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Wednesday, 15 June 2011 18:49    PDF Print Write e-mail
Eagle Eye: A Home of One's Own for 7s
Columns - Eagle Eye

Martin Sera Lima photoStaring in the face of an unsuccessful attempt to build on the momentum of the USA women’s 7s team’s 3rd-place finish in the 2009 World Cup, and the USA men’s 7s team’s reaching the final of the 2010 Adelaide 7s, the USA 7s programs may have to start thinking along different lines in order to start the drive to an Olympic medal in 2016.

The timeline is not getting any longer, and in fact is shrinking faster than the passage of time. The Pan Am games are in just over four months, giving the USA Men’s 7s team precious little time to formulate a team (to Olympic eligibility standards) that could win a Gold Medal over Canada and Argentina.

Then after that, there’s a World Cup in 2013 and Olympic Qualification, probably in 2014. Neither the USA Men or Women, given recent results, should be expected to achieve a place in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio unless the field is expanded to at least 12 and North America gets two seeds.

And given that the Government of Canada has, through their Own the Podium program, given the Canadian 7s programs $1.6 million to ensure that their players can devote time to training for 2016 success, we can be sure we’re not keeping pace with our neighbors, much less the rest of the world.

In Canada, despite the massiveness of the country and it’s vociferous provincialism (literal in this case – each province knows for a fact they are the true, tough, frost-bitten Canadians and the rest are just pretenders), there’s little argument about locating elite training in one area. You know, for example, that if you are serious about 7s in Canada, you better be spending a lot of time in Victoria or Vancouver, BC. There really isn’t a debate.

We need to be prepared to think along similar lines.

Without a large influx of cash from the government, American rugby players will again have to play catchup. But what they lack in public funding they make up with a large group of athletes, including a growing population of 1st- and 2nd-generation Polynesian athletes who love rugby, and a privately-funded, nationally-recognized collegiate 7s development pathway that was created out of whole cloth last spring by RUGBYMag.com’s employers, USA 7s, and NBC.

In addition, the All Americans will play as a 7s team this summer, and the High School All Americans started playing 7s in February, thanks once again to USA 7s, which started the Las Vegas Invitational.  State high school games and organizations from Washington to Iowa to New York have embraced 7s as the Olympic ideal of full contact team sports, something Americans should fall in love with, if they get the chance.

The dream should be obvious: a central location for our 7s players to live and train; a new enthusiasm for 7s in the community, high school and collegiate ranks creates athletes who know a little bit about 7s when they get to their 20s; the USA men play in the IRB circuit, the USA women create their own circuit (Dubai, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Amsterdam); both senior teams create secondary teams (the Cougars, the Falcons, whatever you wish to call them) that go to non-IRB tournaments, especially in the Caribbean and South America, to get international experience; the All Americans and High School All Americans continue to play 7s, not just once a year, but in select  tournaments (Las Vegas Invitational, New York 7s, Cape Fear). And we give all of those players somewhere to go, when they can, to train for the Olympics.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the USA teams could establish their own 7s-specialist city in which to start this 7s dream. The obvious location is, of course, San Diego. The Olympic Training Center is in Chula Vista, which is just outside the city. USA 7s Men’s Coach Al Caravelli has a residence in San Diego. I don’t know of USA 7s Women’s Coach Ric Suggitt would move to the region, but I highly doubt he’s dead set against the idea.

I also highly doubt every player in the pipeline could move there, but certainly some could. And, as we’ve seen, there are rugby players and football crossovers who are willing to move just about anywhere if it means an Olympic dream. Certainly any pool of 20 players in one place, training regularly under the national team coach and working part-time with the help of local rugby contacts, will get better much faster than anyone doing the old Tuesday-Thursday grind.

We can’t wait for USOC money, or sponsorship money, or any major windfall, unless we are willing to take charge of the situation ourselves. Good for Canada for their Own the Podium program. In America, we need to make our own opportunities.

