A Ride on the K Train

New Year's Resolution

2011-01-12T17:25:00.001-05:00

It's been over a year since I last posted but fear not, in the spirit of New Year's resolutions I will be blogging in 2011. The coach/teacher in me says that my resolution should include measureable goals. So here are the terms of my New Year's resolution: -4 blogs every week -2 blogs a week must be non rugby -20 blogs every month -2 semi creative blogs a month All New Year's Resolutions have a

Signed, because we're a big deal

2009-12-03T19:16:00.001-05:00

Signed, because we're a big dealSigned, because we're a big deal

My favorite training toy

2009-12-03T16:52:00.001-05:00

Rugby Double Duty!

2009-10-17T22:56:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I finished up all my double duty for the season. This isn't the first season I have done double duty but year four of the player/coach experiment is perhaps the busiest. After two falls of spending too little time with La Salle (coaching) and then last year spending too little time with Philly (playing) I approached this season with the ambitious plan of making it to as many Philly

USA "A" vs Canada "A" now available on USA Rugby Web Site

2009-07-01T22:49:00.002-04:00

With Wendy taking a much deserved vacation I thought someone should mention that the USA "A" match is now online for our viewing pleasure:http://usarugby1.tampadigital.com/mediamanager/And yes I'll give you more to read while wasting time at work tomorrow :)

Combined Camp

2009-03-08T11:38:00.003-04:00

With all of the excitement of the 7's World Cup the combined camp last weekend kind of came and went. Unless you were there of course! This camp was different than last April's in Philly or the previous April's in Chula Vista. The previous two experiences had been combined in the sense that everyone worked together, regardless of their current affiliation (Eagle vs Dev/A.) This time around we

Love/Hate and the Gym

2009-02-19T23:28:00.002-05:00

I hate you red haired boy.I hate that you refuse to be like the rest of the gym rats.I hate that you say hi to me and look just little bit longer than normal.I hate that shoot me lingering smiles without the required high fives, fist pumps and other typical signs that tell me exactly how little that smile means.I hate your hand stand pushups and I hate that they kind of do impress me.I hate that

My New Old Running Buddy

2009-02-11T07:56:00.003-05:00

I was bundling up to go outside a few weeks ago when I noticed Rocky curled up on his bed in my room. Ss I was getting ready to go out I noticed him tracking me with his eyes as I moved around the room. He's so good at looking pathetic. He proceeded to move into a position where he was stretched out, head on paws, still watching me with his eyes. I dragged my tired butt over to the computer to

Being in the right place at the right time

2009-01-13T11:16:00.002-05:00

When I started coaching a few years ago my hope was to find a team that was interested in being competitive on a consistent basis. I wasn't sure exactly what that would look like. I knew there were lots of different models with varying levels of success. Obviously we had the penn state model of both alumni and administrative support. Or a team like Navy where there was good administrative

It's Tough Being a Ref and a New Women's Sports Movie

2009-01-09T10:49:00.003-05:00

Some randomness this Friday morning. I was listening to last.fm last night while running (thank god for my N95) and decided to type in football as a keyword. I assumed that football would give me a lot of hardcore rock music to get hyped up, ala Varsity Blues sound track. Much to my amazement football pulled up very chill music. It turned out our friends from the commonwealth countries like to

25 and Getting Younger?

2008-12-30T18:28:00.003-05:00

It's official, I can now rent cars for reasonable rates, I am 25. Apparently my perceived age is now running in the opposite direction of my actual age. I am not sure when it began to happen. This would not be nearly as strange if not for the fact that previously everyone thought I was much older than I physically was. When did I started to age backwards and why?I had many bizarre memories from

U19 + WNT Recap

2008-11-24T15:00:00.008-05:00

Sometimes I get blogger's block because I know I should blog about something, because no one has talked about it, but just can't seem to find a groove when trying to write about the particular topic. So as part PSA and part reflection, I now give you a brief overview of the INASC WNT Event.The setup for the weekend was pretty straight forward people fly in Friday night, meeting Saturday morning,

Dear USA Rugby, Please Check All Your Calendars Next Time

2008-11-17T23:18:00.004-05:00

Edit: a keen observer of this blog noted that memorial day is actually the 25th of May A quick review of what's going on rugby wise in April and May (with other dates):April 12: Easter DayApril 17-19: , College Nationals Round 1 April 19: Women's TU MatchesMay 1-2: College Nations Round 2May 3: Women's TU MatchesMay 10: Mother's DayMay 16-17: High/U19 Nationals, Men's Playoffs Round 1May 17:

