tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91506077510661299822024-03-13T09:21:56.974-07:00Against the HeadKLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-24326816805735591372010-09-11T22:28:00.000-07:002010-09-11T23:14:00.929-07:00My Heart says Yes...but my body and my brain say no. So I'm taking a rugby sabbatical (1 year at most). My body needs a break from the grind...I keep re-injuring myself and I really should get physical therapy on my hip. Career-wise I need to get shit done. Find myself and rate myself, I'm going to immerse myself in as much into film studies as I can and see if I like it while working my way through a practice run of the admissions process. <br /><br />Now try as I might to extract rugby from my life (at least temporarily), it has become almost as bad of a distraction as being an active participant. I've had SIX fucking nightmares about it...so I'll concede...I'm an addict...a nut. Of course I've got to stay involved somehow. <br /><br />I'm taking the level one officiating course this fall and I'm stoked about joining the flock of fantabulous referees in the norcal ref society. It's going to be an interesting pursuit for sure and if I'm still in the Bay during the spring I'll once again help coach my high school kids. <br /><br />Of course I miss playing, every single goddamn bone in my body is screaming at me to put on my cleats and get back on the pitch, to not quit, to not disappoint my team. Loyalty, integrity, honor. @(*#*&@(#(*@ But then I have to step back and be an adult. I must concentrate on figuring out and achieving my career goals and academic ambitions. <br /><br />So how does this apply to you dear reader? Well since I don't get to have my daily dose of tackling, rucking, and mauling I'll spare a little time on the side to keep tabs on my fave little region of women's rugby (not to mention satisfy my rugby hives). <br /><br />In brief here are some things that happened:<br />The Eagles placed fifth in the world cup, the cool thing is that it got a lot more coverage then the last world cup. More about this later<br />Berkeley U19 didn't win a game all season<br />UC Santa Cruz lost in the semifinals <br />One of the UCSC players made the USA U20s squad and we had a rep in grizzlies<br />the Sacramento Amazons (senior side) did pretty well at Palo Alto 7s<br />UC Santa Cruz moved up to D1 this year...wooot!<br />SFog lost to Norcal Triple Threat for their first league game, they played the Seattle breakers this weekend, not sure who won<br />ABs beat the Twin City Zons this weekend for their first WPL game of the season<br /><br />And here is a lovely video from Brown's Women's rugby team:<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/11286085" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/11286085">Two Words</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ploipailin">Ploipailin Flynn</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p> <br /><br />It's good to be back and it'll be even better when I'm back on the pitch!KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-7879269863287304342010-02-28T08:10:00.000-08:002010-02-28T08:44:40.528-08:00No such thing as too much rugby...unless you're my housemate and you have to deal with the smell of my muddy laundry pile just sitting there because quite literally I don't have the time to do it. I mean I'm sure I'll find time to do it eventually. <br /><br />So quick summary. All Blues played the SF Fog we won handily (a game of quarters and rolling subs) but conceded a score early in the first quarter. In the last quarter the All Blues were forced to defend their try line for the majority of the last twenty but kept the fog clear. The All Blues got to blood a lot of their new young talent (a trio of U23 grizzlies entered the fray of club rugby) and some older campaigners re-entering the fight. I myself am bummed that I missed out due to a sprained ankle and foot that I acquired at the start of Thursday practice. Two weeks off no problem, hopefully I can talk my way into a lighter duty job so I don't have to clomp around on it all day at work but I have an AMAZING sports doc so email me if you're looking for one in the bay area. I'm missing the Champagne Classic as well and its a good thing too cause I wouldn't be able to play now so woohoo for saving money and boo for medical bills. I WAS going to buy new cleats and I probably still will.<br /><br />The Berkeley Vigorous Gold Stars Berkeley U19 Girls Rugby team (yes that's their name) toughed out an impressive match against the Humboldt U19 team. The score was about 25-0 against us but the Gold Stars still defended with all their heart despite playing l3 vs 15 80% of the match. Unfortunately in the last ten minutes we lost another player and had to forfeit and borrow players from the other team. Our kids were super disappointed and wanted to soldier on 11 vs 15 to keep ourselves from forfeiting but it became a safety issue. Our defense is getting better and we actually had the majority of possession for the short ten minutes that we were playing 14 vs 15.<br /><br />UC Santa Cruz plays Humboldt State for what is likely the last of their home games (unless USF manage to scrap together enough girls to play, or at least makes their way down here). The Slugs last match against Humboldt State was a true scrap where they had very little possession but managed to win 20-0 for a hard fought win. Today should be a better match on a much better pitch (the last match was in a muddy park). Go slugs!!! I'm actually attending this one.<br /><br />UC Berkeley plays Stanford today at Stueber Stadium and this should be the match of the ages. Classic rivals, and a weakened Stanford presents a tempting prey for the Cal Bears and hopefully it'll manifest in a long awaited victory.<br /><br />Coach Owens of UC Berkeley is also hosting a summer camp for U19/High School players this summer in Berkeley more details to follow. <br /><br />Alright lets get this party started...I have to gimp around and help set up my favorite pitch in the world. Let's dominate this game slugs!!!KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-64272136073561568302010-01-11T21:01:00.001-08:002010-01-11T21:01:58.665-08:00USA Roster vs CanadaUSA Lineup vs Canada <br />Atlantic Cup – January 12, 2010<br /> <br />1. Farrah Douglas (Keystone) <br />2. Mari Wallace (Beantown) <br />3. Naima Reddick (Berkeley All-Blues)<br />4. Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries)<br />5. Sharon Blaney (Beantown)<br />6. Melanie Denham (Beantown)<br />7. Phaidra Knight (New York)<br />8. Kate Daley (Keystone)<br />9. Kim Magrini (Keystone)<br />10. Hannah Stolba (Minnesota Valkyries)<br />11. Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All-Blues)<br />12. Melissa Kanuk (Minnesota Valkyries)<br />13. Emilie Bydwell (Beantown)<br />14. Ashley Kmiecik (ORSU)<br />15. Christy Ringgenberg (Minnesota Valkyries)<br /> <br />RESERVES<br />16. Jamie Burke (Beantown)<br />17. Kitt Wagner (Beantown)<br />18. Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All-Blues)<br />19. Kristin Zanczewicz (Minnesota Valkyries)<br />20. Claudia Braymer (Albany)<br />21. Stephanie Bruce (Berkeley All-Blues)<br />22. Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues)<br /> <br />STAFF<br />Kathy Flores, Head Coach<br />Candy Orsini, Assistant Coach<br />Alex Williams, Forwards Technical Coach<br />Krista McFarren, Backs Technical Coach<br />Michelle Carrone, Fitness<br />Lisa Bartoli, Medical<br />Krissy Temporiti, Trainer<br />Ginger Stringer, ManagerKLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-61837427267331825692010-01-10T22:30:00.000-08:002010-01-10T23:27:30.052-08:00Back (with a LOT of shit to cover)Alright so here's the skinny on the last couple of months. The All Blues beat everyone in league with each game getting tougher then the next. By the end of the year everyone was pretty much playing injured, the All Blues lack depth so it's not surprising that a longer harder season took it's toll. Nationals were really neat (despite the horrid weather, disappointing results, and my social anxiety over snoring and sharing a room with (relatively speaking) strangers). I guess I stopped blogging because there was a limit to how much I could deal with my existential crisis in the public medium of blogging. It's been a pretty tough year...it took me a while to realize that pretty much everyone is a bit scared, threatened, whatever right now and everyone is more then a wee bit prickly and not to take things too personally. I needed to cool my jets a bit and get ok with my current lot in life. I think I've figured out a few general long term goals so that's helpful too. Here's to 2010...shit people let's get excited! It's a frickin world cup year!<br /><br />Alright so Berkeley U19 aka the Vigorous Gold Stars have started practicing. We have a full lineup of games as we're actually going to be competing in league this year. There's a two new squads that may or may not be forming up so as always the schedule is subject to change:<br /><br />Saturday, February 6: Nor Cal girls' round robin tournament<br />Sunday, February 21: BHS at Alameda<br />Saturday, February 27: BYE (or maybe Humboldt; they don't currently have a team)<br />Saturday, March 6: home game vs. Sacramento<br />Saturday, March 20: home game vs. Davis<br />Saturday, April 10: home game vs. MotherLode<br /><br />The All Blues will be starting up after a nice break for spring (aka developmental) season, our first meeting is on Jan 19th (comment if you need details but I doubt anyone reads this blog) but practice dates will be decided later but our schedule so far looks like this:<br /><br />Sat Feb 27: SF Fog at Home<br />Sat March 6-7: Champagne Classic in San Diego<br />Sat March 13: Triple Threat in Chico<br />Sat March 20: Sacramento Amazons at Home<br />Sun March 28: San Diego Surfers at Home<br /><br />UC Santa Cruz has a scrappy young squad with a long regular season ahead of it. They hosted a solid tournament (slugfest) with SLOboldt (SLO + Humboldt), Sac State, UC Davis. They won(?) the social bracket down at scrum by the sea. They narrowly lost a friendly against Stanford's mixed Crawford side. Just this weekend they had their annual clinic and friendly against cal playing mixed squad, rolling subs, for 3 rounds and won roughly 25-10(I wasn't keeping track of conversions sorry). So here's their schedule going forward (subject to change...duh):<br /><br />1/9: UCSC @ Cal (clinic/DI friendly)<br />1/16: UCSC @ Santa Clara (league)<br />1/23: UCSC @ Sac State (DI friendly)<br />1/30: UCSC @ USF (league)<br />2/6: UCSC @ Humboldt (league)<br />(2/13: USA sevens in Las Vegas -- not an official team<br />event)<br />2/20: Santa Clara @ UCSC (league)<br />2/27: Humboldt @ UCSC (league)<br />3/6: USF @ UCSC (league)<br />(3/20: PCRFU (Pacific Coast) play-in, host: Nor Cal RFU)<br />(4/3: PCRFU playoffs, host: Utah RFU)<br /><br />If you're wondering/keeping track...yea we lost St. Mary's this year...no clue what happened, something about numbers clearly (d1 lost chico due to suspension for social reasons). I'll ask St. Mary's coach next time I see him (he's been assistant reffing lately). So yea DII NorCal teams need a lot of help, if you're near a college please start up a team or think up ways to donate money time or whatev. It's really sad that our league has deteriorated from...I mean my frosh year we had CSU Monterey Bay, San Jose State, St. Mary's Santa Clara, Sac State, and us. C'mon DII! <br /><br />In international news USA is playing Canada in the 'atlantic cup' or whatever down in Florida. A bunch of teammates are down there and good luck to them, kick some ass, specifically Canada's 8-man.<br /><br />What else....argh too much to get to. Oh well I'll leave you with some sick ass vids that have been posted in my absence (I don't know if anyone has posted them but I'm still working my way through the YSC archives so meh)<br /><br /><br />An English promo vid (gotta love what the world cup does to the promotion of the sport)<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vbmC6fkxgmo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vbmC6fkxgmo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Old school world cup footage showing why Crawford is the shiznit<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wLqw5HOfnyU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wLqw5HOfnyU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />some footage from the black ferns vs england game<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1fPktyBz7Qc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1fPktyBz7Qc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Check out Las Banditos (they're in the prison stripes kicking ass)<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9qtmBo4SwW4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9qtmBo4SwW4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>\<br /><br />Ignore the super cheesy 80s music for a minute..this is contains some awesome freaking show of the