Well Done is Better than Well Said

It has been a really long time since I have written a post. I wanted to write and many times I would open up my computer and the only things I could think about writing didn't seem like something I wanted to share. My father passed away in September and prior to that I had been spending much of my time traveling to and from Tennessee to be with him. I have had a lot of time to think about the person I want to be and the person I think I am right now. None of us are perfect and we will never be perfect, but there are people who really make a difference because they want to and they know it won't be easy but they are ready to work hard. I want to be one of those people. My dad taught me a lot without really knowing he was teaching me something. Our relationship was on thin ice most of the time and we are so similar we sometimes could not stand it because trying to talk to yourself is not easy. We may not have had many heart felt moments that you see on a Father's day hallmark card but I believe I will be a better person because of him and for that I Thank him.

I would also like to take this time to thank family, friends, and teammates that have reached out to me. Your support is so amazing I cannot possibly think of a word that can explain my appreciation.

Keep the Focus

HOCUS FOCUS

It's been a month since the France series and during this time it's been a whirlwind of training and playing with the DC Furies 7s team. I feel like I still have not been home because of the crazy traveling but it's been great playing so much rugby this summer.

As a non traveling reserve for Nation's Cup I have to be ready for the call in case something happens, injury or illness, to a player in my position. It's a tough job to prepare your body and mind for something that may not happen but it allows me to stay focused. That is the struggle, especially for an A.D.D. kid like myself, you really have to keep the cookie in plain sight, chasing after it. The Nation's Cup will take place in Greely Colorado and you can find all the information you need right here: http://www.usarugby.org/nations-cup

Here's what I am currently chasing. Club 7s nationals is August 10th and 11th in Pittsburgh PA where I will be playing with the DC Furies. Two weeks after that, August 24th and 25th in Chula Vista, CA for the 7's All Star where I will once again be playing for the MARFU Sharks. It's going to be a crazy end to summer but really who would want anything other than that.

My goals outside of rugby are to surf as much as possible and spend as much time with my best friend, the Rue Bug. I challenge you all to keep the focus, work tirelessly to become better, BUT have fun, smile, and love even harder than you work.

If you want to help contribute to my travel please don't hesitate to use that cute little PayPal button located at the bottom of the website. The only way I can accomplish these goals is through the support I gain from you. You all make it possible and I'll do my best to keep making it happen. 

France Tour Wrap Up

For the first time in history the United States Women's Rugby Team beat the French National Team! What an amazing accomplishment and for that to be the game I received my first cap is something I will cherish until the day I die. It is an absolute honor to walk onto that field for your country.

The anthem plays, your arms locked within your teammates, your nerves start to dwindle away and the tenacity starts to take over. Your already thinking of what your first hit will feel like, or what it will feel like to go into contact. Fear is gone and all you can do is contain yourself until you hear those wonderful lyrics... "Home of the Brave."

The whistle blows, the kick is up, your focused on your counterpart and connecting with your teammates for the double tackle, and it is the greatest place on earth to be. It is not vacation, it is the reason you get up to train, it is the reason you run in 100 degree weather, it is the reason you turn down drinking with friends, and holy shit... it is worth it.

I'm back home now resting and reminiscing but that only lasts a short while. The itch to play has already started and lucky for me, I will be playing in my first 7s tournament of the summer this weekend. That sweet addiction will be fulfilled and I will once again be on the green grass with the others suffering from the same need to play. When I lay my head tonight I will think of my running lines, the low hard tackle, and the joy of diving into the try line, and then on Saturday I will create this running film in my head into a show for all to see. Life is good but living life as hard as you can is better. Goodnight.

Work For It

Four practices down and we are one day away from the first game against the France National Team. It has been a wild ride so far and we are pushing the limits each day. It is like every session I'm learning so much I cannot believe it will stay in my head. The staff is extremely fun to work with and the team is progressing so rapidly that it is exciting what it will look like in our last match at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles on June 14th.

We are living in dorms right now, with the USA and France in separate buildings facing each other. So far we have tried to avoid each other at all costs but today we had a little run in at the training room and unfortunately had the leftover ice bath water from the French. The water was a little murky and warm so we all crossed our fingers and prayed they didn't pee in it. Luckily the athletic trainer is sweet enough to throw massive buckets of water on top of us as we get in. What a doll.

One thing is for sure, tomorrow is our last preparation day and we are going to be ready to play this Friday. It's going to be a heavy hitting grudge match out there. We are going to play to our strengths, athleticism and speed. We have tremendous athletes on this team and that will be showcased.

The games should be live streamed on Ustream on the USA Rugby channel. Friday June 7th 5pm PST or 8pm EST.

Until then... Be the first to the ice bath.

Altitude and Attitude

Colorado Top 60 Camp took place last week in Greely, CO where the USA women's Rugby team was graciously hosted by the University of Northern Colorado. We played fantastic rugby, implemented a game plan that should surprise the French next month, learned a lot (maybe even too much) about our teammates, and ate tons of spinach. But seriously, we had spinach at every meal. I'm literally on spinach strike right now. Don't even say Popeye the sailor man to me.

