Time to get in shape! RUGBY STYLE!

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday(w/no scheduled game) are personal fitness days (for now). Very shortly I will post suggested workouts, and some that are required for those days. Tues & Thurs You will now run the mountain 5 times and 4 laps around the field before we begin practice. Punctual attendance to practice is required. We have games coming up the end of January. See you at practice.

-Jeremy

UVU a good first outing!

It seems a good tradition. The first game of every season has been vs. UVU. Saturday was a perfect rugby day the sun was out the wind stayed away, all in all optimal rugby day. St George started out strong scoring a try within the first few minutes of the match. That woke the Wolverines up then, and the match intensified. The Wolverines moved the ball well and put tremendous pressure on St George who struggled a bit with defensive rucking, It remained a very close game until the 3rd forty minute period. The wolverines saw St George come into their own game moving the ball decisively and effectively. Both Villi Hafoka, and Jordan Palmer scoring almost at will. The newcomers (Michael Mortensen and Tanner Torres) showed great motivation and determination in defense and offense, Welcome! All told the knights had a tremendous game holding their own against a nationally ranked university team. I am grateful for the young men who come ready to work, to practice, learn, and grow in this sport. Alis Aquilae!

2009... Knights ride again!

A new season starts... A chance to try new things, fix things that didn't work, a chance to improve. Conditioning and discipline are the focus this year. We are also trying out a new mentor program, which I anticipate as a win-win scenario. Recruiting is going to be a key to our success. We have some experience on the team now, and we expect those gentlemen to exceed the level of rugby knowledge and fitness that they achieved last season, as well as passing on that knowledge, fitness, and the "rugby bug" to their fellow teammates. We are thrilled for the members of our team who have gone on to serve on missions and know that they will be an asset wherever they are. A new season starts... A chance to look into our hearts and find that there is more of us than we knew. A chance to expand the circle of brotherhood. A chance to be a Knight!

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Forever Strong’ Trailer

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Forever Strong’ Trailer

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Youth Rugby Compulsory?

While in New Zealand a few years back, I was delighted to see a rugby pitch on each corner (it seemed that way anyhow). What tickled me even more than that, was watching small children play. Instead of baseball, football, or smear the queer, it was rugby.
Now, I have no delusions, baseball, football, basketball are a part of America, an integral part of our identity. I played all those sports as a kid. Those sports aren't going anywhere anytime soon. All I am suggesting is giving the kids another choice. If we really want to see rugby improve here in the USA, My thinking is we ought to consentrate on the youth, provide more opportunities to learn, and play rugby.
I grew up in a small farming community in the middle of Utah .A kid moved into town from South Africa. He suggested we play rugby, so we played rugby. It was our own version of course. The resident rugby expert was a bit vague on some of the rules and modes of play. We passed the ball backward but we had blockers. We had a sin bin, unoccupied, except for when someone wanted a safe place to rest. Our scrums involved everyone on the field. We would push, and push until someone got the guts to pick up the ball and run. Our line outs were more like soccer. It was fantastic fun. In fact I broke my nose and chipped a tooth for the first time playing “rugby”.
It is not my intention that we give a size 4 ball to some kids on a play ground, and say “Kill”. Rather, we should work on providing youth workshops, and a touch league. How invaluable would it be if our players came to the high school level already knowing basically how to pass, kick, create space, and knew when they were “off sides”. One of our assistant coaches is a elementary school teacher. He teaches his students to play touch, and they play most recesses. And from all accounts they have a great time. Rugby is fun; we should give our youth the opportunity to play. They will thank us for it.

-Jeremy

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: A Hallmark of dedication

Now this has nothing to do with High school, or Rugby. But certainly, exemplifies Honor, Duty, Loyalty, Selfless Service, Respect, Personal Courage, and Integrity. These are values we all should anxiously espouse, and try to instill in our young men. I did not write this, it was an e-mail I received, I just wanted to share it. I have been to the Tomb and watched the Changing of the Guard. The amount of precision and attention to detail....It was one of the moments, I was most proud to be an American. God Bless all my brothers in the service.

-Jeremy


On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns --- All three missed it --- This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance . Very fascinating.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?

21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?

21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1

3. Why are his gloves wet?

His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not?

He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30." Other requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin. The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress! for duty in front of a full-length mirror. The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery . A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.


ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC , our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

Recruiting: A new year, now what?

I can't tell you what a relief it was for last year's season to be over. Don't get me wrong some of the players I will miss tremendously, and will have a very difficult time replacing. Many have gone on missions, or off to school. And will be a benefit to the world around them.

Being as it was our first year we struggled a bit to get and keep enough players to field a team. Some got intimidated by the game, others parents forbade them to play. There were a few who did not pay the price to be on the team. They would not show up to practice, and then when they did it wasn't to practice. Come game day they expected to start, and have plenty of playing time, just as long as they felt like it though. We as coaches walked a tight rope not knowing if we would have enough players for each game or the caliber of players we needed to play. So to some extent I had to coddle these "players" and they knew it. I will not face that problem again, it is not fair to those who really pay the price. I expect it to be a bit easier this year hopefully word of mouth will help our cause. How do I go about finding the kind of players I need for this up coming season. There is no telling where they are. I had a kid last year he was so incredibly talented yet before rugby he had not played an organized sport. I had a tennis player that was so powerful, and lethal on on the field you would never know he had not played a contact sport before. The list could go on and on. I need to get finding kids now. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

-Jeremy