flair of the NZ women's running game. Auckland is basically the # domestic team down there <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m1YnONdDCek&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/m1YnONdDCek&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-36863003968746932462009-09-29T23:14:00.000-07:002009-09-29T23:25:23.821-07:00Playing the Valks this weekendSkipped practice cause my ankle has been bugging me. Well I went to practice but missed out on a ton of great tackling drills. Missed the ORSU game 'cause I'm not traveling this year. Been slammed at work but at least it's work. Enjoying my new place a lot and I guess that's it for now. <br /><br />"Hit Like a Bear" Women's Collegiate Rugby Clinic<br /><br /> <br /><br />Come be a part of an all-day clinic put on by the local women's club team, 12-time National Champion Berkeley All-Blues! Members of the All-Blues will coach you through general skills (passing, kicking, tackling), positional skills and sub-unit skills (scrums, lineouts, backs play, etc.) in the morning and in the afternoon you will play in live scrimmages. Clinic participants will be divided up according to experience and skill level, in order to make sure that those new to the game are instructed in the basics and those with some experience learn some more advanced skills. The day will wrap up with a discussion session during which players can ask their All-Blue coaches for specific feedback. We look forward to seeing you there!<br /><br /> <br /><br />Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009<br /><br /><br /><br />Time: 9:00am – 4pm; Check-in @ 8:30am<br /><br /> <br /><br />Location: <br /><br />Pinole Valley High School<br />2900 Pinole Valley Road<br />Pinole, CA 94564<br /><br />The Field: From the parking lot in front of the school - the baseball/softball fields are to the right of the turf football field. People will park in the lot in front of the school and walk across the football field to the clinic fields.<br /><br /><br />Cost: $25 early registration gets you: a full day of instruction, and a t-shirt! Same day registration available for $30. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH! Water and snacks will be provided.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Open to: All women collegiate rugby players, regardless of experience<br /><br /><br /><br />Early registration deadline: October 8, 2009<br /><br /> <br /><br />For more information and to sign up, email Julie Kieu jdkieu - at - gmail d-o-t com or please visit http://www.berkeleyallblues.com/KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-31707983121572679872009-09-13T17:06:00.000-07:002009-09-13T20:27:17.902-07:00Berkeley All Blues vs Twin City Amazons100-7. Yep. I didn't play but man am I beat between setting up stuff,running water, and cleaning up. It's tough to be a rookie! Although a lot easier and less stressful then being a vet...it's just a little harder the second time around. I bought another pair of shorts/jerseys 'to help support the wnt(actually just because I live in shorts and we scrum enough in practice that jerseys are useful)'. Uhh what else, I saw the gnarliest clash of heads that I've ever ever ever seen. Like...ever. Damn and I saw the photo after it was cleaned up and it's like 3/4 of her forehead! Holy crap! Uh, first half was pretty square, lot's of turnovers lots of territory gained and lost. The All Blues started ticking over some tries, the Zons threatened through the centers scoring their 7 points and almost struck again with a dangerous intercept that was chased down by Stephanie Bruce. Eventually the All Blues started clicking and the floodgates just opened with try after well supported try. That's about it, it's really hard to watch a match when it's broken up so much with scoring. I'm really looking forward to watching the game tape on this one. Some of our Santa Cruz kids came up (albeit late) which is awesome and exactly what we need, there were (gee whiz I'm horrible at estimating) maybe a hundred or so supporters who came out for the match. Fun times now I'm going to pass out =]<br /><br />----<br />btw it's raining and man do my bones ache. I swear I'm only 23.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-82408408879044913772009-09-11T22:21:00.001-07:002009-09-11T22:29:52.725-07:00Getting pumpedFirst off they killed my favorite radio station (Energy 92.7) and replaced it with a hip hop station...wtf!?!?! You take the best dance music station in the nation and replace it with a generic hip hop station?? You have to be shitting me. So shed a tear with me. So I've been re-watching last year's collegiate national championship (there is seriously something about watching a college final helps ones rugby soul) and it's an awesome match so far, I can't believe I missed it but knowing me I was probably writing a thirty page paper on nuclear weapons (*barf*). It's pretty funny 'cause you can see a bunch of whose who in the crowd whenever the cameras pan the stands. Also I just wanted to share this pic of total band geekhood. I know there aren't a lot of rugby nerds but I hope someone appreciates this pic of the Stanford band and remember 'all glory to the hypnotoad!'<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXhegLjmkqcgWVxqhJbTH97gprMfgD3pzYTKNiQU_JCwGbLwFxTcqw-PQv82n-7RzczN8CpI5G6Ul5fpJ4PsyFyfevHumcPJt-A0Eh0DRwXssesHR_RXHFzj2n8JJcqg0p7rJcQYxlZ4/s1600-h/vlcsnap-2009-09-11-22h20m09s120.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXhegLjmkqcgWVxqhJbTH97gprMfgD3pzYTKNiQU_JCwGbLwFxTcqw-PQv82n-7RzczN8CpI5G6Ul5fpJ4PsyFyfevHumcPJt-A0Eh0DRwXssesHR_RXHFzj2n8JJcqg0p7rJcQYxlZ4/s400/vlcsnap-2009-09-11-22h20m09s120.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380448674231813362" /></a><br /><br />Oh and I really am pissed about energy, they just supported the Women's National 7s Invitational on treasure island and provided some badass beats both days. *sigh* I am so in mourning.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-38252121617953804702009-09-10T23:22:00.000-07:002009-09-10T23:41:17.214-07:00Making the BenchHoly crap! I'm stoked! Ok scared but stoked none the less. I am pretty nervous but I know it's a chance and I should have fun with it. Coach just doesn't want me to freeze up and she said I'll probably be propping but maybe hook or flank(really doubtful). Anyhoo I can't believe I get to wear the blue jersey =] now I just need to do my research. Gah so if you have a chance this Sunday, Treasure Island, Gaelic Athletic Fields, 10 am kick off. Be there!KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-69166990732621196902009-09-09T17:37:00.001-07:002009-09-09T21:36:29.684-07:00Women's Premiership League Videos are up!Woot! <a href="http://vimeo.com/channels/wpl">Women's Premiership League Match Videos</a>How sick is this, one can actually watch high level women's rugby matches without boarding a plane every weekend. Please enjoy and watch all the matches! This weekend we have our first home match against the Twin City Amazons so show up and watch some kick ass rugby. 