The first game between the Stars and Stripes was rough. My team, the stars, got rocked by the stripes however, each time we took the field we got better and that's what it's about. We had a young team, much less experienced, and we never gave up. What this should tell the world is that the future of USA women's rugby is bright, and we will be very dangerous soon. Lots of young talent is making its  way to the pitch and its sure to be exciting.

Lastly, this camp helped serve as a vehicle to selecting the team that we will compete against France this June. 30 players will travel to Los Angeles to play a 3 game series against the Frenchies who 9
months ago beat the snot out of us. But this is our home soil, our turf, our fans, and our game. Welcome to America Bitches...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkPY952ukSE&feature=player_embedded

It's Sunday and that can only mean one thing... Sunday skill session service brought to you directly from "Brother Steve". Pop Kicks and Grubbers, Pop Kicks and Grubbers, over and over and over and over again. 

"You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good."
- Jerry West (Basketball player)

From Ruggerfest with Love

This past weekend was one of the best tournaments I have played in. The competition was high, the games were exciting, and the DC Furies played with so much pride and determination. I can't help but feel that we surprised many with our level of play this weekend.

Day one the Furies went undefeated playing three games against Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. I played fullback all weekend and got used to wearing the number 15 jersey. It was a nice change and a great opportunity to work on inserting with my centers and sharpening up my striking lines. At the end of day one it was all about RECOVERY. Who can recover the fastest and be back on the field the next morning to dominate. Recovery consisted of a nice meal, an ice bath, and an early night to sleep. As much as you try, Sunday morning always hits you like a speeding train of cacti.

Day two we beat NOVA in the semi-finals and unfortunately lost to Boston by one point in the final. It has been a long time since I have felt the sting of hard loss like this one. I knew each and everyone one of us were so investing in this game and we really wanted to take the championship since DC has not made it to the final since 2001. We also lost two key players to injuries in the previous game and wanted to win for those players who suffered some serious injuries and were out. We were up in the second half 14-10 and with less than ten minutes in the game Boston broke through our tackles and touched the ball down for a final score of 15-14. I literally felt my heart cringe when the final whistle blew and could not process how tired I actually was. Tears were falling from my face and there was nothing I could do to make them stop. My body had reached its max and was starting to shut down. My legs cramped all over and as the adrenaline wore off the pain wore on. Pedialyte was a must and shortly after the cramping went away. Other than the bruises, including a nice shiner on the right eye, the only thing really left is to catch up on my sleep.

Over the next few weeks I will be preparing for the Top 60 USA Camp in Colorado which will occur May 18th through the 26th. Stay tuned for posts on training and some good videos in the works. Also, if you would like to donate to my traveling costs for Colorado please click "donate" below and use Paypal to help fund my trip. Total costs to the players are about $600 including plane tickets and any amount you can give to contribute is much appreciated!

It's all fun and games until somebody says "Beep Test"

This past weekend was the last Eagle Training Center Camp before the top 60 competition in Greely, Co to be held in May. Myself and 15 other Eagles were sent to Penn State University to prepare for this camp. We were missing some players from the Boston area since the Marathon Bomber(s) were on the loose. (If this is news to you, wake up and put your patriotic pants on people!) I'd say release that boy to the Red Sox fans or send him over to the United States Rugby Team and see what happens. Anyways...

It was cold, windy, and a bit snowy in Pennsylvania and there is nothing like Fitness Testing in frigid temperatures. I'd gladly trade it for doing the "death flop" on a volcano but I don't think we have any ETC's scheduled in Hawaii soon. They used this last camp as a selection vehicle for the top 60 camp. Thankfully I have made it to the top 60 and cannot wait to play in Colorado. This is sure to be an amazing experience. Each player must pay their way to Colorado and thus fundraising has begun. If only America rallied for their rugby players half as much as they care about the latest Lebron shoe to hit the stores. I am not saying we are all Lebron James (thankfully we are not) but we ARE representing the United States of America on pitches around the world. We have a bigger presence than most would imagine and I believe it will be more evident in 2016 when folks start to hop on the bandwagon in the Rio Olympics.

Click Here for a preview of the 2016 Olympics


For more information about the Olympic Eagle Training Centers please check out http://usawomensrugby.org/etc-camp-3-day-1-concludes-in-state-college/


If you would like to donate to my training and travel, please feel free to scroll to the bottom of this page and click "donate." Your donations will help to cover plane tickets and a $200 camp fee for food and board.

This weekend the DC Furies will be competing in Ruggerfest, a huge tournament in DC where teams travel from all over to compete. Stay tuned for updates and as always follow @DCFuries on Twitter for live updates. http://ruggerfest.wordpress.com/schedule-and-brackets/


Thank you for your continued support!

"Da" Trip to Chicago

The Windy City was windy, really windy, and every kick off hung in the air promoting many smashing hits. Day one the Furies took on Chicago North Shore and the game went incredibly well. The back line linked up many times showing off our speed and powerful running lines. It was a great way to start my new career as a DC Fury.