Women's Super League

2008-11-11T20:32:00.006-05:00

So the rumors and whispers in dark smoke filled rooms appear to becoming true: we will have a women's super league. The league will contain the best teams from the past 3 seasons. So before we start talking about the pros and cons of this choice, lets look at how the various teams stack up over that time period.16 points = 1st place finish15 points = 2nd place finish" "9 points = 8th place

Reaching the toilet

2008-11-07T09:05:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you forget how important the little things are. A perfect example is being able to go to the bathroom without worrying about intense pain. No worries this post won't devolve in to potty talk. But being able to get down to the potty has been problematic ever since I hurt my quad in October. At one point I couldn't really bend my quad at all. So in order to get into a sitting position I

Rugby Poetry Slam

2008-10-26T13:12:00.003-04:00

Edit: as Katy aptly pointed out this was actually part of a new Nike campaign . Since Nike is our benefactor it is quite fitting :) After this weekend's game this was posted, it made me smile because i can only image how beat up her knees are from playing on the turf!From a Flanker -------------------------My kneesare tomboys.They get bruised and cuteverytime i play rugby.I'm proud of themand

Mental Toughness

2008-10-16T11:16:00.002-04:00

"Believe you are defeated, believe it long enough, and it is likely to become a fact." Norman Vincent PealeI have been part of some serious ass kickings, the ones that destroy your spirit, where the other team scores and scores and scores. I have been part of bad losses where the other simply wasn't better than us, where we didn't bring our game or our heart. I often times I tell the players I

2-0 and Balance

2008-10-01T22:21:00.003-04:00

Philly and La Salle both moved to 2-0 in league play this weekend.That is all.I personally moved to 2-2 this weekend. 2-2 being the number of games spent with Philly vs the number of games with La Salle. This is something I have struggled with during the last season or two as I felt unsure of how to balance my competing obligations. What I realized was that how I was framing the use of my time

Busy, Busy Winning that Is...

2008-09-21T15:39:00.003-04:00

...at least on the field.It's been a very busy 6 weeks since my last post.I will blame the lack posting squarely on work which has been pretty horrible despite me working like a crazy person. But this post isn't about the 50+ hours a week that I want to crush someone, it's about what those 50+ hours let me do.Philly's season has been moving along nicely. Our team camp in August was a huge success

Alex Williams Wears a New Hat, The Men Get Rid of NASCs and PAC League changes

2008-08-06T06:56:00.002-04:00

I haven't seen any of these stories discussed elsewhere, so I thought I would share them.Women Hire HP ManagerAlex Williams was hired as the High Performance manager for the Women's National Teams. Her job is to bring together the different parts of a high performance program-coaching, training/lifting guidance, fitness assessment, skills development and essentially every other possible component

Canadia Part 3: Wearing the Jersey and Playing the Game

2008-07-28T22:48:00.009-04:00

When you're on tour with 19 players you need to do something pretty bad/rude/disrespectful to not make a 22.Or at least that's what I would assume.From the moment selections were announced I was both excited and nervous for the jersey ceremony. I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen. Luckily half of my teammates were in the same boat, so when the time came I knew I wouldn't be the only

Canada Part 2-Becoming a team on the quick

2008-07-22T11:01:00.005-04:00

When everyone arrived at Appleby college we were 24 strong. We were led by three coaches. Our lives kept in order by an amazing manager. Our bodies protected by a phenomenal trainer. And last but not least there were the 19 players who went to Canada looking to represent their country and take another step in their rugby lives.19 players isn't exactly a large number for a tour. Both

Canada Ho!

2008-07-21T20:56:00.002-04:00

My trip to Canada started at 7am last Wednesday. We had decided to car pool from Philly to Canada because plane tickets to Toronto were unbelievably expensive-$450 at their cheapest. Our noble (and cheap) car pool consisted of the driver, Angie, the navigator, myself and our passengers, Kate Daley, Katie Black and the late comer, XL via the Buffalo airport. The morning was full of surprises. I

La Salle Women’s Rugby Team Starts Off a Great Year With a Nike Grant of $20,000.