10am Sunday on the Gaelic fields (check out the berkeley all blues website for <a href="http://www.berkeleyallblues.com/directions.html">directions</a> (I embedded a map weee)<br /><br /><br /><object width="400" height="220"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6472771&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6472771&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="220"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/6472771">Week 1: New York at Beantown (1st Half)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/wpl">Women's Premier League - USA Rug</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br />Just to start you off here is the first half of the Beantown vs New York match.<br /><br />Also I know this video has been around for ages I just forgot about it until now. <br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KevCx852ANk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KevCx852ANk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />That's the sickest maul I've ever seen in my five years of watching pro, club, collegiate and hs rugby.<br /><br />Oh on another note I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable at practice. I'm still having a minor positional crisis (ie I'm just not tough enough to play at this level, much less in the front row). But having a lot more fun. I'm feeling alright in the loose but I'm really rusty linking up with others. I'm doing alright in rucks/counter rucks and carrying the ball. My lineout throws were fairly good and I'm happy to say I was hitting 'em both near and far. I did some ball handling practice today on my break at work...which means I'm probably hooked on rugby again. Practice tomorrow, coolbeans.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-32596244527346820252009-09-01T23:40:00.000-07:002009-09-02T00:08:13.802-07:00Patience...that thing that I have a lot of apparently.So I haven't exactly been blogging lately, mostly 'cause I was seriously dangling onto the last frickin microscopic thread of love for this sport. Looking back at past posts I think it's pretty obvious that I've been doing some major level flip flopping this is mostly due to yea, some major level self examinations at what the hell I'm doing with my life and why I'm stalling it to play a sport that for a whopping nine months I couldn't even play. Not nine months in Vanawatu or wherever sipping on coconuts and enjoying sunsets but rather 9 months of showing up to practice, kitting up and sitting out for all the fun bits. 9 months of scrapping around for a job in a some new city, 9 long ass months of worry (and 9 months of bitching about it!)<br /><br />Haha! But as of today I have health insurance and I had some fucking fun at practice. Played like crap but hey moving to the ABs represents a huge step up in playing levels so it's kinda to be expected. Some scrum practice (where I actually managed to not get blasted completely out of the scrum), agility and handling, defensive and mostly just prepping the traveling squad for their first premiership game in Minnesota. I'm missing due to budgetary constraints but I had a damn fun time disrupting possession on defense. Got a few thumping tackles in but mostly got dusted, I really need to work on the concept of connecting and defensive structure. The stuff is going directly over my head as UCSC generally lacks any defensive organization beyond lead and scrape. *sigh* maybe I'll attend some Cal practices. Ooo and I got a tech tee. Fancy. <br /><br />Um lot's more to come. Grizzlies got third at NASC 7s in New York. Not bad at all hopefully with the new national invitational NorCal will finally develop a 7s scene beyond just Palo Alto 7s.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-89651206640919042232009-08-15T19:06:00.000-07:002009-08-15T19:10:00.844-07:00National Women's 7s Invitationalkicks ass! Fog has put on an amazing show and it's been a seriously fun day. I was thoroughly entertained despite not um ykno...playing. So far Nova 1 and Berkeley have won their brackets.More great stuff tomorrow. I <3 the SF Fog for making this great event happen =]KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-10253010643647537352009-08-12T20:35:00.001-07:002009-08-12T20:59:09.371-07:00Lets bring it all back.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/9/15909667_20b9c7a8d4_o.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/9/15909667_20b9c7a8d4_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I'm homesick for a homeland that is half make believe, part memory, part history, part dream. We had our second All Blues XVs practice yesterday with guest coach Jen Crawford. It was nifty but further illustrated the gap between old and new. Styles, philosophies, whatever you want to call it I don't want to adopt the nervousness that pervades. I wanna just be loose and play, enjoy the touch of the ball and linking up, running lines and run into someone. I don't give a crap about selections I want to listen and learn the fundamentals that I missed but I need to step out of the blinders of mindlessly trying to replicate each minutia of instructions and keep rugby in the larger picture. As cool as this new situation is I need to keep the reasons why "I" love rugby warm to my heart and ignore what frankly just doesn't apply. <br /><br />I like this video (although the score at the very end is weird and slightly horror-esque)<br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/37sHkb7tPpg&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/37sHkb7tPpg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />National Club 7s is this weekend at Treasure Island.<br /><br />Start Time: <br />Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 8:00am<br />End Time: <br />Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 6:00pm<br /><br />I'll probably only go to Saturday. It's not too long till the first premiership match in Minnesota. I've pretty much decided that I'm going to save moolah and skip the away trips.