Frederick RFC Summer Party Sunday June 8th

The setting was perfect, Ed's place perched up high on Braddock Heights (or at least on a hill close to Braddock Heights) the sun beating down, Ed cannonballing into 45 degree water - yes it was Frederick Rugby's Summer Party. The Blueridge was flowing and the Watson's chicken went down a treat. Around 60 FRFC ruggers and family came through the event, Ed's kids were nowhere to be seen - I have no idea why?! Radar was back in town, English John and English Sharon (I'm guessing that Irish would have introduced Sharon as such) were seen picking on Eric "F*t Boy" Aldinger (that day at the Severn River 7s was one of Eric's longest I'm sure!!) Pat Dumpe brought along his Cat scans - and there was a little something in there, Mike "Tool-Time" Taylor kept threatening to turn on the Microwave and see how the Plate held up - but never did (I don't think). Jamie Romano and Kelly were waving hammers around with Rabbi and Kathy whilst a bunch of people were throwing horseshoes into the neighbors back yard, but with Tiny Angel in his stylish summer linens among the group, the neighbors stayed inside. The Party had a more serious part to it this year, to kick off Frederick's summer fund-raisers and we did a great job. Everyone attending paid $10, some people put a bit more in the pot, and thanks again to Pat O, Ron, John Fox and Stu for digging deep and providing the beer and chicken. By the end of the evening the Club managed to raise $780 - which isn't too shabby for a fun picnic on a sunny Sunday in June. So thanks to everyone for coming and being so generous. Oh, one last mention Tool-Time paid for himself, Al and New Wave (just had to put that in print!!) can you believe it??Tory's award ceremony was great, those Tankards look really good!! Well done on your award Tory and congratulations to all the other winners (You get the feeling that a few of the first time award winners will be collecting Tankards for some time to come).

Spring 1997 Frederick Rugby Awards

Best New Back: Jason Delauter
Best New Forward: Dan Makosy
Best New Forward: Jeff Lutton
Most Improved Forward: Tom Angel
Most Improved Back: Chuck Schley
Best Back `B'-side: Dave Wilkinson
Best Forward `B'-side: Art Hall
MVP `B'-side: Pete Ireland
Best Back `A'-side: James Oliverio
Best Forward `A'-side: Chuck Zang
MVP `A'-side: Julian Reading
Unsung Hero: Tory Ireland

Fall 1997 Schedule

Aug 9	First Practice	H	-
16	Frederick Tournament	H	-
23	Atlantic Cup	A	-
30	Labor Day Practice	H	-
Sept 6	TBA	-	-
13	Lancaster	A	-
20	Wilmington	A	-
27	Doylestown	A	-
Oct 4	Severn River	A	-
11	Second City	H	-
18	Hiburnians	H	-
25	Bye	-	-
Nov 1	Blackthorn	H	-
8	Brandywine	H	-
15	Promo/Releg	-	-

Atlantis in Spain May 24th 1997 by Coach John Redmond

Atlantis recently participated in the 11th Annual Benidorm 7's, in Benidorm Spain. I coached my second tour in 1997 with Atlantis, the Fiji 7's was the other trip. Seven's specialists were selected from all parts of the Eastern Seaboard, including NYC, Boston, Cincinnati, Washington DC and Miami. Included in the trip was the tour Captain and Eagle, David "Dixie" Dean from NOVA (last year's Club 7's champions) and the newest Eagle Cap Donnie Younger.
Donnie is a 19 year old phenom backrow forward attending Indiana University, and making his third Atlantis trip already. This kid has Eagle 7's Captain potential if I've ever seen one. Our pool matches began on Saturday against Sofia RFC, Bulgaria, they were seriously outmanned and fell by 38-5. Again in our second match verses Malasia's National side, Atlantis proved too big and fast as we won easily 39-7. Our third pool match was to be a true test as we faced the French National team, who recently placed in the Cup Quarterfinals of the World Cup in Hong Kong. Their overall speed was too much for our pace and we were downed 33-7. On Sunday, in the Quarterfinals, we matched up against Moldavia's National side. Once again, our size and speed were too much for them as we won easily, 49-7. The Semifinal matched us against the French Froggies, a select invitational side. They had the same great size and speed of their National counterparts, but we were determined to raise both our work rate and tackling for this match. Two very disappointing calls by a half blind Irish referee, left us smarting 34-7 losers. The Cup final between the French Nationals and the French Froggies was a pleasure to watch, cheer and bet on. Heavy money was on the Nationals with a seven point spread, but the Froggies surprised everyone, leading by 3 until a last minute try by the Nationals clinched it 24-22. On May 31st, the Eagles will travel to Paris for the Air France 7's. Their pool bracket includes Morocco and the mighty Australians. Good luck Eagles! See you at training!!!

