Morris Lions U19s Blog

Charlotte Tour - March 13th-15th 2009

As in past years, we plan on entering into the Charlotte tournament next March, which is expected to be the 13th thru15 th.  Last year we had enough players to enter 2 sides, with 8 adults traveling with the team.  We will accept as many players as are able to go and will enter the appropriate number of teams. Due to the distance, we have to fly.  This year, we will depart Newark Airport in the early afternoon, meaning the players will have to be let out of class early on the Friday, returning late Sunday afternoon/early evening.  We are looking at a mid afternoon departure. If players are unable to leave at the scheduled departure time, you can make arrangements for your sons to leave later, but will be at your cost.  All the players, regardless of when they arrive will stay in the same hotel.  Arrangements can be made for transport from the airport to the hotel for the later arrivals.  To hold your spot in Charlotte, we are asking for a $25 deposit.  You can contact Adam Turinas at his email, adamturinas@gmail.com] to make arrangements for payment.  Parents are also able to attend.  We are estimating that the cost for the Charlotte trip, air, hotel and ground transport, not including meals, will be between $350 and $400 per player.  For any adults traveling, you can have your choice of a single room or doubling up if requested, which will increase the costs a bit more.  More details to follow, including thoughts on fundraising to help defray some of the travel costs.   Here are some links for pictures and articles about the trip last year:

http://morrislionsu19s.typepad.com/blog/2008/03/what-was-your-b.html
http://morrislionsu19s.typepad.com/photos/charlotte_tournament/index.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turinas/collections/72157604086163143/

Applications Due

A reminder that all player applications are due by Jan. 1.  Fee is $330 per player, which includes the indoor training fee.  Applications can be obtained from the Boys U19 page of the club website, www.morrisrugby.org   Please get your forms in to me, either at indoor or mailed to my home address (address below)  Another advantage of getting your forms in is that you ensure I have your email addresses for team communications like below!!

Indoor Training Starts Dec 4th

We start indoor training this coming Thurs., Dec. 4 at the Randolph Indoor Sports Pavilion (directions here) from 7-9pm.  Bring indoor training clothes, water, a mouthpiece and a desire to improve your rugby skills. We will be training every Thurs. evening from 7-9 pm at the same location thru until mid-February.  There will be no training on Christmas Thurs. and the following week, New Years Thurs..

From JoAnn Rosica

Hello Morris Lions Family,

I really want to thank you all for being soo kind and generous of your time, and donations for the troops yesterday. Especially for both of my sons who are serving over in Iraq at this time.  I feel so blessed to have been brought into the fold as they say, the big hearted family of Morris Rugby. If it wasn't for my oldest son who joined in his senior year, got hooked and still plays over in Iraq, I would have never had the privilege of getting to know all of you wonderful people.

 

I am in awe of how many boxes were put together, a total of 52 to be exact. Thanks to Donna for putting this all together and all her helpers who shopped, and packed and taped them all up so fast!

A special thanks to Dennis and Val for all their support and big donation to get the "goodies" all shipped out to them!! 

 

My heart goes out to all who gave up their lives for our great country, to the Gibsons, and the Kelly families who had  tragic losses to their lives as well.  The boys were looking down on all of us yesterday and giving us support and  cheering us on. 

 

I had the most wonderful time yesterday seeing all of the boys and parents my kids played with on Morris. It has been a big part of my life and I so much enjoy the "family" type atmosphere. The coaches are nothing but the best! My thanks to John S. Kurt M., Bob K. and Matt for sharing your talents, time and love of the game to my sons, the game that is played in heaven.

 

 

Thanks to you all and I hope each and everyone of you has a wonderful Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate with family and friends around you. That is what is most important in life.

 

Many thanks and love,

JoAnn, Rocky and Stephanie Rosica

 

 

"Who do you play for???

can anyone tell me who says that all the time??

Photos From The Alumni Game

Photos from a great day!

