I like American rugby stories, so Gonzaga College High School's 2009 yearbook is a welcome addition to the collection.
Among my favorite features are a list of alumni at top college teams (including Cal, Penn State, and Tennessee), player profiles that identify where the seniors are heading next (last year's tri-captains were to enroll at Harvard, Navy, and Virginia Tech), and an honor roll of youngsters who have played for local representative teams. These are the details that bring to life the Washington DC school's prodigious achievements.
One could argue that 100-page, photo-filled yearbooks are a byproduct for a team that's won 2 consecutive MAVRC titles, 10 straight Potomac crowns, and 5 Mid-Atlantic championships in the past 6 seasons. Lesser outfits needs to focus on 'the basics'.
I think it's the other way around. Mindful that any one person's time is limited, we know that great programs address all facets of building a team, and thus winning becomes a measure of the system's performance. Act like a champion, then become a champion.
Moreover, the 2009 yearbook presents Gonzaga rugby as a sport you'd want to be part of: winning tradition, strong support from the administration, seasoned coaching, and the opportunity to travel abroad. The focus is the student athlete, and there is no drivel about positional descriptions or 'how to watch a rugby game'; implicitly, the staff is more than capable of teaching such things.
Among my favorite features are a list of alumni at top college teams (including Cal, Penn State, and Tennessee), player profiles that identify where the seniors are heading next (last year's tri-captains were to enroll at Harvard, Navy, and Virginia Tech), and an honor roll of youngsters who have played for local representative teams. These are the details that bring to life the Washington DC school's prodigious achievements.
One could argue that 100-page, photo-filled yearbooks are a byproduct for a team that's won 2 consecutive MAVRC titles, 10 straight Potomac crowns, and 5 Mid-Atlantic championships in the past 6 seasons. Lesser outfits needs to focus on 'the basics'.
I think it's the other way around. Mindful that any one person's time is limited, we know that great programs address all facets of building a team, and thus winning becomes a measure of the system's performance. Act like a champion, then become a champion.
Moreover, the 2009 yearbook presents Gonzaga rugby as a sport you'd want to be part of: winning tradition, strong support from the administration, seasoned coaching, and the opportunity to travel abroad. The focus is the student athlete, and there is no drivel about positional descriptions or 'how to watch a rugby game'; implicitly, the staff is more than capable of teaching such things.
Gonzaga began practicing this past Monday for the 2010 season, which sees the Eagles head to Italy before opening the MAVRC league season against Hyde on April 16.
Related:
Expanded Maverick league kicks off
Maverick league underway in Washington DC
Lee Kelly is a hall of fame caliber rugby man.
Posted by: Andrew Jackson | 05 February 2010 at 10:39
Thats what I'm taking about...Varsity Rugby.
Legit, Bona-Fide!
Nigel Melville take a read, this is what we are capable of. Not just this team but many others just like them. And don't try to take credit for this, because this happened long before you get fired from English rugby and landed on our door step.
Not only should we be giving credit to the coaches, educators, administrators and parents behind this great rugby program, we should be learning from them.
Hear that Mullet, the Board member who thinks you don't need to attend the HS you play for. The board member who thinks college kids should be allowed to play in the multi-team HS championships.
This should be mandatory research for these foreign jokers running USAR. When we have 500 HS teams like this (up from the 25-50 we currently have) and 100 Penn State's and Cal's we'll never look back.
Why are we messing around with this commonwealth plan? Why are we spending so many millions trying to get the Eagles to 13th in the world, from 15th? Why are paying a CEO $275k who doesn't understand the US sports system and is therefore incapable of leading the rugby union? Why do we pay the Eagles coach 25 times what we pay the entire age-grade coaching staff? Why are we not spending every ounce of our energy and resources on the varsity model?
Posted by: great one Kurt | 05 February 2010 at 10:45
First, Gonzaga are an outstanding program from the admin, coaches, players and families. One to emulate.
Eagle Coaches salaries...
a different way to look at the pay discrepancy...
Typically high performance coaches are paid high salaries because they bring in high dollars and high profiles that equal sponsorships, championships etc. Not happening here.
The coaches currently responsible for bringing in the most money to USA Rugby are the youth/high school/college coaches that help enforce the ridiculous CIPP tax to support the non-revenue generating mens programs. The coaches and programs bringing in the most $...get the least support.
Dont be surprised when High School based programs and leagues begin balking at CIPP fees. Colleges will probably take much longer as they play a much wider group of teams (different states, leagues, countries, ages, etc) At the high school level school administrators with no rugby connection do not understand nor support CIPP and are beginning to question the need...
