U19 Women's Rugby

Girls High School Rugby Documentary

2010-10-19T15:32:00.001-07:00

Hello,

After 8 months of restoring the footage, my documentary on the first girls' high school varsity rugby program in the nation is being released on varsityrugby.org.

Please friend us on Facebook and if you have a daughter, grandaughter, sister, niece, or any young lady in your life, please pass this along as this is about general opportunity in athletics in the U.S.

We are already receiving inquiry for website and organization sponsorship for varsityrugby.org and I would like to thank two of my colleagues and co-founders, Kristin Richeimer and Amy Rusert for their continued contributions, leadership and efforts in the cause.

Please take a moment and skim through our site and feel free to pass it along.

The documentary is posted to our Facebook, website, and Youtube channel.

Becky Carlson
Co-founder of Varsity Rugby
www.varsityrugby.org
Varsity Rugby on Facebook

Alycia Washington Try v Caribbean Select Side

2010-08-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

Blog updates

2009-12-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

I fixed a few broken links and tried to do a little blog maintenance. I realized it has been a LONG time since I've updated team website links....So if you have a website for your team (local or select side) please either comment with the link or send me an email at u19rugby@gmail.com

In the last week I've had inquires about wanting to play from U19 women in Ohio and Tennessee -- I want to make sure that I can direct them to the right place!!

Thanks!

I Play Rugby

2009-10-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

2009-09-15T12:38:00.001-07:00

Visit Nike's Play it Forward Campaign at YouthNoise!

USA Rugby Announces Change in Under-20 Women’s National Team Eligibility

2009-08-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby has announced changes to its age eligibility requirements pertaining to the Under-20 Women’s National Team for the 2009/2010 season.

To be eligible for the Women Under-20’s squad for the upcoming season players must be under 20 years old on September 1, 2009. This is a change to the prior date of January 1, 2010.

“Both the England and Wales Under-20 programs use the September 1 date and this change will put us on the same page as those programs,” said USA Under-20 Women’s Coach Bryn Chivers. “Furthermore, there is another benefit to the change as we also have the opportunity to align the eligibility criteria for the Territorial Union Under-19 programs with the Girls’ Under-19 National Championships.”

Asked about the eligibility change Alex Williams, the Women’s High Performance Director added, “While the final match highlighted the attention England has been putting into their Under-20 program, our U-20s are coming off an overall successful Nations Cup and it’s important for us to use the same eligibility criteria as the team ahead of us and the teams that are now chasing us.”

For more information on the Women’s Under-20s, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/womens_u20 or contact Bryn Chivers at bryn.chivers@gmail.com.

Watch The Nations Cup Live

2009-08-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Watch the Nations Cup Live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-rugby

NATIONS CUP SCHEDULE
Appleby College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada

August 10
France vs South Africa 4:30 PM
England vs USA 6:30 PM

August 13
France vs England 4:30 PM
Canada vs South Africa 6:30 PM

August 16
South Africa vs USA 2:00 PM
Canada vs France 4:00 PM

August 19
England vs South Africa 4:30 PM
Canada vs USA 6:30 PM

August 22
USA vs France 2:00 PM*
Canada vs England 4:00 PM*

*these matches are being played at Fletchers Fields in Markham, ON

READ THE WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM TOUR JOURNAL at USARugby.org

US Women's Rugby Foundation Announces Girls' Rugby Grant

2009-08-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

The US Women's Rugby Foundation, a not for profit charitable organization dedicated to promoting girls and women in the sport of rugby, announces new Grant Program, targeting youth rugby. To support the growth of future female rugby players, the Foundation is offering a Girls' Rugby Grant to help sponsor girls across the country as they endeavor to enjoy playing rugby.

As the Foundation recognizes the fact that participating in rugby may be cost prohibitive for many, it is seeking to help financially subsidize girls' rugby. Grant awards will provide monetary assistance to individual players or to youth teams on a need-basis to aid in their continued participation in the sport and to make involvement accessible to a broader group of girls. The Foundation is accepting applications starting August 15, 2009. If interested in applying for grant monies go to

www.uswrf.org/Grants.aspx for details.

Individuals interested in helping fund this program are encouraged to make donations with a note earmarking them for the Girls' Rugby Fund at

http://www.uswrf.org/Donations.aspx.

Donations of stocks are also accepted.

U20 Tour – DAY 13

2009-07-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

So it’s taken a couple of days to get this written…and I’m sure everyone understands why.

Saturday……….everything looked like it would be a good day, the sea was calm and the wind was still and then we sailed into the perfect storm. It was if every one of the England players picked today to have the game of their life. Every call, every bounce of the ball, every pass went to hand, everything. Even the English coaches were astonished at the way it all came together for their team. It really didn’t matter who they played today I think the result would have been the same. We lost 110-0 and it’s a hard pill to swallow. On our end the injuries piled up quickly and it was clear that four international level games in ten days is just too much on the body. We lost several players in the course of the game and ended with players in positions they were unaccustomed to playing at this level. Losing Candace pre game and Jozy and K.J during the game robbed us of a back row with a combined twenty four international caps prior to this game. The bench was empty with fifteen minutes left to play and we finished with a lock and a scrumhalf in the backrow and a hooker on the wing. Most of the injuries were the aggravation of earlier injuries but Brooke Legate broke her hand and had a trip to the hospital. Everyone still on the field played hard till the final whistle and I’m incredibly proud of all of them.

Post game banquet was subdued. Teams got their food at different times and some teams were ready to leave when others were still eating. Speeches were short and plaques, pins, shirts, etc were handed out. The players came with stuff to trade but few of the players from the other sides had brought stuff. It was a bit of an anticlimax.

We went back to the Orphanage and had our own party. All the bad food was allowed and we used all the loose change we had to empty the soda and candy machines.....=) Spent time trying to get presents into already full bags and saying goodbye till the next time.

We came as the complete underdogs, took two scalps and finished in second place. You just have to smile at that. =)

Who are we? U S A!

USA U20 V Canada Video

2009-07-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Video of the USA U20 WNT game against the Canada U20 Women. Sorry the sound is off on the last try.

U20 WNT Tour Update

2009-07-17T23:56:00.000-07:00

Day 12
Sorry this is late…..I seem to have less and less time and am running on four to five hours sleep a night.

We reviewed the video of the game against Canada this morning. There was heavy rain all morning and we made the decision to cancel the short practice we had planned and moved up the rest period. After lunch Alex Williams joined us and stayed for the afternoon practice session. The players are really clicking at the moment and every practice shows a new level of confidence. Jersey ceremony tonight and it was the last one for a lot of players. Lisa Henneman will play her eleventh international game tomorrow and this will make her the most capped U19/20 player.

England in the Final tomorrow.

USA U20 WNT Team For England Game

1 Wendy Sherman, Colorado State
2 Katie Hathaway, Norwich
3 Rachel Sommer, West Linn OR
4 Katie Humphrey, Kent WA
5 Becky Holmes, University of Nebraska
6 Erin LeGate, Maryville
7 Jozy Gessner, Summit, CO
8 Katie Johnson, Hopkins, MN
9 Brittany Houston, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
10 Sadie Anderson, Penn State
11 Morgan Rovetti, Brigham Young
12 Lisa Henneman, Seattle Women (Captain)
13 Brooke LeGate, Maryville, TN
14 Tyra McGrady, Indiana University
15 Jessica Sexauer, Army

16 Erica Lane, Chico State
17 Maggie Reidy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
18 Mallory Ives, Colorado State
19 Cat Parkhill, University of Minnesota
20 Brittany Woodard, Virginia State
21 Asia Donaldson, Santa Monica Women
22 Amelia Villines, Stanford

Day 11

Injury report.
Candace’s shoulder looks like an AC sprain and she is out for the final and it’s the first game she has missed since her first cap against Canada in 2006. Erica’s strained hamstring looks like it may keep her out but Amy will re-evaluate her tomorrow. Maggie will also be evaluated tomorrow although it looks like she will pass the fitness test. Everyone else is bruised and sore but good to go.

It was another free day and everyone had a relaxed morning. There was a large group that went back to London to sightsee, shop and see Harry Potter at the Empire. Leicester Square. There was a smaller group who wanted to go to Rugby as they felt they missed out on Monday. Both groups had fun.

U20 WNT beats Canada.

2009-07-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

This will be short as I am incredibly tired and it's almost 1:00 am. What a day! We went to Halton and had a walkthrough of the game plan in tennis shoes.Lunch was followed by the hour trip down to Brunel University. We had a quick warm up and then BEAT CANADA 38-20. =) =) =) See the report below. So we play England in the final on Saturday. The bad part of the day was losing Erica Cavanaugh and Candace Barley to injuries that will keep them out of the final. Well that's it till tomorrow....... a well earned day off.

USA U20 WNT Defeat Canada U20’s

The U20 Women’s National Team beat their Canadian counterparts by a score of 38-20. The game started well for the U20’s and they opened the scoring with a penalty by Sadie Anderson in the sixth minute. Canada tied the game with an eleventh minute penalty only to see the USA take the lead again two minutes later as Anderson slotted her second penalty. Canada got a try in the twenty-first minute to make it 6-8 but their lead was short lived as BYU’s Morgan Rovetti crossed for a try in the thirty-sixth minute and the half ended with the USA leading 11-8. The young eagles came out strong in the second half and Lisa Henneman scored in the forty-third minute and Anderson added the conversion. Anderson then added a try of her own to stretch the lead to 23-8. The teams traded scores but every time the Canadians scored the USA came back with more of their own. Tries from Tyra McGrady, Jess Sexauer and Brittany Houston saw the USA run out convincing 38-20 winners. “This was a huge game for these players” said Head Coach Bryn Chivers. “Despite the fact that we have never beaten Canada the confidence level was high going into this game and you could see in their focus in practice yesterday that they were capable of a win”. Asked who stood out Chivers replied, “Every game someone has stepped up. Sadie Anderson and Lisa Henneman had very good game. While all of the forwards played well the revelation was our youngest player Katie Humphreys who had some storming runs today”.

Unfortunately the win came at considerable cost as injuries to Erica Cavanaugh and Candace Barley will most likely rule them out of Saturday’s final against pre tournament favorites England.

USA U20 WNT Team

1 Wendy Sherman, Colorado State
2 Katie Hathaway, Norwich
3 Rachel Sommer, West Linn OR
4 Katie Humphrey, Kent WA
5 Maggie Reidy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
6 Erin LeGate, Maryville
7 Jozy Gessner, Summit, CO
8 Candace Barley, Maryville TN
9 Brittany Houston, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
10 Sadie Anderson, Penn State
11 Morgan Rovetti, Brigham Young
12 Lisa Henneman, Seattle Women (Captain)
13 Brooke LeGate, Maryville, TN
14 Erica Cavenaugh, University of Virginia
15 Jessica Sexauer, Army

16 Tyra McGrady, Indiana University
17 Erica Lane, Chico State
18 Mallory Ives, Colorado State
19 Cat Parkhill, University of Minnesota
20 Brittany Woodard, Virginia State
21 Katie Johnson, Hopkins, MN
22 Amelia Villines, Stanford

Substitutions
McGrady for Cavanaugh (20)
Ives for McGrady (45)
Johnson for Barley (45)
Villines for Sexauer (67)

U20 Nations Cup Day 9

2009-07-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Just realized that there are details about the tour that I’ve left out. We practice at the fields at RAF Halton and the first couple of days we had the England Women’s 7’s team on the field next to us as they prepared for the European 7’s Championships in Hanover, Germany. Since then we have been on our own with the exception of the people who walk their dogs around the outside of the fields. Today a little black dog named Lola joined practice after she had spent twenty minutes trying to catch seagulls. She was a sweet pooch but her owner described her as “having a mind of her own, the little sod” =)

We have our own locker room at the small stadium and it’s nice that the players can change out of their wet clothes for mealtimes. The weather is strange. Today it was sunshine followed by torrential rain for fifteen minutes and then sunshine for the rest of the day. Weather has been in the mid sixties most days and the evenings have been nice and cool. The dorm has nice duvets and so the combination of two-a-days, cool evening breezes and a warm comforter has made for great sleeping. Talking of sleeping, we’ve introduced a one hour rest period in the middle of the day where the players have to be off their feet. They can sleep, read, listen to their ipod but they can’t walk around…….most seem to choose sleep.

So the day was our usual pre game practice day and the team spent time working on new combinations and tightening up some loose spots. Last session today produced some great rugby as the improved communication produced a higher level of confidence. They finally looked like they had played together for a while.

Had dinner, went back to the Orphange and the jersey ceremony was at 8:30 tonight. They know twenty-five players won’t go into twenty-two shirts but it’s always tough. Here is the squad for the game against Canada.

USA U20 WNT Team

1 Wendy Sherman, Colorado State
2 Katie Hathaway, Norwich
3 Rachel Sommer, West Linn OR
4 Katie Humphrey, Kent WA
5 Maggie Reidy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
6 Erin LeGate, Maryville
7 Jozy Gessner, Summit, CO
8 Candace Barley, Maryville TN
9 Brittany Houston, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
10 Sadie Anderson, Penn State
11 Morgan Rovetti, Brigham Young
12 Lisa Henneman, Seattle Women (Captain)
13 Brooke LeGate, Maryville, TN
14 Erica Cavenaugh, University of Virginia
15 Jessica Sexaur, Army

16 Tyra McGrady, Indiana University
17 Erica Lane, Chico State
18 Mallory Ives, Colorado State
19 Cat Parkhill, University of Minnesota
20 Brittany Woodard, Virginia State
21 Katie Johnson, Hopkins, MN
22 Amelia Villines, Stanford

U20 WNT Day 8

2009-07-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

Has it really been eight days? This was a free day for the players and they had options on where they could go. Jeff and Sue took a group south to Stonehenge and Bryn, Curt and Amy went up to the town of Rugby to see the birthplace of the game. The group that went to Rugby had a wonderfully relaxed day and the highlight was the players being allowed to run around on the field at Rugby School. Brittany Houston kicked three long range drop goals and didn’t stop smiling for an hour……..she was in rugby nirvana.

The group that went off to see the big stones had a good time. They found Stonehenge fascinating although Becky Holmes got distracted and went off to look at sheep. They spent the afternoon in Oxford on the way back and the players got to see some of the places that are used for the interior shots in the Harry Potter movies.

The day produced a great tour moment when Maggie Reidy got distracted by a window full of shoes and walked slap bang into a lamppost. One leg and one arm shot out in front of her as it stopped her dead in her tracks.

U20 WNT - Day 7

2009-07-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

We had the early game so our schedule was up for breakfast, walk through the gameplan in tennis shoes and off to Brunel for the game against England. We made nine changes to the team that beat Wales but they looked really good together yesterday so we were confident we could give England a good game. The game was a tough one and ended in what looked like a one sided 7-42 loss but the reality was that we gave England problems in a lot of areas and got beat for speed on the outside. They were big and physical but our forwards went toe to toe with them and their tries were all in the corners and unconverted. We actually finished the stronger and got a try from Brittany Rose in the sixty seventh minute and it was a good one. Asia Donaldson found some room on the outside and took the ball to the English twenty-two, She offloaded to Sadie and then a couple of quick offloads between the backs took the ball down to the English five meter line. A series of small rucks resulted in a penalty to the USA. Brittany was being treated for an injury when the play started and ran sixty yards to rejoin her teammates as Brittany Houston took a quick tap and gave it to Brittany Rose who took a couple of England players with her as she put the ball down on the goalline.

We lost a couple of players to injury as Jozy Gessner re-injured the elbow she hyper extended at the U23 NASC and Brittany Rose’s shoulder injury meant that she couldn’t continue. We have fingers crossed that they will both be available for selection for Wednesday’s game. The post game meal at Brunel was fun and the both teams seemed to get along well. We were back at the Orphanage by 9:00 pm and all the players were fast asleep long before lights out at 11:00 pm.

U20 WNT Tour day 6

2009-07-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone was pooped this morning after walking all over London yesterday and it was another day of players falling asleep every time we stopped moving. Kurt got more great pictures of "Sleeping Beauties" so I thought I would post one. Practices were short and productive as the squad worked on tweaking the gameplan for tomorrow's match with England. Jersey ceremony tonight and selections include nine changes to the team that beat Wales. Brittany Rose and Brittany Houston have both been in the program for a few years but tomorrow will be their first U20 caps. We finished the night with a chalk talk and the players were in bed by 10 pm. We play England tomorrow and they looked really good against Canada. We know they are the clear favorites but the team is upbeat about their prospects. We hadn't beaten Wales before Thursday so we know that anything can happen.

Tyra's Try

2009-07-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Tyra McGrady scores for the USA U20 WNT against Wales.

2009-07-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Friday July 10th
The players had a free day today and we all went to London for the day. We split into three groups and each went exploring the city. All the players got back to the meeting point at 7:00 pm and we took the train back home and shared stories. We watched the video of the Wales game and ended the night by celebrating Asia Donaldson's birthday with cakes and a solo rendition of Happy Birthday by Jeff Noe. Fun day.

U20 WNT - Game Day 1

2009-07-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday July 9th

Let's start at the end.......We beat Wales 7-3

It was a great day for the team. Had the bacon, sausage, egg, baked beans and tomato breakfast and it was very tasty. Found out that Adele who is the head cook at Stoke Mandeville took the players laundry home and did it in her own washer and dryer as we were having problems with the ones at the dorms. What a sweetheart! That lady will certainly get a tour t-shirt. Went out to Halton for the Jersey Ceremony and a walk through of the game plan. Lunch then off to Brunel for the game against Wales.....see following report. After match meal was a great opportunity for the players to socialize with the Welsh players. here is a snippet of video of the players right after the win.......emotional as eight of them were on the squad that lost by a point to Wales in 2007.

USA U20 WNT Win Nation’s Cup Opener

The USA U20 beat Wales by a score of 7-3 to win the opening game of the U20 Nations Cup. The USA started the game on the back foot as they struggled with the passion of their Welsh counterpart. The young eagles weathered several attacks by the Welsh before giving up a penalty in their twenty-two that resulted in them going 0-3 down after ten minutes. This actually seemed to settle the nerves of the U20’s and they began to create chances of their own. They almost leveled the game at the twenty–three minute mark but Cat Parkhill’s long-range penalty attempt fell just short of the posts. The rest of the half was a forward dominated battle that was mostly played between the twenty–twos.

The USA came out very strong in the second half and got down to the Welsh five-meter line only to knock on as they went for the tryline. Fifteen minutes into the second half Erica Cavenaugh received a yellow card and despite being down a player the game began to swing in the U20’s favor. They began to dominate possession and territory only to have several scoring opportunities thwarted by a swarming Welsh defense. With the game approaching injury time the Welsh were awarded a series of penalties that took them out to the half way line and they looked like they had weathered the storm when Tyra McGrady pounced on a dropped ball and weaved forty yards down the field to score in the corner. Cat Parkhill stepped up and kicked the conversion from the sideline and the US bench erupted as the ref blew for full time. “This was a well deserved result. We played most of the second half on the front foot and had several chances that we just couldn’t finish,” said Head Coach Bryn Chivers. The squad contained eight players from the squad who narrowly lost to Wales the last time the teams played. “This was an emotional win for the team as we lost 14-15 to Wales two years ago on the last kick of the game”. Chivers added. When asked who stood out for the U20’s Chivers credited all of the players but thought flanker Jozy Gessner and wing Erica Cavenaugh stood out for different reasons. “Jozy Gessner was all over the field and her work ethic was an inspiration. In a physical game you have to have someone who will step up and put in the big hits and Erica Cavenaugh did that today”.

The U20 WNT’s next game is Sunday July 12th when they take on a strong England team that beat Canada 45-0 in the second match today.

