First Scrimmage and a Pilgrimage to Mecca

We had our first scrimmage this past weekend against the U of Idaho men's team, and we beat the brakes off of them.  Final score was 60something to 30something in our favor.  I went on in the 65th minute as our replacement blindside flanker, and was greeted with the Vandals working the blindside over and over and over, which meant tackle after tackle after tackle.  Absolutely loved it, pretty bummed that our next game isn't until January.
I'll be 24 for the start of actual 15s season, which means I will be 25% older than our other 18 year old incoming freshman.  Odd shit.
Aside from a couple bruised eye and a sore wrist, I escaped unscathed, and I guarantee the UofI boys are more sore than our squad, even though we had substantially fewer replacements.

In other news, I attended the study abroad fair today and after learning that the GI Bill will cover my costs of studying abroad, I am quite fixated on attending a New Zealand university for a semester.  It would be an incredible opportunity to learn the game of rugby in the place where it is best played, and also an opportunity to experience a very different culture.  University of Otago is currently my top pick, though I will need to talk with my counselor and the affiliate programs about studying abroad before anything is final.

Wish me luck.  I'm in a good spot.

Smoked Out

Fires suck.

Today marks our 17th cancelled practice due to dangerous air quality.  The table mountain fire is ruining my day.

All we can really do is team lifting, and not to be an ass, but the physical aspect of rugby isn't where I need the help.

We play UofI this weekend.  Here's hoping I start.

On LOCKdown

Tonight was our first home practice in over a week, and it was a doozy.  Lengthy, intensive, and a lot of shit I hadn't done before.  But, we also worked scrums, which are pretty much what everyone thinks of when they hear "rugby."

This was this first time I've been lucky enough to scrum down, and I loved it.  I was in the #4 position, lock, which means I had my head wedged between the asses of two burly men.  More picture time about how scrums are formed:

Locks get no glory in scrums but are the real driving force behind how much we manshame the opposing scrum by putting them on their heels.
While I will say this sounds like the story of my life, I will also say that I will end up with fucked ears from playing lock.  Having two hips grind your ears into the size of your head is not super awesome, and though I think I am genetically resistant to cauliflower ear, this will test it.

Even more pressing is the thought that I will be replaced by a dude who is just simply taller than me.  I'm about 4" shorter than your typical lock (which makes for a comical bind) but the real problem is that locks are tall.  Even a lock with the same driving force as me and longer legs will push out scrum forward father and harder.  It's like playing a sacrificial year, I suppose.

Then we did more lineout work, which as a jumper is awesome.  Being hoisted into the air so you can catch a ball 12-13' up is a really cool experience.  Also got to work as a lifter, helping one of our hookers (#2) ascend into the air so he could issue a high-ground "FUCK YOU!  I'M IN THE AIR HAHAHahahahah" to one of his buddies.

CWU rugby, lemme tell ya.

Of School and Forwards and Lineouts

One week ago I finally moved up to Central Washington University.  It was hard to give that final hug goodbye, but I know it was the right choice.  The next day I had my first Uni rugby practice, and had the slap-in-the-face realization that my chances of starting on either the A squad (Div 1A) or B squad (Div 1AA) are not awesome.  I have the requisite athleticism, but there aren't many guys on the squad that have never played before, and I happen to be one.

What I have going for me is a solid work ethic and a burning drive to succeed in this sport, as I have fallen butterflies-in-the-stomach in love with it.  Also, I think being an absolutely blank slate helps.  I don't have to correct bad habits... because I have no habits.

I have mostly been trying to hook up with our forward pack, which seems to unfortunately be knee-deep in quality flankers.  I say unfortunately from a purely selfish context, as I still yearn to be an openside flanker (#7, or #6 in South Africa) and have a nearly perfect build for it.  If I put together some skills I should get occasional play time, but I would guess it will be in the 19 jersey.  19 is a replacement loose-forward, for the unawares.

Also, practicing with the forwards, it was decided that my ape arms will get put to use by making me a lineout jumper.  After being told how much pride CWU takes in their lineouts and that it is an area in which we manshame other teams, they put me straight to work... with a trustfall.  The first of my life, I might add.  And I just let it happen.  For some reason I have an incredible amount of faith in these boys to take care of their own.  Then we got to work with jumping/lifting.  For those who don't know how a lineout works, you get lifted into the air at the last minute to receive the ball from your hooker (#2 jersey, not just some slut), and either keep it or offload it to an eager back.

Guy on the far right blue #2 jersey is a hooker, I'll be the dude in the air.

Basically, this is a dream come true.  At only 5'10", I had given up on being a lineout jumper before I even started practice.  It is typically a lock and 8-man position, as both are typically above 6'2", so thank the lawd I've got the limbs of a spider monkey.

Unfortunately we've only had indoor practices for a week.  Air quality is shit due to a giant fire right outside of town, so all we can really practice is out lineouts.

