Wisconsin High School Girls Selectside Announces Coach

With immediate effect, Jeff Noe has been named Head Coach of the Wisconsin High School Girls selectside.  Coach Noe comes highly recommended and is universally respected around the country for his work with teams at multiple levels.  His appointment is an exciting step for the program,as his work as Team Manager for the USA u20 Women's National team .. now called the Women's Junior All-American team .. affords him a direct pipeline and contacts with coaches around the country.  With a long and successful stint playing collegiate and then mens division one rugby, in addition to ten years of high school girls coaching, Coach Noe comes with extensive experience.

A letter from Coach Noe to interested players and coaches:

Dear Coaches and Players,

The WI Women’s High School will have a Select Side this spring, so please spread the word.  We will definitely be taking 1 team to Indiana to compete in the Midwest All Star tournament on June 8-9th, and if we have enough interest we will also take a younger developmental side as well.  I want to grow the recognition of Wisconsin rugby and get more players to advance through to Midwest and National selections.  In that mindset of playing select side rugby, I also want to know your interest in attending a tournament in Canada later in the summer against Canadian select sides.  To save money, we can look to carpool from Milwaukee, as it would be about a 12 hour drive instead of flying but I am still looking at the options.  Remember, if we do decide to go, it will require a Passport as well.  I will make a decision on the commitment and interest shortly after the April tryout for this unique opportunity.

A little about myself, hopefully to help alleviate any concerns players, coaches or their parents might have.  I have played rugby for the past 13 years, first at Marquette University, then with the Milwaukee Harlequins/Barbarians as a Division 1 men’s club.  I have also been the USA Women’s U20 Manager for the past 7 years, organizing trips throughout the USA, England, Bahamas and South Africa.  As the manager, I did all the logistics of the trips, food, transportation, lodging, within a tight budget.  I helped coach the first Midwest u19 team when it started several years ago, and am again helping coach the team this year.  Also, I coached at Kettle Moraine High School for the past 10 years.  I recently moved away, but am excited to have an opportunity to come back and work with friends from over the years on advancing WI girls rugby.  I will be around several weekends throughout the spring scouting for players as well as at the Midwest and National tournaments. 

The tryouts for the team will take place on April 14^th and May 5^th from Noon to 3pm.  I am working on the location, but they will be within the Milwaukee area (sorry Fond du Lac and Appleton).  I need interested players to contact me and let me know their availability and interest in the select side season.  Please fill out the form attached in this link with your responses.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qetg5w7ZsJR2AuF37NoDSsxItzhQgwuxtk9z16yu9tE/viewform?sid=82befa9d59a9a43&token=RK64Dz0BAAA.RKWarM2_Ch16RSXCafGQTw.e3NwsOWHxi4pUo1hqvlnxQ

If you have any questions about the program, cost, selections or process, don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Thanks,

Jeff Noe

WI Girls HS Select Side Coach

608-547-9964

jnoe78@gmail.com

College Rugby Initiative

A few girls high school leagues have joined Wisconsin with a conference season played in the fall.  The arguments are numerous, but for us, simply, it comes down to great weather, more consistency in playing weekends, and greater coach, referee, and field availability, since we aren't competing with boys rugby.  Kansas made the move last year and Colorado set the girls in the fall several years ago.

Our rugby friends in the collegiate world have been trying to figure out some similar issues.  The re-printed article below is a rather provocative letter on the collegiate rugby world as it works to adjust to a complex schedule that now include more 7's and 15's rugby:

AMERICAN COLLEGIATE RUGBY INITIATIVE
from http://collegiaterugbyinitiative.wordpress.com/:

This initiative has been set up to make sure that the coaches of college teams, and others vested in the college game, decide what is best for their players and programs.

The goal is that all decisions ensure that we improve, strengthen, and grow men’s and women’s college rugby at all levels and in all parts of the USA.

The major issue with which we are concerned is the creation of a structure for both 15-a-side rugby and 7-a-side rugby that is compatible with our stated goal and is in the best interests of student-athletes.

We need to address when we can play both 15s and 7s in single continuous seasons

We want to better support the development of 7s so that our men and women have the best chance of qualifying for the Olympics.

We want to be fully supportive of Women’s Rugby becoming a varsity sport.

Currently, USA Rugby stages the Collegiate National Championships for 15s for Division I & II Men & Women in the Spring (April & May) and has a National 7s Championship in the Fall (November/December). However, the majority of college teams play their conference 15s season games in the Fall.

It is of major significance that 56% of the college teams in the country have to stop playing through the winter, due to weather and in most instances snow and frozen ground, and resume in late March or early April, just 3 weeks or less before the playoffs. Five (5) of eight (8) Division I Conferences play the bulk of their 15s season in the Fall and have a maximum of one (1) Fall weekend to play 7s. A further 21% of college teams play a split season with some Fall and some Spring games. This means that a total of 77% of college teams play 15s in the Fall.

Because of what Mother Nature gives them they concentrate on 15s in the fall and are left with minimal if any preparation for the National 7s.

