Rugby Updates
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The Collegiate LAU All Star Tournament – April 16th & 17th
Posted on the 26th of April, 2011: The Collegiate LAU All Star Tournament was held on the 16th and 17th of April at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. Things didn’t start out well at all. As I was about to leave St. Elmo, IL on Friday afternoon, two minutes before I headed out I got a call from the Ohio Union’s Collegiate Men’s head coach to let me know the Ohio Men weren’t going to be in the All Star Tournament this year . . . they weren’t coming . . . WHAT? Bring another Club, like the Ohio State ‘C’ side, or another Club . . . don’t call me on the day before the Tournament to let me know your All Star Team isn’t coming. Heck the Indiana Union’s Collegiate Women’s head coach let us know a week in advance that they wouldn’t be there. The Indiana Union’s Collegiate Men’s Team let me know they wouldn’t be there at least two weeks before the Tournament, and the Allegheny Union let me know at least a month before the Tournament that they wouldn’t be sending a Collegiate Men’s or Women’s Team to the Tournament this year. So, with all that we were down to 7 Teams in the Women’s bracket, but we ended up with a ‘motley crew’ (the ‘Iron Brigade’) due in large part to Gray Zischke, the Wisconsin Union Collegiate Women’s head coach, and Steve Murra, the Iowa Union Collegiate Women’s head coach, which filled out the Women’s bracket with 8 Teams . . . all went well with that. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the Michigan Union brought a Collegiate Men’s All Star ‘B’ Team the Men’s bracket would have only had 6 Teams, and that wouldn’t have been good at all with only 2 Teams in the Men’s Tier II. So, without the Ohio Men showing up we were down to 7 Teams, and played a Round Robin in Tier II after we moved the Iowa Union Collegiate Men’s All Star Team up to Tier I, which then had 4 Teams, i.e., the Ohio Men’s Team was the defending Champion of the Midwest Collegiate Men’s LAU All Star Tournament. I’m at a lose on the total lack of commitment on the players part and the Ohio Union’s Administration lack of getting a Men’s All Star Team together . . . the Ohio Collegiate Women’s All Star Team DID show up, and I thank everyone involved with the Women’s Team for making the trip and being involved. I especially want to thank Gina Fanelli, a Team member and the Team Manager, for putting the Ohio Collegiate Women’s All Star Team together. I’m wondering if the guys on Ohio Collegiate Division II and Division III Clubs were asked to play for the Ohio Collegiate All Star Team . . . I simply can’t believe that they wouldn’t have come up with enough players IF all the Collegiate Clubs in the Ohio Union had been asked to send players way back when this whole process began, i.e., the Illinois Union only had players from 3 Collegiate Clubs and ended up with 22 players, and only 19 on Sunday due to previous scheduled school activities some of the players couldn’t get out of. The Ohio Union has 22 Collegiate Men’s Clubs . . . something isn’t right with that picture! Hopefully some sort of sanction will be coming against the Ohio Union . . . either financially or how about not being able to play in the next Collegiate All Star Tournament, which probably will be played next spring, and in the future, but maybe not under the Midwest Rugby Territory. Post any comments you feel like, and we’ll go from there. I want to thank everyone involved with the Midwest Collegiate LAU All Star Tournament for having a successful Tournament, i.e., the weather was terrible on Saturday, which included snow and even hail, and with wind that caused up and unders kicked into the wind to come right back to the player who kicked the ball . . . what a day . . . it never got above 39 degrees on Saturday. The two tents set up where shredded by 4:00 PM on Saturday, which no replacements on Sunday. We had the sun with us on Sunday, and also the wind, but it did get into the fifties temperature wise, and so, the Tournament did end up on a good note. A big ‘THANKS’ goes out to Dave Carter for organizing the Referees for the Tournament, which included the MW Collegiate Men’s Division III Championship Tournament. I would also like to thank Mike Cline, the Indiana Rugby Union Secretary and the Indiana Collegiate Division III Coordinator, for working with me on the overall Venue, and for putting the Collegiate Men’s Division III Championship Tournament together from the get go. Another ‘Thank You’ goes out to the Michigan Collegiate Men’s All Star Team Administration, i.e., the Coaches and Manager, for bringing a ‘B’ side and saving the weekend, making it all worth it, for the other two Men’s Teams in Tier II. Jim Sronkowski, the President of the NIU Men’s Club, deserves a big ‘Thank You’ too for his willingness to make sure all the pre-Tournament details got taken care of. I also want to THANK Dan Matuz, the CARFU Collegiate Coordinator, for his help in getting the pitches ready, and for also making sure things were going well on the administrative side of things with the Tournaments. Thank you, ONE and ALL, for helping out and making both Tournaments a success this year! Links to the Collegiate LAU All Star Tournament . . . The link to the Collegiate Men’s Division III Championship Tournament . . .
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Shawn McKinney
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