Thursday, August 21, 2008

Our friend from South Africa

To HR......Please stop pointing the finger at our friend Dayle Bobo from South Africa. A fine young man with a great human interest story and my choice for MVP at Nationals.
  • Born in South Africa
  • Has lived in the USA for 3 years
  • Played for United for 3 years
  • Has attended American Fork High School since the 10th grade
  • Is a USA citizen
  • Rescued by a loving aunt from an orphanage in South Africa
  • Will be a great contributor to any college team and has the skills and heart to play for the Eagles
  • Keep an eye on this great young man

Comment from Justin Barney....thank you


I undertake to comment on these matters without enthusiasm. Rather than comment indirectly without revealing my name, I feel it is important to state my name along with the facts of which I am aware. Reading the previous blogs has dredged up unpleasant memories of my experiences dealing with rugby eligibility issues in Utah high school rugby. The comments I make today are regarding the 2001 high school rugby season.

In 2001 I was serving as head coach of a high school rugby club. Another local club was trying to get established that year. The coach of this other club contacted me sometime after the beginning of the season to inform me that several foreign players were coming to Salt Lake to play rugby for Highland Rugby. He felt that these players should not be allowed to play for Highland. The eligibility rules in place at the time included the following requirements:
1) Players must be enrolled in high school full time;
2) Players must have been enrolled full time in high school at the beginning of the competitive season; and
3) A player must be enrolled prior to the start of the competitive season.
These rules were part of the eligibility rules for USA Rugby and were not seen as redundant but each emphasized various nuances in the rules.

An investigation revealed the following facts:
1) Highland Rugby played their first match of the season on March 19 against Skyline Rugby.
2) Four foreign players arrived in the USA after that first match on or about March 21.
3) These players enrolled at Highland High School sometime in late March, after the first match and more than two months after the commencement of the school semester.
4) When informed of the circumstances, SLC School District determined that the players did not meet district requirements for enrollment and the players were "unenrolled".
5) The players enrolled at a private school sometime in late April.
6) I spoke with an official of the private school who confirmed that the players were enrolled. When I asked if they attended classes, he responded, "Of course not. The school year is over in a few weeks."

In spite of my appeals and with full knowledge of the situation, USA Rugby allowed these foreign players to participate in the national championships that year. In my opinion, there were clear violations of the eligibility rules in 2001 and it was done with the complicity of USA Rugby. Why have a requirement that players be enrolled full time and wink at enrollment with no intention of attending classes? Why require that the players be enrolled prior to the competitive season and disregard the common meaning of words? Why pretend that rugby players are students when they are not eligible to attend public schools and their enrollment at a private school is mere pretense?

There is a great deal of intense feelings surrounding rugby in Utah. Towards the close of the 2001 season, one of our club players approached me. He asked what I had done to so anger the Highland Rugby Club. He said that a friend of his was student at Cottonwood High School. His friend did not play rugby but knew a Cottonwood High student who was a member of Highland Rugby. The friend said that it was a good thing that our team had already played Highland Rugby that season because otherwise our players were in danger of suffering the repercussions of my actions which had resulted in their teammates being “kicked out of school.”

Highland Rugby has accomplished some amazing things. They raise the level of competition for our local clubs. But their dominance has also stymied the growth of rugby in Utah. Many times I was advised to get in line and follow the example of Highland to build the competitiveness of our club. Unfortunately, when I attempted to do so, I determined that it was impossible to do what Highland was doing while providing full disclosure to our school district and to USA Rugby.

Justin Barney

August 20, 2008 11:56 AM

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Point by point

It has been difficult for HR supporters to understand how I can support and admire the young men in their program and at the same time take strong issue with the import players being on the field while local boys sit on the bench.

In the next few posts I will try to be less long winded and focus on one point per post in an effort to summarize what we have learned over the past few months.

The intent of this post is to reaffirm my admiration for the hard work that each young man on the HR squad puts forward at practice and on the field. Especially those who have quietly and without complaining, sat on the bench while watching the kiwi boys on the field.

My issues are not with you, but with the well planned and coordinated annual scheme that has siphoned away countless opportunities over the years for local HR player growth and development. You have a preferential right to be on the field over the boys from New Zealand. This supersedes winning. " Its not whether you win or lose but how you play the game"

"Import players are necessary for the growth and development of local players and skills" HR

If this statement was true, after 18 years there would be fewer kiwi boys on the field and more local boys in the big games such as nationals. This would be the natural and long term organic result of a sound and grounded coaching philosophy.

But exactly the opposite has happened. HR is more dependent on the import players than ever before. In 2008 (SIX) kiwis on the main HR squad. More than in any previous year.

The kiwi boys definitely raise the level of play when they are on the field and they help to get the big WWW's, trophies and the titles. But this has come at a sad and unnecassary price. The statistics clearly reveal that the overall level of combined local HR talent has suffered. Too much leaning on the boys from down under.

With only one or two kiwi boys on the field at a time:
  • HR would still be one of the top teams in the country
  • but not the dominating 50 -100 point unstoppable machine
  • local HR talent would thrive and grow
  • Utah would have more high schools teams than any other state in the country.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Material list for goal posts

Coach Larry D in Los Angeles called about a material list for the PVC goal posts. This is for one goal post so double this for a set of two:

  • 40ft of 3" PVC DWV pipe
  • 2 -3" Santees
  • 2-3" fernco couplings
  • 2- 3x1-1/2" fernco couplings
  • 20ft of 1-1/2' PVC DWY pipe
Measurements
  • 3" uprights - 9ft 8.5 inches long
  • glue the 3 inch santee or fitting on top of this piece
  • then cut a 3" x 3ft piece to glue in the top of the santee
  • place the 3x1-1/2 rubber fernco coupling on top of this piece
  • cut a 10ft piece of 1-1/2 pipe to slide down inside the 3" pipe.
  • cut a 6 inch piece of 3" pipe and glue into the side of the fitting
  • connect one of the 3" rubber fernco coupling here.
  • cross bar is approx 16ft 10 inches long and is attached to the rubber couplings on each 3" upright.
  • pound two 6ft steel fence posts into the ground
  • stand the goal posts up and set infront of the steel posts
  • use two or three long bungee cords to fasten the PVC pipe to the fence posts. Wrap high and low. Bungee cords with plastic hooks.
  • wrap with padding to protect players from injury.
  • call me if you have any questions 435-817-6555
  • find a plumber to help you
  • he will know where to get a santee and fernco couplings

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Never say Never

Have received only one comment.
  • "HR has never broken any rules"
  • lots of pointing the finger at this and that and beating around the bush
  • "other teams have brought in foreign coaches or have a player from South Africa"
  • we get no respect...
  • "the school district caved in under the pressure"
  • But no specific answers to any of the questions
  • we shall therefore continue, that these assumptions are accurate
  • no response to why having two import players on the field at anyone time is unfair
  • the forum is public, open and we invite anyone in the know to respond point by point to the questions in previous posts.
It obviously is very very difficult for the HR faithful to wrap their minds around the fact that rules have been broken.

The Utah Board of Education did not cave in under pressure in 2005. It reviewed new information and responded based on principle, the law and what was best for the Utah tax payers. Thus their decision to not allow these young men to attend Utah public schools.

The Board's decision also clarified the mystery around visas and the paying of tuition.
  • No tuition was payed for years
  • Most of the visas were only visitors visas and not the required J1 exchange student visas.
You can try to spin this many different ways but at the end of the day the facts remain the same.

An independent third party, The Utah Board of Education, looked at this situation and shut the practice down.

Never say Never.