U20 WNT - First Days in England

2009-07-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Wednesday July 8th
Good day of practice and some light moments off the field. The forwards really took it to the scrum sled this morning and they looked tighter and more focused than we’ve seen before. The backs made some adjustments and all of them are competing for a starting spot. Narcolepsy is running rampant as the effects of jet lag results in players falling asleep every time we stop moving. A classic moment happened at lunch when Brooke Legate fell asleep while sitting on the lap of her twin sister Erin, who was also asleep. Kurt got the moment on camera and it’s only fair that we share it with the world. =)

We got back tonight to find the Welsh team had moved into the Orphanage with us. It’s going to be interesting with them in the rooms down one end and us in the rooms at the other. They look considerably smaller than us but we know from experience that tomorrow they will be ferocious competitors despite the size difference. Feeling amongst the players is very upbeat and the general consensus that this is the game where we beat them. More after the game tomorrow.

Tuesday July 7th

It was up early and off to breakfast. The new players had their first experience with a British breakfast……the thick bacon and baked beans came as a bit of a surprise. Practices are at the airforce base at RAF Halton and the team practiced there twice today. They spent the morning working on the breakdown and in the afternoon the different units got to work on some of the situations that had caused problems for the team at the U23 NASC in June. The team ate lunch and dinner at RAF Halton and then returned to the dorms at Stoke Mandeville in the early evening. The accommodation is best described as basic and the players lovingly refer to the place as “The Orphanage”. The forwards are in one room and the backs are next door……although they are only separated by a low wall and can talk between the two groups.

Monday July 6th
The U20 Women’s National Team arrived in London on Monday afternoon and made short drive to their base at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. The players were clearly jet lagged and most were fast asleep long before curfew.

USA U20 Women’s National Team Announced

2009-05-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

2009 USA U20 Women’s National Team

More info at eRugbyNews: http://www.erugbynews.com/article.php?sec=129&a=4651
Sadie Anderson Penn State

Candace Barley Maryville, TN

Erica Cavenaugh University of Virginia

Asia Donaldson Santa Monica Women

Jozy Gessner Summit, CO

Kelsey Harter Chico State

Katie Hathaway Norwich

Lisa Henneman Seattle Women

Brittany Houston UW Milwaukee

Katie Humphreys Kent, WA

Mallory Ives Colorado State

Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN

Erika Lane Chico State

Brook LeGate Maryville, TN

Erin LeGate Maryville, TN

Catherine Parkhill U of Minnesota

Maggie Reidy UW Milwaukee

Brittany Rose Westchester East, PA

Morgan Rovetti BYU

Seymira Salamy Penn State

Jessica Sexauer Army

Wendy Sherman Colorado State

Rachel Sommer West Linn, OR

Amelia Villines Stanford

Brittany Woodard Virginia State

Alternates
BrieAnna Barto Summit, CO

Hannah Bushey Essex, VT

Jennifer Cooperrider Stanford

Lauren Danielsen Summit, CO

Kayla Ellingson BYU

Rebecca Holmes U of Nebraska

Ima Isang Oakridge, TN

Blaine Martin Brown

Sophia Nolan Armstrong, MN

Frances Wehrwern Stanford

Sharlyn Carter University of Virginia

Thanks to Cindy Barley for making sure this information gets posted. Send news and information to u19rugby@gmail.com

USA v Canada June 27

2009-04-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

USA Rugby and the Women's National Team cordially invite you to watch as the Eagles take on Canada on June 27th, 2009 at Glendale, Colorado's, Infinity Park! (6.P.M MST)

You won't want to miss this international test match packed with action, athleticism, and amazing ticket deals and an opportunity to see your favorite Eagles represent the USA!

Be there to watch women's rugby at its best and take advantage of the incredible offers which you can read about on the below sites.

TICKETS

Just $15 per ticket will not only earn you a ticket to this test match, but your ticket will also serve as a raffle ticket for some fantastic prizes with chances to meet the Eagles! For more information and ticket ordering visit:

usarugby.org/goto/usa_vs_canada

Rugby Scholarship!

2009-02-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

The Delaware Rugby Foundation is again taking applications for our scholarship to an incoming University of Delaware freshman. To qualify the applicant must be entering the University of Delaware as a freshman in the fall of 2009, must agree to play for either the UD Men's or Women's teams, and must complete all portions of the scholarship application by the due date. I have attached the link to the application
http://www.derugbyfoundation.org/scholarship/scholarship.htm

Please help us get the word out. Application deadline is April 1, 2009.

Past winners:
2007 Pat Goldring (Wilmington Colts)
2008 Pat Hickey ( North Bay Rugby)

Thanks!
Jerry Humphrey
wrfc36@aol.com

(Thanks for sending Cindy! Send your posts to u19rugby@gmail.com)

U20 WNT Announce Camp Selections

2009-01-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

January 9, 2009, Boulder, Colo. – The USA Under-20 Women’s National Team (WNT) will compete in the U20 Nations Cup this summer in England, part of a 2009 schedule that begins with an Elite Camp in Clermont, Fla., February 28 – March 1.

Fifty players representing 36 universities and high schools across the country have been invited to the camp and with 14 players from the squad having toured South Africa in June and another eight players from previous U-20 WNT squads, Coach Bryn Chivers expects this camp to be the most competitive to date.

“We would like to think that we have the best 50 players in the nation attending,” said Chivers. “But if any coaches think we missed a player, we would very much like to hear about them. We are especially interested in hearing about any locks and eights as this seems to be the primary area where we have the least depth.”

The U-20 WNT will enter a Developmental Squad into the U-23 National All-Star Championships (NASC) in June. The U-20s will then take another squad to compete in the U20 Nations Cup in England, July 6 –19.

The program will close out the year by entering a developmental squad of Under-17 players into the U-19 INASC in November.

For more information on the U-20 WNT or for coaches wishing to recommend a player, contact Head Coach Bryn Chivers at bryn.chivers@gmail.com.

U-20 WNT 2009 Elite Camp Participants

Sadie Anderson Penn State

Candace Barley Maryville, TN

BrieAnna Barto Summit, CO

Tara Burke Fallbrook, CA

Hannah Bushey Essex, VT

Stephanie Chubb U of Virginia

Jennifer Cooperrider Stanford

Lauren Danielsen Summit, CO

Gina Deihl Hoke, TN

Asia Donaldson Santa Monica Women

Brandi Dunkinsell U of Oregon

Jozy Gessner Summit, CO

Ashley Graves Lady Bird Johnson HS, TX

Katherine Gray Texas Tech

Kelsey Harter Chico

Katie Hathaway Norwich

Lisa Henneman Seattle Women

Katy Hodson Colorado State

Brittany Houston UW Milwaukee

Katie Humphreys Kent, WA

Ima Isang Oakridge, TN

Mallory Ives Colorado State

Nicole James Texas A&M

Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN

Erika Lane Chico

Brook LeGate Maryville, TN

Erin LeGate Maryville, TN

Mackenzie Lewis Chaparral, CO

Blaine Martin Brown

Jade McLaughlin U of New Mexico

Sophia Nolan Armstrong, MN

Kelsey Ploof Noblesville, IN

Kayla Orvik Army

Maggie Reidy UW Milwaukee

Brittany Rose Westchester East, PA

Adrianne Rubiaco Mother Lode, CA

Victoria Saiz U of New Mexico

Seymira Salamy Penn State

Catherine Scanlon Summit, CO

Alicia Seda Norwich

Jessica Sexauer Army

Rachel Sommer West Linn, OR

Colleen Tjosvold Twin City Amazons

Lorena Totu Center Essex, VT

Ashley Urbia-Kirchmaier U of Northern Michigan

Michelle Un Brown

Lane Wagner Traverse City, MI

Erica Wheeler U of Illinois

Brooke Williams Minnesota Valkeries

Brittany Woodard Virginia State

Another Video Clip of the U20 WNT

2009-01-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Here is another long video clip from the second game between the USA U20 WNT and the South Africa U20's played in Nelspruit, South Africa June 28th 2008. The clip ends with a try by Seymi Salamy and conversion by Cat Parkhill.

Brittany Woodard Article

2008-12-27T15:49:00.001-08:00

Here is an article written by Alex Goff of erugbynews.com
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Top Player Cools Heels in College

Friday Dec 26, 2008 in Women Colleges

December 26, 2008 – As the New Year approaches it’s time for some resolutions, and on the top of the list for elite-level American rugby should be the improved tracking and nurturing of young talent.

It’s a problem at so many levels; accomplished young players don’t find the opportunities to continue their rugby. Consider the story of Brittany Woodard. A smart young player from the Hyde School in Washington, DC, Woodard earned a spot on the USA U20 women’s team, but now finds herself attending a college with no rugby program at all.

It’s a situation that has frustrated the young player and it has frustrated her national team coach, Bryn Chivers, as well.

”Tal Bayer told me about Brittany in 2007 and we invited her to play with the developmental squad in the 2007 U19 INASC,” Chivers said. “She was playing center at Hyde but we moved her to hooker and she adapted so well to the position change that we invited her to the 2008 U20 Elite Camp in Florida.”

Woodard earned a place on the U20 tour to South Africa, playing in two of three games there.

”Brittany is one of those players who continues to grow with every outing,” said Chivers. “At the U19 INASC she played the best rugby we have seen from her to date. Her loose play continues to improve and she is getting the ball in her hands more often. She has started to use her power and exceptional speed to open up defenses and is then looking to link up with the finishers in the back three.”

Chivers invited Woodard to be on the U20 Developmental Team at the All-Star Championships in part because she didn’t get invited to the Mid-Atlantic camp. She attends Virginia State University, and has not been playing rugby.

”Off the field she is a quiet woman who likes to leave the spotlight to the more dominant personalities,” added Chivers. “I think she has taken a huge step compared to the other players. I think it was a challenge for her to move from her Hyde team onto the U20 Squad and it took her a while to begin to feel comfortable with her teammates. Now that she has established herself in the program I think we will see her become a force in 2009.”

So far this force, who was accepted to Penn State but didn’t get the financial aid she needed, must be content with playing intramural basketball and flag football until her next rugby opportunity comes.

”It’s been very difficult for me,” said Woodard. “My dream was to attend Penn State. Going to Virginia State was purely a financial decision, but it’s been hard.

At the All-Star Championships in November, “it was wonderful to get back on the field,” said the 18-year-old communications major. “I was looking forward to playing rugby in college so now I have to look at tours and what I can do with the U20 team. I would love to have a chance to attend an institution where they play rugby. I’ve been training on my own, trying to stay in shape.”

”It is sad that one of our U20 National Team players isn't playing regularly,” said Chivers. “In a perfect world there would be a college out there who could offer her an opportunity to transfer to a school with a good rugby program.”

Alex Goff

New York Rugby Club is looking for new players

2008-12-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

Check out this video from New York Rugby Club. All levels of experience welcome and appreciated (this blogger knows as it is my home club).

U19 INASC Write Up

2008-11-25T17:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Wendy over at Yourscrumhalfconnection.com for posting the U-19 INASC article from USA Rugby (I had a terrible time finding it on the website)

from USA Rugby:

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The West Under-19 team captured a narrow 10-8 victory over its Northeast counterparts to take home the 2008 title as the Women’s Under-19 Invitational National All-Star Championships wrapped up at Mills Pond Park today.

This was the third annual U-19 INASC tournament, with the previous two events being held in Nashville, Tenn. The 2008 competition featured teams representing all seven USA Rugby Territorial Unions, as well as an Under-17 squad comprised of players selected from the current U-20 Women’s National Team pool and players recommended by the TU-19, college and high school coaches.

Round one of the tournament kicked off on Saturday, with primarily close matches throughout tiers one and two, as three of the four matches were decided by five points or less. In Tier 1, the West edged out Pacific Coast 10-7, while the Northeast defeated the Midwest 22-19. Inside Tier 2 competition, Mid-Atlantic (MARFU) won its match-up versus the South 12-5 while the Under-17 team shutout Southern California 93-0.

The outcome of day one set the stage for a set of Sunday match-ups that mirrored those of the 2007 Under-19 INASCs, with the West and Northeast swapping positions with the Midwest and Pacific in the Championship match this year.

Sunday featured a set of highly competitive matches, especially within the top tier. When the day kicked off, the South shutout So Cal 39-0 in the Tier 2 consolation, while the Under-17s shutdown Mid-Atlantic 35-3. Meanwhile, in the Tier 1 contests, it was Midwest holding off Pacific Coast 10-3 and the West coming away as the overall victors by a slim 10-8 margin over the Northeast.

“The quality of play was much improved from last year’s competition, especially in the top tier, where the quality of defense was exceptional. In yesterday’s matches, the games were ultimately decided by three points and today by seven, which really showed that on any given Saturday, the outcome of a competition between those four teams could have been different,” USA Under-20 Women’s Head Coach Bryn Chivers said.

“The matches this weekend highlighted great defensive skills. The athletes were more aggressive at the breakdown, more aggressive throughout the backs, and showcased a much more sophisticated level of play overall,” he added.

This year’s tournament was held in conjunction with the USA Women’s National Team (WNT) intra-squad Red/White Match on Saturday afternoon and allowed the WNT coaches and staff the opportunity to see some of the younger up-and-coming players.

“The Under-17 match was the last game of the day on Saturday and provided the perfect segue into watching the Senior National Team in the afternoon – it helped illustrate the clear pathway from U-17 to U-19 and now U-20 level, to the Women’s National Team,” Chivers added. “It was another great event and it was wonderful to have the WNT coaches at the event observing and scouting players. It showed the real importance of the Women’s Age-Grade system in cultivating athletes for future National Team opportunities.”

For more information on the Under-19 Invitational National All-Star Championship or to recommend prospective players for the Under-20 WNT, please contact U-20 Head Coach Bryn Chivers.

Day 1 Results
Tier 1
West 10, Pacific Coast 7
Northeast 22, Midwest 19

Tier 2
MARFU 12, South 5
Under-17 93, So Cal 0
Day 2 Results
Tier 1
Consolation: Midwest 10, Pacific Coast 3
Championship: West 10, Northeast 8

Tier 2
Consolation: South 39, So Cal 0
Championship: Under-17 35, MARFU 3

If you build it they will come: U19 INASC Next Week

2008-11-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

USA Rugby Releases Details on the 2008 Under-19 Invitational National All-Star Championships

BOULDER, Colo. - The 2008 Under-19 Invitational National All-Star Championships will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on November 22-23. This year’s tournament will include a USA Women’s National Team (WNT) intra-squad Red/White Match on Saturday afternoon and will provide the WNT coaches and staff the opportunity to see some of the younger up-and-coming players.

This will be the third annual U-19 INASC tournament, with the previous two events being held in Nashville, Tenn. In 2006, the event was organized as a response to the need for representative-level rugby for the growing population of U-19 Women’s players. The 2007 event saw all seven territories represented with the USA U-20 WNT entering a developmental side of U-17 players to round out the field of eight teams. The tournament was held at a local high school and provided the teams with the opportunity to play in front of a good-sized crowd in the football stadium.

The U-19 INASC has become the most important selection venue for the USA U-20 Women’s National Team. Six of the squad that went to South Africa this summer were first seen by the U-20 WNT staff at last year’s Championships

All of the Territorial Union’s U-19 coaches have run selection camps this year and their commitment to the development of their TU sides has seen them work to develop representative sides at the state or Local Area Union (LAU) level, as well.

Before the U-19 INASC, the task of finding and developing potential WNT players was placed solely on the U-20 WNT staff, but now the program has seven TU U-19 coaches who are targeting and developing players.

“Three years ago the primary selection vehicle for the U-19 WNT was a camp for fifty players recommended by their coaches,” Women’s Under-20 Coach Bryn Chivers said. “You didn’t really know what you would get until you saw the player at the camp. Now we have the opportunity to view two hundred players who all came through their LAU sides or TU camps. Seeing all these players at the TU representative level now gives the U20 WNT staff a much better idea of how a player will perform at the higher levels.”

The USA U-20 WNT will again enter a U-17 squad into the tournament and the team will be comprised of U-17 players selected from the current U-20 WNT pool and players recommended by the TU U-19, college and high school coaches.

All coaches should feel free to contact U-20 Head Coach Bryn Chivers about any players they would like to recommend for the U-20 WNT. Please contact him at bryn.chivers@gmail.com or call 773-308-4540 for further information.

Another Video to Promote NCAA women's rugby

2008-11-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

The NCAA Initiative for women's rugby is set for a goal of achieving 40 varsity programs. Please take a moment and view this short promo on the female rugby athlete. Please contact USA Rugby for more information on how you can join the initiative to expand participation for girls and women in the game of rugby. www.usarugby.org. bcarlson@usarugby.org

Great video to promote HS Girls Rugby!

2008-11-13T10:58:00.001-08:00

Please take a moment to view USA Rugby's promotional video on the Girls' High School Varsity movement. Photos by Denise Chambers, footage provided by Sylvain Doreau of Bin15 productions and editing by Becky Carlson. Footage and photos taken at the Colorado Girls' High School Club Championship. For more information on the high school varsity initiative in Colorado and in the U.S., email varsityrugby@usarugby.org.

Great Video

2008-09-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

IRB Video aimed at getting rugby back into the Olympic Games

U19 and Collegiate Clinic hosted by NYRC

2008-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

The women of New York Rugby Club are hosting a clinic for U19 and collegiate women. Forwards will improve scrummaging and lineout skills under the excellent coaching of two World Cup scrummies. Scrumhalves can learn the basics of passing and kicking from our All American scrumhalf and if you're a back you'll have an opportunity to work on passing, angle running and kicking with our knowledgeable backs and longtime Eagles!

If you've been wanting some personal coaching on your game, this is the clinic for you!

WHAT: U19 Girls & Collegiate Women's Clinic hosted by the New York Rugby Club Women & Coaching Staff
WHEN: Saturday, September 27th, from 12-5 (Arrival and Check in starting at 11)
WHERE: Randall's Island, New York City
COST: Register before 9/13 for $30 per person, or $50 for two people. Register after 9/13 for $40 per person, or $60 for two people.

Email nyfallclinic@gmail.com today to register. See www.newyorkrugby.com for more information. Check out the clinic flyer below!

Congrats Sadie, Tess and Jess

2008-09-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CURRENT & FORMER USA U20 PLAYERS SELECTED FOR THE WORLD CUP 7s POOL:

Sevens World Cup Practice Squad
Jess Watkins, Stanford University

Non-Traveling Reserves
Sadie Anderson, Penn State University (current U20)
Tess Kohanski, Syracuse University

USA Women's Sevens Team Names its Player Pool Leading into the Sevens Rugby World Cup

BOULDER, Colo. – Following observations made at USA Rugby's National All-Star Sevens Championships, the USA Women's Sevens National Team Coach Julie McCoy has officially named her player pool for the upcoming Sevens World Cup today.

Twenty athletes will be named to Women's National Sevens World Cup practice squad and all 20 have already pledged their full commitment to attending every training camp scheduled to be held over the months leading into the Sevens RWC in Dubai next March.

Following the fitness testing at the upcoming camp in Little Rock, in September, Coach McCoy will select only 12 players and two traveling reserves to be named to the Sevens World Cup Qualifier squad.

"So far, the process has been very encouraging, as we've been fortunate to get 20 athletes to commit to taking a month away from personal obligations such as work and school to dedicate themselves fully to training," McCoy said.

"I'm very pleased at the number of athletes who have stepped up to the challenge and fully committed to winning the World Cup. Everyone is focused on the task at hand and I'm confident we can make enough progress needed to return from Dubai with the Cup," she added.

McCoy has also named a handful of non-training reserves to this pool. These are players who were on the cusp of being in the top 20, and have committed to training along the same lines as the practice squad.

"The non-training reserves will train along with the 20 person pool at the same time," McCoy explained. "If we should have needs such as filling in for an athlete who should sustain a significant injury that would require 3-6 months off of training, or if a player initially chosen to the practice squad lacks progress in her fitness testing, we may bring up a player from the non-traveling reserves selections."

The USA Women's Sevens first assembly will start on September 4 and last through the weekend in Bronxville, NY. The players will then have about 20 days off before their Little Rock assembly on September 26-28. From there, the Women's Sevens Team will be named and the players will have nearly three weeks before they travel to Miami for their pre-event training.