One set  c/o of Mr Ross can be found here. You can download hi res pics from this site. There is also a set on Flickr c/0 of JoAnn Rosica that you can find here.

Photos From NYRFC Scrimmage

You can see them here. Thanks to Mr Hickey for a huge set of great photos.

Haka Stand-off - All Blacks vs Wales

Big hairy Welshmen stare down the All Blacks Haka. Pity about the result. Shame!!! Check this out.

Feedback on the Scrimmage

All,

 

We wanted to take a few minutes to provide some feedback regarding the scrimmage this past Sunday and send out a reminder for this coming Saturday's Alumni day.  Admittedly, it was probably one of the coldest days I can remember for playing rugby.  Whether on the sidelines watching or standing on the sidelines waiting to play, either way, boy it was cold!! That in of itself would have been enough to deter even the most faithful sports fan, but for everyone to stay around and see the day through, well you all deserve accolades for your perseverance!!

 

All of which bodes well for the program for both players and parents.  I mention the parents because ultimately you are the ones that make the effort to get your sons to training and the matches.  You are the ones that make the effort to pay the fees, so you are important to the success of our program and we acknowledge that.  As for the players, we had over 40 on the sidelines ready to play, a great turnout for a scrimmage in admittedly freezing weather (at least it wasn't raining!!)  Your patience as we sorted out the sessions, providing direction and feedback along the way was appreciated.  It can be daunting remembering names, identifying the proper positions, ensuring everyone gets their time with so many new faces, but it is a good problem, a very good problem to have for a program such as ours. 

 

Overall, we were very pleased with the efforts of all.  It appeared that you all took the various training points from these last 6 weeks and attempted to apply them throughout the afternoon.  By and large those efforts were successful.  Early season scrimmages such as Sunday's can be characterized by confusion, hesitation and sometimes, to a lesser degree, success. Sunday's session had elements of all three, with success surprisingly being realized to a great degree!  Returning players started slow but found their pace, at times showing flashes of excellence.  The former U15's brought raw skills, energy and lots of questions.  The new players brought eagerness and enthusiasm, with a desire to apply their new found skills from the fall training sessions.  Combined, in our eyes, the day was a resounding success. 

 

You will find we coaches don't necessarily measure success solely in terms of wins.  We generally measure success based on whether the players execute the game plan, using the skills we have coached them on, performing at the highest possible work rate.  We believe that if we do our job of preparing the players, the desired results will be realized.  After watching you all play on Sunday, we believe we are pointed in the right direction.  Admittedly, we have a way to go to get ourselves ready for the challenges ahead, but, from what we have seen, the foundation is set, all that is needed is for you the players to come ready to learn and trust our lead.  Each of you can contribute to our success next spring.  Believe in your coaches, believe in your teammates, believe in yourselves, the rest will fall in place.

 

Lastly, remember about the Rudy Kelly Alumni match this coming Saturday the 29th, starting at 12 noon at the Pocono Rd. pitch in Denville.  Returning players and the former U15's will make up the side playing against the alumni, with new players sitting out.  Everyone is encouraged to attend, especially the new players and all the parents. You are members of the team now and it is important to learn about the history and tradition of the club, it is the basis of what the Morris Lions represent.  The Kellys, Gibsons and the Levins, the family that has donated the Willie Blumberg award, will be in attendance, which bodes well for a fantastic day of rugby and renewed friendships.  And to top it off, the weather will be a balmy mid-40's and sunny!! 

 

We hope to wrap things up by 2 or 2:30, at which time we will be retiring to the Rattlesnake Ranch Cafe in Denville, off Rt. 53.  Cost will be $15 per person which will cover the expense for food and refreshments, with a small portion of the $15 serving as a contribution to the Gibby Scholarship.  As identified in an earlier email, we are also assisting with gathering goods for the troops as a Morris Rugby Corporation activity.  We are asking each individual attending to bring at least one item from the list of items presented below, or a cash contribution for shipping.  We have 2, perhaps 3 former club members who are serving their country in Iraq and Morris Rugby as a whole has decided to gather items to send them in support of their efforts.  