2008-07-18T12:39:00.001-04:00

(Philadelphia, PA) The 2008 fall Rugby season has yet to start and La Salle University’s Women’s Rugby team is already having one of their best seasons ever. On July 3, the team was notified that they had received a grant for $20,000 toward Nike merchandise from the Let Me Play

Making Ends Meet (Rugby Style)

2008-07-16T10:42:00.000-04:00

It's expensive to play rugby. I realize that's no a newsflash, nor is it a revelation to mention that playing select side is even more expensive, national team events even more so.The 7 Philly players involved in WNT events this summer have been fund raising our butts off. To our credit we've been very creative in our efforts. We started with the standard rugby fund raiser, the bar event. We did

A Good First Impression

2008-07-15T10:00:00.003-04:00

My girls are going to get some major PR this week.Luckily we had just started to invest in a new website.Sadly the old sites still appear in the google searches.So help us get our google rating up by linking to us.www.lasallewomensrugby.org

When tracking your online rep goes bad

2008-07-09T06:09:00.002-04:00

I'll admit, I am a little paranoid about shit talking behind my back.In the last few months there have been more then a few moments where I have learned about real time shit talking. Sometimes I ignore shit talking because it doesn't help to confront it. Sometimes it starts a genuine dialog with someone who you barely know, ie my chat with Tina Nesberg at WNT camp this spring. When shit talking

Women's Rugby Review

2008-07-08T06:56:00.000-04:00

If you haven't checked out this blog, you should. (Extra bull removed so you can spend time reading that blog instead)

How USA "A" vs Canada "A" becomes USA vs Ontario

2008-07-08T06:04:00.002-04:00

While knowledge of the WNT team's involvement in the Nations Cup is at least circulating, information about this summer's USA "A" event has been kept on the down low.I was very excited when I got word that I had been selected as part of USA "A's" assembly and game against Canada "A." It's next logical progression in my select side experience and I am confident that I am setup for success,

Adventures in home made energy snacks

2008-07-07T06:41:00.000-04:00

Back in April I decided I was going to free myself from the tyranny of energy bars.Not that I don't love energy bars or snacks in general.In fact my body runs is much happier with a constant stream of balanced calories throughout the day. I seem to have inherited my mother's hypoglycemic tendencies. If I let my blood sugar crash I get very grumpy and start to have physical symptoms: headaches,

Territorial Season Wrap Up/Debate

2008-06-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Part of me is shocked that two weeks ago was NASCs.Back in February, the official start of my season, it was soooo far away.Depending on what territory you play for the road to NASC was either a full blown season or the traditional camp plus warmup match. I enjoyed the full blown territorial season that MARFU played but that was not a universal feeling. But before we start to discuss that thorny

Screw ESPNU, More ESPN Rugby Coverage

2008-05-16T15:24:00.002-04:00

I am not sure if everyone just missed this piece of news or what but USA Rugby has extended their deal with ESPN.Those with fast internet connections should check out ESPN360.com, which currently has a ton of rugby league action but will broadcast a lot of USA Rugby content that is also going to be on the ESPN networks. For some people the service is free, so check it out. It does have some steep

Nations Cup Set for August

2008-04-25T10:24:00.002-04:00

Rugby Canada's website has information on what is going to be a huge international women's rugby event.The Nation's Cup, August 15-31, will take place in England. It will pit, England, Canada, Wales, France and the US against each other in a round robin format.Outside of the two year old Six Nations tournament and Women's RWC, the Nation's Cup would be the largest women's international

MARFU v Pacific, MARFU v Socal

2008-04-13T16:22:00.004-04:00

We (MARFU) kicked off our spring season with two great matches on San Fransisco's Treasure Island.Bay Area ruggers were great hosts for MARFU, helping players get to and from airports and giving us places to stay.Saturday afternoon, in the almost 80 degree heat, MARFU just missed upsetting the Pacific Coast, losing 20-14.We spent a good deal of the first 10 to 15 minutes of the game camped out in

Watch this space (rugby ahead)

2008-04-11T10:23:00.002-04:00

I know I have been very quiet as of late but expect rugby blogging:This week, MARFU vs PAC, MARFU vs SoCalNext weekend, WNT skills camps here in PhillyTwo weeks from now, MARFU U23 dev at DC Ruggerfest

The Three Headed Dragon

2008-03-26T12:35:00.004-04:00

If you've been in the rugby community more than a hot minute you know we have a coaching shortage. There are never enough coaches for any level. At the college and club level you can play without a separate coach. But tragically we have at least one high school club each spring that is close to folding for lack of a coach. In the fall I experienced the luxury of luxuries, having an assistant

Our First Scrimmage of the Season

2008-03-18T10:03:00.005-04:00

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when the first game on La Salle's schedule was a "scrimmage" vs the alumni. Our first week of practice (more on this later) went very well given that we had four rookies and the vast majority of the rest of our players had two or three seasons of rugby under their belt. With this young group in mind I was extra worried about what form the game would take.I made

