every day. It turned out to be a very positive experience and I have enjoyed coaching women’s college teams ever since.

2.How has women’s collegiate rugby changed over the years?

     Women’s collegiate rugby has changed vastly in the last few years. It has evolved from being a social sport to a very serious sporting enterprise at a number of universities. Women’s rugby is seen as one way to address the imbalance between men’s and women’s sports on campus with the 800 pound gorilla being the huge numbers on men’s football teams. There are currently six universities that have women’s rugby as an NCAA varsity sport and many more are heading in that direction. Just a couple of months ago, Harvard announced varsity status for their women’s rugby team and many people expect the rest of the Ivy League to follow suit. These events coupled with the USA Rugby, NCAA Initiative are heading women’s rugby into the mainstream of varsity sports. Right now, women’s rugby is considered an NCAA Emerging Sport and will get full NCAA status when 40 universities grant their teams varsity status.
     On another front, Rugby Sevens has been accepted as an Olympic sport for men and women, starting with the 2016 games in Brazil. Therefore, the United States Olympic Committee have granted eight traineeships to the top USA women’s seven’s players. They get paid a small stipend and train year round in San Diego. More recently, that number was increased to 12 although the extra players have yet to be chosen. Finally, the USA Women’s National 15s team is seeing exciting changes under a new coaching staff and they have been doing very well. They are on a tour of Italy and France right now.  

3. What direction do you see women’s collegiate rugby headed in America?

     I see women’s collegiate rugby becoming a fully-fledged NCAA sport with opportunities at Division I, II, and III schools. At Winona State University (DII) we expect to be varsity within a few years and I have already had talks with our Athletic Director. My next step is to prepare a budget for the first five years of operation. Penn State (and to some extent Stanford) are the perennial powerhouses in DI women’s rugby but they will be challenged by many developing teams. Just this year, a Division III school won the National Collegiate Championship in Sevens, beating many DI schools. That team is a varsity sport on their campus and they have a full-time coach.
     The key problem is finding enough coaches for the growing number of women’s collegiate teams. With parental involvement being big at the high school level, there seems to be many coaches and resources at that level.  At the varsity level, many universities are spread to the distant corners of their states and sometimes they are in locations where there is no other rugby and therefore no coaches.

4. What’s the role of 7’s and Olympic rugby in America? 

     Seven’s will put rugby on the map in the USA! With Olympic exposure on television and the national women’s sevens team already being in the top four in the world, the rest of the USA will get to see our beloved game on an international stage. With Sevens being such a high intensity and high octane sport, the American sporting public will quickly fall in love. My one concern is that a focus on Sevens alone will divert needed resources away from the fifteens game.

5. Do you have a “favorite” rugby player and why?

     Never having been a flanker when I played, I have always loved the kamikaze style, intelligence and athleticism of top flankers. Therefore I have always admired Richie McCaw, the captain of New Zealand, my native country. His pursuit angles are terrific, his tackling is very positive rather than destructive and his poaching of the ball is second to none. He is an absolute pest to other teams when trying to run their respective offenses. Most of all, he is a great leader and one that leads by example rather than words.
     As for women players, I really enjoy the play of Amanda Kingsett and Lynelle Kugler, a flanker and center respectively for the Twin City Amazons. They are strong, intelligent and irrepressible on the field. On my own team our flyhalf senior, Ashley Nelson, has so many skills and determination. She succeeds on the field and also academically. As a professor, that makes me very happy.

6.  Any other thoughts or comments on rugby matters you’d like to share?

     It is thrilling to see the high school girls game develop so rapidly around the country. Just recently I was at the Wisconsin Girls High School Championships to recruit players.  I was with a coach from another university and we turned to each other and remarked that the top teams would beat many collegiate teams right now. The level of individual skill and the precise nature of game plans were marvelous to see.  The same thing is happening in Minnesota although Illinois is coming along more slowly. In Iowa they have just started developing a league in Des Moines.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Appleton Youth Rugby

It's always exciting to hear of new rugby programs developing around the state.  Whether it's girls or boys teams at any level, one tends to lead to the growth of the other.  Anyone with relatives, friends, or connections to the Appleton area may be interested in the "three headed dragon" of Appleton North, West, and East.



An excerpt from their webpage:
"The Appleton Dragon Rugby Club was established in 2012 as part of an effort of the Fox Valley Youth Rugby Foundation to generate a greater appreciation for the sport of Rugby.  On rainy fall afternoon, a few good men brought together years of “what if” hopes and dreams to form a new tradition in Appleton.
The three-headed dragon and cardinal directions of West, North, and East represent each of Appleton’s three high schools.  The team colors were chosen in part, based on their meaning in traditional heraldry. In heraldry, yellow indicates honor and loyalty. Green indicates growth and hope. While purple is associated with power and ambition. It is the hope and ambition of the founding members of this club to instill the ideals of honor and valor in the future leaders of Appleton."