Frederick Rugby Summer Sevens

Pete Ireland is running the Summer Sevens. Every Tuesday and Thursday, 7:00pm to 8:30pm on the Airpax field (behind the Fairgrounds). This is a great way to keep fit and keep in touch with your Clubmates over the summer. Contact Pete at (301) 620-9366 e-mail at Pete9366@aol.com if interested.

Tournaments to be attended include:-
PAC June 28th (2 teams!!)
Norfolk July 12th
Hiburnians July 19th

Ventre a Terre a Toute Vitesse!! March 8-9, 1997 Manila, Philippines by Walt Winn

It was the call of the weekend for a bunch of over-the-hill ruggers from the Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong on a "get out of town" rugby weekend tour to Manila. I was lucky to get the heads up that they were coming and lucky to get to play - even though they brought 25+ with them! I think it was the Frederick Rugby (Orlando) T-shirt that did it (unfortunately not the physique I had been carefully working on for the last 8 months). The fixture was against the Manila Nomads at the Nomads Sporting Club in Paranaque, Metro Manila. Like most sporting clubs in Asia, this one supported several teams from cricket and football to swimming and even lawn bowling. The club provided a presumable welcome respite for all the Anglo-Saxon members. The Manila club, due to its proximity to other clubs, only plays on occasion and generally then against ship crew based teams from the US, Australia and the UK (including its soon to be former colonies). The playing club included several Filipinos as well as many, many Brits. Much to my chagrin, the Filipinos I played against were not the pint-sized variety that I am used to working with in Subic. I was called on to hook for the Pot Bellied Pigs of Kowloon. Play started well with a nice take from the kick and promptly went down hill from there. Alas, I had been fooled by another group of Brits (you would have thought I learned something from Julian). They knew next to nothing about serious rugby except how to party, and party they had the night before. First 10 minutes actually looked good and felt good. We scored a couple of times without a conversion and then started the "old boys coast" with 70 minutes remaining. Well, as odd as it may sound, the Manila club would have nothing to do with a coast and promptly started to make strategic substitutions for nearly all of the First XV. Entirely new pack at about 20 minutes in and my guys were dying the hangover death. Not good! At 30 minutes, the game was tied and lasted that way to the half time break. After the break, Manila was ready and so were we, having replaced all but about 4 or 5 guys. I stayed on at hook as they didn't have anybody else to throw in. Well, it only took us 5 minutes to realize that Manila had us outgunned as they scored directly from the opening kick-off. With a myriad of substitutions on our side in an attempt to stem the tide of scoring, we marched on to the final whistle. The score: A LOT to a little...... Then I asked what the phrase meant that had been so nicely sewn across my jersey, my polo shirt, and was the battle cry of the day,"Ventre a Terre a Toute Vitesse".... Bellies to the Ground at Full Speed.... I should have known - very British! But, as usual in Rugby.....good times were had by all.