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-64604665126227755262009-08-09T22:27:00.000-07:002009-08-09T22:34:08.827-07:00as the days go by and I still think of youOh rugby. First practice went well, I was quickly reminded of the physicality of XVs over 7s practice. 7s practice was fun and we combined with fog for a day when our fields had further issues (I swear I've practiced on more fields with the All Blues during their off season then I've played on in the five years of rugby I've played prior (and we played on a LOT of different pitches). One thing I must say is that as nice as the Bay Area is I @(*#(@*&# hate geese! Seriously that's some nasty green shit that very quickly ends up on your face. And to make matters worse d'ya know where they're from? CANADA. Pff anyhoo our Eagles are up playing in the Nations Cup woo hoo. As long as we beat Canada (and South Africa). Anyhoo here's a cool vid from the southern hemisphere. <br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qapCY_hllWc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qapCY_hllWc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-49035027472809087402009-07-27T18:42:00.000-07:002009-07-27T19:11:06.474-07:00Don't take this the wrong way...But screw the haka it's all about the Welsh National Anthem.<br /><br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FqtIlaHIqrs&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FqtIlaHIqrs&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />This is rugby pageantry to me. <br /><br />I need to go to Wales and experience this shit. I mean really how cool is that? The first test match I ever watched was back in '04 when Wales played NZ in the a fall international. I watched it and a)fell in love with the sport b) fell in love with my buddies Jones, Williams, and Thomas. It's funny I really could have gone either way. Sure I could have sided with the all blacks or one of the other rugby giants (not that Wales is too shabby in its own right) but really I'm glad to back my team, through some particularly gnarly 6 nations campaigns to grand slam victories and lions honors. Is there a point to this post? I'm looking for some warm fuzzy rugby memories to keep me going.<br /><br />I SHOULD be hired on permanent this week. It SHOULD be about another month before I get a healthcare package. I SHOULD be a lot happier in 30-40 days. Time to reset the clock. I apologize for being not showing up to palo alto this summer. It's been 7 almost 8 months now and I really can't stand just watching rugby. It makes me grumpy and depressed (I've missed starting for the ABs in a dev game against the Amazons, missed playing in my first Champagne Classic, missed traveling/participating in the Glendale game, missed playing prom dress rugby for the first time, missed trying out for the u23 grizzlies (my last chance), missed playing in a fun round robin with the slug kids (stiff arms galore), missed a scrimmage that ended up being contact drills/warmup against Stanford, missed playing against the kids and playing with my best friends in my first alumni game, missed midnight 7s, missed palo alto 7s, and most importantly missed the point in a number of practices/drills due to worrying about injuries/not wanting to go 100%). <br /><br />Fuck.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-83590433113756440352009-07-21T22:02:00.000-07:002009-07-21T22:06:47.490-07:00Playing ScaredI'm kind of at a crossroad right now so I haven't really been in the mood for posting. To be honest I'm still kind of in a funk and I haven't decided how I'm going to deal with it. This is all on the rugby side of things. Works been going and a bunch of buddies have been trickling up to the bay so things have been pretty good at that end. I'm just reallyreallyreallyreally waiting on insurance. My hips been bugging me more and more as well. It's kind of getting into my head at practice and doubt and fear has kind of overshadowed the fun of the game. I'm seriously tired of playing scared. I just want to have some damn fun. One more week and I should have a better attitude.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-42106429301534353142009-06-25T21:17:00.000-07:002009-06-25T21:26:25.367-07:00Off to my first test match experiencein t-minus uh 9 hours (I'm not counting men's matches =p). I don't know what to wear! I don't know what to bring. I don't know anything! Lol I really wish I at least knew the roster or something. feh. I just read goff's article on city based women's 7s and visited the site <a href="http://www.citybased7s.com/">City Based 7s</a> and I was tempted to design a header for them...and then I realized why should I help out the east coast. I'm kidding, I'm sure they have someone working on it already and lord knows I should fix my own header first. Ugh and so much to do on Berkeley's site..oh well. Surprisingly enough I'm not main lined to the internet so I'll be unable to update 'till I get home (one of the down sides to making a couple bucks over min wage). I'm sure my report will be far less technically sound then others involved but hey what's another perspective. Oh btw where the hell are the pictures from the 7s world cup? Seriously I feel like we've been waiting forever on those, at least Jen D. made her stuff available during the last XVs world cup. <br /><br />Alright, off to buy snacks and burn cds. Oh and drive to Glendale.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-7795589098953207182009-06-24T19:43:00.000-07:002009-06-24T20:58:03.348-07:00One day till the road trip!Man am I stoked! The weather calls for isolated thunderstorms so hopefully the match actually...yknow...occurs. Here's some vids for thought, I'm really excited to see the sort of game that USA brings. <br /><br /><br />Here's the highlights from the USA A game vs Can A 7-10<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xSjuqU2lZDc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xSjuqU2lZDc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Here's some talk with the coaches. <br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zO8qcVPDL1o&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zO8qcVPDL1o&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />My ticket is already in my wallet, I need to do my laundry and pack some snacks and I'm ready to go =] uh minus the fact that I don't own any waterproof clothing. I may go the wear shorts and flip flops route.