But dammit, we're gonna have one that is still worth taking pride in.

First Practice, or "Of Blisters and Cleatings"

So in keeping with the fact that I am a giant (though largely closeted) nerd, I was in Seattle for the Penny Arcade eXpo.  PAX has been a staple among my friends since it's creation, and I went the first 3 years before enlistment had plans for me that didn't quite line up with an annual fall trip to Seattle.  It was fun, I guess.  FortNite looks like an amazing game and I can't wait to see what Unreal Engine 4 can do, but to be honest after my first 90 minute line with a bunch of nonbathing devolved troglodytes, I was pretty much over it.  As a pretty blatant misanthrope I just truly didn't have the mental fortitude to do that dance more than about once.  So as much fun as getting to see old friends and nerd it up for a few days was, getting a practice in with Seattle's own Old Puget Sound Beach Rugby Football Club (OPSB RFC) was the highlight of my trip.
There are only so many drills you can do on your own and finally getting to run lines, test my hands, hit/clear rucks, and practice tackles was pretty much awesome.  My double-leg and single-leg takedowns (which are the only real wrestling I ever developed, aside from my front-headlock) will translate perfectly into rugby tackles, which is a great comfort since that is a lot of what 7s do.  The coaches were super kind and everyone was more than happy to help me if I just asked, making a pretty great learning environment for a new player.
Also, it was good to test my cleats on turf.  With mild compression socks I developed one of the nastiest blisters I've ever had, being so irate that the fluid in it was sanguineous.

This is the morning after first draining.

Not sure if because new cleats, because not in adequate socks for 2 hours of practice, or if the Wero Pro 8s just don't fit my wide-ass feet.  I'm trying to NOT look at this as an excuse to buy a new pair of cleats, as I know that is just me wanting to embrace my shoe/kit fetish, but only time will tell if I can hold off.
Also note the cleat mark on my ankle.  It sucks, and I'm not exactly sure what position I was in to make it happen.  Guessing I just took the ball into contact and the first man over me to clear the ruck stepped on it?  Odd stuff.
Either way, my love for this sport is confirmed.

Housing Assignments and Sprints

After paying my deposits I have registered for classes and been granted a housing assignment in the CWU dorms.  I lucked out and got into the brand new building, which are a set of suites.  I wasn't trying to share a room with someone (I've done that dance, both by my will and by Uncle Sam's) so this is a pretty substantial weight off of my shoulders.

Unfortunately, every Paramedic prereq was full, so I'm in for at least a two year ride at Central... which is fine, but I was hoping it would be a choice rather than a mandate.  Taking gen ed classes, Health, Comp Sci, Geography.  Doing the whole student thing.

As far as furthering myself as a rugger, it's been sprints in cleats, shuttle runs, and runs that start from being on my back.  Desert Hills has also rolled out their blocking sled for football.  Something tells me that they don't appreciate me pushing it a complete 180° from how I find it every evening, but that's life, and I gotta practice my scrum push somehow.  Squats probably work well, but it feels a bit more savage to slam into a device created to resist you and defy it's design.

Also my shoe fetish is rearing it's head again, and I want a second pair of boots regardless of the fact that I've never set foot on the school's pitch.  Oh and that whole deal that boots are a pretty position-dependent item and I'm not guaranteed the position I want, regardless of how superb a 7 I will be.  I was reading an article about open-side flankers that used the line, "a position of flair and workmanship." 

Sounds like me.

This Blog Is Now About Rugby.

3 weeks ago I received some life-changing news.  I have been admitted to Central Washington University.

It isn't Yale or CSU Fullerton or Johns Hopkins or any of my other dream colleges, but it is a real university with the program I've come to see as my calling in life: EMT-Paramedic.  And for a kid with parents just poor enough to fuck him out of financial aid but not able to actually assist with college fees, this is a pretty big deal.

Yet what I am most excited for is the fact that Central has a rugby team.  And it is a good, competitive rugby team.  For someone who was undersized for athletic endeavors in high school, being able to take up a team sport where people are unlikely to have an experience edge is incredibly appealing.  So appealing that I have been busting my ass nightly with working kicks and sprints to get where I am not a detriment to my future squad.

If I end up doing 4 years at Central, I want to be the captain of the team before I leave the pitch for my final college game.

No point in playing if you aren't competing at the highest level you can.

Or really doing anything, in my opinion.

Boring specifics that only ruggers will care about?
I want to play openside flanker.  Often trusted to be the most physical and fit person on the team.  At 5'10 I'll be undersized and plan to put on an extra sheet of quality muscle before the season starts to help compensate.
I ordered a pair of Canterbury Wero Pro boots, and love them.  It is strange to run in screw-in cleats though, they seem much heavier than any other footwear I've owned.

4 weeks until first practice.

20 until first game.

Tomorrow I go up to Ellensburg for advising, housing, and VA help.

Wish me luck.