The Hourglass

March 13, 2002

A Publication of the Connecticut Grey Rugby Football Club
Dean Jorgensen, Editor

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Thanks again to all those who assisted in the 2002 Connecticut Special Olympics Cross Country competition. Jim and Nancy Farrell sent in word that they were busy on the other side of the Olympics helping out with the skating competition.

UNIFORM KIT

Let Gary Tamburri know if you are in need of a new game shirt or socks. (Include your shirt size.) He is putting together an order to send off to Matt Godek. Gary's e-mail address is gtamburr@genre.com. Shorts, boots, and the rest are up to you. Take advantage of the Rugby Links page on our web site for a list of mail order companies.

CAPTAIN'S RALLYING CRY

I hope all is well with you and your families. I also hope you're getting yourselves prepared for the upcoming spring season. Guz has put together a great lineup of games for us, with some off weekends in between some of the games. It will take us all the way up to the first weekend in June for the traditional Old Man in the Mountain Tourney. We also have the 2nd Annual CT Grey vs Rhody Old Cocks game in the works for this summer on Block Island as well.

Before the season starts however, we should make an attempt to get together as a team. Therefore, we've designated Saturday March 30th as the "Official Spring Season Practice Day". For those of you who continually complain about this, please be aware that we practice 2 times a year! Once before the spring season and once before the fall season. Hopefully all of you are keeping yourselves game fit throughout the off season. If not, you may want to think about starting some running pretty soon. A couple of miles a day doesn't take long, and will help you and your team mates when the games start.

So what do we do at practice? Since we usually have about 8 people show up I thought I would describe a typical CT Grey practice for those others that may be thinking about showing up. We shoot for it to last for about 2 hours. It is NOT an aerobic session. You should be doing that on your own throughout the year. We do some running, some light sprints, etc. For the most part, though, we do ball handling drills, breakdown drills, etc. We want to dust the cobwebs off. We always end up with Touch 7's (or as in past Touch 4's) to get a little sweat and earn our beers. Oh yeah, did I mention the beer? We will retire to The Dubliner afterwards where the club will pick up the tab for liquid refreshments.

On a more serious note, I would urge you all to please try to make it to this practice. It will greatly help the team to get all of us on the same page before the season starts. We should know lineout calls. We should know the back plays. We should know how the forwards and the backs will work together throughout the game. The only real way to do that is to get all of together to work on these area's. We cannot attempt to do all this 10 minutes before a game and be successful! So, please do your best to attend practice. How can you not look forward to seeing your rugby brothers, your team mates, your athletic family? Crap, we basically laugh all the way through it!

WHO: CT Grey Rugby Club members 
WHAT: Spring Season Practice 
WHERE: PNA Field, Wallingford, CT - (directions on website at www.cgrfc.com)

WHEN: Saturday, March 30th at 11 AM 
WHY: Because you love rugby, and we love you

Certainly understandable if you have family and work commitments. But even if you can come out for part of the practice I guarantee you'll be glad you did, and so will we. I look forward to seeing all of you who can make it, and the rest of you at our first game against Berkshire. Always a hard opponent. We'll need to be at our best!

Regards to your families. We look forward to seeing them at our games and parties as well.

Ed

SPRING SCHEDULE

We're still fine-tuning the details of the spring schedule. Notable changes since last you heard:

Spring Training -- March 30, 11:00, PNA Park (see above for inspiration)

Les Vieux -- Kick-off for this April 13 match has been moved up to NOON.

Mid Hudson -- The John Falatyn benefit match will now be played on SUNDAY, May 19, rather than SATURDAY, May 18.

So here's how it's looking right now:

As always, go to http://www.cgrfc.org/schedule.htm for the current schedule. Let's hear it for the match secretary.

AVAILABILITY

Thanks to Bill Aman, the Carr Brothers, Grayson, Guz, Bud, Tony, Lou, Scan, and Sandy for sending in their availability for the spring season. Now how about the rest of you? Stop what you are doing this instant and send a quick note to Dean at djorgensen@pioneeraero.com with your TENTATIVE availability for our eight spring dates. (We'll sort out Block Island later.) A "yes" doesn't commit you to playing and a "no" doesn't mean you won't get any playing time if you do show up. Eddie is just trying to get a jump on things and would really appreciate your cooperation.

DUES...

... are due. Send your check for $100, payable to Connecticut Grey Rugby Club, to Gary Tamburri, 13 Old Purdy Station Rd, Newtown, CT 06470. (Or bring it with you to the first match.)

MAILING LIST

Thanks to all who have provided us with up-to-date contact information. There are still a few holes. Please help us fill them. You can access the mailing list from our web site by going to http://www.cgrfc.org/members/Mailing%20List.xls. 

FINDING OLD RUGBY FRIENDS

A lot of you have received this e-mail. For those you haven't, here it is in abbreviated form:

My name is Ian Smith, an ex-rugby player from the 60's and early 70's. In trying to get in touch with old rugby playing friends, I realised there was no platform to help me to do this. I have opened a website www.exrugbyplayersreunited.com to help other ex players to contact each other. Early responses are very good, and there is obviously a demand for such a service. Registration is free, searching is free, and email addresses are kept confidential. There are spaces to enter every team played for, and also a database to list old rugby playing friends who you have lost touch with through the mists of time. I know this site will work and supply an invaluable service, to many former players. It obviously needs lots of entries, the more it gets, the better it becomes. I hope you will feel able to help.

Yours sincerely Ian SG Smith

OSAMA AT THE PEARLY GATES

After getting nailed by a Daisy Cutter, Osama made his way to the pearly gates. There, he is greeted by George Washington.

"How dare you attack the nation I helped conceive!" yells Mr. Washington, slapping Osama in the face. Patrick Henry comes up from behind: "You wanted to end the Americans' liberty, so they gave you death!" Henry punches Osama on the nose. James Madison comes up next, and says, "This is why I allowed the Federal government to provide for the common defense!" He drops a large weight on Osama's knee.

Osama is subject to similar beatings from John Randolph of Roanoke, James Monroe and 65 other 18th-century American revolutionaries. As he writhes on the ground, Thomas Jefferson picks him up to hurl him back toward the gate where he is to be judged.

As Osama awaits his journey to his final very hot destination, he screams, "This is not what I was promised!"

An angel replies: "I told you there would be 72 Virginians waiting for you. What did you think I said?"