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.