On October 23, the U.S. Team will head to the Bahamas for the Sevens World Cup Qualifier and must finish among the top two spots out of their North American and Caribbean competition to qualify for the Sevens Rugby World Cup.

Given the team will qualify, the U.S. squad will then spend nearly three weeks in Little Rock between the middle of January and the end of February. By February 23, Coach McCoy will have named the squad set for the Sevens Rugby World Cup, which will be held on March 1-9, in Dubai.

"Giving the USA Women's Sevens Team the chance to compete and even win the Sevens World Cup is a top priority for USA Rugby and the Board of Directors and we're thankful for their provision of full (financial) support of these plans," Coach McCoy said."

Women's National Team Sevens Player Pool

Sevens World Cup Practice Squad
Kirsten Ahrendt, Keystone RFC
Ida Bernstein, Keystone RFC
Amy Daniels, Beantown RFC
Jenna Flateman, NY RFC
Yancy Graf, Beantown RFC
Tyshawn Henry, NY RFC
Ellie Karvoski, Little Rock RFC
Phaidra Knight, NY RFC
Pam Kosanke, Chicago Northshore RFC
Teena Mastrangelo, Chicago Northshore RFC
Melissa McKibben, Kansas City RFC
Alison Price, NY RFC
Christy Ringgenberg, Minnesota Valkyries RFC
Ines Rodriguez, Keystone RFC
Jen Sinkler, Keystone RFC
Jennifer Starkey, NOVA RFC
Lindsey Stephenson, At Large
Donna Thomas, Little Rock RFC
Jess Watkins, Stanford University
Kelly White, Belmont Shore RFC

Non-Traveling Reserves
Sadie Anderson, Penn State University
Beth Black, NOVA RFC
Claire Gregorich, Glendale RFC
Lauren Hoeck, NOVA RFC
Tess Kohanski, Syracuse University
Daniela Mogro, NY RFC
Haldre Rogers, Seattle RFC
Lauren Rosso, Penn State University
Kit Wagner, Beantown RFC
JoAnne Ward, Albany RFC, injured reserve
Alison Worman, Penn State University

Coaching Staff and Team Management
U.S. Head Coach: Julia M McCoy MD
U.S. Assistant Coaches: Christopher Ryan, Andrew Fautley
General Manager: Tristan Lewis
Team Manager: Sadeana Green
Team Physios: Lisa Bartoli MD, Michael Moses

Women's Sevens Team Schedule
U.S. Sevens Practice Camp, Bronxville N.Y., September 4-7
U.S. Sevens Footwork/Skills Camp, Little Rock, Ark., September 26-28
U.S. World Cup Qualifying Assembly, Miami, Fla., October 18-22
U.S. World Cup Qualifier, Nassau, Bahamas, October 23-27

IRB Dubai Sevens, Dubai, UAE, November 22 – December 1
U.S. Sevens Testing/Skills Camp, Little Rock, Ark., January 16-18
U.S. Sevens Residency Training, Little Rock, Ark., January 30-February 9
IRB USA Sevens, San Diego, Calif., February 9-16
U.S. Sevens Residency Training, Little Rock, Ark., February 16-23
IRB Sevens Rugby World Cup 2009, Dubai, UAE, March 1-9

For more information on the Women's Sevens National Team, please log on to www.usarugby.org/goto/womens_sevens or contact Sara John at sjohn@usarugby.org.

High School Girls Rugby on Good Morning America

2008-08-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

This happened awhile ago, but I am behind on posting

There is an article on Experience Life Magazine as well.

U20 WNT Video

2008-07-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a long clip from the USA U20 WNT v South Africa U20 WNT game played on June 28th in Nelspruit, South Africa. The clip ends with try from Adetayo Mafe of the USA with the conversion by Cat Parkhill. The USA won the game 21-17.

USA U20 Update

2008-07-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

U20 WNT Update.
Sorry this is a week of posts at once but we lost the wifi at the Ingwnyama Lodge for the last week of the tour.

Sunday June 29th
Breakfast and packing. It’s amazing how much you can buy at a rural African market and luggage space was at a premium. Kayla Morisoli set a record for the most carry on with three bags and an armful of presents. Mallory Ives had purchased a wooden bowl the size of a large satellite dish, and was reveling in the challenge of getting it on and off three flights. We took the last team pictures and headed off…….to the mall, hey there was still time to shop before the flight. =)

Saturday June 28th
Game day and everyone was nervous. Started the day with a walk through of the game plan. Started at one end of the field and went through every scenario, discussed every decision, the what, the when, the why, the who. Everyone ate a light lunch and then it was off to the Nelspruit Rugby Stadium for the last game of the tour. We’ve got used to the police escorts =). There were two games as curtain raisers and there was probably 1,000 people in the crowd at game time. There was still a game in progress when the team jogged down the sideline to the in-goal where they were going warm up. The PA Announcer made a very big deal of the entrance and as the players got to the far end of the stand there was a huge round of applause with shouting, clapping and horn blowing from the fans…….the Mpumalanga Rugby Unon had bussed in the girls from the township we visited on Monday.

The Game – We won 21-17 and the game report will follow.

The banquet afterwards was held at the Ingwenyama Lodge and was a lot of fun. Despite the physical nature of both games the teams really liked each other and this showed at the banquet. The SA women sing this wonderful song before games and they gave the team one last performance at the banquet. The USA women could not get it out of their heads all week and would attempt to replicate it despite not knowing any of the words……and not being able to sing. The food was as interesting as ever and served right on the table. They cover a table with a clear plastic film and put the food right on the table without serving plates. The players had no idea of what they were eating but knew it was all very good. The favorite food of the players was cook-sisters, a small, syrup filled, incredibly sweet, twisted pastry.
The banquet ended with the traditional trading of spare kit. The USA players had a lot of old kit from previous events (and previous sponsor) and were able to get some really good stuff from the SA women. Lots of practice shirts, shorts, t-shirts, hats and one or two jackets were acquired by the USA players.

The South Africans left and the team took a moment to reflect on the win and then it was off to the phones to call home with the news.

Friday June 27th. – Still no internet service except for a very slow dial up in one of the offices so updates may not get posted till we get home. It was a two practice day today as we again spent a lot of time working on ball possession and controlling the breakdown. The Jersey Ceremony was emotional. We can only dress twenty-two of the twenty-five players for the international games and it was tough on the players who missed out.

Thursday June 26th
So the team has had two days off to go sightseeing and shopping, and shopping, and shopping =)
Wednesday we visited the Sabie River Valley area of Mpumalanga. The canyon is one of the largest in the world and gave the players a chance to see some of the incredible waterfalls that drop hundreds of feet from the rim of the canyon to the river below. The tour also included a trip to the old gold mining town of Pilgrims Rest where the players got to see and hear about a piece of South Africa’s history and haggle over prices in the local market....everyone got what they thought was a steal but I'm sure the folks at the market thought they robbed the players blind.

Thursday started with a 5:00 am wake up call so that the team could be at Kruger National Park by 6:00 am. The players traveled in four open vehicles driven by very knowledgeable local guides. Each of the groups went a separate way and met up for meals at two of the lodge areas within the park. The players were able to spot lion, elephant, giraffe, rhino, hippo, Zebra, crocodile, water buffalo, kudu, impala and a lot of other animals not found at home. One vehicle even saw a small group of Tsessebe that the guide had not seen in five years. The players spent eleven hours at Kruger National Park and all agreed it was an incredible experience. The team returned home at 6:30 pm and after dinner it was back to work as the players reviewed the tape of Tuesday’s game.

It was a fun two days for the team and everyone needed the break.

Tuesday June 24th
Today the players had a morning practice and got a rest in the afternoon prior to the night game against the Mpumalanga Provincial Side. Sue and Tasha took some of the backs and forwards this afternoon and worked on some individual stuff. The trip down to Nelspruit tonight was similar to Saturday with the police blocking traffic all the way to the stadium. The crowd was a good size with probably five hundred people in the stands. We've had to share the Ingwenyama Sports Center with the Italy U18 boys and the local Currie Cup team, the Pumas. It's been interesting as we always get the "A" field for practice despite it being the only one with rugby posts and the other teams are on the "B: field. So the curtain raiser for our game was the Italy U18's v the provincial HS boys side with the Italian side running out easy winners. The players entered the stadium and the SA U20 Women were there to clap them on to the field, it was very sporting. As the game progressed you could hear chants of USA! USA! from the crowd and it turned out that the Pumas had shown up to support the team. The game ended 87-0 in favor of the U20 WNT and a report will follow. The banquet was nice and simple and a lot less formal than last Saturday.

Monday June 23rd
We started the day by going out to one of the townships to run a camp for about 70 kids. It turned out to be a big event again. Police escort, the radio station broadcast from the event, coach and player interviews, it's hard to explain how we are being treated. The kids were mostly all girls from the townships with a couple of boys in each group. The players had designed the drills and ran all of the practice themselves while the coaches wandered around answering questions from the local organizers, mostly about the structure of the game for women in the USA. The team finished by playing some semi-opposed stuff against each other just to demonstrate the speed of the game. They picked a couple of girls to join the team for a couple of plays and afterwards gave them each a piece of kit donated by the players. Going to one of the townships was an incredible experience and an eye opener for a lot of the players. People living in tiny buildings made from whatever they can find, "shops" made from salvaged wood where people sell whatever they can grow, and hundreds of kids who want to say hi. Incredible experience.

We finshed the day with a short practice and then dinner.

Saturday June 21st
We had a short practice this morning at a local high school that had three rugby fields including one in a stadium…..such a different world compared to rugby in the US. We got back to the lodge in time for lunch although the players and staff didn’t eat much as most of us have a bad case of intestinal distress form last night’s fish.

We boarded the bus for the game and found out that we have a police escort to the game……no kidding. Police cars out in front of the bus with lights on and sirens going as they stopped traffic at intersections and red lights so we could go through. It was surreal to be given this much attention. We arrived at the stadium and it was full of school children that had been bussed in for the game. Wonderful atmosphere.

We lost 12-23. See the match report.

The social after was interesting. Lot’s of speeches from representatives of the Local Rugby Union and South African Rugby who highlighted what a great event this was for the development of the women’s game in South Africa, Both teams really liked each other and they bonded immediately. Lots of singing and laughing.

The players have Sunday off.

2008-06-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kurt in the comments

From SARFU Website.

21 June 2008 (Posted: 18:59)

The South African Under-20 Womens team kicked off their preparations for the Womens Rugby World Cup with a 23-12 win over their USA counterparts at Nelspruit High School today. Half-time score was 8-7.
In a cool partly-cloudy weather with no wind, the South Africans opened their account in the sixth minute with a try by winger Lindiwe Masole. Fly-half Zenay Jordaan failed to convert.

However, the Americans replied four minutes later with a try by flanker Katherine Johnson. Fly-half Lisa Hennenans conversion gave the visitors their maximum points for the afternoon.

The home side ended the first half with a lead in the 25th minute when Masole scored a penalty kick.

In the second half, the Americans were subjected to further Masole punishment when she earned her team three points in the 48th minute, after a penalty against the visitors.

Two tries within three minutes sealed the fate of the Americans when centre Celeste April scored in the 52nd minute and full-back Aimee Barrett (captain) in the 55th. Masole failed to convert the former but was successful with the latter.

The USA U20 WNT Select for South Africa Game.

2008-06-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Nelspruit, South Africa. June 20th. The USA U20 WNT announced the team to play the first game against the South Africa U20 WNT on Saturday June 21st. The game will be played at the Nelspruit Rugby School at 3pm local time.
“The quality of the player on this team is much higher than previous years and this made selections difficult” said Head Coach Bryn Chivers. The South African side is new this year and while they have played a couple of games in the last month very little is know about them. “We really don’t know anything about the South African side with the exception of the couple of players they have on their Senior 15’s and senior 7’s squads. We’ve heard that they will be very big in the tight five with and fast in the back three” commented Chivers.

U20 WNT Backs coach Tasha Bishop thinks that her gals will be up for the challenge and this will make for a very enjoyable game of rugby. The speed match ups will be interesting. “We are excited about the unknown challenges the South African back line will present to us.” Forwards coach Sue Oldenburg looks at the size of the South African forwards as a challenge in the set but has hopes that the US pack will offer their own challenge with their speed in the open field play.

USA U20 Team
1 Rachel Sommer West Linn, OR
2 Brittany Woodard Hyde School, DC
3 Jay Marie Hill Stanford
4 Anneke Brand Texas Tech
5 Maggie Reidy Divine Savior, WI
6 Candace Barley Maryville, TN
7 Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN
8 Alex Hartley Brown
9 BriAnna Barto Summit, CO
10 Lisa Henneman (C) Seattle Women
11 Tyra McGrady Indiana
12 Marie Timm USMA
13 Catherine Turnerdrown Riverton,UT
14 Seymi Salamy State College, PA
15 Sadie Anderson Fort Collins, CO

16 Joanna Kitlinski Grand Valley State
17 Tayo Mafe Michigan State
18 Mallory Ives Colorado State
19 Jozy Gessner Summit, CO
20 Catherine Parkhill Armstrong, MN
21 Kayla Morisoli San Jose State
22 Blaine Martin Brown

USA U20’s Arrive in South Africa.

2008-06-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Wednesday June 18th. After four flights over two days the USA U20 WNT finally made it to White River South Africa. With two long flights (eight hours and eleven hours) and fourteen hours waiting in airports the U20’s were at the point where any flat surface was good for a couple of hours sleep despite the stares, and sometimes photographs, from the people in the airport.

We finally arrived at the Ingwenyama Lodge in White River around 6pm on Wednesday and because it’s the winter here the sun had gone down so we really couldn’t see much of our surroundings. We had a quick look at our rooms and were very pleasantly surprised as they were simple, but very clean and with two nice comfy beds. We went straight to dinner and found that they have a building just for us. You enter through a large round room with blinds on the open windows, African flags all over the ceiling and a huge fire in the middle of the room. This leads to the small dining room where we will have all of our meals. The food was great. Some traditional maize dish that substitutes for potatoes, a chicken casserole, a lamb stew, salad and some interesting desserts. It was all very wonderful after two days of airport food. We had a quick chat about plans for Thursday and everyone crashed by 9pm.

Thursday June 19th.
First day of practices and it’s clear that everyone is jet lagged and rusty. Everything was sloppy and while there were sparks of individual talent, the sense of being a team was clearly missing. We lost second row Brittany Rose for Saturday as she tweaked a muscle in her shoulder in a scrum and team physio Amy Valenta ruled her out until Tuesday’s game.

Friday June 20th.
Everything started to click today. The players finally understood why they are here and you could feel them becoming a team as the level of communication went up and they started to believe in each other. The last scrimmages of the day highlighted the progress the team has made in two days with both forwards and backs playing off each other to produce some great running rugby

The staff at the Ingwenyama Lodge is great and is willing to get us everything we need. They noticed Amy and Brittany sat at the side of the field yesterday and when we went out this morning they had set up large lawn umbrellas for them to sit under. The food is great, weather is mild and perfect for rugby with temps in the mid 40’s in the morning and mid 60’s in the day.

The team is starting to understand what a big deal this event is to the development of the women’s game here. This morning Team Captain Lisa Henneman and the squad’s youngest player Katie Johnson were up early to go to Nelspruit the capital of Mpumalanga Territory where they were interviewed by two radio stations. Within an hour we had someone tell us that they had heard the players on the radio. Saturday’s game against the South Africa U20’s is being staged in a small stadium that holds 6,000 spectators and SA Rugby has arranged for 500 local children to be bussed in for the game. There is a curtain raiser between two boys U9 sides and traditional dancers will perform just before our game. Everyone is thanking us for coming here and the players are starting to understand the role they are playing in the development of the women’s game here.

Team for Saturday will be announced later today.

Collegiate Championship on ESPNU

2008-05-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Watch the USA Rugby National Guard Division I College Championship Shows Tonight and Tomorrow at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPNU

Schedule of broadcasts

Tonight: May 21 -The National Guard Women’s College Championship

Tomorrow: May 22 - The National Guard Men’s College Championship

And don't forget to check out the USA Rugby Network for any collegiate championship action you may have missed.
Visit http://usarugby1.tampadigital.com/mediamanager/ to download all the USA Rugby collegiate webcasts.

For more information on USA Rugby, log on to www.usarugby.org.

South Africa Announce U20 Women's Camp

2008-05-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Women’s rugby in South Africa continues to grow and to facilitate this development the first ever national Under 20 squad will assemble in East London this weekend, not only to prepare to face their USA counterparts but also to look further ahead to the next Women’s Rugby World Cup.

South Africa made their debut on the Women’s Rugby World Cup stage two years ago in Canada, finishing bottom of the standings after losses to Australia, England, Ireland, Samoa and Kazakhstan and are hungry to improve that performance at the 2010 event.

“The purpose of assembling an Under 20 team is to build up towards the next Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2010,” explained Mahlubi Puzi, the South Africa Rugby Union Manager for Women’s Rugby Development.

“As this team will form the nucleus of our 2010 team, it is crucial that we expose them to the demands of high performance sport. They need to be better prepared mentally, physically and technically.”

The squad will be trimmed to 22 players at the end of this three-day camp with the two matches against the USA Under 20 Women’s team taking place in Nelspruit on 21 and 28 June, either side of the tourists’ facing a Mpumalanga Invitation team in a midweek encounter.

“Women’s rugby is growing steadily in the country, with most growth recorded in the rural areas. To sustain the code, we are looking at increasing the number of players in existing clubs, as opposed to establishing more clubs that lack the necessary depth,” added Puzi.

South Africa U20 Women’s Squad:
Onicca Ramaredi Moaga (Blue Bulls), She-ull Naude (Boland), Jalean De Wee (Boland), Portia Scott Boland (Boland), Portia Jonga (Border), Zenay Jordaan (Eastern Province), Matshidisa Bojozi (Falcons), Nelia Horne (Falcons), Michelle Kona (Free State), Cherne Roberts (Free State), Boipelo Nakanyane (Free State), Belinda Etie (Free State), Thakane Ntihafu (Free State), Lindiwe Masole (Griffons), Vuyiswa Desiree Khatha (Griffons), Maserame (Tiny) Bankiese (Griffons), Nomzano Ngcamu (KZN), Aimee Barrett (KZN), Zinhle Ndawonde (KZN), Monica Bulane (Leopards), Stompi Shabangu (Golden Lions), Allucia Mathebula (Pumas), Claudia Davids (Western Province), Celeste April (Western Province), Elaine Adams (Western Province).

Northeast U20 Camp

2008-05-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, May 25, 2008 (Memorial Day weekend), we will be holding a rugby camp at White Oak School in Westfield, MA. This camp is run by the USA U-20 National Team coaching staff. This a great opportunity for players to benefit from the experience, and at the same time allow any coaches who attend to see exactly what the USA coaches are looking for in players as far as skill level, mental preparation, and athleticism. Any coach who wishes to attend and take part in the camp is strongly urged to do so.

USA U-20 coach Bryn Chivers and other USA staff members will be conducting the camp on Sunday from 9 AM until 4:30 PM. The camp will consist of physical testing of the athletes, drill sets and scrimmaging in the afternoon. The testing will include a 40 yard dash as well as a 300 yard shuttle run. Coaches should identify your most qualified athletes and send them to this camp. The camp is open to any players that Coaches recommend that have the athletic ability to perform at the U-20 level. New players with athletic ability and potential should also be encouraged to attend this camp.

There will be a fee of $45 for each player attending the camp. The girls will receive a day of coaching from one of the premier coaches in the USA and an opportunity to make the USA National team or be identified as a potential player for the future. The USA coaching staff is continuously searching for potential players.

Coaches should send recommendations to Chris St. Onge as soon as possible. Players should be pre-registered for this event. Contact Chris at cstonge41@yahoo.com

Camp Details
WHEN: Sunday, May 25, 2008
WHERE: White Oak School, 533 North Road, Westfield, MA 01085
TIME: Camp will run from approximately 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
Registration begins at 8:00 AM.
Cost: Camp will cost $45 per player
Directions: From the East, take the Massachusetts Turnpike West to Exit 3. Bear left off exit onto Routes 10 and 202, heading north. Proceed north, approx. 3 miles, and take a left onto North Road. White Oaks School will be a half mile down on your left.

