Wednesday, June 22, 2011

DEATH BY REFEREE

HAIL, PELICUS!

DINNER AND DRINKS SATURDAY EVENING

See you at Scotts in Walnut Creek this Saturday? It’s not too late to make plans to attend the NCRRS banquet and awards ceremony. Just let Bjorn Stumer know: bstumer@comcast.net

REFS NEEDED: OYSTERFEST IN CORTE MADERA

This Saturday will be the fun-filled Olympic Club Oysterfest in Marin County, a festival of touch.
If you think touch is what you used to play at practice before the coach blew his whistle, think again. This is a sport with its own world cup, which as a matter of fact starts June 22 in Edinburgh.

The rules are easy to learn for the official. We could use a few folks to help out.

Saturday, July 2 JUST ADDED:
SFGG Sevens at Sheeran Field

Sunday, July 3:
NCRYA Sac Valley Sevens – youth and high school, in Dixon
Need about a dozen refs

Saturday, July 9:
Palo Alto Summer Sevens
Todd Phillips Memorial at For Pete’s Sake
Old boys fifteens, a round-robin with five teams

Saturday, July 16:
Dunsmuir Sevens and annual Old Boys match
For Pete’s Sake Sevens

Sunday, July 17:
NCRYA Sac Valley Sevens – youth and high school, in Dixon
Need about a dozen refs

Saturday, July 23:
Palo Alto Summer Sevens

Sunday, July 24:
North American debut of the IRB Refereeing Sevens course
At the Doyle Family Rugby Clubhouse at Stanford

Saturday, July 30:
Nevada Sevens in Reno
Marin Highlanders HS Sevens in Corte Madera

Saturday-Sunday, August 6-7:
USA Rugby Club Sevens Championships at Sheeran Field, men and women

ALL BLUES SEVENS IN SANTA ROSA
Saturday, June 18
Report by Stephanie Bruce:

Tournament report:
It was a perfect day in Santa Rosa for a rugby tournament. For Pete's Sake pitch is in good condition and visiting teams loved the rustic wooden uprights. The tournament kicked off about 10 minutes late (Not bad for rugby time, not great for 7's rugby time), and went smoothly for the length of the tournament.

4 Men's teams (SFGG, Rosa, Sac and "Mixed Bag" - a compilation of local players) and 6 Women's teams (Two All-Blues teams, Sac, Stanford, Glendale, and San Diego) competed. The NCRFU ref's were represented by Steph Bruce, Sam Davis, Bjorn Stumer, Eric Rauscher and Bruce Ricard. We were also joined by Ramey Marshall, who we hope will be joining the union, and a late addition of newcomer Scott Griffin.

The men's bracket was fairly evenly matched, with a mix of very athletic newcomers and seasoned sevens players. At the end of the tournament, the boys were not ready to stop playing and we were able to give Scott a few "king of the pitch" halves after the Championship game.

After the round-robin portion of the women’s tournament, Berkeley Gold was at the top of the standings having narrowly defeated the Surfers during pool play with 3 wins and no losses. Head to Head results set the rest of the seeding to Surfers, Glendale, Stanford, Berkeley Blue and Sacramento. Stanford was under-represented and decided to fold out of the knockout rounds so Berkeley Blue and Sac combined to play San Diego in the semis while Berkeley Gold played Glendale. Both Berkeley Gold and Glendale won convincingly to make the finals. The final match started off close, but the Surfers showed their sevens’ experience in the last game of the day and took the match 19-7.

EXCHANGE REPORT: CALGARY
By Stephanie Bruce:

When I arrived in Calgary, I was promised that there would be no shortage of matches for me, which was an understatement. I was picked up from the airport and was on a pitch reffing a U15 club match within the hour. Useful to be aware that Canada (as well as Australia) employs a Mayday* provision in their U19 laws, where extra precautions are taken during scrums. I was not aware of this, so while thankfully no one was injured, one of the coaches was a bit flustered at my "nonchalance" at checking that players were alright in a collapsed scrum. A lesson learned quickly though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSDkvkOSLFs

That evening we had a late dinner at a restaurant next to our tournament lodgings and I met many of the refs that would be working the ASAA Alberta High School Championship over the next two days. Refs came from the local area as well as from Edmonton (4 hours away) and Saskatchewan (6 hours away).

The first day of the high school tournament started early. While winter may be a dark time in Calgary, by the beginning of June the sun comes up at 4:30 in the morning. Even with blinds drawn, I was waking up at 5 every morning.