 

Below is a list of items the soldiers ask for: 

 

Single packages of drink powdered (Gatorade, Crystal Light, Kool-aid, etc)

Magazines, crossword puzzles, Sudoku puzzles

Chapstick

Beef Jerky, Beef Jerky and more Beef Jerky

Nutritious snacks (Power Bars, Trail Mix, Gum, etc canned nuts/pretzels/chips, tuna in foil packets, sunflower seeds)

Dark beanie caps that are worn under helmets at night (They MUST be dark)

White athletic socks

DVD’s and CD’s.  Please mark them “Property of US Armed Forces”.   Sadly, these items are stolen from our soldiers and being sold back to them.  When the soldiers see they are marked, they know it was stolen.

Stress balls, playing cards, nerf balls, RUGBY BALLS, dominoes, poker chips, Uno cards

Stationary, envelopes and pens for letters home.  Our troops do not need stamps; they can mail letters home at no charge.

Batteries (AA, AAA, and C are the most requested)

Travel size toiletry items (foot powder, shaving cream, mouth wash, Visine eye drops, nasal spray, disposable razors, q-tips, Neosporin, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, Kleenex, cough drops, deodorant, dental floss, antacids, etc.)

Dry soup – (Ramen or Cup of Noodles packets)

Microwave Popcorn

Instant Oatmeal packets

Letters and notes, addressed to “Any Soldier”.  A brief heartfelt “thank you” means so much.  This is the most important item!  They love to hear from us and mail brightens their day.

 

We the coaches and our families wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I am thankful for being given the opportunity to share my passion and love of this special game, the game played in heaven, with you all. If you are traveling, may you have a safe journey to your destination, but most of all, regardless of where you share this holiday, enjoy this special time with friends and family.   

 

See you on Saturday.

 

Yours in rugby,

 

Coach John

Coach Matt

Coach Simon

Coach Kurt

 

 

"Who do you play for?"

Rugby in the News

Check out this artice in yesterday's NY Times. This is what this game's about. Here is an excerpt:

The Unlikely Scrum

WASHINGTON — The rugby practice field at Hyde Leadership Public Charter School bears little resemblance to the manicured lawns of the English boarding school where the sport was born. It is more brown than green, and sirens sometimes drown out the shouts of players. Then there are the occasional interruptions, like when play was briefly halted during a recent practice as a man darted about wildly on a nearby street, calling football plays and evading imaginary tacklers.

But this patch of mud and grass is more than the home of what is believed to be the nation’s first all-African-American high school rugby team. It is also where a growing number of students have been exposed to a sport they once knew nothing about and to parts of society that once seemed closed to them.

Hyde players have a hard time explaining rugby to friends who do not attend their school and who do not know much about the sport. Others say things like, “You’re crazy, that’s a white person’s sport,” said Lawrenn Lee, a senior on the team. One parent, Clifford Lancaster, recalled his reaction when his son Salim announced he was going to play: “My eyes got this big. I said, ‘That’s a wild sport.’ ”

The man most responsible for all of this is Tal Bayer, 38.

After several unfulfilling years in finance, Bayer became the first teacher hired when Hyde opened in 1999. He said he rejected his mother’s admonition that becoming a teacher would leave him “broke and miserable.” After a recent practice, Bayer smiled and said, “I am broke but far from miserable.”

He never imagined Hyde would have a rugby program. But from the start, students would ask him why he sometimes appeared in class with black eyes and other minor injuries. He explained they were the result of rugby tournaments. The students had never heard of rugby, so Bayer invited them to a pick-up game after school. Those informal games led to the birth of a team in 2000. It began with 15 students. Now, 45 of the high school’s 110 boys play.