The problem is that the majority of teams can’t play a full 15s spring season given the number of weekends available once the weather has improved. They would love to do so, as using a fall season to recruit and develop a team would be a blessing. To then be able to go straight from conference games to national playoffs, as a small percentage of teams do now, without losing players to study abroad or varsity spring sports, would be a joy. It’s simply not even an option in the Northeast or Midwest parts of the country.

In order to strengthen, improve, and grow college rugby the American Collegiate Rugby Initiative proposes that the teams that play a Fall 15s schedule playoff amongst themselves to establish their regional champions.

The American Collegiate Rugby Initiative has heard from countless coaches, players, and college administrators and believes this will be in the best interests of the student-athletes and the game.

Coaching Clinic March 2nd in Green Bay

On Saturday, March 2nd, there will be a Level 200 Coaching Clinic in Howard (Green Bay) at The Watering Hole.  Each team should have at least one fully certified coach.   I encourage everyone to register TODAY who is interested as USA Rugby allocates the coach trainers weeks in advance and if there is a flood of last minute folks signing up, they may turn people away.  Sign up today by using this link:

http://www.usarugby.org/coaching-courses/course-calendar

That same weekend, on Sunday, March 3rd, there will be a Wisconsin RFU General Meeting at The Stadium View in Green Bay.  For more information on both, please visit our homepage:

http://www.wisconsinrfu.org/

CONTACT for the Coaching Clinic  Matt Crapeau
Phone: (920) 740-9383
Email: mattcrapeau@gmail.com

DIRECTIONS  to the clinic location Location: 2107 Velp Ave Howard, WI 54303
Website: Click here to view The Watering Hole's website

Midwest Youth Rugby 2013

The Midwest Rugby Union has long been a supporter of girls rugby.  They were the first territory to bring states together for a regional championship and the event continues to be the largest regional championship for girls rugby, with at least two divisions of teams.  Covering teams from Minnessota all the way over to Ohio and in some years even the western part of Pennsylvania (the Allegheny Rugby Union), it covers roughly a 1000 miles and 7-8 states.

Info on the Midwest Regional Championships can be found at Midwest Youth Rugby.

For 2013 there are four big events being planned, all located at the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart, Indiana:
Midwest Girls Championship - April 27th and 28th in Elkhart
Midwest Girls Championship - April 27th and 28th in Elkhart
Midwest Boys Championship - May 4th and 5th in Elkhart
Midwest All Star Challenge - June 8th and 9th in Elkhart
Midwest Sevens Championship - July 20th in Elkhar

The Long February Freeze

As Wisconsin digs deeper into the winter and ice fishing shanties are getting set up for the ancient sturgeon spear-fishing run on big Lake Winnebego and others, it's hard not to dream of the spring thaw and running around on grass.  Our field reporters have tapped their sources for a sneak preview into the opening weekend of the Spring season.  Something to look forward to:

WGR Opening Week 2013 ... It's only seven weeks away.

3/26/2013 Menomonee Falls vs DS b AND Oak Creek VS DS A    @DRETZKA 4:30 PM

4/6/2013 CMH, DS, BFIELD @The 65th Annual St Louis Ruggerfest

 

4/7/2013 MUSKEGO vs Fond Du Lac  @MUSKEGO 1:00 PM

4/7/2013 VERNON vs OAK CREEK @OAK CREEK 12:00 PM

4/7/2013 Kettle Moraine vs M-FALLS @NAGAWAUKEE 12:00 PM

National Girls in Sports Day

 

Today, February 6th, is the 27th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). 

For more information on the National Girls and Women in Sports Day, visit www.aahperd.org.

Facts on Wisconsin Girls Rugby

-11 Teams, including the newly formed Appleton girls team.

-Approximately 250 high school players currently registered with USA Rugby.

-A record five teams competing in the Midwest Championships in April


Fast Facts on Women’s Rugby in America

• USA Rugby leads the world in women’s rugby participation with over 20,000 participants

• Over 3,000 girls are participating in high school rugby

• There are 35 different state championships for Youth and High School girls 

• There are 347 women’s collegiate rugby clubs and plans for Women’s Rugby to become a recognized NCAA Sport in the near future

• USA Rugby now has 16 contracted, full-time women’s rugby sevens residents at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA 

USA Women’s Rugby Achievements

• In 1987 the USA Women’s National Team was officially born with their first match against the Canadian Women’s National Team. Although the women were not permitted to wear the Eagle logo, this match was sanctioned by Rugby Canada and USA Rugby. USA and Canada began holding an annual match, which became known as the CanAm series. For ten years the Women Eagles went undefeated in this test series.

• In 1991, the USA Women’s National Team won the inaugural Women’s World Cup. In front of a crowd of about 5,000 people, the Eagles went on to control England in the final 19-6 and take the title.

• In 1994, the USA Women’s National Team took second at the World Cup. The United States lost a competitive game to England 38-23 in the second ever Women's Rugby World Cup, hosted in Scotland.

• In the third IRB Women's World Cup in 1998, the USA Women finished second, losing to New Zealand 44-12. This was the first Women's World Cup fully sanctioned by the IRB, and was held in the Netherlands.