Important: Moment of Silence for a Fallen Rugger

2008-03-13T09:57:00.002-04:00

This tragic situation has been talked about on the MARFU list serve and briefly mentioned on Goff but I feel like everyone should know and give it some consideration. Here is the note sent by EPRU President Steve Cohen. Moment of Silence Being Observed Throughout MARFU On Saturday March 1, 2008, Todd Miller of the Longwood University Rugby Club suffered a devastating head injury in a match

Dealing with the List

2008-03-10T12:57:00.004-04:00

As rugby players we seem to pride ourselves on our inclusiveness. We often times take the cast away from other sports. The people are disenchanted. The people who weren't quite good enough. The people who hated their high school coach. Or the folks who were never given a shot in the first place.It's somewhat ironic that the rugby world loves lists. We love to think we're so enclusive.If you're an

Sorority Women, Rugby Players,Cheerleaders and Dykes

2008-03-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I found myself working in the Student Center, filling in for shifts that will hopefully be in the hands of student workers soon.I was looking forward towards Saturday's program with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. Our friends in Student Activities were hosting a Greek leadership event that focused on shared values. I was excited because I honestly don't know much about

Asking to play, demanding to play

2008-03-06T13:11:00.003-05:00

I have posted before that I am intrigued by images of female athletes. I was recently looking for all the commercials that Nike was playing during last year's Soccer World Cup and stumbled upon some golden oldies. I remember seeing these commercials and thinking cool, actually it was more of a feeling. Looking back on it, while these commercials are positive they are also kind of pathetic. The

A seriously good blog/news reader

2008-02-27T11:51:00.002-05:00

Fellow PWRFC blogger, Emily, wrote a short note about the benefits of getting your blog fix from google reader. Emily points out the versatility of this particular web application: blogs, news, or really any site that updates its self with content fairly frequently.Of course rss feed readers have been around for a while. I used to use a desktop based rss reader to get my blog fix. The main

Scrimmage Pictures

2008-02-26T23:18:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Kara for shooting these photos...despite being on crutches.

I wanna be a California Girl...

2008-02-19T23:09:00.003-05:00

I must be a jinx. Whenever I head to the SoCal during the winter months I seem to bring the crappy weather with me. Maybe it would be more accurate to call it weather that is less beautiful than SoCal typically is known for. So for the third year in a row I went to Southern California and it was warmer in Philadelphia for at least one day.I could care less.I was lucky enough to be in San Diego of

The Lighter Side of Camp

2008-02-17T00:02:00.003-05:00

Well camp is turning out to be totally rocking...but until i get to a full blog next week you can check out the lighter side of things.

Results from Youth Rugby Injury Study

2008-02-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

Found this via Goff, abstract below via journal article: Injuries Sustained by High School Rugby Players in the United States, 2005-2006 Christy L. Collins, MA; Lyle J. Micheli, MD; Ellen E. Yard, MPH; R. Dawn Comstock, PhD Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162(1):49-54. ABSTRACT Objectives To describe the incidence and characteristics of injuries

Tentative WNT Schedule for 2008 (plus other info)

2008-02-06T09:03:00.000-05:00

Last night I got around to reading the 4th quarter WNT report from USA Rugby, which while in the public domain, is not on their website.WNT Tentative Schedule for 2008:Feb 15-18th: USA "A" Camp at Chula Vista (confirmed)April (most likely weekend of the 19th): Positional Camp in Philadelphia (sounds like a done deal already)June 13th-15th: Senior NASCs in TBD (confirmed)July: Can-Am series, USA

Maxing Out

2008-02-01T10:04:00.000-05:00

So the time has come to max out in the three main lifts that the powers that be (PTB)seem to care about. Just for "fun" the PTB also sent the players in the pool a list of fitness, speed, agility, strength and weight standards. I decided to check myself against as many of the standard as I could do in doors (ooops no 300 M shuttle, damn.)Wow, well kind of depressing I suppose. I am pretty close

Women's 6 Nations on 247.TV

2008-01-31T10:53:00.000-05:00

Wendy mentioned the up coming Women's 6 Nations tournament a few days ago on her blog. You can check out the action for yourself by tuning into 247.TV streaming coverage or their much higher quality match downloads. Sadly they'll only be covering the sections of the tournament hosted in England/Wales.