I support USA Rugby(i will CIPP), I just don't believe it is the responsibility of my school and players to send thousands of dollars to fund an organization that has so little immediate and direct impact on their rugby lives. If my players want to move to age grade select side, travel etc, then i understand the need for them to CIPP(for insurance, supporting select side coaching salaries) but as far as playing in a local league, we could exist without CIPP.
Posted by: coach | 05 February 2010 at 11:15
Of course we could exist without CIPP. But Melville couldn't!
I saw a good statement on GL not long ago, maybe from Kurt or from a poster, that the issue isn't the collection of dues or the amount of dues, its that there isn't anything in return for your dues.
Think if our dues structure was similar to now and all the HS and college dues went directly back to these sectors of our game it would be a plus. Maybe 10% to USAR to be used however they see fit and 90% directly back into HS and college rugby. Now, I wouldn't trust Melville and this Board to do the math, because they aren't trustworthy. But there would be a way to insure the agreed dues share.
Now this might help to grow the game. Taxing isn't completely bad, it's just bad when HS and college kids are funding high priced salaries of ineffective employees and the international ego trips of an out-of-touch Board.
Congrats to Lee Kelly and his team, class acts, one and all.
I feel like the posters above, reading a story like this makes me want to take back our rugby union from this administration.
Posted by: anon | 05 February 2010 at 11:48
Off topic, but how about yet another "greatest camp ever" from Caravelli and we go 1-2 on Day 1 after a "great" training camp and matches in Fiji.
1-2 is what it is, but enough already of all the coach's hype about how "great" everything is.
Dude, throw in some reality here and there.
Posted by: Play or Die | 05 February 2010 at 12:52
The results are indeed disappointing. I find some of the selections a bit questionable. Two players that were returning from injuries have been injured again (Bokhoven and Swiryn_ which makes one wonder whether they were really ready to return. And while it's nice that he made himself available I don't think that bringing Paul Emerick into the squad for two tournaments does much good for the program as a whole.
With that said the 7's team is not performing to a level that we should expect (Canada makes the final eight in their first tournament).
The Eagles will be under a TON of pressure to perform in Vegas under difficult circumstances.
A win over Scotland and taking home some hardware would salvage a little something out of a dissapointing tournament - but the Eagles will be doing it with eith players ...
The Eagles will count themselves lucky that there is not a promotion / relegation element to the IRB 7's - otherwise they would be at serious risk of losing core membership status in what is fast becoming an underwhelming season.
Posted by: 7th heaven | 05 February 2010 at 19:41
USAR signs a 4 year deal w Canterbury... 7's team picks up a Shield W down in NZ... word on the street is that ticket sales for the 7's in Vegas are looking good...
What is the world coming to?
Posted by: Things are happening | 07 February 2010 at 11:44
See you in Vegas!
Go Eagles!
Posted by: lv_rugger | 07 February 2010 at 17:06
Poster "things are happening" asked a very good question of American rugby, "What is the world coming to?"
He first sets out that USAR has signed a new 4 four year deal w/Canterbury, the Eagles have won the Shield in NZ and ticket sales are looking good at the Las Vegas 7's, this we assume to make his claim that things are on the upswing at USAR.
Well I would like to answer this question, what is US rugby going to.
1) USAR insiders are now going public on message boards posting anon about their accomplishments, or lack thereof.
2) They use a NO cash apparel agreement as their big story. Forget that US rugby has had apparel contacts for 20 years always with cash and product.
3) They use a fourth tier trophy in a 7's comp as winning something. Its not the Cup, Plate, or Bowl. Its the losers competition and this is no time to celebrate.
4) They use the USA Sevens, which is privately owned as an example of their success. If USAR had anything to do with the USA Seven in Las Vegas the event would be like everything else they do, half-ass.
The CEO of USAR Nigel Melville posted on his blog about going to the Kick off Tournament in California. He said, "Its a shame this momentum wasn't started in the 1970...or even in the 80's or 90's perhaps!"
You ungrateful turd, it was. The growth rate in HS rugby was highest in the late 80's and throughout the 90's. Listen punk, you didn't invest the game here.
The state of US rugby is that a foreign bunch of as*holes have taken over and they are attempting to write their own success stories on the internet. This is what US rugby is coming to.
Posted by: fact | 07 February 2010 at 17:41
"fact" too right. It is amazing to walk into a pub and have to listen to some limey go on and on about how he has awoken the sleeping giant.
Unbelievable that Melville is just like the Englishman on the street corner, talking up all that he has achieved. What a crock.
