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...