We may have inches of snow left on the ground here, but with tomorrow being March 1st, most everyone is daydreaming of getting back outside and playing some rugby. It's always a challenge to get out on some grass in the spring, for if the thaw doesn't leave things totally soaked, the rains can make fields unplayable for some time.
Hopefully, in about a month, weather depending, the following matches should kick off the 2011 season:
Sunday March 27th Muskego and Wauwatosa at Brookfield, noon
Fri April 1st DSHA and CMHS at Marquette, 6pm
Sat April 2nd CMHS @ DSHA, 9:30am
Sun April 3rd KM @ Vernon 1pm; Tosa v KM @ Vernon, 2:30pm;Oak Creek @ Muskego, 12pm
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
RugbyMag Girls Rankings
RUGBYMag.com publishes a girls rugby national ranking. Here's their latest:
Girls Top 20
1. Summit (Colo.)
2. Sacramento Amazons (Calif.)
3. DSHA (Wisc.)
4. Fallbrook (Calif.)
5. Kent (Wash.)
6. Brookfield (Wisc.)
7. Lakewood (Ohio)
8. Portland (Maine)
9. West Carroll (Md.)
10. Canby (Ore.)
11. Douglas County (Colo.)
12. Ravenwood (Tenn.)
13. Fairax (Va.)
14. Fullerton (Calif.)
15. Fairport (NY)
16. Fox Chapel (Pa.)
17. Maryville (Tenn.)
18. North Clackamas (Ore.)
19. Mother Lode (Calif.)
20. Harbour (Wash.)
There are a lot of great teams and programs on this list and it reflects the continued growth and increased depth of girls teams across the country. It's also some well deserved recogniton for two WGR programs and four Midwest teams.
Some of the predictions are also thought-provoking. That's what sports writer's strive for, right? We'll see how this plays out on the field this spring. First, the reigning champion, Sacremento Amazons, aren't ranked #1. Unusual for a national champion? Some say that until you're knocked off, a champion remains just that, a champion. Maybe it's a reflection of a large graduating class last year? How many programs can continually challenge for a championship, year in and year out?
Summit, a team that has never defeated Sacramento, DSHA, or Kettle Moraine is ranked #1. They last competed nationally losing in the first round in 2009. Their highest finish is fourth. Fox Chapel, a perennially athletic and dangerous team from the Allegheny Union, gets into the top twenty. They finished fifth at the Midwest Regional last year.
Brookfield, a team loaded with talented athletes, cracks the top ten. How did Kettle Moraine miss out on being ranked? KM defeated Brookfield twice this school year.
Lakewood is another talented program that's always in the discussion. They lost their state championship last year to St Joseph's high school. A sign of things to come? St Joe's fails to crack the top twenty.
Lastly, a lot of west coast teams in there. They appear to be doing a nice job of building youth programs that lead into their high school teams. Fullerton is one of those teams that's well regarded for building a bottom-up program for boys and girls and this is clearly paying off for them.
Girls Top 20
1. Summit (Colo.)
2. Sacramento Amazons (Calif.)
3. DSHA (Wisc.)
4. Fallbrook (Calif.)
5. Kent (Wash.)
6. Brookfield (Wisc.)
7. Lakewood (Ohio)
8. Portland (Maine)
9. West Carroll (Md.)
10. Canby (Ore.)
11. Douglas County (Colo.)
12. Ravenwood (Tenn.)
13. Fairax (Va.)
14. Fullerton (Calif.)
15. Fairport (NY)
16. Fox Chapel (Pa.)
17. Maryville (Tenn.)
18. North Clackamas (Ore.)
19. Mother Lode (Calif.)
20. Harbour (Wash.)
There are a lot of great teams and programs on this list and it reflects the continued growth and increased depth of girls teams across the country. It's also some well deserved recogniton for two WGR programs and four Midwest teams.
Some of the predictions are also thought-provoking. That's what sports writer's strive for, right? We'll see how this plays out on the field this spring. First, the reigning champion, Sacremento Amazons, aren't ranked #1. Unusual for a national champion? Some say that until you're knocked off, a champion remains just that, a champion. Maybe it's a reflection of a large graduating class last year? How many programs can continually challenge for a championship, year in and year out?
Summit, a team that has never defeated Sacramento, DSHA, or Kettle Moraine is ranked #1. They last competed nationally losing in the first round in 2009. Their highest finish is fourth. Fox Chapel, a perennially athletic and dangerous team from the Allegheny Union, gets into the top twenty. They finished fifth at the Midwest Regional last year.
Brookfield, a team loaded with talented athletes, cracks the top ten. How did Kettle Moraine miss out on being ranked? KM defeated Brookfield twice this school year.
Lakewood is another talented program that's always in the discussion. They lost their state championship last year to St Joseph's high school. A sign of things to come? St Joe's fails to crack the top twenty.
Lastly, a lot of west coast teams in there. They appear to be doing a nice job of building youth programs that lead into their high school teams. Fullerton is one of those teams that's well regarded for building a bottom-up program for boys and girls and this is clearly paying off for them.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Developing Youth Through Rugby
Our first video postings capture the spirit, skills, and teamwork of the rugby community:
This second video is a little more good rugby action here .......