From the West, take the Mass Turnpike East to Exit 3. Bear left off exit onto Routes 10 and 202, heading north. Proceed north, approx. 3 miles, and take a left onto North Road. White Oaks School will be a half mile down on your left.

From the North, take Route I-91 South to Exit 14, Mass Turnpike West. Then take Exit 3. Bear left off exit onto Routes 10 and 202, heading north. Proceed north, approx. 3 miles, and take a left onto North Road. White Oaks School will be a half mile down on your left.

From the South, take Route I-91 North to Exit 14, Mass Turnpike West. Then take Exit 3. Bear left off exit onto Routes 10 and 202, heading north. Proceed north, approx. 3 miles, and take a left onto North Road. White Oaks School will be a half mile down on your left.

Players attending should bring a jersey, t-shirt, rugby shorts, cleats, and a mouthpiece.
We will need the following information for each player: Name, address, phone, email, primary position, secondary position, club, recommended by, reason for recommendation, DATE OF BIRTH, how long playing rugby, and any special skills or comments about athlete.

Cut-off date of birth: Born ON or AFTER January 1, 1988

Rugby Movie

2008-04-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Forever Strong is a drama/sport film directed by Ryan Little to be released in the fall of 2008. The film is about a troubled rugby union player who must play against the team his father coaches at the national championships. Forever Strong is based on a true story.

Talented but troubled high school rugby player Rick Penning (Sean Faris) loses his position as the star of an Arizona rugby union team when he is sentenced to a boys' home in Salt Lake City.[1] Rick ends up playing for Salt Lake's famous Highland High School rugby team, coached by Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole), in the national championships - against his old team, which is coached by his father, Neal Penning (Neal McDonough).

Several All-American rugby players added their talents to this film. They were predominantly from the University of Utah and Brigham Young University rugby teams and most were Highland Rugby alumni. Also current (2006 & 2007 players) and many other Highland alumni were featured in the movie. Filming began in August of 2006. Locations for filming took place at around three high schools.

Forever Strong is based on true stories about a high school rugby team, Highland Rugby, which is the inspiration for the film. Rick Penning is based on a real member of the rugby team who played in Flagstaff, Arizona who was sent to a group home for troubled youth in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake team coach, Larry Gelwix, and the Highland team have dominated the sport for three decades, including 17 USA Rugby National High School Championships in the last 23 years.

The production company Go Films decided to make a film about the legacy of the team and coach."Forever Strong" is one of the team mottos of the high school team the film is based on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_Strong

Texas Tech Lock the Next Big Thing

2008-04-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

This article originally posted on www.erugbynews.com

April 1, 2008 - Coming out of the U20 women’s camp, USA head coach Bryn Chivers was smiling. The level of athleticism, was very high.
The quality of players was such that several who had been on previous U20 and U19 teams didn’t make the squad to tour South Africa.
“What was great was that no one didn’t deserve to be there, and we had some amazing athletes,” he said.

Few more so than Anneke Brand. A lock and No. 8 for DII Texas Tech, Brand is 6-1, which is a height few American women rugby players get to, and has great power and speed.

“She was faster than 11 of our backs,” gushed Chivers. “She’s just really impressive.”

Brand will help lead Tech to the West collegiate playoffs this coming weekend before going to South Africa with the U20s.

In only her second year of rugby she is always making an impact, but it’s an impact she’s used to making.

“In high school I didn’t know about rugby,” she said. “I played basketball and ran cross country and track.”

By “track” she means she put the shot and threw the discus, and while the throwers were resting, she’d go off and run the 400 meters.

“I’d get a few funny looks because I’d be doing the shot put and then go to the track to run the 400 and the relays,” she said.

Seems like a formula made for rugby, and it clearly is. Brand’s father hires a number of summer workers, many of whom are from New Zealand and South Africa and they would start impromptu non-tackle rugby games. Brand’s sister, Rinske, started playing at Tech, and encouraged her sister to do the same when she started college.

Quickly she’s become a focal point of the team. Put in at No. 8 she has been difficult to stop, or even catch up to, as Tech has emerged as the best DII women’s team in Texas.

Her performances led her to be recommended to the U20 camp, where she showed up with no expectations, but plenty of internal pressure.

“I was really nervous,” she said. “The players are all so good and it was really good competition. In Texas there’s not that much depth of talent, so I wasn’t sure how I would do. I learned so much there and I came back to the team and wanted to do all these new things.”

Brand hasn’t exactly overhauled the Tech training regimen, but she has suggested a few new things.

“They taught us how to run, and it’s those little things I try to let my teammates know about,” she said. “I enjoy these challenging experiences, and it made me start to think differently. Now I know there are so many opportunities out there, that I want to be in the best shape possible, be a better rugby player.”

Brand will work to lift Tech to a West title, but she knows it’s tough for them as the competition gets stiffer.

“We know it’s going to be a challenge,” she said.

As she goes forward as a player Brand knows she has a lot to work on.

“I have natural strength,” she said. “I’ve always been told I am strong. And I guess I am pretty quick. But I don’t think I am a good tackler. I need to learn to tackle people properly. That’s what I want do to be better.”

“Anneke really stood out,” said Chivers. “She is incredibly fast and fit for a woman of her size and she really is a player to watch. Honestly she is a player who could be a lock in the next World Cup squad.”

Texas Tech are the #2 seeds in the West playoffs and will take on Wayne State (Nebraska) in the semis on Saturday, and then either Colorado State or Truman State on Sunday.

- Alex Goff

U20 WNT Name Squad For South Africa Tour

2008-03-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

March 31, 2008, Boulder, Colo. - USA Under-20 Women’s National Team Head Coach Bryn Chivers announced today the squad set to tour South Africa from June 16 – June 29.

The U-20 Women are scheduled to play three games in Nelspruit, capital of the South African province of Mpumalanga. The team kicks off and concludes the tour with tests against the South Africa Under-20 Women on June 21 and 28 respectively, with a match versus the Mpumalanga Senior Women on June 25.

The U.S. team is comprised of 24 players representing 20 different high school, college and club programs across the nation. Nine of the athletes are returning veterans from the 2007 tours of England and Wales, while seven players were selected from developmental squads that played in the Under-23 National All-Star Championships and the Under-19 Invitational NASC. Eight players are new to the program and will embark on their first ever tour with the U-20 National Team in June.

“There were a lot of really good athletes at the U-20 camp this year and this has made the selection process much more difficult than in previous years,” Head Coach Bryn Chivers said of his balanced squad.

The USA Under-20 Women’s National Team picked to tour South Africa includes:
Sadie Anderson (Fort Collins), Candace Barley (Maryville), BrieAnna Barto (Summit), Anneke Brand (Texas Tech), Stacey Bridges (Texas A&M), Lauren Danielsen (Summit), Jozy Gesner (Summit), Alex Hartley (Brown), Lisa Henneman (Seattle Women), Jay-Marie Hill (Stanford), Mallory Ives (Colorado State), Joanna Kitlinski (Grand Valley State), Alisa Ly (Univ. of Minnesota), Adetayo Mafe (Michigan State), Tyra McGrady (Indiana University), Kayla Morisoli (San Jose State), Kelsey Moss (Stanford), Catherine Parkhill (Armstrong), Maggie Reidy (Divine Savior), Seymira Salami (State College), Marie Timm (USMC), Catherine Turnerdrown (Riverton), Jessica Watkins (Stanford) and Brittany Woodard (Hyde School).

Alternates include: Kayla Ellingson (BYU), Hanna Gregor (Keystone), Katie Johnson (Hopkins, Minn.), Blaine Martin (Brown), Brittany Rose (West Chester East, Penn.) and Rachel Sommer (West Linn, Ore.).

USA U20 WNT Open Camp

2008-03-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

West Chester University
Saturday, March 22, 2008

On Saturday, March 22, 2008 (Easter weekend)The U20 WNT will be holding a U20 rugby camp at West Chester University. USA U20 WNT Head Coach Bryn Chivers will be conducting the camp from 9am until 4pm. The camp will consist of physical testing of the athletes, drill sets and scrimmaging in the afternoon.

The camp is open to any players born on or after January 1st 1988.

WHEN: Saturday, March 22, 2008 (this is Easter weekend)

WHERE: West Chester University, West Chester, Pa.

Time: 9am to 4pm.

Registration: Begins at 8am. All players must bring proof of medical insurance.

Cost: Camp will cost $45 per player

Directions: www.wcupagoldenrams.com

Contact Person
Tony Deremer
tderemer@msn.com
or
aderemer@wcupa.edu

610-517-6385

Candace Barley Youth Player of the Year

2008-02-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

Frome the Maryville Daily Times
Article published Feb 3, 2008
Barley named Youth Player of Year

By Alex Goff
ERugbyNews.com

Editor’s note: The Maryville Rugby Football Club was formed late May 2003 with Coach Jay Hawkins and 15 boys from Maryville High School, who had started to play rugby after watching matches on television. The club joined Smoky Mountain Athletic Club, which is part of the TN High School League. The league is a member of the Mid-South Rugby Union. All rugby unions in the US belong to USA Rugby Union. In February 2004 the Maryville club added a girl’s side, the first of the girls’ rugby teams in Tennessee. For information on Maryville Rugby, visit the Web page at www.mrfcrugby.com or contact head coach Jay Hawkins at 388-4074 or maryville@smacrugby.com.

Candace Barley first came to the attention of GoffonRugby when she emerged as a young but effective leader on the USA U19 (under age 19) team. She was, at the time, 15 years old and while not supremely quick, she was an effective center threequarter because she was strong, smart and dedicated.

Flash forward to the present and Barley is still a youngster on the USA age-grade scene — only 16, she helped lead the USA U20s Development Team (which was a U17 side in all but name), but this time from No. 8. And it is in part because of her standout play as a back and then a forward on the national level that she is the ERugbyNews Youth Player of the Year for 2007.

“I switched to No. 8 at (my club) Maryville,” said the Tennessee-based Barley. “One of our No. 8s graduated and we were looking for another. I was talking to my coach (Jay Hawkins) about playing more in the forwards. I liked playing center but sometimes there didn’t always seem to be so much happening. I wanted to be moving about more.”

So she moved to No. 8, and helped Maryville to the state final, as well as wins over the states champs in Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. And she returned to the U19 national team, playing No. 8 against England, Wales and Canada on their UK tour.

“Whatever Candace does she does well,” said USA U20 coach Bryn Chivers. “She’s not flashy but she always makes a good decision. You watch her play and she might not be the one making the big play, but you see her adjust her running line on support, or get in a defensive position. At 16 years old, she showed great maturity, especially in her decision-making.”

Barley says that she is simply having more fun at No. 8, and is working harder to get better.

“I enjoy No. 8 because it is a mix, and sometimes I end up back in the backline when the numbers are off,” she said. “I am working on developing more power in my game. I didn’t feel like I was that fast anyway. Jess Peterson on my club helped me a lot in developing my play there, but I think I can always do better at working on my eightman breaks. It seems every time I go to a (USA) camp we work on the eightman breaks, but they never seem to happen the way we plan it.”

Barley said she’d like to become a more physical player, although Chivers said the thing about her play is she simply doesn’t back down.

“I think when I wasn’t in good enough shape I would just flop into the rucks, like it was a rest, but experience and better fitness has given me more confidence to be more physical,” she said.

Barley remains excited about the opportunities for the U20 national team, and hopes the program can record a victory over another national team soon. They came so close against Wales on March 27, 2007, but were undone by some rough calls.

“We could have beaten Wales,” she said. “England was really, really good, and against Canada we were winning early on and I was pretty happy with how we played. But against Wales, we felt we should have won it.”

It’s a feeling she knows all too well. Maryville lost the Tennessee state title in a close game to Ravenswood.

“We’re aiming to win State right now,” she said of her club. “If we win State then we can look at getting to nationals. I would really like to get that state title back and go to nationals and show what we can do.”Reprinted with permission from ERugbyNews.com

The USA U20 WNT Elite Camp

2008-01-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

Forty-five players have accepted an invite to participate at the U20 WNT Elite Camp to be held at the Cocoa Expo Center, Florida, Feb 28th - March 2nd. Twenty-three players have experience playing for the U20’s at some level including fourteen of the U19 squad that played in international games against England, Wales and Canada in March 2007.

Most players were selected based on their participation at several regional camps in 2007 or the recommendation of their coaches although twelve players were selected solely on their performance at the U19 Invitational NASC in November.

The U20 WNT Staff is still looking to add five more players to the camp and will be scouting players at the Stanford Invitational Tournament on Saturday January 19th and at the U20 Camp in Fullerton, CA, Sunday January 20th. All U19 and college coaches are encouraged to recommend players to the U20 WNT Program and should contact Head Coach Bryn Chivers at bryn.chivers@gmail.com for more information.

U20 WNT Elite Camp
Jay-Marie Hill Stanford
Joanna Kitlinski Grand Valley State
Rachel Sommer Canby, OR
Erica Wheeler U of Illinois
Stacey Bridges Texas A&M
Megan Buford U of Georgia
Ima Isang Oakridge, TN
Adetayo Mafe Michigan State
Brittany Woodard Hyde School, DC
Kayla Ellingson BYU
Mallory Ives Colorado State
Maggie Reidy Divine Savior, WI
Brittany Rose Westchester East, PA
Jessica Waterfield Bowling Green
Mika Underwood Budd Bay, WA
Jozy Gessner Summit HS, CO
Alisa Ly U of Minnesota
Kelsey Moss Stanford
Gina Fanelli Ohio State University
Candace Barley Maryville, TN
Alexandria Hartley Brown

BrieAnna Barto Summit, CO
Hanna Gregor Keystone Women
Brittany Houston UW-Milwaukee
Shannon Boone Ravenwood, TN
Lauren Danielsen Summit, CO
Lisa Henneman Seattle Women
Lorelei Boone Ravenwood, TN
Maude Marandet Indiana University
Kayla Morrisoli San Jose State
CJ Turnerdrown Riverton, UT
Nichole Roth UW Madison
Mindy Foster BYU
Rachel Sachs Syracuse
Marie Timm Army
Brook LeGate Maryville, TN
Erin LeGate Maryville, TN
Blaine Martin Brown
Maddie Robinson Fort Collins, CO
Kristen Spencer Ball State University
Seymira Salami State College, PA
Sadie Anderson Fort Collins, CO
Jessica Watkins Stanford
Katherine Glerum Brown
Tyra McGrady Indiana University

Penn State Camp Feb 22-24th

2008-01-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

from my email - thanks for sending:
Penn State is holding a high school clinic in February! It will be the weekend of the 22nd-24th and will cost $100 per player, BUT the MORE people from your team that come the price will go down. For example, if you come alone it will be $100, but if 8 of your friends come it drop to 75! Now I know some of you live really far away, but it will be a great clinic. We have top notch staff and players here and you'll learn a lot. If anyone is interested let me know and I can send you the flyer. You can either email me at sas5332@psu.edu or Facebook message me Angela Smarto (trust me - no one checks their Facebok more than I do) or you can instant message me at danger2society1 (I know its stupid but whatever). Thanks guys! Hopefully I'll see you soon! Cheers, Angela Smarto

Open Tryout Camp for USA U20s in SoCal

2008-01-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

The camp is being hosted by SoCal's regional team the Camp Website has all the information and how to register.

An U20 Women's National Team Camp will be conducted in Fullerton, California, by Bryn Chivers, the Head Coach of the USA U20 team. The Camp will be held on Sunday, January 20, 2008. Players who are 15 -20 years old are invited to participate. Players who are 14 years old are permitted to participate if they have played at least one season on a high school team. The camp is open to players born after January 1, 1988.

The cost of the camp is $45 per player, and includes lunch and a camp t-shirt. All participants are required to register by January 12. To register go to http://www.youthrugby.net/2008BrynChiversCamp.htm

feel free to email u19rugby@gmail.com with questions

Sadie #2

2007-12-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

Good ball movement puts Sadie Anderson away and another great chip and chase ends in the U17's being awarded a penalty try.

Sadie Anderson

2007-12-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

A great chip and chase move from USA U17 fullback Sadie Anderson. She has a sidestep that would beat any player in the world and only solid defense from the MARFU U19 fullback saves what would have been an incredible try.

Photos from NASC

2007-11-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Richard for sending the great photos! Visit his Flickr page for hundreds of pictures of the U19 NASC here

Two Tries from CJ Turnerdrown

2007-11-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

Two nice tries from CJ Turnerdrown for the U20 Developmental Squad against the MARFU U19's at the U19 INASC.

New York 7s U19 Division

2007-10-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

To All Local U-19 and High School Rugby Programs,

The NEW YORK 7s TOURNAMENT is the largest sevens tournament in the United States. The tournament has been held on the Saturday following Thanksgiving since 1959 and traditionally marks the end of the Fall rugby season in the New York Metropolitan area.

With teams and players traveling from as far away as Central and South America, South Africa, Australia, the UK, France, Canada, and many other countries, the level of play is truly spectacular. Each year the New York Rugby Club plays host to nearly 100 rugby clubs that come to New York for world class competitive rugby and great fun in one of the world's greatest cities.

THIS YEAR marks the first in which official U-19 divisions (both boys and girls) will be included. We are offering registration at a reduced price to encourage all local teams to participate. Click below for additional registration information:

newyorkrugby.com

This venue will benefit U-19 players of every level, from exposure to sevens and great 7's players for the first time to personal preparation for the 2009 seven's world cup. These kids are the future of rugby!

NRU U19 Tryout this weekend

2007-10-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

NRU U19 All-Star Trials
Sunday October 21, 2007
Albany, NY
10:30AM - 4PM
Dick Green Field

Directions to the field can be found:
http://www.albanyknicksrfc.org/directions_DG.htm

Registration Fee
There is a $30 Player Registration Fee. Cash or checks made payable to Jenna Bussman will be accepted.

How to RSVP:
NOTE: **ALL PLAYERS MUST HAVE A COACHES RECOMMENDATION TO ATTEND THIS SELECTION CAMP**

Contact Jenna Bussman ASAP please provide names, school, positions and years playing, if known, for every player. All players should have insurance information and bring the signed waiver the day of the camp. Jenna's email is u19nrugirls@gmail.com

Coaches:
K.O. Onufry, former USA Women's National Team Member, and current NRU U19 All-Star Team Head Coach, will lead this event.

Kevin O'Brien, former USA Women's National Team Coach and current NRU U19 All-Star Assistant Coach will also be in attendance.

All coaches are invited and encouraged to attend this event with their players.

Eligibility

The camp is open to all recommended players born on or after January 1st 1988. All high school and college coaches are encouraged to recommend talented players who have established themselves in their first side. While experience is important, new players with a high level of athletic ability will also be considered. Players who are unable to attend the camp may still be considered for the NRU U19 All Star Team on the recommendation from their coach supported by a good quality video/dvd.

Camp Structure
Sunday Morning. Speed testing and Fitness Testing. Individual drills
Sunday Afternoon. Open Scrimmage.

The camp is set up to be both instructional and competitive. Our goals are to provide as many players as possible with the opportunity to practice and play at a representative level while also utilizing the camp to select players for the NRU U19 All-Star Team. This team is an opportunity to play at the NASC U19 All-Star Invitational where you will play the All-Star teams from all the various territories in the country. As well, this is a feeder for selection to the USA U19 Women's National Team.

TESTING:
All participants will be tested on the 40 yard dash and 300 yard shuttle.