English John and the All New FRFC Web Page

English John (how come he wasn't just called Nigel?) has spent a lot of time constructing a great Web Page for the Club. Check it out on:- http://www.fred.net/jastill/rugby If you have news or comments send them to John at jastill@hns.com

Calling all FAT Boys (Frederick After Thirty)

As you know, Frederick RFC has a month of HOME rugby in the upcoming Fall (pretty amazing after the last few seasons!) The first match will be hosting Second City Troop on October 11th. To add to the occasion, we have arranged a fixture for the FAT Boys (Frederick's Old Boys Team) to host the MOB (Maryland Old Boys) in a 12:00 noon match ahead of the two FRFC matches. The match will be 25 minutes each way with liberal substitutions. There will be a keg of Blueridge on the sideline for the Old Boys to enjoy while supporting (increasingly loudly - one would suspect) the two FRFC matches to follow. If you are an interested FAT Boy contact FAT Boy Supreme... Ron at (301) 663-0664.

Bethlehem 7s June 14th by Pete Ireland

We were very enthusiastic about Frederick's first entry into a qualifying Sevens Tournament, and drew NOVA II as our first match. With the new scrum alignment of Eric A and myself at Prop, Chris Sipe Hooking (English John's abnormally large head precluded him from this position) and a back-line of Timmy, Kenny, Steve Schleupner and Jason, we put out a strong side. However, we failed to get the ball wide to our wings and thus lost 21-10. Our only scores coming from great single efforts by Kenny and Jason. This match also marked the end of the Sevens season for Eric, who suffered a broken finger, English John replaced Eric at Prop. Our second match came against Philly- Whitemarsh I, and we soon found out what it was like to play a top qualifying team, going down 31-0. The game should have been much closer, we had at least three tries set up, but were unable to finish the execution. Our third and final match was to be against Virginia, but alas, they did not travel to Bethlehem, setting up a win by forfeit. So our record to date in qualifying play is 1 win and 2 losses. With some more coaching and a lot of training together, I feel we can and will be competitive at some point this summer. In our first game we clearly had the superior athletes but did not have the knowledge or execution of the Sevens game. In the second game, Philly had some great athletes but nothing we shouldn't be able to compete with. Mike Stull got a game at Hooker, while Rabbi took a half at Prop for me. Philly went on to crush Washington in the Tournament final. All in all it was a good weekend.

Thank You VERY Much Pat O'Connell!!

That was what I was thinking at 9:30am Saturday morning (June 14th) as I was standing - ALONE - outside Pat's sister Jeanne's house. The deal was to supply 10 to 15 FRFC laborers to clear some land as part of a Landscaping project. Jeanne would then donate $1000 to the Club. I knew we wouldn't have the help of our Bethlehem bound Seven's players, but surely someone would help out??! As I looked down at my hands, rough with calluses from rugby e-mail (thank you very much Chuck!!) I figured I'd have a long day and earn the Club around $5. However, true to form, about 45 minutes after the scheduled meet time along came Mike Grunwell (who had actually passed the house 3 times!) then Al then Bill. By 10:00am or so we had a good gang; Ron, Wilki, Dud, Art, Chuck, Vinny Baker and Patty O. Later on Tool-Time and Mike Blackwell came by to help. Good old Larry came by just as work had finished and the Beer cans were popping. Thanks to everyone who helped out, a great job - earned ourselves $1000 - well done. Thanks Jeanne, for putting the work our way.

CIPP Requires Health Insurance!

As most of you know, to be eligible to participate in any Rugby match or Tournament in the USA you must be registered with USA Rugby (CIPP Card). You must also have Health Insurance. Mike Blackwell, a former player and Agent for Allstate has a very simple and reasonably priced short term insurance plan available.

Age     Deductible
        $250            $500
to 24   $26.42          $22.18
25-29   $28.16          $23.62
30-34   $32.61          $27.86

PRU All-stars Rugby 15s Try-outs and Training

Frederick RFC is a member of the Potomac Rugby Union (PRU) and as part of our Union dues ($1000 per year) we support the Coaching and Travel of the PRU All-stars, a select squad that plays other Unions. From the PRU, VRU and EPRU All-stars comes the MARFU Select side, which then represents the Mid- Atlantic Territory in an Inter-Territorial- Tournament (the finals to be held in Florida December 5-6). This is a great opportunity to test yourself at a higher level, to experience different Coaching styles (this year the Coach is Geoff Cooke from Washington - you may remember him as a speaker at our Banquet) and to get to know some of the players in other local Clubs. You will also be representing Frederick RFC and bringing back some of your experiences to make us a better Club. The try-outs are open to anybody interested, contact the PRU Manager, Jason Maloni at jmaloni@powelltate.washington.com if you don't have e-mail, talk to Julian. First part of PRU schedule:-

Aug 3-Sun  Try-outs 12:00 noon
Aug 6-Wed Try-outs 8:00pm
Aug 9th-Sat PRUvEPRUvVRU in Philly
Sept 6-Sun PRU v Ontario at home  

Visit our Sponsors on Route 85!

