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!