Ten Suggestions for a Successful Try Out
1. This is a competitive try out and you have to come prepared. Come in the best shape mentally and physically and plan to show your stuff from the first drill to the last.
2. Be ready for more full contact drills compared to what you might be used to in your practices at home. Come prepared to tackle and be tackled.
3. Don't wear new cleats. Your feet will get blistered enough in your old ones.
4. Start hydrating the week prior to the camp and bring a large water bottle. Also, bring a lunch and snacks to the camp. It will be a long day.
5. Wear a distinctive item of clothing (shirt, socks or shorts), Wear it throughout the day and resist the temptation to change it no matter how much it smells. With so many talented players it's not always easy knowing who is who. You may get to the end of the camp with the coaches calling you "Mary yellow shirt from Union" and you want this as opposed to "Does anyone know who that center is?" Stand out, don't blend in.
6. Be open to new ideas.
7. It could be warm or it could pour with rain. Pack accordingly. Don't forget your spare mouth guard, contacts, cleats, sports-bra, shorts, inhaler, or anything else that can get lost or torn in the first ten minutes and make the rest of your camp experience miserable.
8. Bring a photo copy of your medical insurance.
9. Play your best.
10. Have fun and make new friends.

NRU U19 Schedule
The NRU U19 team will travel to Nashville, Tennessee on November 16th and will practice for one day before participating in the second annual NASC U19 All-Star Invitational Tournament November 17th -18th. We will stay in Nashville and play the various territorial teams from around the country (West, South, Midwest, Pacific, Southern California, Mid-Atlantic) on November 17th and 18th. Note: if a player is selected for the NRU U19 team, most of the cost for this tournament will be incurred by the player.

Share the Experience
If you had a good experience at the camp please go back to your teammates and tell them to get involved in their local U19 Program. Get them excited about the opportunities that are out there for them. Understand that what we teach may not work with your team at home so don't go back and inform your coach that they are doing things wrong as they are not. There are many ways to play the game and your coach is just adapting how they want to see the game played taking into consideration the skill level of the players they have been given. Coaches are few and far between and you can't just go out and pick a good one off the coach tree……….please do everything to take care of the one you have.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Best regards,
Jenna Bussman
NRU U19 Manager

USA Rugby Youth Promotional Video

2007-09-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

Maybe everyone has already seen this video from USA Rugby - its a 5 minute introduction.

Coaching Tip of the Day - A wing shouldn't run directly at a prop.

2007-08-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Justine Harris, U19 WNT prop, dishes out a big hit on a Welsh U19 Wing who was silly enough to run directly at her.

Laura Parker scores for the USA U19 WNT against the South U23's

2007-06-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

A good lineout jump from Katie Johnson (Hopkins, MN), long pass from Brittany Huston (Vernon, WI), strong run from Tayo Mafe (Michigan State) and great finish by Laura Parker (KC Jazz) produces a well worked try for the USA U19 WNT.

USA U19's Defeat South U23's

2007-06-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday June 17th - The USA U19 WNT followed their disappointing loss on Friday to the Northeast U23's with an emphatic 46-8 win against the South U23's.

Match Report below with video to follow.

Coming out much faster than their older opponents the U19's scored in the second minute when speedy wing Catherine Turnerdrown (Riverton, UT) touched down in the left corner. Before the South U23's could establish any possession the U19's scored again when wing Seymira Salami (State College, PA) crossed on the right side. Stacey Bridges (Texas A&M) converted to make it 12-0. Five minutes later some great support play saw flanker Kerrie Hughes (North Bay, MD) take a pass out wide and she was able to center the ball for another score. Bridges converted to make it 19-0. The game slowed as the U19's were guilty of a series of infractions and the South took advantage to get on the board with a penalty. Late in the half Tayo Mafe (Michigan State) had an aggressive run from a lineout play that sucked in the South defense and a quick offload to Laura Parker (Kansas City Jazz) allowed the U19 Captain to slice through the remaining defenders to score. On the last play of the half the South responded with a try of their own to close the gap. Halftime score 26-8 to the U19 WNT.

In the second half the speed and mobility of the young Eagles continued to cause problems and they were quickly on the scoreboard with a try from fullback Alicia Hartley (Brown). The loss of fly half Lisa Henneman (Kent, WA) with a cut lip just ten minutes into the half didn’t slow them down and they continued to control the game throughout the half. Parker picked up her second try to put the U19’s up 34-8. Fifteen-year-old Katie Johnson (Hopkins, MN) was having a great game at number eight and a series of strong runs saw her finally rewarded with a try. Catie Turnerdrown scored for a second time late in the half and a conversion by Brittany Huston (Vernon, WI) made the final score 46-8 to the U19 WNT.

Register for USA U19 Camp in June

2007-05-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

Register Soon for the Inaugural U19 WOMEN EAGLES FLIGHT CAMP!
June 17-21, 2007
Blaine, Minnesota
EAGLE FLIGHT CAMP DETAILS:
Who: Female athletes age 13-19
What: The inaugural Under-19 USA Rugby player development camp.
Why: This camp is designed to instruct players from all levels of skill and experience, including beginners, to play more effectively as an individual and as a member of a team.

Interact with USA National team players and coaches
Film study and individual analysis of play
Individual player evaluation and feedback
Position-specific coaching
Full on duty medical staff

When: June 17-21, 2007
(Athletes should arrive by 4 PM June 17 and may depart after 10 AM on the 21.)
Where: National Sports Complex Blaine, MN
Camp Staff:
 Head Coach: Bryn Chivers
 Assistant Coaches: Sue Oldenburg, Lance Connolly & Tasha Bishop
 Managers: Jeff Noe

Transportation: Flight itineraries should be sent to u19usawomen@usarugby.org and transportation will be coordinated to/from the airport. All camp activities will occur within walking distance of the residence halls.
Meals: All meals will be provided at the residence halls. Costs for each meal are included in the camp fee.
Residence: Campers will be housed in residence halls at the National Sports Complex in Blaine, MN.
Rates: These rates include camp related fees including instructions and meals
$349 for those campers driving to Blaine who will be staying at the dorms
$299 for those campers flying into MSP Airport and will be staying at the dorms
$249 for those campers who will be commuting to camp daily and will not need to be accommodated in the dorms

Contact Information: All questions or concerns should be directed to:
u19usawomen@usarugby.org

Registration Form: http://www.usarugby.org/media/EDocs/eaglecamp.pdf

To register mail/fax to:
U19 Women Eagles Flight Camp
2500 Arapahoe Ave, Suite 200
Boulder, CO 80302
Fax: 303-539-0311
u19usawomen@usarugby.org

Congratulations DHSA!

2007-05-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

Updates from http://www.rugbynit.com/

Girls High School Rugby National Invitational Tournament
2007 Cup Champion: Divine Savior Holy Angels
2nd Place: Kent
3rd Place: Vernon

2007 Plate Champion: West Linn
2nd Place: Canby

Here are some news articles I found leading up to the event. Hopefully I will find some after!

Summit is the home club of 3 US U19 players.
"SHS girls rugby club ready for nationals" May 16th
Tigers to face Budd Bay of Washington in Saturday’s first-round contest
Summit http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070516/NEWS/70516015
FARMER’S KORNER — If the members of the Summit High School girls rugby club have had trouble focusing on their academics this week, it’s probably because the Tigers will be playing in the national tournament this weekend in Milwaukee, Wis.“I’m so excited, I can’t concentrate in school,” senior Catherine Clark said.
“I’ve been going through all the plays in my mind. ... I don’t think any of us can concentrate on anything else.”“The kids are really fired up,” echoed Summit’s 10th-year coach, Karl Barth. “You can tell.”For the Tigers, anticipation of this weekend has been growing since last fall, when Summit defeated Fort Collins 15-14 in the state championship. Since 2004, the Colorado state champion has automatically represented the West region at nationals unless a team from Wyoming or New Mexico challenges, which “they never do,” according to Barth. The Tigers’ last trip to nationals was in 2004, when they took fifth place.Senior co-captains Kyle Armstrong and Mallory Ives are the only remaining players from that squad, which could be problematic for the Tigers, who will play Budd Bay of Olympia, Wash., in Saturday morning’s first round.“It’s definitely one disadvantage for us,” Barth said. “A lot of the teams in the tournament were there last year.”Another inherent disadvantage for the Tigers could be the fact that Colorado is one of only two states (Wisconsin is the other) that plays high school rugby during the fall.May has been a productive month for the Tigers, however, who came together a few weeks ago to shed their offseason rust. After victories over New Mexico state champion Los Alamos (54-5 and 65-5) and the Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union (31-13), the Tigers seem to have regained their state championship form.“We have a very good team this year,” said Armstrong, who’s a member of the U19 girls national team along with Ives and Jozy Gessner. “What will help us is that we really want to win this championship.”If Summit gets past the Northwest region representative in the first round of the eight-team tournament, it will likely clash with three-time defending champions Lake Divine Savior of Milwaukee.Savior, which like Summit is unique in that it draws all of its players from a single school, could be especially formidable this year because they have the luxury of playing at home.“I know their coach and he told me it was the best team they’ve ever had,” Barth said. “If we had to be giant killers against Fort Collins in the state championship. ... I don’t know what’s bigger than a giant.”An experienced coach

at the helmAn accomplished, veteran rugby coach, Barth has become known for his attention to detail and preparation. On Monday, he assembled the Tigers in his chemistry classroom at SHS for an in-depth review of plays and tactics as well as a video session. Some 20 players watched tape of themselves against Los Alamos last Saturday as well as footage of Budd Bay in action.“On paper, we look good,” said the coach, who has taken five Summit teams to nationals during his tenure (the Tigers were national champions in both 1998 and ’99). Although Barth’s name has been synonymous with Summit rugby for the last decade, this will be the first tournament in which the Tigers will compete under the Summit High umbrella.“We’ve been talking to the school about this for a few years,” Barth said. “We figured out a situation that would work for everyone.”Summit ruggers still exist in some gray area, however, because rugby is not sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association. Interscholastic play and varsity letters are not currently available as a result. Still, players must conform to the same academic standards for eligibility as all other SHS athletes.Barth, the former head coach of both the U19 boys and girls national teams, is clearly well-liked by his players.“This is why I play rugby — since he’s such a good coach,” said Armstrong, who tentatively plans to play at Penn State University next year. “He’s determined, positive, focused and he really cares about us.”“He knows the ins and outs of every play,” echoed Gessner, whose international experience gained with Ives early this spring in England could be a helpful factor for Summit this weekend.As the Tigers assembled Monday in SHS room 2324, they listened intently to their coach’s advice regarding Saturday’s big game.“Technique beats size every time, unless technique has size,” he said. “If we execute against Budd Bay, then we will win.”
Adam Boffey can be contacted at (970) 668-4634, or at aboffey@summitdaily.com.

Rugby teams aim to keep teeth in battle for title Posted: May 14, 2007
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=605246
Well, it is kind of like football . . . but not really.
It is sort of like soccer, a little bit . . . but it's different.
Maybe hockey, minus the sticks, has something to do with it, too.
What is definite is people huddle up in what looks like a celebratory group hug, then a ball that is oval like a football but bigger is dropped in the middle and it no longer looks like a celebration. It then resembles more of a riot, and sometimes players climb on each other's shoulders like a chicken fight.
If you've never seen rugby played live, it is a pretty cool sight. There are a ton of gross and semi-amazing stories, like a guy splitting his head open and, because there was no trainer, teammates taped his dome with duct tape and he played on.
Casual observers think two things when they hear "rugby": missing choppers and blood. It is not for the easily queasy, even when girls play.
"Rugby is the most physically intense sport women play," said Nicole Back, who played club in 2004 at UW-Milwaukee. "It's football without pads. Nothing has made me feel stronger."
This week, Milwaukee is getting a taste of the sport at a pure, championship level when the 16-team Girls High School Rugby National Invitational Tournament starts Friday. The tournament's Web site calls it the biggest tournament in girls high school rugby history, although only eight teams are in the comp bracket that plays for the national title.
Divine Savior Holy Angels, the all-girls Catholic college prep school, is host of the tournament. Its rugby team, which is club and not certified by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, has won the last three NIT championships, which is the equivalent to a national championship.
This is not the first time Milwaukee has been host of the Rugby NIT. In 1999, its inaugural year, the six-team bracket was played on the lakefront. This year it will be at the Milwaukee Sports Complex in Franklin and the Dashers want to defend home turf and have their seniors go out with four titles. They have also won the last five regional championships, which teams must win to get an NIT bid.
"As a result of our tradition, they play harder for it," DSHA coach John Klein said. "When you see that everybody before you has won, you feel that pressure to keep winning."
Klein became enamored of the sport as a freshman at Marquette University when he decided it was time for him to try something new. Club rugby? Why not?
He is now in his 10th season as the coach of one of the most successful club rugby programs in the country. The sport has 350 teams and is considered the fastest growing high school sport.
Every one of the girls Klein gets has never played the sport, but its winning ways is part of the program's selling point. He credits much of the success, for which he hesitates to take much credit, with DSHA's practice habits. Klein includes every girl on the team, freshmen to seniors, in the same drills, grooming the youngsters to play at a high level.
"I think that has something to do with it," he said. "They want to do their best to keep up with the girls that are older."
The tournament itself is all the work of coaches, though. The festivities this weekend, which include opening ceremonies and a social gathering Saturday night for all the teams, will run upward of $20,000, and all of that money was raised by the teams.
Because rugby is a club sport, there is no financing from a governing body, not even USA Rugby, although Klein said the organization might change its position soon because of the growing popularity.
"It is fun because this is the coaches' doing," Klein said. "They are trying to give the girls something extra to play for."
And rest assured it will be a great weekend for whoever holds up the championship cup and smiles for a picture without any missing teeth.
Send e-mail to awitrado@journalsentinel.com

This Weekend: Girls High School National Invitational

2007-05-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here is the website with all information.

It is May 19th -20th Milwaukee County Sports Complex, Milwaukee, WI

Cup Teams
Antelope Valley Venom, Southern California

Budd Bay Steelheads, Washington

Divine Savior Holy Angels, Wisconsin

Kent Crusaders, Washington

Lady Marauders, Maryland

State College, Pennsylvania

Summit Tigers, Colorado

Vernon Harlequins, Wisconsin

Plate Teams
Brookfield Bruisers, Wisconsin

Canby Cougars, Oregon

City Honors/Genesee, New York

Colorado II, Colorado

Oconee, Georgia

West Linn Rucking Renegades, Oregon

forgive me if I put the wrong location - I am doing my best searching the web...send me the right one at u19rugby@gmail.com along with your team's website! I did just update my sidebar with as many of these teams as I could find. Also will post news as I find it.

Sorry for being quiet over here - I've been playing rugby :)
Thanks to Wisconsin U19 Girls Rugby for keeping up!

Rugby Magazine - April Issue covers U19 Women's Team

2007-04-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

USA U19 Articles in Rugby Magazine. Though I must say I am now confused on the new format....

U19 WNT Lineouts V Wales

2007-04-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Some solid lineout work by the U19 WNT forwards in their recent game against the Wales U19's.

U19 WNT v Wales

2007-04-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Some Video higlights of the USA U19 WNT V Wales U19's. Please excuse the audio problems.

1. U19 Flyhalf Karen Hunt scores a great solo try.

2. The U19 backs attack from behind their own 22 and put Jessica Watkins away down the sideline. Jessica's speed and balance prove too much for the two Welsh defenders.

U19 Women Junior Eagles Flight Camp

2007-04-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

U19 Women Junior Eagles Flight Camp
June 17-21, 2007
Blaine, Minnesota

CAMP DETAILS:
Who: Female athletes age 13-19

What: The inaugural Under-19 USA Rugby player development camp.

Why: This camp is designed to instruct players from all levels of skill and experience, including beginners,
to play more effectively as an individual and as a member of a team.
• Interact with USA National team players and coaches
• Film study and individual analysis of play
• Individual player evaluation and feedback • Position-specific coaching
• Full on duty medical staff

When: June 17-21, 2007 (Athletes should arrive by 4 PM June 17 and
may depart after 10 AM on the 21.)

Where: National Sports Complex Blaine, MN

Camp Staff: Head Coach: Bryn Chivers, Coaches: Sue Oldenburg, Tasha Bishop & Lance Connolly. Managers: Jeff Noe & Rachel Flynn

Fee: $399 covers all camp fees including instruction, housing and meals at the National Sports Center.

This is an open camp and any young female player aged 13 - 19 can attend. Space is limited to eighty players and registration has already started. U19 WNT Coach Bryn Chivers recently said “The goal of the camp is to provide the players with the best coaching possible, to introduce them to the U19 WNT Program and to give them access to players and coaches from all of our WNT Programs. I think this is going to be an incredible event and it’s exciting to see how many players have already signed up”

Contact Information: All questions should be directed to u19usawomen@usarugby.org.

Brochure and Registration Form: http://www.usarugby.org/media/EDocs/eaglecamp.pdf

Jessica Watkins Scores For The U19 WNT

2007-04-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

Jessica Watkins of Stanford scores for the USA U19 WNT v England U19's. Karen Hunt of U of Illinois converted to give the U19 WNT a surprising 7-5 lead twenty minutes into the game.

USA U19 Tryout Camp: MARFU this WEEKEND!!!

2007-04-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

from http://www.epru.org/news/n.php?n=613
04/07/07
USA Under 19's Girls National Team Tryout Camp, West Chester University
to identify potential candidates for the National Team. National Coach, Bryn Chivers, will lead the camp. Coaches are also welcome to attend.

WHEN: Camp is Saturday, April 7 (this is Easter weekend)
WHERE: West Chester Univ. Women's Rugby Pitch, West Chester, PA
CHECKIN: Begins at 8 am
TIME: Camp will run from approximately 9 am to 4 pm
COST: Camp will cost $35 per player
LUNCH: Please bring a packed lunch

AGE LIMITATION: Any player born ON or AFTER September 1, 1987 IS eligible.

The purpose of the camp will be to identify potential candidates for selection to the USA Under 19 National Team and the Under 19 player pool.
This is for higher caliber athletes only.

Information on the athletes will be submitted to the National Team Coach, Bryn Chivers, prior to the camp by Joe Campbell, EPRU Girls HS Coordinator.

High School coaches should contact Joe (Contact: Joe Campbell , ghs@epru.org , phone: 267-337-2332) well in advance of the camp with the following info on their participating players:

Name
Address
Phone
Email
Date of Birth
Club Name
Primary Position
Secondary Position
How Long Playing Rugby
Who is making the recommendation and Why
Any special skills or comments about the athlete

Questions on the camp can be directed to Tony DeRemer, Head Coach, WCU Women's Rugby at 610-517-6385 or aderemer@wcupa.edu.

links to other news

2007-04-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some links to find out more about the USA U19s Tour and matches

Article from Rugby Canada
Article from Welsh Rugby Union

U19 WNT Lose Final Tour Game

2007-04-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

The U19 WNT lost the final game of their tour of England and Wales as they went down 5-32 to the Canada U19 Women. The jersey ceremony was delayed until the morning 0f the game in order to give a couple of players the opportunity to pass a late fitness test. Karen Hunt injured an ankle in the loss to Wales and was cleared to play but Jozy Gessner’s ankle sprain kept her out of the game.
The USA chose to take the wind at their backs in the first half and flyhalf Karen Hunt used the opportunity to repeatedly pin the Canadians back in their own twenty-two. In the ninth minute the USA won a lineout inside the Canadian five meter line and a drive to the goal line followed by a succession of quick rucks, set up flanker Nikki Harrell to dive over for the opening score. 5-0. Five minutes later it looked like the USA would go further ahead when strong play by the forwards took them to the goal line but a penalty for not releasing the ball allowed the Canadians to clear their line. As the half progressed Canada started to put together some solid passages of play that saw them get close on several occasions. In the twentieth minute they broke to the weak side off a scrum were able to score in the corner tie the game 5-5. The game went from end to end with both teams having chances but Canada scored again in the thirty first minute. The USA mounted a strong attack that took them down into the Canadian twenty-two but a knock on brought the whistle for half time. Half time score 5-12.

The start of the second half saw the wind pick up and the USA continually found it difficult to clear their line. Canada scored in the forty third minute to go ahead 5-17. The USA failed to find the form that had them in the game in the first half and Canada scored again in the fiftieth minute to increase their lead to 5-22. The USA coaching staff began to make substitutions in order for some of the younger players to get some more experience. A penalty in the sixty-third minute and a last minute try by Canada made the final score 5-32.