Some profound stuff!  Check out more at:
http://appletonrugby.wordpress.com/about/

Check out their first team meetig on Nov 25th.  The grandfather of WGR would be proud.  They even have a Latin motto:

                                                        VIRTUTIS PROPTER FRATERNITAS!

Great Waters Women's Rugby

GREAT WATERS WOMEN'S RUGBY CONFERENCE
Congrats to UW-Lacrosse on earning the inaugural Great Waters Conference Championship!

TEAM
PTS


W


L


D


BP 4+


BP


TRYS


GMS

UW-Lacrosse
37
7
0
1
7
-
86
8
UW-Platteville
35
7
1
0
7
-
63
8
UW-Eau Claire
34
6
1
1
7
1
78
8
UW-Oshkosh
26
5
3
0
6
1
70
8
UW-Stevens Point
19
4
4
0
3
-
46
8
UW-Stout
14
2
5
1
3
1
31
8
UW-Whitewater
9
1
5
2
1
-
15
8
Marquette
7
1
6
1
1
-
19
8
Northern Michigan
0
0
8
0
-
-
3
8

Nov. 10th
Marquette Univ. 44, Northern Michigan Univ. 5
UW Eau Claire 103, UW Whitewater 0
UW La Crosse 87, UW Stout 7
UW Oshkosh 46, UW Stevens Point 5
UW Platteville-BYE

Monday, November 12, 2012

WGR League Meeting 11/27

Wisconsin Girls Rugby will hold their semi-annual coaches scheduling meeting on Tuesday November 27th at the Wauwatosa School District Offices.

Anyone interested in beginning a new team or a new event should contact WGR (wisconsingirlsrugby@gmail.com) to be included on the league agenda. Spring scheudles are ironed out at this meeting.  Guests from the Wisconsin Referee Society and the Illinois Youth Rugby Assocation's girls programs may be on hand as well.

Of particular note is the discussion of how 7's fits into the development of rugby, along with the structure of competitive seasons across the country.   The Iowa Youth Rugby Association ran a Fall 7's league for high school girls for the first time in 2012. 7's is rapidly expanding on the collegiate and club level as well, in conjunction with the upcoming Olympic games. 

At the same time, most states currently play girls rugby in the spring, along with boys high school rugby.  Other states, like Wisconsin and Colorado play their girls conference season in the fall.  Another state, Kansas, recently got on board with having their 15's season played in the Fall.

Of concern to many coaches is that 15's rugby allows for all types of athletes to participate, whereas 7's may limit the otherwise broad appeal of those who enjoy participating in rugby.  Where 7's fits in the picture, long term, remains to be seen.  Is it strictly a summer sport or will it expand to a fall or spring sport?

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Badgers Win Big Ten 7's




The University of Wisconsin men's team won the Big Ten 7's Championships this weekend, their second consecutive title held down at Ohio St. Saturday.  It's always good to see Bucky Badger beat Michigan St. and the rest of the big conference!  UW defeated Penn St 33-14 in the final.

The victory means they've again qualified for the BIG CRC ... The Collegiate Rugby Championships held at PPL Park in Philadelphia, broadcast on NBC sports.  They'll also play in USA Rugby's Collegiate 7's finals in December.

Some of the matches can be viewed on Ohio State's online ustream channel.

Full Scores:
Pool Play
Wisconsin 38-0 Michigan State
Penn State 36-5 Iowa
Ohio State 29-0 Illinois
Michigan 38-15 Indiana
Michigan State 31-17 Nebraska
Iowa 26-0 Minnesota
Purdue 29-19 Illinois
Michigan 31-5 Northwestern
Wisconsin 29-5 Nebraska
Penn State 24-0 Minnesota
Purdue 26-22 Ohio State
Northwestern 17-15 Indiana

Bracket Play
Cup Quarters: Wisconsin 31-12 Iowa
Cup Quarters: Ohio State 12-10 Michigan
Cup Quarters: Penn State 59-0 Michigan State
Cup Quarters: Purdue 26-0 Northwestern
Bowl Semis: Indiana 38-5 Nebraska
Bowl Semis: Illinois 31-12 Minnesota
Plate Semis: Iowa 50-5 Northwestern
Plate Semis: Michigan State 26-12 Michigan
Cup Semis: Penn State 22-7 Ohio State
Cup Semis: Wisconsin 17-0 Purdue
Bowl Final: Illinois 32-5 Indiana
Plate Final: Iowa 24-21 Michigan State
3rd/4th: Ohio State 22-12 Purdue
Final: Wisconsin 33-14 Penn State







Friday, November 9, 2012

Great Waters Women's D2 Collegiate Scores

Nov. 3rd
UW Platteville 28, UW Eau Claire 25
UW Stout 43, Marquette Univ. 5
UW Stevens Point 136, Northern Michigan Univ. 0
UW La Crosse 29, UW Oshkosh 5
UW Whitewater-BYE

Nov. 10th
The Final Weekend of Games
Northern Michigan Univ. @ Marquette Univ.
UW Whitewater @ UW Eau Claire
UW Stout @ UW La Crosse
UW Stevens Point @ UW Oshkosh
UW Platteville-BYE

Thursday, November 8, 2012

2012 Pics

Special thanks go out to St John's Northwestern Military Academy and their bagpipe corps.  They provided some GREAT pre-match and halftime entertainment.  The atmosphere they helped create was special.  We hope to see you again next year!
 