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-3690226107345838372009-06-19T23:08:00.000-07:002009-06-22T00:07:04.442-07:00Making WeightWell I finally broke my fitness goal of the last...uh...two years at least. I'm officially 199lbs (! Holy crap! I'm really shocked because I'm currently exercising once a week. Yea I know, that's not exactly clear and away from 200lbs but still, the scale hasn't said that in a good long while (and yea I triple checked 'cause I didn't believe it myself!). I guess I'd better set a new one of 185 by the end of summer but yea not to shabby considering I'm not exactly working out or eating terrifically healthy (but better proportions). <br /><br />I'm leaving on Friday for my four day road trip to watch the WNT play Canada which is pretty fucking exciting. I'm not prepared at all...I need to do my homework to fully enjoy the experience. The USA A side is going to play on Tuesday. <br /><br />I can't wait till Tuesday and 7s practice. We did the WNT speed workout and played touch for and hour last practice 'cause coach was out of town. I was really disappointed in how quickly I was gassed and effectively out of the game due to my shitty cardio. I was able to make some good breaks but yea at this level I'm toast unless I improve...everything! My legs were trashed for the next two days from hitting things at full pace and I definitely ripped myself some new quad muscle. My buddy Georgi wasn't even sore from practice *sigh*. I have started working out this week with one of my rookies from UCSC which should be fun, we did some interval running (woo 13 min mile...yea people can walk faster then I run), core work, and some speed stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to join her gym and hit the weights before my upper body absolutely disappears. But I really should get back on topic...<br /><br />Rugby...uh U-23 Pac Coast didn't do so hot, losing both matches and dropping to Tier 2. Internationally can I say THE MAUL IS BACK!!! HALLELUJAH! Did anyone see that maul in the first Lions Test, the boks bloody drove them back 20-30 meters. Sexy, gorgeous, and oh so beautiful. I love a good maul. Vickery was horrible, Both Williams should have been on the pitch, O'Connell was pretty damn useless as well. I swear I have no Welsh bias AT ALL. I was disappointed in Jones' kicking but meh Monye fucked up two tries that's a min of 4-8 points that could have meant a 'w' for the lions. SA needs to fix their midfield defense 'cause it's currently sucking. I love the welsh but Roberts isn't THAT good and just take him out and BOD will be out of the equation. <br /><br />What else...oh I've wanted to put this up for a while now. Mostly 'cause this picture cracks me up. I shoulda gotten the girl to rig up the text though 'cause I suck at image editing. But enjoy. Ashley you rock!<br /><br />"This isn't the ball that you are looking for, move along"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2T6fOIQoN72hbXcfACy5-5uJKl3MQP-Bl21XOWO-gwztmwD3uIViJJg_MLHMa0es8Ftq7SAzWLvxij2t-7gdFyvmf60bEACpEDRkR1f6JOo3J9g3WBpDqiCmX_uSjgyUuT5sshWfW_jM/s1600-h/jedi.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 330px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2T6fOIQoN72hbXcfACy5-5uJKl3MQP-Bl21XOWO-gwztmwD3uIViJJg_MLHMa0es8Ftq7SAzWLvxij2t-7gdFyvmf60bEACpEDRkR1f6JOo3J9g3WBpDqiCmX_uSjgyUuT5sshWfW_jM/s400/jedi.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350044830433249058" /></a><br /><br />She's so good even Ruth is confused.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-32875720156256574452009-06-10T22:33:00.000-07:002009-06-10T22:35:32.493-07:00Watch out for SwedenThe editing was above average so I decided to post it. That and I was mildly terrified at the idea of not only one but two teams of giant Nordic blondes playing rugby.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4RQkflhIdA8&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4RQkflhIdA8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-67062069514296351732009-06-10T08:06:00.000-07:002009-06-10T08:32:21.777-07:00This is a shout out for Laura CabreraBomb ass 7s coach that she is. I felt compelled to write this post because I had a blast last night (and pretty much every night that I've had practice..sans the one where I had a taco truck burrito half an hour prior and felt like dying). I don't think I've ever had that much fun at practice a) she's hilarious so even when she's yelling at us I'm cracking up b) she's teaching me (a DII collegiate front row forward) how to run lines and break up the defense (and not in the typical forward fashion) c) I'm having this fun doing a non-contact passing/decision making practice. I dunno what I'm rambling about but credit has to be given 'cause I finally understand why rugby is fun for backs (a mystery I could never solve prior to this). Even the conditioning portions are light and fun. I know I'll never be some amazing 7s player but I've gotten better at this whole engaging the defense thing and I'm getting way better at doing the right thing like making the run myself or passing once I'm getting pulled. It's crazy how fast you have to be thinking I can't believe how fast backs must make decisions at this point I have a split second between recognizing the situation in front of me and reacting to it. I just need to practice my passing during the week more 'cause they aren't as crisp as they were in college (where I was in practice/training rookies 24/7). At least for the most part I get it, or my body is getting it and my brain is kinda being towed along for the ride (which credit should be given for really well designed drills that are etching this stuff into muscle memory. All right I guess that's enough, I think she's an awesome coach and this has been a shout out for Laura Cabrera 'cause I felt like it and this is my blog. <br /><br />OH and I can't believe it I'm so excited for Can Am! *Does cartwheels* and I have a part in my first rugby skit (damn D1 traditions). The U23 Grizzlies are off to Pittsburgh, Penn so hopefully one of my kids will keep me up to date. 7's is just around the corner but I think I'll be missing the first one 'cause I'll be in Glendale and the 2nd one we won't have any of our top players cause that's Grizzly 7s tryouts lol I should try out for All Star 7s so I get through my bitter non-selection experience (jeez there are so many players who have horrible experiences with select sides). I just want to play rugby. I just want to play rugby. I just want to play rugby. Alright off to work.