“This was a much better performance and the score really didn’t do justice to the effort put in by the team today” said Head Coach Bryn Chivers. “The quality of our play in the first half was like night and day compared to this time last week when we played England. The growth of the players over this tour has been incredible and it will be interesting to se how these players go back and influence their high school and college sides.”

The U19 WNT returns home on Monday.

USA U19 WNT v Canada U19’s

1 Justine Harris Army
2 Marissa Readinger Army
3 Megan Thompson Western Washington
4 Stacey Bridges Texas A&M,
5 Kati McCormick UW Milwaukee
6 Kelsey Moss Stanford
7 Nikki Harrell Army
8 Candace Barley Maryville, TN
9 Jenny Beaman U of Tennessee
10 Karen Hunt U of Illinois
11 Catherine Turnerdrown Riverton, UT
12 Lisa Henneman Kent, WA (Captain)
13 Rachel Sachs Syracuse
14 Sadie Anderson Ft Collins, CO
15 Jessica Watkins Stanford

16 Jozy Gessner Summit, CO
17 Erin LeGate Farragut, TN
18 Brooke LeGate Farragut, TN
19 Kathryn Johnson Hopkins, MN
20 Mallory Ives Summit, CO
21 Laura Parker KC Jazz
22 Kerrie Hughes North Bay, MD
23 Hanna Gregor Portland, M
24 Meagan Buford North Oconee, GA

Substitutions
Mallory Ives for Nikki Harrell
Meagan Buford for Megan Thompson
Laura Parker for Marissa Readinger
Hanna Gregor for Jenny Beaman
Kathryn Johnson for Catherine Turnerdrown

More articles about the U19 Women on erugbynews.com. Subscription required.

More news at usarugby.org - with the reorganization of the site I can not link the articles. Go to NEWS and then Women's National Team News.

USA U19 WNT Rookie Skit

2007-04-01T00:56:00.000-07:00

A small clip from the U19 WNT Rookie skit. Hanna Gregor points out to the group that her fellow scrum half Jenny Beaman may have an ample derriere. Jenny seems to find the whole thing incredibly funny.

USA U19's Lose Heartbreaker

2007-03-30T03:03:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2007 - Rumney, Wales. A last second penalty kick by Wales resulted in the USA U19 Women losing their second game of their U.K. tour by a score of 14 – 15. The USA again started slow and in the early exchanges it was clear that they were struggling with the aggressive, physical style of their Welsh counterparts. Just when it looked like the USA might settle into the pace of the game they were hit with a series of injuries. Jozy Gessner of Summit Colorado was having a very good game before having to leave the pitch with an ankle sprain and was replaced by Kerrie Hughes. Hughes herself was forced to retire when she sustained a cut on her forehead that required a couple of stitches and Nikki Harrell came on as the replacement. At the sixteen-minute mark a series of short runs by the Welsh saw them break the goal line and the subsequent conversion put them into the lead 0-7. The USA was able to move the ball wide and back into the attacking half and only to have the Welsh side break out with some powerful running by their backs. As the half winded down Laura Parker received a blow to the head that left her a little dazed and was replaced by Marissa Readinger. Wales mounted one last attack and again were able to cross over from short range to make the score 0-12 at the half.

The USA came out strong in the second half and within two minutes were on the scoreboard from a brilliant solo try by #10 Karen Hunt. The Welsh defense over committed to cover the strong running inside center Lisa Henneman and this allowed Hunt the opportunity to dummy her way through the backline and into some space. With support starting to arrive outside her Hunt dummied her way past two more defenders and beat the chasers to score under the posts. She calmly slotted her own conversion to make the score 7-12. As the game progressed the USA forwards were able to take control in the set pieces and this gave the backs more opportunity to move the ball out to their speed. In the fifty-third minute the USA fullback, Jessica Watkins, received a ball out wide, cut back inside, shook off a tackle by the fullback and scored under the posts. Karen Hunt again converted to make the score 14-12 with fifteen minutes left to play. The USA looked like they would get on the board again five minutes later when wing Sadie Anderson ran onto a kick, chipped the ball ahead and appeared to be tackled before she could pick up the ball. In the ensuing scramble the ball was knocked on and the whistle only brought a scrum for the Welsh. With the game winding down Wales were awarded a series of penalties that saw them progress down to the USA goal line but the solid USA defense was able to steal ball and clear for touch. Deep into injury time Wales were awarded a kickable penalty but choose to take a quick tap and fed their forwards. The USA defense looked to have held strong but the referee deemed that there had been another infraction in front of the posts. They made the kick and the final whistle went immediately to end the game on a score of 14-15.

While this was heartbreaking loss the team will take away some valuable lessons. “It was clear early that it would be an intensely physical game and while the players talked about making the adjustment no one seemed able to make the commitment. Captain Lisa Henneman basically told them that they had to put their money where their mouths were and after the half they had a new edge to their game ” said Head Coach Bryn Chivers. He went on to say “It was a huge game in terms of them understanding the level of commitment needed during a game to achieve their goal and we are hoping that we will see a difference in their approach to the final game of the tour.” Asked about players who stood out Chivers said “ It’s hard to pick out individuals in a game where so many contributed but I would say that Karen Hunt’s try to open the second half was up there with the best individual tries I have seen from a player at any age level.”

The USA U19’s have a day off in Cardiff on Friday and travel back to Aylesbury in England where they will finish their tour with a game against the Canada U19’s at noon on Sunday.

USA U19 WNT v Wales U19’s

1 Justine Harris Army
2 Laura Parker KC Jazz
3 Megan Thompson Western Washington
4 Stacey Bridges Texas A&M,
5 Kati McCormick UW Milwaukee
6 Kelsey Moss Stanford
7 Jozy Gessner Summit, CO
8 Candace Barley Maryville, TN
9 Jenny Beaman U of Tennessee
10 Karen Hunt U of Illinois
11 Catherine Turnerdrown Riverton, UT
12 Lisa Henneman Kent, WA (Captain)
13 Rachel Sachs Syracuse
14 Sadie Anderson Ft Collins, CO
15 Jessica Watkins Stanford

16 Marrissa Readinger Army
17 Mallory Ives Summit, CO
18 Kathryn Johnson Hopkins, MN
19 Nikki Harrell Army
20 Erin LeGate Farragut, TN
21 Megan Buford North Oconee, GA
22 Hanna Gregor Portland, ME
23 Kerrie Hughes North Bay, MD
24 Brooke LeGate Farragut, TN

Substitutions
Kerry Hughes for Jozy Gessner
Nikki Harrell for Kerry Hughes
Marissa Readinger for Laura Parker

Staff
Bryn Chivers Head Coach Sioux Falls, SD
Lance Connolly Coach Washington, DC
Amy Valenta Trainer Denver, CO
Jeff Noe Manager Milwaukee. WI

USA U19's Lose Tour Opener

2007-03-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

March 24, 2007 Aylesbury, England - The USA U19 WNT lost their opening game of their tour of England and Wales going down to a very good England U19 team 7-31. After two days of practice in bitter conditions the USA were happy to have a break in the wet, windy weather and the game was played near perfect conditions. England opened up the scoring in the seventh minute with an unconverted try. The USA responded three minutes later when fullback Jessica Watkins intercepted a ball in the USA twenty-two and went eighty meters to score under the post. The conversion was made by Karen Hunt and the USA to give the USA a 7 – 5 lead. The USA were able to put together some strong passages of play but it was England who scored at the twenty two minute mark to regain the lead 7 – 12. A third England try late in the half saw the USA U19’s down 7 – 17 at the half. The second half opened with the USA U19’s giving up another early try to make the score 7 – 24. It looked like the floodgates were about to open but the U19’s instead responded with their best passage of play and had control of the game for the next ten minutes. The game see sawed back and forth with England picking up a try late in the half and the USA coming back at them in the dying minutes. The final score was 7 – 31. “It was a really good game and we are happy with the result” said Head Coach Bryn Chivers. “We were unable to match the English at the breakdown but the performance of the forwards in the set pieces was a revelation” added Chivers.

The USA U19’s have a day off before going back to practice on Tuesday. On Thursday they travel over to Wales where they will meet the Wales U19’s in Cardiff.

USA U19 WNT v England U19’s

1 Justine Harris Army
2 Marrissa Readinger Army
3 Megan Thompson Western Washington
4 Stacey Bridges Texas A&M,
5 Kati McCormick UW Milwaukee
6 Kerrie Hughes North Bay, MD
7 Kelsey Moss Stanford
8 Candace Barley Maryville, TN
9 Hanna Gregor Portland, ME
10 Lisa Henneman Kent, WA (Captain)
11 Rachel Sachs Syracuse
12 Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN
13 Karen Hunt U of Illinois
14 Sadie Anderson Ft Collins, CO
15 Jessica Watkins Stanford

16 Jozy Gessner Summit, CO
17 Jenny Beaman U of Tennessee,
18 Catherine Turnerdrown Riverton, UT
19 Brooke LeGate Farragut, TN
20 Laura Parker KC Jazz
21 Megan Buford North Oconee, GA
22 Mallory Ives Summit, CO
23 Nikki Harrell Army
24 Erin LeGate Farragut, TN

Substitutions
50th minute Laura Parker for Justine Harris
58th minute Jozy Gessner for Kerrie Hughes
63rd minute Meagan Buford for Marissa Readinger
66th Minute Jenny Beamon for Hanna Gregor
66th Minute Brooke LeGate for Rachel Sachs

Staff
Bryn Chivers Head Coach Sioux Falls, SD
Lance Connolly Coach Washington, DC
Amy Valenta Trainer Denver, CO
Jeff Noe Manager Milwaukee. WI

More information on the game at Scrum.com

© www.rugbymatters.net
England Under 19s see off USA in style
26 March 2007, 10:01 am
By RFUW

England Women Under 19s kicked-off their season yesterday with a comprehensive 31-7 win over the USA at RAF Halton, near Aylesbury.
The victory hands England’s young-guns a solid platform to work from ahead of two back-to-back internationals against Canada next month.
Wing Helen Price put England into a 5-0 lead after just seven minutes after some well worked moves by the forwards. The backs moved the ball into the mid-field and a great break by Price saw the wing beat two defenders to make the try-line. Leicester’s Emily Scarratt missed the conversion, but the fullback soon made amends with her own converted try just before the break.

Scarratt’s important score came after the USA bounced back to draw level with England on 13 minutes following a costly mistake by the home side. An intercepted pass from the back of an England scrum saw US fullback Jessica Watkins pounce on the ball and charge 70 metres up-field to score under the posts. Karen Hunt converted to take the US 7-5 ahead, but that was where the visitors charge ended.
Scarratt took England into a 12-7 lead on 22 minutes after a break from Old Albanians Saints Sarah McKenna. The fly-half moved the ball out-wide to Scarratt who dived over the try-line from close range. Scarratt stroked over the conversion.

A 29th minute try for Cullumpton Ladies flanker Isabelle Noel Smith handed England a healthy ten point cushion at the break. Morpeth scrum-half Rachel Fraser took a quick tap penalty to take the US by surprise and the forwards drove the ball deep into the US’ 22. Noel Smith finished off the move well by driving in from the back of the maul.

England continued to dominate after the restart with their fourth try and Price’s second. The score came courtesy of some great inter-play between the backs and the forwards which finally saw McKenna setting up Price, who beat two US defenders to score.

Scarratt converted before substitute Jenny Mills touched down for England’s final try on 65 minutes. It was again another quick tap penalty that saw England gain the upper hand. The move was then driven on by the forwards and Mills picked-up just short of the try-line to drive over and score.

Gary Street, England Under 19s Programme Manager, said: “I am delighted with this result. We enjoyed an excellent first-half especially. The US were a very committed and passionate side, but suffered through a lack of experience.

“England were well led by captain Laura Keates and all the girls should be proud of themselves. This is a promising start to the future for England’s young players. Importantly, they now have a solid base to work from ahead of our two tough games against Canada.”

England Under 19s play Canada Under 19s at RAF Halton on April 4th and on Easter Sunday (April 8th).

England Under 19s:
1 Laura Keates (Worcester RFC) (Captain), 2 Hannah Clark (Old Albanian Saints), 3 Vicky Cornborough (Petersfield RFC), 4 Lucinda Howland (Folkestone RFC), 5 Robyn Steward (Coalville Ladies RFC), 6 Isabelle Noel Smith (Cullumpton Ladies RFC), 7 Kate Hall (Blaydon RFC) (VC), 8 Juliet Short (Tyndale Panthers), 9 Rachel Fraser (Morpeth RFC), 10 Sarah McKenna (Old Albanian Saints), 11 Georgina Crabb (Camberley RFC), 12 Emma Hill (Coalville Ladies RFC), 13 Fran Matthews (Blaydon RFC), 14 Helen Price, 15 Emily Scarratt (Leicester Forest RFC). Replacements: 16 Jenny Mills (Worcester RFC), 17 Dawn Avery (Cullumpton Ladies), 18 Rowena Burnfield (Richmond RFC), 19 Louise Leonard (Blaydon RFC), 20 Sarah Guest (Worcester RFC), 21 Katie Pittaway (Worcester RFC), 22 Liz Tilley (Bath RFC).

Tries: Price (2), Scarratt, Noel Smith, Mills
Conversions: Scarratt (3)

Substitutions: McKenna off for Pittaway (35), Fraser off for Guest (40), Price off for Tilley (45), Steward off for Burnfield (45), Noel Smith off for Leonard (45), Cornborough off for Avery (47), Clark off for Mills).

USA U19 Women on Tour

2007-03-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

The USA U-19 Women's Team has left for their UK Tour.
Their Match Schedule is
March 25th V ENGLAND at the RAF Halton at 2pm
March 29th V WALES Location TBD at 7:30 pm
April 1st V CANADA (this game may be CANADA "A")at the RAF Halton at 12pm

The Touring Team:
Sadie Anderson, Ft Collins, CO
Candace Barley, Maryville, TN
Jenny Beaman, U of Tennessee,
Stacey Bridges, Texas A&M,
Megan Buford, North Oconee, GA
Jozy Gessner, Summit, CO
Hanna Gregor, Portland, ME
Nikki Harrell, Army
Justine Harris, Army
Lisa Henneman, Kent, WA
Kerrie Hughes, North Bay, MD
Karen Hunt, U of Illinois
Mallory Ives, Summit, CO
Katie Johnson, Hopkins, MN
Brooke LeGate, Farragut, TN
Erin LeGate, Farragut, TN
Kati McCormick, UW Milwaukee
Kelsey Moss, Stanford
Laura Parker, KC Jazz
Marrissa Readinger, Army
Rachel Sachs, Syracuse
Megan Thompson, Western Washington
Jessica Watkins, Stanford

Staff
Bryn Chivers, Head Coach, Sioux Falls, SD
Lance Connolly, Assistant Coach, Rockville, MD
Amy Valenta, Trainer Denver, CO
Jeff Noe, Manager Milwaukee. WI

Check back here for video clips, photos and match updates on their tour!

You can donate to the team by clicking the link above!

more information on Scrum.com

USA Under 19s on their way
21 March 2007, 4:55 pm
By USA Rugby

USA Women's National Under-19 squad arrives in the UK tomorrow for a three-test series against England, Wales and Canada.
The squad will once again turn to Laura Parker for a sense of leadership, as she returns as captain, but this time she leads a side that includes only eight players with previous international experience. Joining Parker in the front row will be Megan Thompson, who has five U-19 caps and has the opportunity to become the most capped USA U-19 player on this tour. Kati McCormick, Kerrie Hughes and Candace Barley round out the returning forwards. Barley, who has moved from centre to number eight this year, will again be the youngest player in the squad. Several new forwards look to make an impact on this tour including prop Justine Harris from Army and flanker Alex Hartley from Brown.
There is less experience in the backs although the new players all looked very impressive at the recent U-19 Camp in Chula Vista, California. Jenny Beamon, the feisty scrumhalf from Tennessee returns, along with Lisa Henneman from Kent, Washington and Schmarrah McCarthy from Purdue. The new players in this backline include centre Alicia Hartley (twin sister of Alex) from Brown, as well as the speedy wing pairing of Sadie Anderson from Fort Collins, Colorado and Jessica Watkins from Stanford.

"This Chula Vista assembly was a great success," said Bryn Chivers, U-19 Women's National Team Coach. "The entire staff was very impressed with the overall speed of the players, and I think that we accomplished a great deal, in regards to coming together as a team, in the short time that we had. This camp also allowed us an opportunity to work with the younger players who may not be ready for this year, but we will definitely be looking at for the future of this team.”

Thirteen of the 24 players named to this squad participated in the U-19 Invitational National All-Star Championship (INASC) in Tennessee in early November and for many of these it was the first time they had been viewed by the U-19 WNT Coaches.

"We held eight camps and clinics this year, and somehow we still missed some players," Chivers added. "The U-19 INASC really did provide us with the opportunity to see new players that we otherwise would not have invited.”

The USA U-19s open their international tour 25th March against the England U-19s at Aylesbury. On 29th March the US squad travels to Cardiff to take on the Welsh U-19s. They then return to Aylesbury where they will finish the tour with a game against the Canadian U-19s on 1st April.

2007 Women's National U-19 Squad:

Sadie Anderson, Fort Collins, Colo.
Candace Barley, Maryville, Tenn.
Jenny Beamon, U of Tennessee,
Stacey Bridges, Texas A&M,
Megan Buford, North Oconee, Ga.
Chanel Coney, Princeton
Hanna Gregor, Portland, Maine
Justine Harris, Army
Alicia Hartley, Brown
Alex Hartley, Brown
Lisa Henneman, Kent, Wash.
Kerrie Hughes, North Bay, M.D.
Mallory Ives, Summit, Colo.
Kelly Izard, Texas A&M
Adetayo Mafe, Michigan State
Schmarrah McCarthy, Purdue
Kati McCormick, UW Milwaukee
Kelsey Moss, Stanford
Laura Parker, KC Jazz
Marrissa Readinger, Army
Caretta Reese, St. Bonaventure
Mae Ryan, Stanford
Megan Thompson, Western Washington
Jessica Watkins, Stanford

England Women Under 19s squad named to face USA

2007-03-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/RFUHome.Community_Detail/StoryID/16318
England Women Under 19s squad named to face USA
by Julia Hutton
March 21st, 2007

Worcester prop Laura Keates will lead England Women Under 19s when they take on the USA for the first time ever on Sunday at RAF Halton near Aylesbury, kick-off 2pm.
England Under 19s will also play Canada Under 19s at the Buckinghamshire ground on April 4th and on Easter Sunday (April 8th) in back to back internationals.
The Under 19s squad includes 10 players who have represented England at this level last season. In 2006 they played two tests against Canada in Canada winning 27-5, before conceding a 20-13 defeat.

Gary Street, England Under 19s Programme Manager, said: “Sunday’s game and the two matches against Canada are not necessarily about winning, but about the players’ general performance and developing their future potential. At this age group that is more important than results.

“These matches are going to be three very exciting fixtures, starting with the USA on Sunday and it’s exactly the sort of fixtures our players need. We are certainly looking forward to playing an expansive game.”

England Under 19s are coached by Giselle Mather (head coach) and Dave Manders (assistant coach).