Calgary rugby has an impressive location with a large clubhouse (one of the largest I've seen), and four regulation sized fields (with a fifth one on the way). All fields were in use as there were 32 teams competing in the tournament, comprised of two tiers of girls and boys teams.

As to be expected, there was a range of experience and athleticism in the tournament, but overall I was impressed with the skills and proficiencies of the High School teams. Interesting to note that although the participation of rugby in Canadian high schools is high, there are still hurdles created by more established sports. Due to The Track and Field Championships overriding the Rugby schedule, teams from the Calgary and Edmonton city districts were unable to compete due to a school blackout for exams. Judging from the quality of the rural and suburban schools competing in their place, I am sure the level of the city schools is comparably quite high.

By the end of the first day I had reffed three 40 minute matches, and ARed another three. There was a little socializing on Friday night for the referees and I was presented with two Rugby Alberta referee jerseys which I excitedly wore the following day. Saturday was the finals and I reffed the Tier 2 girls consolation and the Tier 1 Girls Championship (60 minute matches), and ARed the Tier 1 Boys Championship and Tier 1 boys consolation.

Although the matches were abbreviated (so as to fit within the time limits imposed on U-19 players), the scores were not:

Day one
Tier 2 Girls: Beaumont 0 – Highwood 33
Tier 2 Boys: McNally 0 – St. Francis Xavier 29
Tier 1 Boys: Strathcona Comp 52 – Lloydminster Comp 0
Day two
Tier 2 Girls Consolation: Springbank 46 – Frank Maddock 5
Tier 1 Girls Championship: Raymond 44 – Sturgeon 0

As if to give me the true scope of Canadian weather, day one of the tournament was a gorgeous sunny and mid 60’s day, punctuated by the mosquito happy hour at 4pm.

Day two, in contrast, was drizzly and in the low 50’s. Luckily the real rain held off until after the final match of the day.

During the tournament I was fortunate to be reviewed by a few of the referee coaches and received helpful feedback on my approach and positioning as well as a forthcoming analysis of the Championship match and assessment of my overall performance at the tournament. Thank you to Bjorn Stumer and Mike Laporte each for facilitating the exchange, Mike L. and Jared Morrison for the reffing assessments, Andrew Petti for organizing the tournament, and to Danica, David and Lisa Robinson for hosting me on Saturday night.

SMALL WORLD

The Senate adjourned to Las Vegas with Penelope for a five-day weekend around the Midnight Sevens. The Sevens was canceled but the weekend proceeded.

Walking out of the Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian we heard our name called and turned to see Aruna Ranaweera, in town for a friend’s bachelor party.

That makes two refs, and no rugby, in Sin City, a potentially bad combination.

DEATH BY REFEREE

It was nice to hear again from Joe Leisek, who was the first to clue us in to this delightful 'news' article.
All sports officials have been blamed for a lot of things, but this one takes the cake:

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/weird/Graldiators-Epitaph--124194494.html

We are once again mindful of Ecclesiastes 1:9:
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

SUMMER STARTS

HAIL, PELICUS!

UPCOMING EVENTS: SIGN UP NOW

Let us know which events you’d like to work and plan your weekends:

Saturday, June 18:
All Blues Sevens at For Pete’s Sake in Santa Rosa
Need half a dozen refs

Sunday, June 19: NCRYA Sac Valley Sevens – youth and high school, in Dixon
Need about a dozen refs

Saturday, June 25:
Work up an appetite for our annual society banquet at one of these fun-filled days:
Palo Alto Summer Sevens, the granddaddy of them all.
Need eight-ten refs

Olympic Club Oysterfest Touch Tourney in Corte Madera

Sunday, July 3:
NCRYA Sac Valley Sevens – youth and high school, in Dixon
Need about a dozen refs

Saturday, July 9:
Palo Alto Summer Sevens
Todd Phillips Memorial at For Pete’s Sake

Old boys fifteens, a round-robin with five teams

Saturday, July 16:
Dunsmuir Sevens and annual Old Boys match
For Pete’s Sake Sevens

Sunday, July 17: NCRYA Sac Valley Sevens – youth and high school, in Dixon
Need about a dozen refs

Saturday, July 23:
Palo Alto Summer Sevens

Sunday, July 24:
North American debut of the IRB Refereeing Sevens course At the Doyle Family Rugby Clubhouse at Stanford