Establish an unofficial USA Olympic Rugby Training Center somewhere (we’re saying it should be San Diego, but you could argue for Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, or a bunch of other places, too);

Establish a formal and reportable season not only for the USA men, but the women, their  developmental teams, and the age-grade teams;

Show the USOC, the OTC, and everyone else that the USA 7s team is in business, and therefore is deserving of corporate and public/private support.

Own the Podium. That’s nice. How about we, as a rugby nation, own our own future.

 

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Written by RUGBYMag.com News Release    Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:34    PDF Print Write e-mail
64 Teams Compete in NYC Rugby Cup
School Age - Youth






Jersey City PAL representing Australia and Washington Irving Elementary School representing Kazakhstan, win first NYC Rugby Cup Middle School and Elementary School Championship Titles.

June 11, 2011 (New York City, NY) - Over 1000 people made the journey out to Randall's Island Saturday for the 2011 NYC Rugby Cup, despite inclement weather. 64 teams competed in nearly 180 matches for the coveted City Cup titles.

The event, now in its fourth year and sponsored again by HSBC Bank USA, N.A. (HSBC), continued to build upon past year's success. A colorful opening ceremony showcased 40 different nationally-themed jerseys, boasted bagpipers (courtesy of the American Scottish Foundation) and featured a national anthem performed by an opera singer. Following the opening ceremony, the players were sent off to their fields for match kickoff at 10am.

The pool games were hotly contested on 14 fields prior to 12:45pm, at which point the administrators carefully seeded the teams for the playoffs. The playoffs consisted of a Cup, Plate, Bowl, Shield, and Crown for middle school players and a Cup, Plate, and Bowl for elementary school players, enabling all teams a chance to win some silverware.

At the middle school level, the Plate, Bowl, Shield, and Crown trophies were lifted by (PS223 representing Kazakhstan), PS218 (representing England), PS269 (representing Slovakia), and Pelham (representing Argentina). At the elementary school level, the Plate and Bowl trophies were won by PS20 (representing Canada) and Pelham (representing Italy).

That left the elementary and middle school Cups to finish off the action for the day. For the first time in the past two years, Epiphany for the elementary division and IS 392 in the middle school division did not make the finals to defend their titles.

There were a couple individual awards given out at the event as well: the MVP awards and the Frank Garcia Spirit of Rugby Award. This special trophy is named in honor of Frank Garcia, a Department of Education staffer who abruptly and tragically passed away this past year. Frank had been a friend, supporter, and ally of Play Rugby USA since it began working with the DOE in 2006, and the staff at Play Rugby USA were honored to be able to commemorate him with an award at the NYC Rugby Cup. The award was given to elementary and middle school players who each exhibited a true love of rugby and the values that stand at the center of the Play Rugby USA program: sportsmanship, teamwork, respect, and communication.

The recipients of the first Frank Garcia Spirit of Rugby Award were Alfrane De Jesus for the elementary division and Matthew Farnell of the middle school division. The MVPs on the day were Malik Jones for the elementary division and Matthew Williams for the middle school division.

The Cups and individual player awards were then presented by Ashley Parker, EVP HSBC; Lori Benson, Director, Office of Fitness and Health Education; James Dawson, MPS Global Securities; Paul Gestro, Director East America and Consul General, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise; Serge St. Leger Jr., Director of School & CBO Partnerships; and Dr. Gregory S. DiFelice.

The tournament represented the best of New York City with the addition of 7 invitational teams from outside the city that work alongside Play Rugby USA. In total, 16 teams participated from Manhattan, 18 from Brooklyn, 9 from the Bronx, and 7 from Queens.

We would also like to remind everyone there are still tickets available to the NYC Rugby Cup Cocktail Benefit on June 17th. This event is Play Rugby USA’s primary fundraiser, and the funds raised help support the cost of the NYC Rugby Cup. Tickets can be purchased at-http://prusanycrugbycupbenefit.charityhappenings.org/

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Written by Tim Lewis    Tuesday, 14 June 2011 20:14    PDF Print Write e-mail
An American Coaching Overseas
Columns - Op-Eds

Arkansas-born coach Tim Lewis is back in New Zealand where he has pursued most of his rugby coaching.