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-68800502198322247512009-06-07T23:54:00.000-07:002009-06-08T00:27:55.984-07:00The Berkeley Hills Death RideSo I haven't been riding my bike to work (mostly because let's just say I saw less shootings in Compton then I have so far in Richmond) and with practices reduced to once a week I'm starting to feel on the verge of losing whatever gains I had made post-hip breakage. So I decided to go on a bike ride today...after a MONTH of not biking I made the highly intelligent decision to attempt <a href="http://www.inl.org/bicycle/deathride.html">The Berkeley Hills Death Ride</a>. Mostly because it sounded fun and I figured I could take it slow and it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Sufficed to say I now have indisputable proof of post-college brain atrophying. Death Ride = fun and feasible? Ok in my defense I knew going into it that I was only going to attempt the first (and worst) climb of the Death Ride. So I bike over to Berkeley in no time flat and I'm feeling great, I hike up a little curving climb to the base of Marin and holy shit it's just....up. <br /><br />Look Ma...a deer<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fCjO1Q4VIQu3VWA6ZHe4eqBo1vfjOTtbMcKTSkD0SoTh9dkhT0GJ7BmzDFPFqEUzQj0ruQ-Abrr6MqOAOuWwGyvkUsrUmE6znm7RhndFUlQ2mNTTqPN90ybARipe-1LDCQvjwSx62Fw/s1600-h/DSC00347.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fCjO1Q4VIQu3VWA6ZHe4eqBo1vfjOTtbMcKTSkD0SoTh9dkhT0GJ7BmzDFPFqEUzQj0ruQ-Abrr6MqOAOuWwGyvkUsrUmE6znm7RhndFUlQ2mNTTqPN90ybARipe-1LDCQvjwSx62Fw/s400/DSC00347.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344850909644833090" /></a><br /><br />It was so steep my camera phone got vertigo<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRrurlIGU0JSr8bo3q9EvcgjwtKWSBhCHym6XuMkRK8FBqI2em1KLdt0in7GSuPoDuzRlVu7ir5QeLNNZZ96DpfdtRq1DosJp6s-fmBdQRldEHDn0FXdLPbRgByL1Y024Q2SuRFOFN_o/s1600-h/DSC00348.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRrurlIGU0JSr8bo3q9EvcgjwtKWSBhCHym6XuMkRK8FBqI2em1KLdt0in7GSuPoDuzRlVu7ir5QeLNNZZ96DpfdtRq1DosJp6s-fmBdQRldEHDn0FXdLPbRgByL1Y024Q2SuRFOFN_o/s400/DSC00348.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344851071908629746" /></a><br /><br />Yea pictures can't really convey what a 30% grade feels like<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-YQgbgwy1-g-VNOvBDkcJMJa_u2qiWvJpG3B8WNu6y_d5SUQ7VjddTKR14ojr2zwNBvEp0SxvPQwakR0zFNPRUTQaMQ6XSRW6s4hId7vCZg2v5offgyobAqAyO5ZnngPcZu7VRg91-0/s1600-h/DSC00349.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-YQgbgwy1-g-VNOvBDkcJMJa_u2qiWvJpG3B8WNu6y_d5SUQ7VjddTKR14ojr2zwNBvEp0SxvPQwakR0zFNPRUTQaMQ6XSRW6s4hId7vCZg2v5offgyobAqAyO5ZnngPcZu7VRg91-0/s400/DSC00349.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344851364026324274" /></a><br /><br />Finally at the crest!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoZH0VELdG8p3KKl6qVE0zqLY-9n9igNt3bya_Ywxv1rIq2pPeO9C-5M_ySiPSghZ4QvePKATyLmKrE3_K26x9lUp8K_YS-z5GJj8ufQgX2K8z_xYkUvTGzl0gUDabXDZ43_L5ovh2vU/s1600-h/DSC00350.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoZH0VELdG8p3KKl6qVE0zqLY-9n9igNt3bya_Ywxv1rIq2pPeO9C-5M_ySiPSghZ4QvePKATyLmKrE3_K26x9lUp8K_YS-z5GJj8ufQgX2K8z_xYkUvTGzl0gUDabXDZ43_L5ovh2vU/s400/DSC00350.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344851646659487810" /></a><br /><br />And the view isn't even that great.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7VcIZcdhO_5xnKqkqBM5qlZ_2neg5NHJ2zAiYgTBLGWgtIeHXgQ6XpQdd7mABJOburIMJb8VeyNmmLuDaSpmsbX2KFBflEoh4zb1nR9EvZs-HwUOwzAGLWCLCUiyOq9XHo_5gQbPKX8/s1600-h/DSC00353.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7VcIZcdhO_5xnKqkqBM5qlZ_2neg5NHJ2zAiYgTBLGWgtIeHXgQ6XpQdd7mABJOburIMJb8VeyNmmLuDaSpmsbX2KFBflEoh4zb1nR9EvZs-HwUOwzAGLWCLCUiyOq9XHo_5gQbPKX8/s400/DSC00353.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344851800974744002" /></a><br /><br />So yea I rested every block (and on the 30% grade hill I rested every 15 feet or so) and it still was ridiculous. I love my Schwinn hybrid but c'mon it's a hybrid with mountain tires on a 1.5k climb with an average grade of 22% (and that's including the flat intersections!). I was on my lowest gear and I was popping wheelies when I tried to crank it, when I would brake I would start skidding downhill. It was a terrifying and ridiculously fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.<br /><br />Alright...now back to rugby. I've been tinkering around on the All Blues site, making some touch ups here and there but I really need to relearn css 'cause it's been a while and I suck at it. Also as you might have noted I cleaned up this dumpy blog just a bit and 'fixed' the header as well. I'm going to partake in my first rugby skit this coming Saturday and I'm pretty nervous about that. <br /><br />We got our schedule and the Blues are having their annual collegiate clinic on Oct 10-11. I'll post the deets as they come out but yea.<br /><br />In international rugby I've been catching up on the Lions matches and I have to say that for once I'm happy BOD's side is doing better the big ugly munster man. He's a better Captain although Paul did get stuck with a squad with significantly less shape then the weekday team. <br /><br />I'll end with this rugby league video because it's fucking funny and that's all you need to know.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hmKl3BiwwTQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hmKl3BiwwTQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-34292418731336175722009-06-05T19:36:00.000-07:002009-06-05T21:29:55.707-07:00Hell yes! Can Am Here I Come!Yup, I decided to do it. AND I got the time off work. I'll just be poor for a bit. I mean when am I not? Anyhoo I'm stoked!<br /><br />Oh and here are some pics from the game...never thought I would see Peter Stringer live...wish I could have gone to the Wales game...fucking Dwayne Peel + Ryan Jones *drool*<br /><br />Oh sorry...back to Ulste*cough* I mean Ireland A.<br /><br />Buckshaw Stadium<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgnitvdQ7WyZ1GRgaT6mKjufhQDm0itlVhF3Y6Me-qW457nFIC5YqufCi_lWTdoUMLo05PThUcNyERvwiLa5dWVFpgkNIKbl8DamWzAaQA76k1IVhZG9aTuI54tkGfUKK-msohsgaH_8/s1600-h/4408_200885905496_704895496_7263075_7082585_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgnitvdQ7WyZ1GRgaT6mKjufhQDm0itlVhF3Y6Me-qW457nFIC5YqufCi_lWTdoUMLo05PThUcNyERvwiLa5dWVFpgkNIKbl8DamWzAaQA76k1IVhZG9aTuI54tkGfUKK-msohsgaH_8/s400/4408_200885905496_704895496_7263075_7082585_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344066314373739122" /></a><br /><br />"Huh wot?" Sorry Mike, you're a good guy but this pic isn't the most flattering<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-h9J96CSiqNrMRHM7qVx18XszmwsiOTVJjUJ5fK7JMGW_kUDmshJPR76r18TbQmvGhSFHxHc4MikB-2q2jD4p-GMLljZGDlFUV-5Udo0siUCioUFFKPrOvMgC6pyrv-QDCT1uEj5nvbE/s1600-h/4408_200886325496_704895496_7263114_4828458_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-h9J96CSiqNrMRHM7qVx18XszmwsiOTVJjUJ5fK7JMGW_kUDmshJPR76r18TbQmvGhSFHxHc4MikB-2q2jD4p-GMLljZGDlFUV-5Udo0siUCioUFFKPrOvMgC6pyrv-QDCT1uEj5nvbE/s400/4408_200886325496_704895496_7263114_4828458_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344066484189207378" /></a><br /><br />Poor Stringer...probably the only man from Munster NOT on the Irela*cough* Lions Squad (yes I used that joke twice in one post...)