England Under 19s:
1 Laura Keates Worcester RFC (Captain)
2 Hannah Clark Old Albanian Saints
3 Vicky Cornborough Petersfield RFC
4 Lucinda Howland Folkestone RFC
5 Robyn Steward Coalville Ladies RFC
6 Isabelle Noel Smith Cullumpton Ladies RFC
7 Kate Hall Blaydon RFC (VC)
8 Juliet Short Tyndale Panthers
9 Rachel Fraser Morpeth RFC
10 Sarah McKenna Old Albanian Saints
11 Georgina Crabb Camberley RFC
12 Emma Hill Coalville Ladies RFC
13 Fran Matthews Blaydon RFC
14 Liz Tilley Bath RFC
15 Emily Scarratt Leicester Forest RFC

Replacements: 16 Jenny Mills Worcester RFC17 Dawn Avery Cullumpton Ladies18 Rowena Burnfield Richmond RFC 19 Louise Leonard Blaydon RFC20 Sarah Guest Worcester RFC21 Katie Pittaway Worcester RFC22 Justina De Brett Crawley RFC

From http://www.sportnetwork.net/ the Unofficialenglandrugby.co.uk
England Women's Rugby Under 19 Squad 2007

By Kath 8/1/07 - January 8 2007The England Women Under 19s squad will now play the USA as well as two tests against Canada in March and April this year. The Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) have added the extra fixture to provide more competitive international competition for England’s up and coming players.
England Women’s Rugby Under 19s 2007 fixtures
England Women will play the USA on Sunday March 25th before taking on Canada on Wednesday April 4th and Sunday April 8th. All fixtures will be played at RAF Halton, near Aylesbury.
The Under 19s squad of 30 includes 10 players who also represented England at this level last season. In 2006 they played two tests against Canada in Canada winning 27-5, before conceding a 20-13 defeat.
Gary Street, England Under 19s Programme Manager, said: “The England Under 19s squad is a very important part of our development programme as we look to the long term development of our players for the next two World Cups in 2010 and 2014.
“Our development programme is clearly working as we currently have 19 players in the Elite 44 who have all played England Under 19s rugby. This includes the like of Maggie Alphonsi who was this week named the IRB’s Women’s Personality of the Year. She also played in the recent Rugby World Cup in Canada.”
England Under 19s will be coached by Giselle Mather (head coach) and Ian Griffin (assistant coach).
England Under 19 Squad

England Under 19 Squad Photos Here

LINKS!

2007-03-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Dan in Wisconsin I've updated the link list on the right! If you see your team isn't listed or your region please email the links to u19rugby@gmail.com and I'll post them!

New Scrum Law

2007-03-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a short video detailing the new referee calls for the engagement of the scrum. Every forward should watch this video so they understand the new calls.

Megan B's Great Tackle

2007-03-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

Video of a great tackle from Megan Buford at the U19 WNT Elite Camp in Cula Vista.

New U19 Player

2007-03-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

The U19 WNT added a new player to the squad scheduled to tour England and Wales in March. Seymira Salamy plays wing for the State College HS team and was a standout at the recent Penn State camp. The camp participants were placed into inexperienced, intermediate and experienced groups and here is a link to video of one of two tries that Seymira scored in the final scrimmage for the experienced players.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5958592021162543317

Check out the new video sidebar on the left!!

slideshow from Chula Vista - Jan 2007

2007-03-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Two New Ruggers

2007-02-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

Congratulations go out to Tasha Bishop (USA U19 WNT Assistant Coach) on the birth of of her twins (a boy and a girl) on January 30th. Here are all the details.......

Ryder Taine
7 lbs 4 oz
20 inches long
Born at 5:37 PM on Jan 30th

Kaia Raven
6 lbs 8 oz
19 1/4 inches long
Born at 5:39 PM on Jan 30th

Apparently dad, Ryan, has already broken out the game tapes to get an early start on their rugby education and rumor is that instead of a playset for the back garden they are putting up goalposts. =)

Two Maryville ruggers make 2007 national team

2007-02-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

From the Blount County Voice www.blountcountyvoice.com:

Two Maryville ruggers make 2007 national team
Contributed by Cindy Barley - Maryville 1/20/2007

Click on an image for a larger view

Two Blount County young ladies, Jenny Beaman and Candace Barley, were selected to join the 2007 Under-19 Women's National Rugby Team after attending the WNT Invitational Selection Camp held in Chula Vista, Calif., Jan. 3-7.

The girls both earned two caps for international play in June 2006. They will travel with the 2007 U19 WNT to England and Wales for a chance to earn three more caps in games against the English U19 Women's National Team, the Welsh U19 WNT and a rematch with the Canandian U19 WNT.

Here is the press release from USA Rugby:

USA Rugby announced the USA Women's National Under-19 Team that will play a three-test series in England and Wales, March 22 to April 2.

The national team will once again turn to Laura Parker for a sense of leadership, as she returns as captain, but this time she leads a side that includes only eight players with previous international experience.

Joining Parker in the front row will be Megan Thompson, who has five U-19 caps and has the opportunity to become the most capped USA U-19 player on this tour. Kati McCormick, Kerrie Hughes and Candace Barley round out the returning forwards. Barley, who has moved from center to eight this year, will again be the youngest player in the squad.

Several new forwards look to make an impact on this tour including prop Justine Harris from Army and flanker Alex Hartley from Brown.

There is less experience in the backs, although the new players all looked very impressive at the recent U-19 Camp in Chula Vista, Calif. Jenny Beaman, the feisty scrumhalf from Tennessee returns, along with Lisa Henneman from Kent, Wash. and Schmarrah McCarthy from Purdue.

The new players in this backline include center Alicia Hartley (twin sister of Alex) from Brown, as well as the speedy wing pairing of Sadie Anderson from Fort Collins, Colo. and Jessica Watkins from Stanford.

"This Chula Vista assembly was a great success," said Bryn Chivers, U-19 Women's National Team coach. "The entire staff was very impressed with the overall speed of the players, and I think that we accomplished a great deal, in regards to coming together as a team, in the short time that we had. This camp also allowed us an opportunity to work with the younger players who may not be ready for this year, but we will definitely be looking at for the future of this team."

Thirteen of the 24 players named to this squad participated in the U-19 Invitational National All-Star Championship (INASC) in Tennessee in early November and for many of these it was the first time they had been viewed by the U-19 WNT coaches. "We held eight camps and clinics this year, and somehow we still missed some players," Chivers added. "The U-19 INASC really did provide us with the opportunity to see new players that we otherwise would not have invited."

The USA U-19s open their international tour March 25 against the England U-19s in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. On March 29, the U.S. squad travels to Cardiff, Wales to take on the Welsh U-19s. They then return to Aylesbury where they will finish the tour with a game against the Canadian U-19s on April 1.

Blount County will offer its first middle school rugby this spring. Any middle-school-aged student, boy or girl, from the county may join.

For more information about the national program with USA Rugby go to www.usarugby.org and learn more about rugby locally here in Blount County click www.mrfcrugby.com or call head coach Jay Hawkins, 388-4074.

NYRC hosts Development Clinic, March 25th

2007-02-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

The NYRC Women are the current Division I Women National Champions (www.newyorkrugby.com)

All Experience Levels Welcome!
 Position Specific Instruction
 National-level Coaches and Players
 Core Rugby Skills and Techniques
 Discounted NYRC/USA Rugby Gear
 Great way to kick off the Spring Season!!

CLINIC DETAILS:
 Saturday, March 25, 2007
 10 AM – 4 PM
 West Point Military Academy, Anderson Field
 Turf Field – Molded Cleats, Metal Cleats, or Sneakers
 Bring a government issued ID
 $30 per Player Registration Fee
 REGISTER 10 OR MORE FROM A TEAM AND PAY $25 EACH!!
 Register by Saturday, March 10

* U-19/High School teams: please inquire about available space!

CONTACT WITH QUESTIONS OR TO REGISTER:
Katie MacCallum
EMAIL: nyrcclinics@gmail.com
PHONE: 413-219-5142

Coaches
The New York Women are currently #1 in the nation and have been a nationally ranked team since 1998. NYRC is the home club for more than 15 women who play on the Women’s National Team (WNT), as well as several players who have represented the USA on the National 7’s Team. These players, along with other top New York players, will be at the clinic to share their experiences and strategies. The overall structure of the clinic will be supervised by the NYRC coaching staff, Drew Fautley and Chris “Pudge” Ryan. Both coaches are also part of the US 7s National Team coaching staff.

Instruction
The primary goal of this clinic is to help teach and develop the individual core rugby skills through position-specific instruction. Players shall be exposed to new drills and techniques and will have the exciting opportunity to work one on one with some of today’s elite, US National Women’s team players.

Tight Five: will work on scrums and lineout techniques, such as lifting from the legs and front row binding.
Back Row: will work on both set pieces and game breakdown situations, reviewing angles of running, roles and responsibilities, etc… both from an offensive and defensive mindset.
Scrumhalves and Flyhalves: will specifically focus on various passing and kicking techniques, as well as reviewing situational decision making.
Centers: will work on creation of space, patterns of play and offensive and defensive alignment.
Fullbacks and Wings: will also work on passing and kicking as well as reviewing key techniques such as counter attacks, creation of space, patterns of play and both offensive and defensive alignment.

*want to see your event here, send details to u19rugby@gmail.com, also check the google calendar at the bottom*

2006 NASC Slideshow

2007-01-31T06:58:00.000-08:00

I am starting links for old slideshows on the left sidebar. So even though this is from Nov. it is being posted again

The Big Apple Classic: Girl’s U19 Welcome

2007-01-31T06:39:00.000-08:00

The Big Apple Classic *This event can be found on the calendar at the bottom of the blog too* (I will post any U19 events here just send me an email at u19rugby@gmail.com)

Saturday April 14th, 2007, Randalls Island, New York City
Men’s & Women’s Collegiate
Boy’s & Girl’s U19
The New York Rugby Club would like to invite you to our Big Apple Classic held on New York City’s Randalls Island on Saturday April 14th. The Big Apple Classic is the only collegiate & U19 tournament held in New York City. Each year the BAC draws the best teams from across the Northeast and beyond. 2005 saw the successful introduction of a collegiate Women's division, and this year we are adding a girls and boys U19 division. Last year’s BAC showed the talents of 10 men’s teams and 4 women’s teams. Kutztown University beat the University of Rhode Island in the men's final while Fordham University came through against University of Delaware in the women’s final. We are looking forward to continuing to build the Tournament in all areas. Each team is guaranteed a minimum of 3 games, promising plenty of competition for all. Come join us this April 14th, 2007!
The entry fee for each collegiate team is $300 prior to March 1st and $350 afterwards. The entry fee for each U19 team is $200. Each team will be guaranteed 3 games, all championship matches will be held on our premier turf pitch at Icahn Stadium.
To enter, email Matthew Persanis at mp@elefantepersanis.com or Brian Eastman at eastmanbm10@hotmail.com or go to www.newyorkrugby.com and click on the Big Apple banner. Please enter early, as space is limited.
Make all checks or money orders (US Funds only) payable to New York Rugby Club and mail to:
Matthew Persanis Elefante & Persanis, LLP 670 White Plains Rd., Suite 321 Scarsdale, NY 10583

Fundraising Ideas

2007-01-19T07:42:00.001-08:00

USA U19 Girls fund their own way to selection camps and team events. International rugby can get expensive so players should consider fundraising to offset these costs. If you'd like to make a donation to the team please email u19rugby@gmail.com

Here is the beginning of some resources for you to look into:
Ask your local teams, LAU's, TU's and area businesses/newspapers. Sometimes getting mentioned in an article in the paper may lead to donations. Also, TU's may offer grants for select side, or national players. The West Rugby Union, has on their website a link to the form you need to fill out and send in to be considered. (www.wrfu.org) on the left hand side.

Playtex Sport currently has a contest where you can write an essay to be a Team Player of the Month ($2,500) or of the Year ($25,000). Rugby Girls should have a great shot. Check out the details and enter HERE

USA Rugby has lots of fundraising pointers

GirlsPlay Rugby Cafe Press Online Fundraising
You can set up our own basic store for free, or use Girls Play Rugby. If you decide to set up your own store use referral code "girlsplayrugby"

Go Girl Go is a great information resource for girls playing sports. They have info on how to get women's sports more support, fitness tips and they often have awards to fund female athletes. They have a HS team grant of $2,500 it takes motivation and energy. Check out the guidelines Here

The Women's Sports Foundation has grant programs, there is a lot of information HERE. Especially check out, Grants - to Fund Travel and Training: The Foundation’s Travel & Training Grant program provides grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 to aspiring regional and national level female athletes. You, or someone you know, may qualify for a grant.

Currentfun.com is a fundraiser that sells Current items. This is very easy as it can be set up and done all over the internet, you just need to let people know where to go online and then to reference you when completing their order. Current only writes checks every 3 months so you may not get the money until after the trip.

If you have other suggestions or find that some of these ideas work better than others please leave comments HERE!!!

USA RUGBY ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S NATIONAL U-19 SQUAD SET TO TOUR ENGLAND, WALES

2007-01-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Boulder, Colo. -- USA Rugby announced today the USA Women's National Under-19 Team that will play a three-test series in England and Wales, March 22 - April 2, 2007.

The team will once again turn to Laura Parker for a sense of leadership, as she returns as captain, but this time she leads a side that includes only eight players with previous international experience. Joining Parker in the front row will be Megan Thompson, who has five U-19 caps and has the opportunity to become the most capped USA U-19 player on this tour. Kati McCormick, Kerrie Hughes and Candace Barley round out the returning forwards. Barley, who has moved from center to eight this year, will again be the youngest player in the squad. Several new forwards look to make an impact on this tour including prop Justine Harris from Army and flanker Alex Hartley from Brown.

There is less experience in the backs although the new players all looked very impressive at the recent U-19 Camp in Chula Vista, Calif. Jenny Beamon, the feisty scrumhalf from Tennessee returns, along with Lisa Henneman from Kent, Wash. and Schmarrah McCarthy from Purdue. The new players in this backline include center Alicia Hartley (twin sister of Alex) from Brown, as well as the speedy wing pairing of Sadie Anderson from Fort Collins, Colo. and Jessica Watkins from Stanford.

"This Chula Vista assembly was a great success," said Bryn Chivers, U-19 Women's National Team Coach. "The entire staff was very impressed with the overall speed of the players, and I think that we accomplished a great deal, in regards to coming together as a team, in the short time that we had. This camp also allowed us an opportunity to work with the younger players who may not be ready for this year, but we will definitely be looking at for the future of this team.”

Thirteen of the 24 players named to this squad participated in the U-19 Invitational National All-Star Championship (INASC) in Tennessee in early November and for many of these it was the first time they had been viewed by the U-19 WNT Coaches.

"We held eight camps and clinics this year, and somehow we still missed some players," Chivers added. "The U-19 INASC really did provide us with the opportunity to see new players that we otherwise would not have invited.”

The USA U-19s open their international tour March 25 against the England U-19s in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. On March 29, the U.S. squad travels to Cardiff, Wales to take on the Welsh U-19s. They then return to Aylesbury where they will finish the tour with a game against the Canadian U-19s on April 1.

2007 Women's National U-19 Team

Sadie Anderson, Fort Collins, Colo.
Candace Barley, Maryville, Tenn.
Jenny Beamon, U of Tennessee,
Stacey Bridges, Texas A&M,
Megan Buford, North Oconee, Ga.
Chanel Coney, Princeton
Hanna Gregor, Portland, Maine
Justine Harris, Army
Alicia Hartley, Brown
Alex Hartley, Brown
Lisa Henneman, Kent, Wash.
Kerrie Hughes, North Bay, M.D.
Mallory Ives, Summit, Colo.
Kelly Izard, Texas A&M
Adetayo Mafe, Michigan State
Schmarrah McCarthy, Purdue
Kati McCormick, UW Milwaukee
Kelsey Moss, Stanford
Laura Parker, KC Jazz
Marrissa Readinger, Army
Caretta Reese, St. Bonaventure
Mae Ryan, Stanford
Megan Thompson, Western Washington
Jessica Watkins, Stanford

Alternates
Kyle Armstrong, Summit, Colo.
Jozy Gessner, Summit, Colo.
Brittany Houston, Vernon, Wis.
Audrey Jones, West Linn, Ore.
Katherine Linnemanstons, Divine Savior, Wis.
Rachel Sachs, Syracuse

Staff
Bryn Chivers, Head Coach, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Tasha Bishop, Assistant Coach, Seattle, Wash.
Sue Oldenburg, Assistant Coach, Chicago, Ill.
Amy Valenta, Trainer, Denver, Colo.
Jeff Noe, Manager, Milwaukee. Wis.
Rachel Flynn, Tour Manager, New York, N.Y.

U-19 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM TO ASSEMBLE IN CALIFORNIA

2007-01-12T13:21:00.001-08:00

This happened last weekend...stay tuned for the squad announcement

1-2-2007 - U-19 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM TO ASSEMBLE IN CALIFORNIA
BOULDER, Colo. -- Thirty-seven players from across the country will assemble at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., Jan. 3 - 7 for the USA U-19 Women’s National Team (WNT) Camp. The players represent a mix of ages and experience with two club side players, 17 college players and 18 high school players.

Many of the selected players were invited based upon their performance at the U-19 Invitational National All-Star Championships, held in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 18-19. While only four teams participated in Nashville, the Chula Vista camp will be a good mix of the top players from all of the seven territorial unions.

“This camp is incredibly important to the future of our women’s program, as it allows us an opportunity to look at a lot of players that are new to the program and whom we hope to feature prominently in 2007,” National Women’s U-19 Coach Bryn Chivers said. “It really serves multiple functions considering it will also play part in the selection for the upcoming England tour, as well as serve as a place for us to communicate the style of play we would like to see everyone buy into.”

USA Rugby has accepted an invite for the U-19 WNT to travel to England on March 21– April 2, where they will play international matches against England, Wales and Canada. The core of the squad for this event will be selected from the Chula Vista camp although other players will be considered. Several players were not available for this camp, notably Kyle Armstrong (Summit, CO) and Hannah Gregor (Portland, ME), who are recovering from knee injuries.

With few players returning from last year’s squad, the camp will also serve to target some younger players who may not be ready for the England Tour, but who may be considered for events later in the year.

“We finally have the luxury of hosting a mix of experienced and inexperienced players,” Chivers said. “As opposed to last year, when I was new to this position and we were limited to choosing players who could fill an immediate need, we are now able to find players who have pure athletic ability and get them involved early and allow them several opportunities to show what they are capable of.”

USA U-19 WNT Camp Attendees include:

Sadie Anderson Ft Collins, CO
Candace Barley Maryville HS, TN
Jenny Beamon U of Tennessee
Tia Blythe UCLA
Stacey Bridges Texas A&M
Becca Brown Minnetonka HS, MN
Megan Buford North Oconee, GA
Megan Byrnes Penn State
Jozy Gessner Summit, CO
Kyna Graham Farragut, TN
Nikki Harrell Army
Justine Harris Army
Alexandria Hartley Brown
Alicia Hartley Brown
Lisa Henneman Kent, WA
Brittany Houston Vernon, WI
Kerrie Hughes North Bay, MD
Mallory Ives Summit, CO
Kelly Izard Texas A&M
Brittany Jackson Centerville Youth, VA
Bailey Johnson Colorado State
Audrey Jones West Linn, OR
Brook Le Gate Farragut, TN
Erin LeGate Farragut, TN
Katherine Linnemanston Divine Savior, WI
Adetayo Mafe Michigan State
Justine Martin Boise Nemesis
Kellsey Moss Stanford
Laura Parker Kansas City Jazz
Kristina Puhich Kent, WA
Marrissa Readinger Army
Caretta Reese St. Bonaventure
Arielle Reid Corvalis, OR
Adrianne Rubiaco Budd Bay, WA
Rachel Sachs Syracuse
Mika Underwood Budd Bay, WA
Jessica Watkins Stanford

Training Camp in Chula Vista

2007-01-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

We are off to training camp. Check back soon for updates and information from the camp!

If you are an invited player read your emails ;) and see you soon!

Olympic Training Center unofficial Site

News Article from Farragut, Tennessee

2006-12-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

This article is featured in the Farragut Press, original article link http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2006/12/5986.html. All three will be attending the USA U19 WNT Selection Camp at Chula Vista in January.

FHS Rugby twins, Graham, like to rough it up
Threesome are making splashes at national level
Alan Sloan - Thu, Dec, 14, 2006

She's a slight-of-build teenager with a soft voice — but she's a clothes-line tackler? As a Farragut High School Lady Admiral Rugby player, Erin LeGate admitted to “high tackles where I’d clothes-line ’em and I’d get a warning.”