Getting the Job

2008-01-25T08:28:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was my official first day as a permanent, full time staff member of Temple University's Student Center Operations team. I'm one of three operations managers who manage the day to day happenings in the building. In addition, I'm specifically in charge of our technology and av equipment throughout the building. I am also in charge of the website.I started working at the Student Center

Service and PR

2008-01-22T11:56:00.000-05:00

I blogged before about the ladies getting some positive press coverage at school and volunteering time as a group.Here's a picture of the group that went and wrapped gifts bound for the less fortunate during the holidays:While I am disappointed to learn they were not in full kit, I am always proud to see them representing their university and the club so well.Of course yesterday was a day of

Gym Inspiration

2008-01-18T09:23:00.000-05:00

The start of my work week kind of sucked. I had some really ridiculous problems imaging our smart carts and ended up spending 26 hours at work between Monday and Tuesday. The week ended up dragging on for what seemed like an eternity. What made Monday seem beyond long was that I never got to the gym (a product of being at work for 14 hours.) Despite working another god awful day on Tuesday I

The End of Comments or Why We Need an Alternative to Goff

2008-01-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading SARD or YSHC over the last few months you might have heard that Goff on Rugby added a comments feature. As you might have also noticed, SARD and YSHC mentioned that the were some heated debates going on.Maybe arguments is a better term for what was going on.Or maybe flame wars?No matter how you judge the interactions happening in Goff's comment section, there was something

My First Gift

2008-01-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

My dad always a perspective about me giving him gifts on Christmas, Father's Day and his birthday. Don't bother. To my dad it seemed silly, what could I give him that he couldn't give himself? I know that sounds pretty materialistic at first. However, in an act of significant sappiness, my dad would always razz me for not getting him anything for some particular holiday and then tell me that

Thoughts on 34-0

2007-12-18T14:43:00.000-05:00

I really like being able to see the WNT games. I was extra excited because I was going to record the game by outputting the image to my tv and use my dvd-recorder (though ripping the stream would have been easier.)I was foiled in my recording attempts to some degree, I actually missed the opening 15 minute because I didn't have the latest version of real player for Linux. Realplayer upgrade in

Getting Positive Attention

2007-12-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons I love my college girls is that they really understand the big picture. Part of the big picture is receiving positive attention from the college and community.On Monday night the girls went out wrapped gifts for the disadvantaged children. Very admirable as a community service project. What makes it a crazy PR move is that they wrapped toys wearing their game kit. Way to

Official Anouncement About National Team Changes

2007-12-11T14:14:00.000-05:00

I have gotten this email three times so far but eh at least it's out.To athletes in the USA Rugby Women’s National Team pool; and to TU senior and U23 coaches and administrators: The 2008 select side season will be the first full year that we use our new age grade structure. The WNT program now consists of the USA Under 20 National Team; the USA A Team; and the USA Women’s National Team (

Ruggers in the gym

2007-12-06T16:13:00.000-05:00

I am working out like a fiend.Thank god.I love rugby, I really do but some nights you go to practice and you are just off. You're dropping passes, going downward dog in scrums and in general looking like a cone. There is something some simple about working out, it might very well be the level of control. You have total control of how hard you go. Either way I always feel really good after

Starting the off season with a fight-problems in MARFU U19 Land

2007-11-16T11:11:00.000-05:00

Since many folks who read my blog are from the MARFU area I wanted to share with you an open email I sent to almost everyone in the MARFU girls'/women's community. I hope the stakeholders who didn't get this email will see it here:MARFU U19 Women's Program: We Need to Do BetterMy apologies in advance for folks who have no interest in this subject and or get this message twice. I think the topic

My Extended Off Season

2007-08-07T10:40:00.000-04:00

The off season has been going fairly well. The two week transition workout was a nice reprieve from the intensity of the in season workout and the even more intense off season work out. But eventually things had to really get challenging. This expectation has not led to any disappointments that's for sure.Three days a week of lifting, two days of combined agility/speed and one day of

Never Trust Canadians, the NA4 is the NA2

2007-08-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

I assume that this is the final word on the NA2(4) event for the end of august. From womeneagles.com 8.6.07 - USA Rugby announced its roster of elite players who will be invited to participate in two friendly matches against Canada in August. The US will assemble on Friday, August 24 to begin training in preparation for the two upcoming matches. The "friendly" matches will take place on Monday,

More Women's NA4 News (Thanks Canda)

2007-08-02T13:35:00.001-04:00

I love getting my US rugby news from the Canadian website...makes me feel like a spy or something. Or is that traitor?So two weeks they sent out the invites to folks for the NA4, with the somewhat surprising news that it wasn't going to be a NA4, instead it was going to be one American team vs one Canadian team twice. Sort of like the World Cup tune up last summer during NASCs. The explanation

Great Post for Forwards....

2007-07-30T12:24:00.000-04:00

Check my coach's awesome comparison of scrumming ideology: http://coachingrugby.blogspot.com/2007/07/scrummaging-old-school-vs-current-style.htmlSorry for the lack of blogging... I am having a rough a few weeks.