• In 2008, the USA Women’s National 7s Team, coached by the first female USA Rugby National 7s Team Coach, Jules McCoy, won the Hong Kong 7s for the first time ever. The USA beat Canada 21-7 in the final in front of 40,000 fans.

• In 2009, the USA Women’s National 7s Team competed in the first ever, combined Men’s & Women’s IRB Rugby Sevens World Cup in Dubai, UAE, barely losing to New Zealand in the semi-finals.

• On December 18, 2010, a USA Women’s Referee became the first female to ever referee an IRB international game. USA Rugby Referee Dana Teagarden was appointed by the International Rugby Board (IRB) to the senior men’s international test match between the Netherlands and Hong Kong in Amsterdam.

• In January 2012, USA Rugby announced the first full-time contracts for USA Women’s and Men’s Rugby 7s players. In partnership with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), 23 rugby sevens athletes received fulltime training contracts.

• In November 2012, USA Women won the first ever IRB Women’s Sevens World Series Shield, taking home some historic hardware. On Day 2, the USA beat China and France decisively to win the Bowl.

• On February 1st and 2nd, 2013, USA Rugby and the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas hosted the second stop on the inaugural IRB Women's Sevens World Series. Twelve teams played historic matches all weekend with the USA Women taking 2nd place. 

What is National Girls and Women in Sports Day?

NGWSD was started by the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports to honor Olympic volleyball athlete Flo Hyman for her achievements and work in women’s equality in sports.  Since Hyman’s death in 1986, the NGWSD has become a day where we remember the past and celebrate current sports achievement for women. 

ODP: Olympic Development Program Announced

Editor's Note: You often see soccer players wearing "ODP" shirts if you spend anytime around youth sports, schools, or the shopping maul.  The 'Olympic' of 'Olympic Develpoment Program' is something that really gets people excited.  For many of these kids and their parents, just taking part of something that is designed to lead into the Olympics is memorable and exciting. 

USA Rugby recently announced they are starting their own ODP program.  While it is not directly aimed at youth rugby players, yet, the announcment is another indication of how rugby's inclusion in the next Olympics in Rio continues to transform the sport.  We at WGR predict we'll be seeing more and more "ODP" programs in coming years, especially for younger and younger athletes.  While not explicitly expressed in the press release, it's also worth mentioning that programs like the Women's Junior All-American program could be considered part of the Olympic Develpoment process.  These programs develop players and afford them opportunities to compete for Olympic spots, even if the All-Americans play 15's rugby and the Olympics is 7's rugby. There will be many players who continue to cross-over in both versions: 

CHULA VISTA, Calif. – The USA Rugby Men’s Eagles Sevens program announced today that it will launch a new initiative designed to identify, develop and monitor potential Eagles throughout the year.  The program will create independent regional academies that will work closely with USA Rugby National Team staff.

The Olympic Development Program (ODP) will be the start of a long-term systematic approach to rugby athlete development and will offer year-round training programs delivered at several newly created Olympic Development Academies (ODAs). 

“Aligning our domestic progression with the international demands of sevens will help intensify the competition for spots at the OTC,” said Men’s Sevens Head Coach Alex Magleby.  “It will also speed up each player’s access to changes in the game, and expand the quality and number of seven-a-side match repetitions over the course of a year.”

Each ODA will provide a 10-month training opportunity with two four-week recovery periods, and continuous assessment and playing opportunities throughout the year. Players attending the center will receive rugby specific training, strength, speed and conditioning sessions, video analysis, fitness testing, and skill development.

Players attending an ODA will also have bi-monthly communication with USA Rugby Sevens coaching staff, and those players demonstrating the potential to play for the Eagles will be offered the opportunity to try out with the national team at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

“Our staff is looking forward to working with some of our top sevens coaches and players on a regular basis,” said Magleby. 

The Olympic Development Program is designed for:

• Up and coming players who are not yet ready for international competition but have demonstrated the ability to play on the national team
• Players who are in the extended player pool but not part of the Eagles’ residency program.
• Domestic club-based athletes, non-collegiate age-grade athletes, and college athletes whose University programs are not delivering a high performance rugby experience.   

College players will be encouraged to have a formal connection with an ODA for out of season development in conjunction with that athlete’s collegiate coach. Athletes attending the centers do not have to play for the entity hosting the center; they will, however, have to follow the program provided for them by their Academy coach.

The Olympic Development Program will be launched in three phases:

• Phase 1 of the program will include six ODA’s in Seattle, Chicago and San Diego (Serevi), Long Beach & Columbus (Emerging Tigers), and Glendale Raptors and will be run as a pilot program to build best-case practices.
• Phase 2 will increase the numbers of centers to support the demand across the country.
• Phase 3 will see the establishment of a National Academy facility and an expansion of the current residency program at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. 

USA Rugby’s six initial ODAs will begin in January of 2013 with a focus on building best-case practices for future expansion.  Applications for Phase 2 will be accepted after February 2013.  Full program details can be downloaded here.