2008 Rudy Kelly Alumni Game

All,

I'm sure you have heard the rumors, anticipated the announcement, and here it is.  Saturday, Nov. 29 is the day!  Dust off the boots, find those shorts, dig up your socks and bring yourselves to the Pocono Rd. pitch in Denville on Sat., Nov. 29, 12 noon.  The Morris Lions 2008 Rudy Kelly Alumni Day is upon us!!

Here are the details:

1. Kickoff for the U15s will be 12 noon - 2 15/20 minute halves only.. no longer
2. Kickoff for the U19s will be 12:45-1pm. - This year there will only be 3 20-min periods.  This year the alumni will not play against the men's team, you will play one 20 minute session against each other, with the 2nd 20 min. session a side will play against the existing club side.  The last 20 will be another alumni session against the club.. if you all want to play longer, we can work something out..

By limiting the amount of playing time, to about 2 hours total, we want to allow everyone time to socialize more, let the current club members meet the former players, letting everyone renew friendships etc.. This year, after the matches, we will be heading to The Rattlesnake Ranch Cafe in Denville for the after match social.  Food and sodas will be provided, with anyone wanting any other type of drink, to be purchased from the bar.  There will be a $15 per person charge to cover the food and refreshment costs, which includes a contribution to the Gibby Scholarship. Alumni Jerseys will be on sale for $40 for those that need one. Remember, you will be playing in your Alumni jersey!!

Additionally, we are asking every player to make a contribution to support the troops overseas.  We have 2 former players, and possibly another, that are in Iraq. Both Matt and Dan Rosica are in Iraq and we know Dan Sudler is in the Marines, but are unsure if he was deployed.  We are asking every player to bring any one of the following as your contribution to play:

Below is a list of items the soldiers ask for:

Single packages of drink powdered (Gatorade, Crystal Light, Kool-aid, etc)
Magazines, crossword puzzles, Sudoku puzzles
Chapstick
Beef Jerky, Beef Jerky and more Beef Jerky
Nutritious snacks (Power Bars, Trail Mix, Gum, etc canned nuts/pretzels/chips, tuna in foil packets, sunflower seeds)
Dark beanie caps that are worn under helmets at night (They MUST be dark)
White athletic socks
DVD’s and CD’s.  Please mark them “Property of US Armed Forces”.   Sadly, these items are stolen from our soldiers and being sold back to them.  When the soldiers see they are marked, they know it was stolen.
Stress balls, playing cards, nerf balls, RUGBY BALLS, dominoes, poker chips, Uno cards
Stationary, envelopes and pens for letters home.  Our troops do not need stamps; they can mail letters home at no charge.
Batteries (AA, AAA, and C are the most requested)
Travel size toiletry items (foot powder, shaving cream, mouth wash, Visine eye drops, nasal spray, disposable razors, q-tips, Neosporin, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, Kleenex, cough drops, deodorant, dental floss, antacids, etc.)
Dry soup – (Ramen or Cup of Noodles packets)
Microwave Popcorn
Instant Oatmeal packets
Letters and notes, addressed to “Any Soldier”.  A brief heartfelt “thank you” means so much.  This is the most important item!  They love to hear from us and mail brightens their day.

Finally, we will ask for the traditional bonfire.. we will ask for the Lane soup kitchen.. we will ask for the Grego covers..  we will ask as many of you as possible to attend.  The Kelly's, Rudy's parents, will be there to provide the ceremonial prematch toss of the coin.  Parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Bring your friends, spread the word to any current and former player you are in contact with, let them know you are playing.  Plan to stay for awhile after the matches at the Rattlesnake to help renew the friendships.

Beyond that, I would hope you all will plan on attending to remember and honor those that have come before and those that represent the current. For a few of us, emotions run very high on this day and well they should.. as you know, Bob Karetsky, Coach Kurt and I are all about tradition and carrying on the tradition and history of the club.  In so doing, every player, past and present understands who and what came before them, so they can appreciate that they are playing for the honor of the badge that graced or graces their chest.

See you on the 29th!!

Coach John