Day two the Furies took on Chicago Women and had some difficulty playing "our" game. The back line was starved from the ball which really hurt our game play. Chicago's pack was relentless in keeping possession. Even though we pulled out a victory in the end it surely was not the slaughter we wanted. During these games you cannot get sucked into playing a style of game that is not conducive to winning. We were lucky... this time.

One of the many highlights from the weekend include winning player of the match. The problem with winning player of the match is the tradition of chugging a beer with the other team's elected player of the match. Unfortunately, I chug beer like a toy poodle and continue to embarrass my teammates with my lack of chuggery. Let's face it, if the only thing I'm losing is the beer drinking contest, then I'm doing alright.

Aside from player of the match, being able to visit with old teammates and friends that came to support me was incredible. Hold tight to those people because they are your cheerleaders. They may not wave poms poms and wear short skirts, and that's probably for the best, but they're cheering for you, and they're not nearly as annoying.

This weekend we play Keystone in DC and I cannot wait to take the field again. I prefer not to call it obsessed but focused, but you draw you own conclusions.  Follow @DCFuries on twitter for this weekend's game updates. Kickoff is 12:30 EST.

Showing off the Goods

It's Sunday, March 31st and I am letting the world see my private... Blog that is. I've decided that the things I do should be shared, not like the backwash in a sport team's water bottle, but more like the inspirational motivating sharing that gets people off their ass and helping others.

 If anything, I hope that this informs my family of what I have actually been up to. The look on their faces when I try to explain my life tells me they actually have no clue what I do, but I can tell they care, A LOT.

For my friends this is one way to have a phone conversation... me doing most of the talking. I have lost touch with many of you and if you still want to know what's going on you can stay updated here.

For the rest of you... stop stalking me creepers. Just kidding, follow along and let's have a good time. I will be posting about important topics such as global warming, foreign policy, and immigration laws. NOT!! 
Even though they are all important topics you won't see them here. Be on the lookout for training videos, travel stories, recipes, and an inside look for what it takes to compete on a high level.

A Fiesta and four rugby players head to Atlanta....

Eagle Olympic Training Center

Atlanta, GA

This past weekend 4 of us traveled together from Raleigh, NC to Atlanta, GA. We started the trip by packing up my Ford Fiesta which is still lingering with the smell of cleats and grass. With little sleep on Friday night we hit the field at 8am to find that a monsoon had hit and two inches of standing water covered the fields. We ended up in the Life University Basketball Coliseum and did not waste any time getting into the fitness testing. First up, the 70m Shuttle, Broad Jump, 5-10-5 meter agility test, and 5 rep max Front Squats. After this session, we hit the fields and slipped our way through the first ground session where multiple times I was put up against some of the best props and forced to take them to the ground as quickly as possible with the hopes that it resulted in a positive tackle. It went well... just ask my neck and shoulders.

We ended day one with delivery Thai food and The Breakfast Club. Watching a Brat Pack movie is exactly how high level Rugby players prepare for intense competition.

The second day we started off with the Bleep test. One of the most grueling fitness tests (besides the death flop). I surprisingly increased my score from a 12.1 to a 12.7 and was very excited to see such an increase! Maybe I'll thank some of those CrossFit Open WODS for boosting my suffering threshold. It's still raining on  this second day of training but that won't keep us off the field. We worked on defense and double tackling, which resulted in a cracked nose and a black eye but a tackle I won't forget for quite some time!

This was a great camp and everyone worked extremely hard. The eagle pool is being cut from 120 people to 80 people and I'm eagerly waiting to see if I made it through to the next camp in April. All of this for a shot to make the traveling squad for France in June. I've been searching for a cute little hat to wear when I land in France, because my only perception of the French is that... they wear hats...

The Start of 2013 CrossFit Open

13.1 and 13.2 have been awesome thus far! Not only fun and challenging but seeing other surpass their goals makes you pumped out of this world.

13.1 ended in a score of 155 where the 100lb snatches became very difficult very quickly. 13.2 was definitely my cup of tea. I imagined in my head that I was playing a half of rugby sevens and I went all out for 10 minutes gaining a score of 275. I was stoked to get that score but then quickly realized that the highest score was 383! Sam Briggs really killed it, she is currently beating both men and women by 20+ reps!

Now that I am recovering from the crazy workouts this week I have my sights set on the Olympic Eagle Training Center Camp in Atlanta, GA this coming weekend. While I would love to have some green beer with the rest of the leprechauns, I'm afraid I will be keeping clean and reloading the machine.

Today's Workout:

Starting off with mobility I will be getting some band work in and really trying to loosen the hips from all the box jumps Thursday. Quality time with the foam roller and activating the Glutes with some bridges and core work using static planks and L-sits.

Long slow run planned today with the coolest pup I know (the Rue Bug, you will get to know her soon) and finish off with 5x3 Front squats and Hand Stand Push Ups.

Fun for this evening is catching the UFC 158 GSP (my favorite fighter) vs Diaz!

Its a good time to get better. Now go get it.

It has begun...

I've decided to start documenting my life. My crazy journey to becoming the best.

Buckle up for a front seat to the workouts, games, and competitions I will be taking on to prepare me for the 2014 World Cup USA Rugby Team.

I'll be posting about my experiences, training secrets, motivation, and my travel around the World!