This second video is a little more good rugby action here .......
Friday, February 11, 2011
Rugby on NBC this weekend
Check out some rugby on national television this weekend. With rugby 7's added to the list of upcoming Olympic sports, the USA is building momentum with a major international tournament held in Las Vegas this weekend. On NBC, catch the action from 2:30-5pm Saturday and 3:30-5pm on Sunday.
Most of us are used to rugby as a game played with fifteen players on each side. Sevens though is an abbreviated version, like futsal is to soccer, with less than half the regular number of players on the same size pitch. It's fast, skilled, and free-flowing rugby at its finest. If you get a chance, teams like Samoa and New Zealand play a unique and special brand of sevens that is just amazing to watch. Samoa won last year's USA 7's tournament with a dramatic last minute try and have hopes of repeating this year.
Sevens is offered in Wisconsin during the summer months at several tournaments across the state. The most famous and prestigous being the 29th Annual Lakefront 7's hosted during Summerfest right along Lake Michigan's shoreline. It features over 70 teams, with a special high school girls and boys bracket set for Friday night. The organizers are hoping to expand the high school brackets this year!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Supports Rugby!
What do these two things have in commeon? Let me explain.
I'm a lifelong Milwaukee Brewers baseball fan. As kids, whenever we'd see a police officer in the nieghborhood, at a summer festival, or a ballgame, my brother and i would run up to them pleading for a baseball card. Cops on bicycles were always easier to approach, i think, because they were a little closer to our own height when they sat down to ride. I don't know if other cities did this, but our local police dept's all carried a set of cards provided by the Brewers, and we'd try to collect them all. My brother and I would journey three blocks from our house, an epic journey for an eight-year-old, to the nearest gas station to buy baseball stickers and then TOPPS cards.
Even better, our Dad had season tickets. We played all summer long. That kind of stuff made my brother and I fans for life.
Perhaps this is a little random, but I'm proud to see the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club
supporting rugby. They are one of the sponsors for some events by The US Rugby Football Foundation next weekend supporting youth rugby. The USRFF is once again hosting the 2nd Annual Scrumble Golf Outing and the I'Maul In No Limit Texas Hold 'em Poker Tournament prior to the International USA 7's tournament next weekend at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
While there are a bunch of suporters, their press release mentions that, "the USRFF would like to thank the following for their support of the 2011 Scrumble and I'Maul In Tournaments: ... the Milwaukee Brewers ... ."
Go USA! Go Brewers!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Book review
This is not about high school girls rugby in Wisconsin, but I thought it might be of interest to our blog readers. Perhaps you are trapped in doors by a foot and half of snow and looking to read a good book about rugby. Unfortunately, those books are hard to come by on the shelves of American book stores. Well, I have a solution.
Browsing google books, I found a couple of free books about rugby. I am in the midst of reading "Rugby Union Football" by Philip Christian William Trevor. This book recounts the development of the game of rugby from the erly 1870's to the modern era (circa 1910). Despite the age of this book, it gives a unique perspective on the development of rugby tactics and positions from the lawless early days into a form of rugby that would be Diy recognized today. In addition. The book provides detailed discussions of the tactics of backs, forwards, and key positions, like the full-back. The book also discusses the success and struggles of England, Wales, Ireland. And Scotland, in the chapters discussing the international game.
It may be a little dated, but it is a fun read. It provides an authentic voice for rugby's history and, despite it's age, many of the author's tactical discussions still ring true today. Search for "rugby" on googlebooks, and I am sure this tome will pop up.
Browsing google books, I found a couple of free books about rugby. I am in the midst of reading "Rugby Union Football" by Philip Christian William Trevor. This book recounts the development of the game of rugby from the erly 1870's to the modern era (circa 1910). Despite the age of this book, it gives a unique perspective on the development of rugby tactics and positions from the lawless early days into a form of rugby that would be Diy recognized today. In addition. The book provides detailed discussions of the tactics of backs, forwards, and key positions, like the full-back. The book also discusses the success and struggles of England, Wales, Ireland. And Scotland, in the chapters discussing the international game.
It may be a little dated, but it is a fun read. It provides an authentic voice for rugby's history and, despite it's age, many of the author's tactical discussions still ring true today. Search for "rugby" on googlebooks, and I am sure this tome will pop up.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
A Successful Debut
Fall 2010 was a remarkable year for WGR. It's worth mentioning that this past year marked the successful debut of a new program. The Wauwatosa High School girls team, organized through the Tosa Park and Rec Dept, fulfilled all their obligations in conference matches during their inaugural season. They had a valiant showing in the State Tournament and they've also paved the way for a boys team, which will be starting this coming spring.
Wisconsin's first team began with seven players fifteen years ago. Hopefully Tosa will find just as much success. It takes a lot of character (and a patient coach) to play a new sport with an entirely new program. Tosa did a remarkable job toughing out a conference schedule and now, teams are really looking forward to playing at Hart Park, Tosa's home turf field.
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