For some reason, 3 of the Club's biggest sponsors are clustered on Buckeystown Pike, Route 85. Gold's Gym, Evergreen Liquors and Jerry's Subs. So you can work out, grab a Steak and Cheese and a case of Beer - perfect!!

For info on Gold's membership call our own Jeff Lutton at (301) 271-6916 - just $30 per month!!

Home Shopping Delivered! Automatic Product Replenishment Service Save $ on products you use everyday. Personalized Program to fit your needs and budget Delivered right to your front door. Eliminate running out of necessary items. Thousands to choose from. A Percentage of purchases will benefit FRFC. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Call Dave or Cathy Crome at (301) 898- 7422 for more information or e-mail at Dcrome9314@aol.com

International Rugby Sat 23rd June

Although it is the closed season for Club rugby, around the world this was a big weekend for rugby Internationals. New Zealand: 93 Argentina: 8 Argentina traveled to NZ and probably wished they had stayed at home. The rumor has it that Sean Fitzpatrick (NZ Captain) asked the Referee to blow up 5 minutes early to avoid reaching 100. Lions: 25 South Africa: 16 The British Lions played their first of 3 Internationals against South Africa this Saturday and came out on top. The Lions were down 16:15 with 7 minutes to go when back to back unanswered tries from Scrum Half Matt Dawson (Eng) and Center Allan Tait (Scot) led to an historic victory 25:16. Australia: 29 France: 15 In a much closer match, France (the European Champions - after beating England in the Five Nations, how depressing!!) traveled to Australia and came up short.

USA Rugby National Championships

Div II Champion: Hayward Griffins
Div I Champion: Gentlemen of Aspen

Severn River 7s June 7th by Pete Ireland

In this, the first tournament of the Sevens season, Frederick faired well. In a try for try game, Frederick lost the first match to Zamfir by a score of 28-21. We got to see the great speed (and little endurance) of New Wave Dave. Also contributing a 60m try was Julian, who kept all at bay by dummying to Dave. With high hopes we went on to play Wilmington I. We put a lot of speed on the field, but alas, still managed to play 15s better than 7s, with our first try by Eric A coming off a rolling maul. Other tries were scored by Jason and Art. There was a great sequence of defensive tackles that was appreciated by the Frederick bench. A few missed chances and some odd/bad calls made by a ref who should have been calling the 9-10 year old game allowed Wilmington to squeak by 17-15. This game marked the end of the seeding round, our record putting us top in the Bowl bracket. For the semis we got to see the back of Jason quite a bit, as did Rocky Gorge. Jason scored 2 tries, and gave his third to a supporting Rabbi. Eric A scored on a lone break away as Gorge fell 22-12. We may have found a back up kicker in English John, who kicked, while Kenny, finally got a breather. After a trip to the Board it was discovered that Frederick was to play some team by the name of the "Baltimore Tigers". A happy note soon turned sour upon the news that this was actually MD Exiles I, with Coach Redmond on the roster. We played exceptionally well in the first minutes, scoring first and taking a 7 point lead after the two props linked up on the outside, allowing me to get on the scoreboard. Things faltered after that, experience soon prevailed as the Exiles went on to score 22 unanswered points in a 22-7 win. On a high note though, we did get to see New Wave run down all of the Exiles and Eric A explain the finer points of mid-field defense to Coach Redmond. Thanks to our supporters, Al, Tory, Tool-Time and Irish - the free Guinness at the party went down well! All in all it was a great day for rugby.