Finishing up 7s...MARFUs 2007

2007-07-24T22:08:00.000-04:00

So we went to MARFUs this weekend, we played are butts off, had some really awesome team and individual moments but just couldn't find that next level. On our way to fourth place, out of 6, we lost two close games to NOVA II, won a game against Maryland and game as close to beating NOVA I as I have seen in four summers. We even had at least two players who will be at 7's NASC (Sinkler, Lesha),

An Army of 14

2007-07-17T12:15:00.000-04:00

Nothing says summer fun like 13 of your closest friends playing 7s in the greater DC area. Philly traveled down to the DC Metro area for their virgin outing in NOVA's Ruggerama tournament.It was quite hot and unfortunately I could not hunt down the tents the night before. More unfortunately the tournament was being held on one of the pitches I most malign, Rosecroft Raceway. How to justly define

Avenging the ACL

2007-07-10T09:08:00.000-04:00

Before the summer started we decided not to go Cheese Steak 7s, in no small part because this year it fell on the same weekend as Cape Fear. Knowing that some people would choose to go to Cape Fear and some would still be away from long 4th of July breaks.Yet there I was, playing in Cheese Steak 7s last weekend. Not as part of PWRFC but as part of the ACL Avengers, a grim tribute to Mancini's

Rookie Skits

2007-07-06T11:59:00.000-04:00

Rookie skits are one of those fun rugby traditions that helps give rugby its unique flavor. Plus, even though they take some work, they are almost always a lot of fun for the people watching and doing them. I am a little disappointed that at the ripe old age of 23 I might have done my last skit for a while. That is unless I invent a non-rookie skit, ala Fontaine and company on the u23s. I suppose

Harrisburg Photos

2007-07-06T09:42:00.000-04:00

First pictures from the women's final between DC and NOVAHarrisburg 07 FinalsFun pictures from the day and socialHarrisburg 2007

Blog Changes and Follow the U23s in NZ

2007-07-05T12:36:00.000-04:00

You might have noticed I have been tweaking some elements of the site over the course of the last few days. So the left hand sidebar is going to keep being rugby related blog and news feeds. You'll notice I have been working some computer mojo and creating feeds. Thanks to feedyes.com I took a site without a feed and it picked out the headlines to create one for me. Pretty nifty stuff. Then I

Their training, my training, our training...

2007-07-04T21:25:00.000-04:00

I meant to write about this sooner but my sadly former teammate Elise is now blogging all about her training. Make sure to visit her here because I know she'd love some visitors to keep her focused. Another blogger who likes to talk about training is Kentucky. In honor of her return to blogging and her arrival here in the city of brotherly love, check out her blog too.So once again we're heading

It happened one day/night in Harrisburg

2007-07-02T16:11:00.000-04:00

With 30 plus players/groupies in tow, PWRFC rolled in Fort Indian Gap, PA for one of the best days of rugby fun in recent memory. We had some issues early in the week pinning down the numbers for the tournament. We probably could have had a third side. More to the point we could have used a few more speedy back types. Jen and I spent the morning with our heads together trying to piece together

Fun Videos from NASC

2007-07-02T00:45:00.000-04:00

So in finally got around to posting the videos to you tube.From the social on Sunday night, a little dancing action (I got you patches!)From MARFU skit night, the hilarious if not just a little bit bizarre, MARFU wedding.

On the move?

2007-06-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

So today I finally broke down and submitted a cover letter and resume for a job not in Philadelphia.I was close to doing two yesterday, I'll probably follow up by doing the cover letters for those tonight, but today I found the exact job I wanted at NYU. Early in the process I had a close call, the job I wanted was open at UPenn and because my boss knew the director, I was essentially being green

Updates from Womeneagles.com

2007-06-29T11:21:00.000-04:00

Apparently the web gnomes were busy in the last day or two, some things have become more clear, some have become less clear, either way you should check out the website.So there it is kids, the full TU schedule for next spring. All the games are on Sunday.There was also some information about the NA4. Well, it looks like the dates might be changing because they don't specify dates, they only say

The PWRFC Entourage in Blaine

2007-06-22T14:07:00.000-04:00

Photo thanks to Alli D.