There have been a small army of players, coaches, and administrators who have been hard at work, day in, day out for decades and have made a difference. Guys like Melville show up, are vastly overpaid, do little in comparison and then declare victory.
Nigel, there is a Northeast III club in Newcastle that needs your expertise. Apply now.
Posted by: Phoney | 07 February 2010 at 20:26
Shield = 13th place
Posted by: Occam's Stubble | 07 February 2010 at 22:40
At least we have all of you guys to fix everything as soon as you are ready.
Posted by: smoke & mirrors | 08 February 2010 at 05:50
Hell what is there to lose? USAR did far better before we had a high powered chairmen and an expensive CEO.
No really, the performance from this administration over the past four years has sucked.
Posted by: next man up | 08 February 2010 at 07:56
Hire a 50,000 a year head man and 50,000 a year head coach and put the other 400,000 into the market. Less of a gamble, bigger return.
Posted by: anon | 08 February 2010 at 10:10
Caravelli = F A I L
after all this time in charge you can't blame the players, injuries or the draw. coaching is the only constant and must be evaluated. with the Olympics on the horizon a change needs to be made.
Posted by: X | 08 February 2010 at 12:28
X,
have you seen some of the players that have been part of the MNT over the years (15 and 7)? The players and are doing the best they can with what they were born with. There are things that coaching can't help.
Posted by: 4.8 40 @ 5'10 185.com | 08 February 2010 at 16:45
Yeah, I think it's more likely that we actually ARE 13th best in the world than it is that a new coach would somehow make us 8th best or something.
Posted by: Occam's Stubble | 08 February 2010 at 19:25
Do you think Caravelli can deliver a medal in 2016? That will be the USOC expectation, or more importantly if they don't think your sport Can medal you suck hind teet. All they care about is the medal count, and that is where the funds go. If things do not improve quickly, rugby will be hind teet with fencing and alike.
Posted by: X | 08 February 2010 at 19:52
X
I agree with your point that USOC money follows sports with medal counts. However, I don't feel that our near-term success (or lack thereof) is fully attributable to AC. He has made great strides for the program in terms of recruitment and coaching methodology that very few others in the country would be able to do.
Like our USA 15s team, 7s is still getting a 3rd or 4th tier athlete. This is no knock on the dedication and commitment on the guys we are fielding. Its simply a Darwinist type statement. Compared to the competition, his selection pool is still very limited - and might still be by 2016. The very best USA 7s players (two or three players) available to him today are borderline Currie Cup or NPC players, if that. The other USA 7s players are in comps well below this level. Whereas, the other int'l squads have the best in-country athletes who are about to explode on the Super 14 or Premiership (ie Victor Vito, Tommy Varndell, Cory Jane). Dallaglio got his international start with 7s. Its the pathway that is faulty and not the coach. The 2016 7s squads from NZ, UK, SA, Fiji, etc will be the best athletes in those countries who are playing rugby today somewhere between their 10th and 12th high school grade. Comparatively, our best 15 to 18 yr old athletes are playing football and basketball right now. Rugby is likely available to them but is probably viewed as an oddball off-season sport they might want to "try" but will not get serious until after the pathway for their first sport is completed (both Lyle and Hodges took up rugby after they realized their pro football careers weren't materializing like they hoped). Where all else is equal, talent always wins out. This is true in all team sports from girls U8 basketball to high school baseball to international rugby sevens.
USA Youth Rugby Sevens is in its infancy perhaps. There is no formalized program in place yet that would attract the attention of parents who are willing to pay big $ for their kids to play in a sport with opportunity. In California, the average competitive soccer and volleyball age grade club costs about $1000 a season. They have so many members at each level that they need to have tryouts and refuse entry to some. Senior Mens Club Rugby starts to deteriorate once dues exceed the $300 mark. Look at all the clubs that are folding.
Fault the system, not the man.
Posted by: SD Hitman | 09 February 2010 at 03:53
Kurt-
Why didn't you point out that the "yearbook" you are writing about is the Rugby "yearbook" not the school's "yearbook"? You referring to it as "Gonzaga College High School's 2009 yearbook" is more then misleading, it smacks of Oberman/O'Reilly half truths.
Posted by: Pete M | 09 February 2010 at 08:23
Dude, anyone who thinks that the school itself devoted 100 pages of its yearbook to the rugby team needs to just think about it for a moment. I thought it was pretty obvious that it was the rugby team's own yearbook.
Posted by: this guy /\ | 09 February 2010 at 08:52