Short choppy steps! Also on a nice note I've managed to drop around twenty lbs this quarter (woot I'm now 202...and 5'2")...which is pretty damn good considering it's mostly from improving what I eat (fiber + anti-oxidants + carbs + veggies - bacon - sausage - mayo - sugar). I mean I'm sure I've lost a fair amount of muscle because I've been more of a coach then a player this quarter but my next goal to get firmly under the 200 mark because I'm definitely going to have to lean up and get fit to play for/learn from ze blues.
Other rugby notes...because y'kno this is a rugby blog:
STANFORD women 50 – UC Santa Cruz 17 Referee: Tony Redmond
Stanford 50 (5G, 3T), Santa Cruz 17 (1G, 2T)
A pretty open game played in good spirit. First penalty after 22 minutes and no more than 8 in the entire game, the majority in the last 20 minutes after players lost their shape through tiredness, which is to be expected at this stage of the season. Stanford scored 34 unanswered points in the first half as they were faster and more controlled at the breakdown, which led to a nice supply of quick ball that their backs made full use of. Stanford scored first in the second half and then went to sleep to allow Santa Cruz to score three times (starting with an intercept try) before they finished off with a last minute score to reach the half century.
Speaking of the Stanford match...I did my usual snooping about and found the professional pictures of the match and gee whiz...biased or not (they were taken by a Stanford Faculty) they were pretty humiliating to go through. Out of curiosity I pulled out all the pictures where our players were attempting to tackle their ball carriers and there were about 71 pictures of missed tackles. Yeeeesh...I know what we're doing on Tuesday...
Also from the week before Kathy Flores seems to be making her presence felt in the collegiate league with her new team getting some pretty high complements from the refs (despite and in light of some favorable but low-scoring matches against established semi-final D1 finishers UC Davis)
UC DAVIS MINI-TOURNAMENT Referee: Bjorn Stumer
Arriving at Davis' Pioneer Park expecting a match between UC Davis Women and St. Mary's, I was pleasantly surprised that what was on tap instead was a mini tournament between Davis' A & B sides, St. Mary's, and USF.
On tap, four 30-minutes mini-match, and a 20-minute one to close the proceedings.
UC Davis A-Side vs. St. Mary's 15-0. The Davis ladies just too strong for a St. Mary's team which, though well drilled and committed, is obviously rebuilding. Three unconverted tries by Davis and no score for St. Mary's.
UC Davis A&B Sides combined vs. USF 0-0. If you lamented the fact that the USF ladies have long advertised for a coach, fret no more. One Kathy Flores (of World Cup & Eagles fame) came to their rescue, and the results were immediately apparent. Although the USF ladies are a new and inexperienced side, they are the ones to watch in the near future. A sturdy pack, and a great back line helped them keep Davis at bay. Much back & forth, but no score.
Another UC Davis amalgam & USF. USF seemed to improve as the day went by. Their pack grew in effectiveness, and their backs dazzled with their runs and their tackling. USF 5 - Davis 0. The score could have been higher if the USF ladies had passed a bit more.
St. Mary's vs. UC Davis B Side. St. Mary got the best of Davis on this one. Plenty runs, and much tackling. The close score reflects the closely matched skills of the two teams. Final Score: St. Mary 5 - Davis 0
St. Mary's - USF 5-5. USF continued to surprise as, for a new side, they play with skill and panache. This last match was an abbreviated one, with two 10 minutes halves. The first half saw a try scored by each side with no conversions. With a couple of minutes from to go in the second half, with the agreement of both coaches, I ended the match. This due to a collision between two of the St. Mary's ladies. In 35 years of Rugby I have never heard the sound of two heads hitting as hard as on this occasion - a sound like the throwing of a coconut against the wall. Both ladies went down and were assessed by a doctor on the sidelines. A visit to the emergency room was recommended for both, even though they were on their feet, albeit groggily. Spectators reported to have heard the sound of the collision clear across the whole length of the pitch. My best wishes to both players!
In spite of this frightening episode, this was a glorious day. Beautiful weather, committed sportswomen playing hard, and with their customary good behavior. A goodish crowd on tap, and fun for all."
Alright so hopefully I'll be able to get in contact with some Davis players and get the lowdown on this suddenly competitive hoedown (yea that was cheesy) here.
Oh and the Davis Double Deckers did it again and won the Chico Holiday Classic, beating out UC Davis 44-0(who must be tired of playing them by now) and SLO 34-0 for the win. You can tell that the DDDs are itching at the trigger to take on the Pac Coast league coming this fall (or spring...I really ought to have someone explain the women's senior schedule cause it sounds confusing as hell). While I'm on that note I really should get on finding out when the All Blue practice is in January...
Hmm speaking of joining up and recruiting...it's kind of mondo frustrating that Berkeley hasn't updated their website in ages...I mean...you'd think that winning the National Championship would be a cause for updating your site right? I mean even just the heading...2007 nat champs...it's one digit change and it's 2008 champs..*sigh* oh well. Seemingly in direct contrast you have NY, which (I don't check up often, but) always seems to keep their stuff up to steam publicity wise...and here's nifty new recruiting video they put out (ok I think it's a little hokey...I mean they throw every buzzword and the kitchen sink out there but there's some gloss to it) but NY always seems to win the team unity contest (but maybe that's just the view from across the nation)
One final note...did you know that using your knee or heel to quick tap the ball is illegal? Doing so results in a scrum on the mark with the put-in (duh) to the other team. Yup. Now you know.
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