Rugby Canada: NA4 Stuff and "Carding"

2007-06-21T23:46:00.000-04:00

So on a lark I did some googling and it turns out the details of the NA4 have been on Rugby Canada's website for a while now. The women's NA4 will run from the 20th of August to the 29th and according to the website, will be in Blaine, Mn. Oddly enough this is only two days after the Canadian National Women's League final. Apparently Canada haggled to get this particular set of dates...not that I

Territorial Season Coming Next Spring

2007-06-21T13:55:00.000-04:00

Folks who read Put Me in Coach have probably read about the NA4 series being adopted this summer as an important step between TU players and the national team. News of this first came out following camp in Chula Vista but the dates and what not had not been finalized. Sadly this year's NA4 is going to overlap with the 7's TU champions but next year things are set to change.The NA4 is set to

As promised, photos!

2007-06-20T22:37:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for action shots you're out of luck, if you're looking for off the field fun, then hurray for you.NASC 2007: Team Dinner and other odditiesNASC 2007: Social Time

NASC 2007: Close but no cigar, Cheering on the U23s, Etc

2007-06-19T14:40:00.001-04:00

There's nothing harder, in any sport, than playing well enough to win but not well enough beat the other team.You all know what I am talking about, that feeling of going out, playing really hard and just not quite making it on the scoreboard. That essentially was the story of MARFU senior's trip to the 2007 NASC.The team that went to Blaine this year was anchored by at least a dozen players that

7s Time!

2007-06-12T12:32:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was our first 7s tournament of the summer. This summer has been different from the start since we've been enjoying the tutoring of Jen and V, plus a general enthusiasm that comes from believing you might win a little bit.But it all started with with touch rugby. This summer I decided that one day of PWRFC rugby goodness was not enough and that the best remedy was TNT, Tuesday Night

Bloody Touch

2007-05-25T14:27:00.000-04:00

With time on my hands, I decided to roll into my hometown for some much needed touch rugby. Last summer I occasionally went to touch rugby in my hometown but only when we didn't have 7s practice. What I really like about touch rugby is that you can just do things. You know things you that I am not confident enough to try or things that I see other people doing but I have never been coached

The First Box I Liked Being In...

2007-05-02T22:58:00.000-04:00

This weekend was a sad weekend, the last game for my college girls for the year. I was able to watch the entire game and be my emphatic self on the sideline. We were playing Drexel, a DIII playoff team from the fall and coached by a former PWRFC coach. In a season that was developmentally oriented I was hoping that we would put together all of the strands and that my seniors would go out with a

DIII and DIV (Unofficial) Women's National Championships

2007-04-27T11:45:00.000-04:00

Edit:A thousand apologies to my teammate Puffy who also coaches Penn and I am sure does a bad ass job of it. Plus she's a Bowdoin alumni which is cool because they have varsity rugby plus who wouldn't want their mascot to be a polar bear?Hey Folks, this weekend we're co-hosting the DIII and IV national championships. One of our players coaches will be leading the University of Pennsylvania

Getting back on track...

2007-04-27T10:26:00.000-04:00

When I came from Chula Vista I was totally burnt out. It had been really fun but at the same time it setup another long journey. Plus I came home to the same emotional mess of not getting into Grad school, deciding what to do about it and in general, emotionally processing the fact I am graduating in May.Last week was a tough one. School work started coming due. I never caught up on sleep during

Chula Vista = Awesome

2007-04-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

I decided to post this despite the fact I am still working on it...I hope my trip to Chula Vista last weekend will be the first of many because it was really fun. Despite the trouble with flights, on both ends, despite some fitness testing disappointments and despite the frequently blunt, very sobering comments from Cathy, I loved the 3.5 days I spent in Chula Vista. So here's how it went:

Disappointment, Success and Moving Forward

2007-04-07T00:13:00.000-04:00

After a physically intense practice, I found myself getting ready for bed at 11:15. On a lark I decided to check Temple's online records system to see if there was a status update about my graduate school application, I was greeted by the following message.Admission to graduate programs is competitive, and Temple University cannot offer you admission at this time.Stunned, I washed my face,

A Long Weekend of Hard Rugging

2007-03-30T10:38:00.001-04:00

Yeah for Fridays!There is a ton of rugby going on in my rugby universe this weekend.PWRFC is playing a developmental round robin, one game against the York-Lancaster Thorns and one game against Doylestown. I am excited to see how we're progressing as a group and hoping to play like half a game with my teammates. If I don't play on Saturday I won't have another opportunity to play with my

I would have rather been in Nashville but Kutztown will do

2007-03-26T15:24:00.000-04:00

For the third time in four years I missed a weekend with PWRFC. I decide not to go because of money constraints back in February. I knew I would be kind of glum but luckily my girls had a game...so i still got to be around rugby this weekend.The game was kind of a crazy affair from the get go. Our original schedule was to play Bucknelland things got weird and next thing we know we're playing

Just a little change...