He writes for us an update on how he has been doing. – AG

 

I attended Peter Thorburn’s Elite USA World Cup coaching camp in San Diego back in 2007 and was asked this question by several of the American coaches there “ that if I had been all around the world for the past 20 years playing and coaching rugby, then why had they never heard of me?”

American-born rugby coach Tim Lewis, is now coaching at Napier in New Zealand My guess is that living and coaching on opposites sides of the globe would play a big part in flying under the radar of American coaches. Their questioning my caliber was justifiable and I will endeavor to shed some light on my rugby coaching history, thus so far, in this update.

In 2006 I had just finished IRANZ elite coaching course and a season coaching in Nelson, New Zealand while completing a coaching internship with the professional Tasman Makos. This allowed me the opportunity to observe and take part in trainings with DOR Todd Blackadder (now the Canterbury Crusaders Super 15 coach) Dennis Brown (NZ U21 coach) and Bevan Caldwell.

Since then I have coached Tauranaga Sports Club, Reporoa RFC and King Country’s provincial team, all teams New Zealand’s North Island. I spent a season down in Tucuman, Argentina as a coaching advisor and last year I coached Santa Monica as well as assisting the University of Arkansas team. I currently coach in New Zealand with the Napier Pirates Premier club along with doing an unofficial internship with this regions rep team, the Hawkes Bay Magpies. This is the second time I have been fortunate enough to be involved with a fully professional New Zealand team.

Since 2007 I have enjoyed four very successful and productive seasons. I started 2008 coaching Tauranga Sports in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand with Errol Brain (former NZ Māori All Black Captain and current Head coach of the Portuguese national team). I gained a great amount of knowledge from working alongside Errol, particularly man management skills, and we worked well together as a coaching team. Our boys were a dedicated and talented pool of players and we finished the season by winning the Premier Bay Wide Championship.

In 2009 I took up a coaching position in Reporoa, New Zealand with Steve Axtens (currently Head Coach for King Country). The boys had a great season which was capped off by winning promotions from the 3rd division to 1st division in the Bay of Plenty. This same season I was named as one of two coaches for the King Country Provincial team.

At the end of 2009 season I travelled to Tucuman, Argentina where I meet up with some old rugby contacts established from my days coaching in Park City, Utah. I was appointed as their club coaching advisor and spent the preseason butchering Spanish while implementing new coaching strategies, skill, drills and tactics. The Argentina rugby community is very passionate about their rugby. Life at the club was full of cherished memories and building everlasting friendships.

I had the opportunity to return home to America in 2010 and coach Santa Monica RFC. This was an interesting experience because it allowed me to experience first-hand the obstacles that American rugby faces. I have to say the athleticism of the American players and their attitude and willingness to work was outstanding. Santa Monica was successful in making it into the final eight of the D1 National Championship, losing out to none other than Belmont Shore.

Near the end of 2010 I returned to my home town, Fayetteville Arkansas for a bit of a break and some of mum’s home cooking. I ended up helping coach the University of Arkansas team win the Heart of America Division 2 Collegiate Championship. University Rugby is a bright light in American Rugby for me. Not only is the potential growth rate exponential but the blueprint, facilities and influx of young athletes are all accessible. In the future I see every university being a potential rugby academy.

It is now nearing the middle of the 2011 season and I am coaching the Napier Pirates club in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. At this stage in the competition, with one game left to play in the first round for the Nash Cup, we are currently tied for first place. This year is the Napier Pirates 150th Jubilee so it is a big year for the club with celebrations planned in June.

The level in play between what is available in the USA and what I experience in NZ six days a week is incredible and is what has kept me coming back year after year to learn from the best. To give an example from my current club here in Napier, I have three young players that have played for NZ Universities which is the same team that toured the USA,  going undefeated against San Francisco Golden Gate’s Super League Team and USA Under 20s twice. In reality, the NZ Universities team is just a throw-together team of young club players. At the club level here, I have coached six players that have gone on to play for Super 15 franchises and one player that represents New Zealand in 7s, plus numerous players that have gone on to the professional level of representing their province.