 
 

 
Pictured: Oak Creek's Anisa Feto runs throgh tackles in her team's upset victory over Brookfield
 

 
Pictured: Brookfield's tighthead prop, Savannah Porter, charges through the Brookfield defense.


 
 
Pictured:  DSHA senior Morgan Harris, supported by junior Tierra Henry, on the run in the final.

 
Pictured:  CMHS senior Ellen Moyer


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

International Women's Sevens Series

The official website for the IRB Women's Sevens World Series was unveiled this week.  It features great video clips and tournament highlights in the buildup to rugby in the 2016 Rio Olympic games.

The series schedule includes a stop in America, which is a significant boost to the game in America.  Couple that with the Las Vegas Sevens in February for men's international teams and it's clear to see why Sevens is taking off in the states.

IRB Women’s Sevens World Series
Round 1 – UAE: Dubai, November 30 – December 1, 2012 – 7he Sevens Stadium
Round 2 – USA: Houston, Texas, 1-2 February, 2013 - BBVA Compass Stadium
Round 3 – China: Guangzhou, 30-31 March 2013 - Guangzhou University Town Stadium
Round 4 – Netherlands: Amsterdam, 17-18 May 2013 - NRCA Stadium


Here are the highlights from last year's London Sevens ... the second match in particular features some sparkling rugby!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

High School Girls National Tournament

In 2013 USA Rugby will officially end its run sponsoring the high school girls rugby national tournament.  USA Rugby first took over the National Tournament in 2008 from the group of grassroots coaches and administrators around the country who had first come together to build the event.  The first High School Girls National Invitational Championship was held in Milwaukee in June of 2000.  Then, six teams came together to compete and raise the level of play of girls rugby. 

This news does not come as a surprise to most coaches, as USA Rugby has been committing its emphasis and money to other things like Olympic 7’s rugby.    
Many coaches look at this as an opportunity to grow the game and improve the event, as coaches around the country are committed to holding a National Invitational Championship Tournament.  There will be a National Tournament in 2013; it just won’t be run by USA Rugby.  The boys high school national tournament will undergo a similar change.
The year before USA Rugby took over the girls NIT, 24 teams competed in three divisions.  In 2008 when USA Rugby took over, the event was shrunk to 8 teams.  USA Rugby’s boys tournament included 16 teams.  Since the first girls NIT, the number of girls teams nationwide has more than doubled.   Interest in the event is stronger than ever, as 17 teams applied for only 8 spots at last year’s USA National Tournament.  Knowing there are more opportunities to get into the event in the future if it expands, should encourage even more teams to apply, especially those strong teams who may not yet be in the top ten.   Increasing the number of participants contributes to making it a richer event, with greater geographical diversity and greater diversity of playing styles.
Highlights from the NIT years from 2000-2008, in addition to growing the event to include 24 teams, included hosting a banquet for all the teams involved:  one featured a Polynesian Luau when the Sacramento Amazons hosted, another was a lobster dinner by the Portland, Maine hosts.  The idea of bringing back some of the camaraderie associated the NIT banquet has been gaining favor among some coaches. 
Expanding the event also makes the seeding decisions easier.  Instead of having to pick only eight teams before someone’s season has even begun, dozens of teams who feel they have a chance to compete at a high level can now commit to the event and fundraise early in the calendar year.  Seeds can be determined the week of the tournament, taking into account any regional and state championships and getting a better picture of who should be ranked where for each division.   The event could conceivably be as large as 32 teams in multiple divisions. 
Another plus to this shift is that high school programs and local youth rugby organizations have more volunteers and energy to invest in running the event than a busy National Office.  When USA Rugby hosted the girls event at Stanford University last year, it was an impressive venue, with professional refereeing, and great competition.  But last week’s State Championship match between CMHS and DSHA drew far more attendance than the 2012 national high school invitational game.  The 2011 National Boys High School Championship between Highland and Utah United famously drew thousands of spectators, as it was held in Utah where fans, family, alumni, and some general rugby fans were drawn to the game.  A girls high school event should take place not just where there is lots of rugby but lots of high school girls rugby in particular, where families and friends and alumni will come out to watch the games.