2007-03-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

Some things never change: me over training, me enjoying contact a little too much and of course the occasional "errant" or less than sympathetic pass during practice.But this post is about a change. We, the team, decided we needed a coaching change after the fall. A search committee went through the applicants and in the end the best candidate was someone many people were familiar with.Practice

Women's Provincial League in Canada, Follow the WNT in Hong Kong

2007-03-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

Some quick rugby links to explore this Friday.First off, check out the online, Hong Kong 7's diaries of Amy Daniels and Yancy Graf, brought to you by the lovely folks at WomenEagles.com.It's been report by Blondie, Planet Rugby and just about everyone else, Rugby Canada announced they'll be running a, province based, national women's league. I personally think that USA Rugby needs to carefully

Mother Nature vs Rugby, Rugby vs Fields

2007-03-17T21:30:00.000-04:00

It was bound to happen sometime, it only took 5 years of playing in Philadelphia, but finally a Nor easter knocked out a Saturday's worth of rugby. Games were not just cancelled here in Philadelphia but from the DC area through Boston. Take your pick, too much rain (drownd in a ruck) or play with inches of fresh fallen frozen precipe (fall on your face, twist your ankle, etc.)Here in Philadelphia

Busy, Busy, Rugby, Busy

2007-03-14T23:04:00.000-04:00

So the lack of posting sucks. I have had to make some sacrifice at the beginning of this semester in order to setup the end of my semester. Once I am done with mid terms this week expect some longish posts.They'll be plenty of rugby to post about I might add. Between MARFU stuff swinging into gear early, going into my second season as a coach and adjusting to a new club coach, i have a lot of

The off season limps to a close....

2007-03-02T10:50:00.000-05:00

So I did, somehow I managed to screw up the end of my off season. I really wanted to make a lot of improvements this off season, not just in one area of my physical conditioning but, ambitiously, in all the areas, including some that I had neglected as of lesser importance. So armed with a pretty vicious 6 days a week routine, I started to train in the third week of November. My goals were this:1

Got Rugby?

2007-02-23T13:23:00.000-05:00

It's the last week in February and rugby already has the death hold on me. Who will kill who is still up in the air =)Three weeks ago my La Salle girls started training inside. La Salle being the world's most under equipped DI athletics program, barely has enough space for their varsity athletes, so I have faced a logistical challenge of how to accomplish our rugby goals with our limited

On Track, Just Not Online

2007-02-05T16:34:00.000-05:00

I have been a bad blogger, I know. Real life has been both demanding but flowing really well, hence the major reason for a lack of blogging.I have also had some computer problems at home. Essentially I had a portable USB drive fail 10 days ago and hosed my home computer pretty badly; vainly hoping that the computer not the USB drive was problem. At one point I thought I had totally destroyed the

Busy Busy....But Good.

2007-01-26T12:56:00.000-05:00

It's been bad on the blogging front this week. Life has picked up the pace in the last week because school and rugby commitments beginning to rise. I am trying to get comfortable with reading at my school job, where I spend 25 hours a week. I am also slogging through 20 hours at blockbuster on the weekends, with the added bonus of worrying about my store closing. I spend 13 hours in the

Monday Rugby News

2007-01-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

Some rugby news from all over today.Tired of paying a cover at your local pub to watch a single match? Enjoy watching rugby, football, and all things not American enough for cable tv? ITVN will give you Setanta for 15 dollar a month. Essentially it's a video over Internet service, but instead of using your computer, they use a converter box for ordinary TVs. The rest of their services are

Swing and a Miss

2007-01-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

Long nights at Blockbuster start something like this:Upon coming into the store you find out that your location will be closed in mid march.In a sudden rush of nervousness and generalized hysteria, your brain believes it's the perfect time to ask the cute artsy customer/boy for coffee.Said cute artsy boy proceeds to tell you that you shouldn't want to go out with him because he's a real bastard

"Big Girl" vs being athletic (and knowing it)

2007-01-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking a lot about this nomenclature we sometimes use in the rugby community. I use the term "big girl" fairly frequently and as of late I have kind of examined what it means to me. I used to think it was silly when players, see younger college folks, squirmed at the idea of being referred to as big girls. For the most part I chalked this up to socialization that portrays women who

One Happy Camper...speed camper that is...

2007-01-14T20:53:00.000-05:00

During my last weekend of winter break I went to camp, Julie McCoy's mobile speed camp that is, that PWRFC hosted with a great deal of logistical help specifically by our former skipper and everyone's favorite blogging coach. When I decided to do this back in late November I had reservations partially because of my health, partially because of the money and in no small part because I wasn't sure