If you’d like to take the course, reply to this e-mail

Saturday, July 30:
Nevada Sevens in Reno
Marin Highlanders HS Sevens in Corte Madera

Saturday-Sunday, August 6-7:
USA Rugby Club Sevens Championships at Sheeran Field, men and women

OUTGOING EVENTS: READ ALL ABOUT IT

Saturday, June 4: Five Loaves and Two Fish Hope Chapel Charity Sevens Tourney

Report by Mike Gadoua:
Five Loaves and Two Fish, good competitors, and lucky pelicans, Gadoua, Rauscher and Stumer participated, on a rain-drenched day. The sum equals great Sevens. It rained non-stop during the day, and the Tongan Yankee icon, Vuka Tau, and his young San Mateo squad, were knocked out during pool play. The rain storm stopped at the start of the semis and sun light emerged (briefly). The first semi saw the well-experienced and lightning-fast Sacramento Lions spent 14 minutes inside EPA’s 22 - winning decisively. United Samoa claimed the second semi. And the Lions and United met in the Final. Players experienced a torrential side-ways downpour, limiting vision and causing the younger players to ask that the game be stopped (it wasn’t). While United scored a single try, the speed and experience of Sacramento’s older players made the game appear lopsided. The scoring ended at 17-7. Hope Chapel fed the pelican well and the tourney will return next year.

Report by Eric Rauscher:
Most rain on June 4th since 1934. Five teams showed up. Both EPA teams, Sacramento Lions, San Mateo and United Samoa. The tourney was played in a round robin with semi-finals and a final. I ended up reffing 4 games. Not quite sure that I can remember the match-ups or the scores, my scorecard has long since turned to mush.

The Vallejo Mare Island field is quit a nice location with bleachers, lights. For this event a sponsoring church from Santa Rosa (Hope) had a food concession with BBQ, drinks and snacks. The highlight of the day for me I didn't really think much about until the next day. I was under a tent leaning on one of the tables and stretching out my back. One of the players from one of the teams (I do not recall which), came up behind me, grabbed my shoulders and massaged my back for a couple of minutes. The next day I thought about when I used to go to Cal home football games. We started off sitting in the family section on the north side of the stadium. After every game as the crowd is leaving, the police would form a corridor for the refs to run out of the tunnel and into the waiting vans to be whisked away before anyone could get to them. At football games the refs are protected, at rugby games the refs get back rubs from the players.

Saturday, June 11:
Baracus 14 – ALUMNI 20
Referee: Bruce Ricard

Very nice game played between the Baracus team and the alumni under a nice but a bit hot sun of June. They decided to play four quarter-times of 20 minutes. The young ones scored a converted try in the first quarter. The older ones started the second quarter with a converted try, to which the young answered immediately by another try. But the alumni are resourceful, and scored another try just before the end of the period. Score at half time: 14 - 12 for Baracus team.

Third quarter was very excited, both teams wanted to make the difference, but nothing was scored. The fourth and last quarter showed tired alumni, but alumni never quit! After a beautiful maul, and a great work from their forwards, they score a very nice try, and take the lead. The last minutes were intense, and after several picks and go 22m from the Baracus goal line, the full back of the alumni receives the ball from the scrum half and drop kicks the ball towards the posts. The ball passes a few inches on the left of the right post, and a few inches over the crossbar. Drop goal awarded!

The young guys couldn't get over this incredible kick, couldn't score anything else.

KEELHAULERS ON TOUR

Report by California Maritime Academy Coach Steve Hiatt:
Well, my ragtag team lost both in NZ and Australia but came out of both games with a lot of respect. We lost 34 – 3 in NZ, but the score was only 17-3 sixty minutes into the game before I cleared my bench and it was nice seeing the thought cross the Kiwis’ minds 5 minutes into the game that “wow, we’re really in a game and not just babysitting some Yanks for 80 minutes”. It was definitely hard hitting and fun even if we never really threatened to win.

The game in Sydney was a different story even if the result was the same. Cal Maritime lost to the University of New South Wales 34 – 24 in a back-and-forth and entertaining game that saw 6 lead changes with both teams usually only 3 points apart until the last play of the game. The referee was impressed and happy at the breadth and pace of play from both teams and commented on the CMA cadets’ outstanding behavior and enthusiasm. (And their team had quite a few players that were older than 18-22, but it didn’t matter).

My 6 days aboard ship sailing across the Tasman Sea (3 days were in rough seas) were a cool experience and I’m glad I did it – and glad I’m not spending 60 days on ship like everyone else did!