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygq0TxUcLZymbyqNdl1Z5dspbQX0W0_WSViJCspD3U_SXTiSRBpXw_tgZOyPzpuHvdkmRxoS_fwk3FT19vXvj24ERrE5GPBe_4SY_misvarp_GFIw7PoGDsDfIm_lkey5E3lKsNowacw/s1600-h/4408_200886170496_704895496_7263100_6269226_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygq0TxUcLZymbyqNdl1Z5dspbQX0W0_WSViJCspD3U_SXTiSRBpXw_tgZOyPzpuHvdkmRxoS_fwk3FT19vXvj24ERrE5GPBe_4SY_misvarp_GFIw7PoGDsDfIm_lkey5E3lKsNowacw/s400/4408_200886170496_704895496_7263100_6269226_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344066735015324098" /></a><br /><br />Nice.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvVBAsQ6Fq6ru2EdIhVMrmhelGao_YAwUKiYpRyZs0vXtRceG3txoxiRRBY50VyId_DKoCVzoFsLPSLEPQF-smbUkm2aLKrUFtJFfYrCE4sugl7DlO6ljpU6qlpCjfiH2-YTvJ1vpDuY/s1600-h/4408_200886355496_704895496_7263117_5838141_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvVBAsQ6Fq6ru2EdIhVMrmhelGao_YAwUKiYpRyZs0vXtRceG3txoxiRRBY50VyId_DKoCVzoFsLPSLEPQF-smbUkm2aLKrUFtJFfYrCE4sugl7DlO6ljpU6qlpCjfiH2-YTvJ1vpDuY/s400/4408_200886355496_704895496_7263117_5838141_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344067046062352754" /></a>KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-50236080849687513262009-06-04T19:24:00.000-07:002009-06-04T21:28:16.596-07:00To Try or Not Try...that is the question...I don't really have rugby news this week because everyone knows Pac Coast won NASC and the Collegiate All Americans made it to tier a (the two most relevant pieces of news for my blog). What else...so I'm debating missing work (despite the fact I'm only a seasonal worker and won't be hired on permanently until late July) in order to make the Can-Am match. I'm struggling with it 'cause if I go it'll be a road trip (which would be hecka fun)but I dunno if it's worth it. I caught last weeks eagle match against Ireland A and I gotta say it was kinda dull. It was a sold out stadium but no excitement or animation in the crowd. The action was alright, I might be more impressed when I watch the replay, but in person *shrugs* it was kinda boring. I've seen a couple of men's test matches and I gotta say (excluding the Uruguay match where I spent the whole game heckling Clever) they weren't very entertaining. Long story short I'm kinda worried about the Can Am match not being worth the money and effort...I mean I know the game will probably be fairly exciting to watch (it's always more interesting when you actually know the players doing cool stuff) but I'm kinda worried about a 46 hour drive to watch 80 mins of rugby. I know I should go to support USA and it'll be a cool experience watching my first live women's international match...bleh and the debate continues. I mean on one hand a shitload of Eagles are there and that'd be cool to get a taste of the history (ok I'm lying, it'll be awesome from a whose-who perspective, plus I might meet YSC which would be cool). Downside...possibly losing my job in the worst economy ever. Ummmmmmmmmmmm.<br /><br />Yea.<br /><br />I hate it when the lines delineating practical vs fun have to be so bloody obvious. Knowing me I'll flip a coin. <br /><br />U23 NASCs are just around the bend. Can the U23 Grizzlies stand up to the might of NRU or MARFU? Who knows because no one ever publishes their damn rosters. Well actually I have the U23 Grizzly roster as of a couple weeks ago...feel free to comment if I screwed up somewhere (the list was horribly formatted to begin with so I might have screwed up a few names and who knows if availability changed or whatever). <br /><br /><br />Zully, Camacho (Cal, All American), Tori Campbell, Delaney Chapman, Elaine Daggett, Siche Green-Mitchell, Jenn Greenspan (Oregon), Milika Hopoi, Liz Kilgore, Molly Kneen, Jackie Lewis, Kal McMahon (UC Santa Cruz), Angelina Pascual, Megan Sanders, Nikki Steele, Cameron Stewart (Davis alum), Claire Susz, Felix Tsang, Kara Winek, Shannon Woolley, Christina Zier<br /><br />Alts: Alicia Gonzales, Chelsea Adams, Vanessa Avila-Esparza, Kelly MorrisKLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-34951670583565091002009-05-27T19:38:00.001-07:002009-05-27T19:38:59.357-07:00I don't often get to combine politics (in the governmental sense) and rugby but....<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xwy1k659fLQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xwy1k659fLQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />.....Wow.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9150607751066129982.post-89953471497450960072009-05-26T22:14:00.000-07:002009-05-26T23:09:32.119-07:00ExhaustionSo I went to LA and back by car in 24 hours. Got some free sushi from the fam, chilled in SC for a little bit and then made it back in time for work on Tuesday....where I proceeded to get slammed by my new work schedule. Ugh and I forgot the balls for practice. After stressing about it all day I finally got my housemate to drop 'em off for me and ate like shit because I ran out the door with a measly cup of rice with shredded spinach and a scrambled egg (which doesn't satiate a forward for 8 hours of manual labor hauling boxes plus 7s practice).<br /><br />7s practice where my brain dead self acted the fool and managed to repeat everything that Laura told us NOT to do. For fuck sakes I never realized how bad I was at identified the flow of the attack (or perhaps I haven't played in nigh 6 months) because every single time I killed the overlap by getting sucked merrily away into the ruck. I couldn't pass for shit and I panicked every time there was a decision to be made. So I'm going to get some sleep and post some pictures of the Pac Coast Grizzlies vs Midwest later this week. I'm sure there is rugby news somewhere but I just don't feel like finding it.<br /><br />Oh and thee Jane Mitchell also works at my work. Wow.KLKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05937399272420793586noreply@blogger.com0