My everyday involvement in the NZ rugby scene is a constant learning experience. Due to my coaching abroad, I realize my absence may have hindered my progress within the USA ranks up to this point. However, hunting the best pathway to becoming the most knowledgeable coach I can be has allowed for tremendous growth. At the end of the day I hope my sacrifice will benefit the players and teams I’m involved with in the future. I don’t believe I would have gained the knowledge or expertise of being a successful rugby coach without continually challenging myself in different environments among the world’s best rugby cultures. I think in teaching circles they refer to it as “total immersion”.

Along with coaching Napier Pirates I’ve also been accepted and encouraged to attend the Hawkes Bay Magpies sessions and games. The Magpies are a first division fully professional ITM Cup team.  I am learning first hand from Peter Russell (NZ Coach of the year 2009 and former Highlanders Super 14’s coach) along with Tom Coventry (the newly appointed forwards coach for Waikato Chief’s Super 15 Team). The rugby environment down here is over flowing with talent and knowledge which has been hugely beneficial towards my development as a coach.

My ultimate goal is to make a successful career out of coaching. I am at a point where I am confident I have the knowledge, skills and track record to succeed at higher levels. I feel it’s just a matter of time until I am on the radar of the right organization. Until then I’ll keep my head down.

 

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Written by RUGBYMag.com News Release    Wednesday, 15 June 2011 13:52    PDF Print Write e-mail
CFL to Showcase 7s
Sevens - Club Sevens

Canadian football will return to its roots in 2011 by showcasing rugby during halftime at select Canadian Football League (CFL) games. Canadian football developed from rugby; the Grey Cup, first presented in 1909, was the reward to recognize the top amateur rugby football team in Canada. It is now the CFL equivalent to the NFL's Lombardi Trophy, awarded annually to the CFL champion.

Saskatchewan Roughriders CEO Jim Hopson and the Dog River Howlers Rugby Club were the catalysts in featuring rugby with Canadian football. In 2010, the Howlers played the Saskatchewan Prairie Fire in an exhibition game before 30,000 enthusiastic fans during halftime of the Roughriders home game. Sevens rugby will take center stage during three CFL games in 2011.

On June 15 the Howlers will take on the Prairies Wolf Pack in Calgary during halftime of the Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions game.

The North Saskatchewan Wolverines will play the Prairie Fire in Regina for provincial bragging rights during halftime of game between the Roughriders and Edmonton Eskimos on June 17.

The Howlers travel west to take on the BC Tyees on June 22 during halftime of the BC Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Howlers lineup will feature Waisale Serevi. Serevi has long been considered the ‘Wayne Gretzky’ of rugby sevens and will give fans a memorable experience.

The Howlers are committed to assisting the growth of rugby sevens in Canada. “We would like to see sevens games played in every CFL city, featuring natural provincial rivalries, such as the North/South Saskatchewan game in Regina this year”, stated Karl Fix, president of the Dog River Howlers Rugby Club

Rugby Sevens, originating in Melrose, Scotland in 1883, features seven players on the field per team; in contrast to the fifteen players per team in the traditional game. Played on the same size field as traditional rugby, the game demands high-speed athleticism. Rugby sevens is experiencing unprecedented growth. This can be attributed to its recent inclusion in the Olympics, making its debut in Brazil in 2016.

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Written by Alex Goff    Tuesday, 14 June 2011 19:30    PDF Print Write e-mail
Dartmouth Expected to Confirm CPD Drop
Colleges - College DI-A

Dartmouth College is expected today or tomorrow to officially confirm that it will pull out of the College Premier Division.

Faced with a season where they play in the Ivy League in the fall, and hope to defend their USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship in the spring, and possibly will also face an Ivy League 7s tournament and qualification to a USA Rugby college 7s championship in the fall, team officials felt something had to give.

Dartmouth administration is heavily in favor of playing to win the Ivy League, and holds the CPD as less of a priority, so Dartmouth will revert to playing in the DI in 2011-2012. That decision, however, won’t open up the spring completely for Dartmouth, as a potential trip to the national DI playoffs will require their 15s team to pitch up several times, including for possibly two big road trips, in the spring.

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