Then Kyna Graham, an FHS junior and rugby teammate, quickly added, “She’s called for that a lot,” which was followed by much laughter by Kyna, Erin and Erin’s twin sister, Brooke, yet another rugby player who likes to mix it up.

Similar to her twin, Brooke LeGate is also slight-of-build and soft-of-voice as a 15-year-old FHS sophomore. But also similar to Erin, “I like hitting,” Brooke said, “and I love running the ball, too.”

And Kyna? “I just like contact. It’s fun. You get to let out your anger, and it’s O-K,” said Kyna, a prop position player who along with the twins, both centers, are All-Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference honorees with the Lady Admirals.

But when asked about scoring, Graham pointed to the twins and said, “these two right here, they’ve scored a lot of our points.”

Talented enough to be selected for big-time competition, Kyna, 16, and the twins were recently invited to play with the Southside Select Camp Under-19 national level team, competing against a nationwide field during a tournament in Nashville — specifically against teams from the West and Midwest — which included many college freshman players.

“It was hard — they were big, a lot bigger than the high school girls,” Erin said.
Brooke added that as wing players for the southern team — as opposed to their normal position as centers — “It took, like a game, to get situated in how we were supposed to play.”

Moreover, the three are among about 40 of the top 19-and-under rugby players in the United States vying for a spot on the 20-girl U.S. National Team, which will be holding tryouts in at an Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., Jan 4-6.

Scratching an itch for an aggressive contact sport since the tender age of 6 by playing backyard tackle football, Erin said, “I started with my little brother (Zach, now 11), I was six and he was four or three. We started when I ran him over in the golf cart once. ...”

“We used to play tackle football all the time in Florida,” Erin added about the twins playing games, mostly with boys, plus a few girls. “We were twelve and everyone else was like fifteen or sixteen, and we’d play tackle football for like hours ever day after school.

“And then we came to Tennessee and learned about rugby and played rugby.”

Kyna, who said her brother [Chaz] and father [Chip] played backyard football “but they wouldn’t let me play,” added that she started playing rugby “this year.” She first got involved with rugby thanks to her brother’s ex-girlfriend “who suggested it,” while “some of my friends were organizing the team [at FHS] and I said I’d play.”

Is the twins’ mom worried about her daughters getting injured. “Yes, definitely,” said Connie LeGate, who as a “soft tissue” specialist, added the twins “are very flexible, [so] their chance of injury goes down. … And they’ve never had injuries.

“Their heart is in it, and they’re strong.” Brooke said, “You kinda have to be out-of-control to get hurt, the girls have to be going really fast to hit you and hurt you.”

However, “Usually, if they’re going that fast you can just shake-and-bake, baby,” Brooke added to laughter from the threesome. Kyna said she’s “jammed some fingers” and got “a little bit of a concussion at the national tournament” but has suffered nothing serious.

As a freshman last spring for head coach Joshua Holt’s Lady Admirals, Brooke was an outside center. “We’re backs, we pretty much run the ball and stuff,” she said.
Erin was an inside center last spring. “Probably the least I scored was once a game,” she said. “Sometimes we’d kill teams, and everybody scored, and me and Brooke would score like four times apiece.”

With a roster hovering around 15 girls, the Farragut Lady Admirals have beaten such teams as South-Doyle and Powell, while the twins added that “Karns is the best.”
With the Farragut rugby season running from March to May, Erin said she may be conflicted due to her desire to play on the FHS varsity softball team, adding she’ll “try” to play both.

Looking ahead, “I don’t know if I want to get my scholarship for softball or rugby,” Erin said. “I would love to play rugby in college, that would be amazing.”

Brooke said she likes basketball more than rugby, “but with rugby I probably have more of a chance getting a scholarship because so many girls want basketball scholarships.”

Without hesitation, Kyna said, “I do plan to play in college, I’ve already been talked to by some college coaches. Pretty good schools. I met them at a camp I went to in Pennsylvania this summer at East Rutherford University. That’s how I met the national team coach for the first time, he was one of the coaches instructing it.”

How are the twins different?

Erin said in reference to herself and Brooke, “I was always the leader, she was the quiet one.” Mom said, “Temperament-wise, Erin is probably more socialized and kind of fun-loving. Brooke is a little more on the serious side and she’s definitely more intense.

“I think for Brooke, those qualities lead her to, like an extreme determination,” Connie added. “Like nobody is going to stop her, she’s like a locomotive train.

“And for Erin, she keeps her head during games. She’s got the same gustiness, just not quite as intense as Brooke. [Erin] is able to control her intensity a little bit more.”

Those occasional clothes-line hits not withstanding.

U19 Team in the Bronx!

2006-12-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

Because right now I only have time to post the news I know...an article about NYRC's New U19 in NYC. If you'd like to see news about your team on this blog please email u19rugby@gmail.com
http://www.bxtimes.com/SportsNews5.htm
SPORTS PROFESSIONS HS CREATES FIRST BRONX HIGH SCHOOL RUGBY TEAM
by Jon Minners
Looking once again to diversify the sports programs available in the Bronx, rugby has found its way into the borough.

Sports Professions High School has announced that they are taking part in a rugby program with an aim at offering students differing and unique paths into the sports world.

Lisa Lake, a U.S. history teacher at the school and New York Rugby Club teammate Annie Collier, a doctor at Our Lady of Mercy, along with David Levine and through a Nichols Foundation grant have created an under-19 rugby club made up predominantly of students from the local Gunther Avenue specialized high school.

The program consists of 25 boys and seven girls and is the first such club in the Bronx and the first high school level under-19 rugby club in the entire City with several located throughout the Metropolitan area.

"Because of the themes of our school, we were looking for a way to expose our students to more non-traditional sports," said Lake. "We all know about basketball, baseball and football, but there is a whole world of sports out there a lot of Bronx youth are not aware of and rugby is one of them that the kids have taken an immediate interest in."

A combination of both soccer and football, rugby is a full-contact sport that is played with the reliance focused on the whole team and not just one individual.

"Everyone is a star," said Collier. "Once you master the game together and learn to handle and lay out contact, it helps build self-esteem, confidence, teamwork and loyalty in an individual. There are a lot of really values in the sport; a whole rugby culture that is lost in all star-oriented sports like baseball and football. In rugby, you overcome obstacles together."

After a four-week training session in the spring and a practice all summer, the team is preparing itself for competitive play in the near future. Taking advantage of help from various coaches who are teammates of Lake and Collier, the students learned various aspects of the game and the physical and mental conditioning necessary to succeed in the sport.

"I love the contact," said Julissa Gonzalez. "I thought it was going to be like football, but it is nothing like football. There is no padding and I am a girlie-girl so I was scared. I thought I was going to die, but when I first tackled someone, it felt great."

Robert Cabrera joined the group as a way to get some extra credit in Lake's U.S. History course, but learned to enjoy the sport and the extra benefits it provided.

"I did a lot of research on it and I started liking the sport more than the traditional sports," he said. "And I practiced a lot. You become very physically fit going at it for 80 minutes straight without a timeout. The whole ordeal has helped me become more mature and a better person."

Cabrera has seen an improvement in his studies, as the school requires him to perform well in class in order to play. The young student hopes to get a rugby scholarship to a school and possibly play overseas with his dream of becoming a firefighter also a firm possibility.

"The rugby program has really brought about an improvements in some of our at-risk students," said principal Janet Gallardo. "There has been an increase in attendance and in grades amongst these students. They are becoming responsible young citizens with a larger understanding of what is out there in terms of sports-related jobs. That is what we set out to achieve here. Students learn that you do not have to be an athlete to be involved in sports, but rugby is another avenue that can help students get into a good college."

Added Gonzalez: "I hope I can get a scholarship for rugby and then use that to help train for a career in psychology."

The program, which anyone under the age of 19 can join, regardless of school affiliation, has not just helped students; it has also bolstered Sports Professions High School's reputation in the community.

Long plagued by negativity due to a move that put them in direct contact with middle school students at I.S. 144, officials have been battling to change people's views. Students, too, have felt the negativity and have reached out to the community to perform various outreach efforts, through reading programs and possible snow removal efforts, but the rugby team has people talking and it's all positive.

"These children are good students," said Northeast Bronx Association president Vinny Prezioso. "I have reached out to the kids in the sports program and I have nothing, but good things to say about them. In some way, at some time, I hope the NEBA can support them. We will see what they need and if possible, we would like to be of help."

Right now, the program lacks facilities to train in and outdoor space for practice. Other costs include those for mouth guards and cleats, which as of now have been covered by the grant, and bus travel expenses for the team to play other schools. Anyone who wishes to help can do so by calling the school at (718) 862-3891 or the women's team hotline at the New York Rugby Club at (212) 332-9911.

WHAT IS RUGBY?
by Jon Minners

Rugby is a sport with rich history dating back to the 19 th century in England.

The goal of rugby is to move the ball forward by running with the ball or kicking. The team, which scores the most points wins the game.

A match begins with a kick-off from mid-field, which must travel at least 10 meters. Play is continuous and free-flowing. There are no "downs," no designated offensive and defensive teams, no blocking and no automatic "turnovers" of possession. The ball usually marks the offside line.

The ball may be advanced through running or kicking. Passing with the hands cannot be forward but can be lateral or backward. Players without the ball cannot be tackled or interfered with in any way (this includes a player who has just kicked the ball).

When a player is tackled to the ground, the ball must be released and the player must move a way from it; play continues without stoppage. A "ruck" or informal scrum forms over a tackled player without stoppage of play.

Scoring: Try - Five points when the ball is touched to the ground in the opponents end zone.

Conversion - Two points for a kick through the uprights after a try is scored. The kick is taken on a line (parallel to the touch-line), which passes through the place where the ball was gounded. Thus, grounding the ball "between the posts" makes for an easier conversion attempt than if the ball is grounded near the side-line.

Drop Goal - Three points for drop kicking the ball through the opponent's uprights at anytime during play.

Penalty Kick - Three points for place-kicking the ball through the opponent's uprights following an infraction by the opposition. Penalty kicks must be taken from the point of the infraction.

From a Rugby Mom: More Information for Parents!

2006-12-13T14:13:00.000-08:00

Dear parents/ruggers,

I'd like to introduce myself to you. My name is Cindy Barley from Maryville, TN. My daughter, Candace, was invited to attend the camp in Chula Vista along with your daughters. Candace was selected for the 2006 WNT U19 Eagles in April and joined the rest of the team in Boulder, CO, for the NASC in June. We accompanied her. Before arriving in CO a mom of one of the young ladies contacted parents and made arrangements for us to meet and discuss this awesome honor of our daughters representing the USA. She set up a tour of the Olympic Training Center (OTC), arranged dinner one evening and generally just made a base for us to keep in contact with other parents while in CO.

It was so enlightening for my husband and I that I'd like to extend the same
invitation to those of you who will be traveling to Chula Vista with your
daughters.

Bryn has made it clear that we are welcome, however, our girls BELONG to him
for those four days of camp. =) That means that we are free to roam the San
Diego area sightseeing or relaxing or whatever we want to do.

If any of you are planning on accompanying your daughters to CA and would be
interested in meeting other parents I'd ask that you contact me, Cindy, via
email, cindybarley2@attglobal.net.

Though I've never been to the area I'd love to arrange a meeting with you. The Barleys will be driving our RV out from TN as we've never, ever been to CA before and are looking forward to a mini-vacation.

I have listed below some items of interest acquired from friends/acquaintances who know the area. If any sound good to you, please be sure to let me know. I check email several times a day and would love the opportunity to 'meet' you at your computer with any questions or suggestions.

So far these ideas have come to my attention:

1) Tour of the OTC
2) San Diego Zoo
3) Tour the Hotel Del Coronda (oldest wooden hotel in America)
4) The Gas Light District (fun for adults)
5) Touring ships (naval station in area)
6) Catch a train to Kahula, Mexico, for shopping (very cheap silver jewelry)
7) Did I mention the beach? I'm told it's still viable in January! =)
8) Military airplane graveyard
9) Military museums

Congratulations to you and your daughters on your invitations to the Chula
Vista's U19 WNT Selection Camp.

Hoping to hear from you soon. Only four weeks until the event!

By grace,

Cindy

FAQ for Parents of USA U19 Players

2006-12-07T06:22:00.000-08:00

Frequently Asked Questions for Parents:

So my daughter just got invited to this elite selection camp....now what??

How did she get invited to this camp?

There are several ways she might have been selected.

The USA U19 Coaching staff hosted a series of selection camps across the country last year, if she participated in one of these she was added to the database of players.
She played at the regional all-stars tournament in Nashville, Tennessee
Her coach submitted video of her play along with her speed and fitness times.

What happens if she gets selected to the USA U19 Women's National Team?

There are a series of events over the course of a calendar year that USA U19 WNT players are invited to. Typically the US U19 team participates in the Under-23 All-Star Championship – this takes place in June, this year in Blaine, MN. There may also be an international match scheduled. Players are asked to accept the invitation. Some players need to decline the invitation based on their schedule, the cost, injury, etc. In this case the player remains in the pool of players and may be invited to the next event.

What kind of expenses should we expect if she gets selected to the USA team?

Unfortunately at this time players cover much of their own expenses. In some cases all the expenses from room & board to flight. In other cases parts of it are covered. I highly encourage girls to do fundraising and to seek sponsorship. Check back here for ways to do that very soon!

Can we travel with her and the team?

Family, friends and coaches are always welcome to travel to the location the team is playing. We ask that you recognize that players are very busy during these times and have very little free time to spend with their support team.

What happens if she does not get selected?

Many players will try out for the USA team, but will not get invited to play on a squad. She will remain in the pool of players and maybe called up to play or tryout again as long as she is still age-eligible. It is a high honor to be invited to an elite selection camp and your daughter should be very proud of that.

Links and more links

2006-12-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

Please send me your U19 and HS team links - I will only post active and up-to-date websites (for instance a player should be able to find a coach's contact information, practice times, locations and directions). Good sites include a page with Frequently Asked Questions for parents, Waivers to download, schedules and past results!

If you have pictures or video clips send those as well!

U19 NASC Results

2006-11-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

Congrats to all the ladies, coaches and adminstrators for all the work that went into the weekend, especially the South for hosting this inagural event!

The final results were the NRU over the West (19 to 10) for the championship and the Midwest over the South (25 to 0). MVP for the tournment was Christina Killouhry of Cornell University, who was on the USA U19 team in June 2006.

The Northeast team had more college players than any other team, however 14 of the squad of 19 are still eligible to play next year.

Goff on Rugby has a write up on the game - subscription required - www.goffonrugby.com

Please comment with more information about the tourney!!

NRU Select Side Team

South Select Side Team

NRU and West Win

2006-11-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

West beat South (22-0)
NRU beat Midwest (20-5)

South plays Midwest at 9:00 am tomorrow
NRU plays West at 10.30 am

What is U19 Women's Rugby?

2006-11-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

According to USA Rugby Eligibility Rules:
To be eligible for U19 select sides, players must be have been born on or after January 1, 1987.

The distinction between a high school (HS) club and an under-19 (U19) club is one of semantics. A team composed of players who all attend the same high school is called a high school (HS) team. A team composed of players from multiple high schools, typically nearby each other, is called a U19 team. On all teams, all players must be under 19 years of age and attending high school.

At the Select Side Level:
Player must be enrolled in the current year’s Club and Individual Participation Program (CIPP), with all dues fully paid.

Player's may play for High School, College or Club teams.

U19 NASC in Nashville this upcoming weekend

2006-11-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

For updates check out The Official Website. This link can also be found on the calendar below.

U-19 Women's South Team

Head Coach: Sheri Hunt Backs Coach: Mike Weldon
Forwards Coach: Lindsay Haggerman
Abbott, Megan ----- Karns High School
Bain, Ashley ----- Pellissippi State
Barley, Candace ----- Maryville High School
Beaman, Jenny ----- UT - Knoxville
Beckman, Brittany ----- Munford High School
Booker, Becca ----- Maryville High School
Buford, Meagan ----- North Oconee High School
Doppenberg, Tia ----- Georgia Tech
Graham, Kyna ----- Farragut High School
Hudson, Chelsi ----- Middle Tennessee State University
LeGate, Brooke ----- Farragut High School
LeGate, Erin ----- Farragut High School
Meulder, Abigail ----- Maryville High School
McCroskey, Erin ----- Maryville High School
McCroskey, Rachel ----- Maryville High School
Pajcic, Emily ----- UT - Knoxville
Peterson, Jessica ----- UT - Knoxville
Peterson, Katie ----- Maryville High School
Seals, Catie ----- Karns High School
Smith, Jennifer ----- Maryville High School
Van Buren, Brittany ----- Karns High School
Vandygriff, Brett ----- Maryville High School
Woods, Emily ----- Georgia Tech
Young, Somer ----- East Tennessee State

U-19 Women's Northeast Team

Head Coach: K.O. Onufry Assistant Coach: Richard Ashfield Manager: Jenna Bussman

CoUTERMASH, Amber ----- Staples High School
FURNEAUX, Audrey ----- Rutland
GRAY, Phoebe ----- New York RC
GREENO, Emily ----- Syracuse University
HARRELL, Nikki ----- Army
HARRIS, Justine ----- Army
HARTLEY, Alex ----- Brown University
HARTLEY, Alicia ----- Brown University
HINKSON, Casey ----- Army
IBARRA, Yadira ----- Brown University
KILLOUHRY, Christina ----- Cornell University
KOCH, Ca itlin ----- Orchard Park
LARSON, Kate ----- Brown University
McELROY, Corrine ----- Upper Valley Berserkers
MYERS, Cole ----- Army
READINGER, Marissa ----- Army
SACHS, Rachel ----- Syracuse University
VINCENT, Catherine ----- Providence College

Team Captain: TBD

U-19 Women's Midwest Team

Head Coach: Forwards Coach: Backs Coach:

Lindsay Fickau ----- University of Wisconsin
Katie Hall ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Katherine Junius ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Brigid Kuehn ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Katherinne Linnemanstons ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Tayo Mae ----- Hopkins
Laura Miller ----- Indiana
Caila Ney ----- University of Wisconsin
Allison Sladek ----- University of Wisconsin
Julia Thorne ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Norah Tykoski ----- Livingston
Meghan Ward ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Brittany Biendenbende ----- r Divine Savior Holy Angels
Antoinette Catanni ----- Kettle Moraine
Sarah Chmielewski ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Erin Coogan ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Lauren Franzen ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Marie Haas ----- Divine Savior Holy Angels
Brittany Houston ----- Vernon
Katie Huber ----- University of Kentuckey
Karen Hunt ----- University of Illinois
Mollie Martin ----- University of Wisconsin
Dani Schultz ----- Highlander Rugby

U-19 Women's West Team

Head Coach: Karl Barth Forwards Coach: Backs Coach:

Sadie Anderson ----- Fort Collins U19 (CO)
Stacey Bridges ----- Texas A&M
Catherine Clark ----- Summit Tigers (CO)
Lauren Danielsen ----- Summit Tigers (CO)
Kristin Dersham ----- Littleton Harlequins (CO)
Stephanie Furnnis ----- Colorado College
Kelsey Hudson ----- University of Oklahoma
Mallory Ives ----- Summit Tigers (CO)
Kelly Izard ----- Texas A&M
Jozy Gesner ----- Summit Tigers (CO)
Amber Glasrud ----- University of New Mexico
Megan Knight ----- University of Colorado
Ali Kosakowski ----- Fort Collins U19 (CO)
Kaitlin Middleton ----- Colorado State University
Laura Parker ----- Univ. of Missouri - KC
Liz Pickard ----- Cherry Creek U19 (CO)
Tina Peterson ----- Univ. of Missouri - KC
Brittney Scott ----- Colorado State University
Charlotte Van Voast ----- ThunderRidge Grizzlies (CO)
Erika Wheeler ----- Chaparral Wolverines (CO)