Articles regarding our game in Wellington, NZ:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/us_embassy_newzealand/5783827451/

http://kiwiscots.blogspot.com/2011/05/rugby-diplomacy-in-time-of-war.html

http://kiwiscots.blogspot.com/2011/05/golden-bear-sails-into-welly.html

ANNUAL SOCIETY BANQUET AND AWARDS CEREMONY

The 2011 NCRRS Banquet and Awards Ceremony at Scott’s Seafood in Walnut Creek on Saturday, June 25th. Drinks at six, dinner at seven.

Those who are eligible for free kit (5 or more club/college games by assignment in the past season) are also eligible for free dinner. Drinks are on your own and guests are fifty dollars.

RSVP to Bjorn Stumer: bstumer@comcast.net

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

SUMMER RUNNING

HAIL, PELICUS!

OPPORTUNITIES TO REFEREE SATURDAY, JUNE 4

Ref needed: Colusa. Fifteen-a-side.
Experience the famous Colusa referee hospitality with three 30-minute games to work up a thirst. That’s barely more than a regular-season outing. Lots of ruggers would be happy to see you, including the newest NorCal team from Siskiyou County.

Refs needed: Vallejo. Sevens.
The Loaves and Fishes Sevens will be played on Morton Field on Mare Island, starting at 8:30. We have three refs and could use one or two more.

BIG WEEKEND

Best of luck to the Olympic Club and Fresno as they play for national championships this weekend in Glendale, Colo. These might be webcast.

We also wish well to California in the College Rugby Championship (sevens) near Philadelphia, which you can watch on plain-vanilla NBC, Versus, and Universal.

The Eagles will be playing in the Churchill Cup, with a game at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton against the homeboys.

THREE-DAY RUGBY WEEKEND

Well, almost: a high-school all-star tournament was played at Sheeran Field Saturday and Sunday, with a Monday game being canceled late.

Players representing the four NCRYA conferences and Oregon at the U15, U17 and U19 levels had a lot of fun showing their stuff in front of coaches and scouts, including Paul Barford with the USA age-grade programs.

Saturday’s conditions were most decidedly unseasonal: a late-May overcast and rain blocked even the view of the recently-topped-off tower for the new suspension portion of the Bay Bridge. Sea, sky and horizon all looked the same and Treasure Island might as well have been in the middle of the North Sea for the scenery on view.

But rugby wills have a way, and nine games were played.

Referees were Bruce Carter, Pete Smith, Jen Tetler, Sione Tanoa and Tom Zanarini. With invaluable help from Mark Godfrey and Ray Schwartz, we were able to cover every game with a team of three even though huddling under an umbrella seemed a better idea.

Sunday’s better weather attracted a smaller flock for seven games: John Coppinger, Mark Godfrey, John Pohlman, Bruce Ricard and Pete Smith.

Oregon was very strong, as were the Bay and Sacramento Valley conferences. We don’t have a compilation of the scores to be able to tell who ‘won’, in part because the rain turned Saturday’s list into palimpsest.

Under-17:
BAY CONFERENCE 18 – Sac Valley 17 Referee: Bruce Carter
The contrast between January high-school rugby and May all-star stuff is amazing, even after you’ve experienced it year after year.

The first half the Sac boys controlled the ball, playing phase rugby and scoring 17 points at the leeward end of the pitch.

The second half the Bay did the same except that they scored 18 points downwind.

Of particular note was a Bay player whose name your reporter should have gotten: two of his clearing kicks each went 70+ meters, thence into touch, and Bay scored on both of those trips down the pitch.

ANNUAL SOCIETY BANQUET AND AWARDS CEREMONY

This year’s banquet will be held on the evening of the first iteration of the Palo Alto Summer Sevens. Unless you live along the Palo Alto-Walnut Creek corridor, why not get a room in Walnut Creek in which to clean up and later recover?

The 2011 NCRRS Banquet and Awards Ceremony at Scott’s Seafood in Walnut Creek on Saturday, June 25th. Drinks at six, dinner at seven.

Those who are eligible for free kit (5 or more club/college games by assignment in the past season) are also eligible for free dinner. Drinks are on your own and guests are fifty dollars.

RSVP to Bjorn Stumer: bstumer@comcast.net

THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Team of Four
Scott Wood, Tom Zanarini, Phil Akroyd and David Williamson meet at Lafayette’s Round-Up after the St. Mary’s – UCLA game April 30.

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris