HR faithful raise your voices

HR parents and players, this is your team!

When the score passes 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100 points, have the courage to raise your voice, "hey coaches enough is enough".

When the invitation comes next year to the St George Rugby tournament, and the import players are not in place because it is so early in the season, raise your voice, ............... "we want to participate and build a comradeship with the other teams and players."

When somebody suggests that the team should do the Haka a second time as an exclamation point, because your winning by 40 points, raise your voice, "this is not an appropriate use of the Haka."

My reply to an email from a former HR player

Thank you for your email. You are obviously a man of integrity. Thank you for taking the time to read my research and reach out to me.

Let know one, including myself ever take away or diminish the value and joy of your experiences. You have discovered the true meaning of sport as it transcends the score board to that feeling of brotherhood that the world in general sorely lacks. And you have felt the true spirit and mana of the Haka. Good for you!

When the opportunity arises continue to share your experiences and opinions with others. It is this type of honest communication and charity that brings people together.

I have tried to improve the tone of my blog over time. Less confrontational and more focused on win win solutions such as the self imposed limit of two import players on the field at any one time and other rugby related content such as Crossfit.

In the end all of these issues boil down to issues of the heart. I sense that you have discovered this as well.

I look forward to meeting you one day. If you are ever in St George please give me a call.

Kia Kaha

Your brother in spirit

Ra Puriri

435-817-6555

Why did I start this blog?

Four issues motivated me to start this blog:

1. The annual pounding and running up the scores on our local teams. Yes 100 to 0 was the score of a real game. Nothing justifies such outrageous scores.
2. Little to no recognition given to the import players from New Zealand. Quietly brought in, kept apart and away from the press and other players and quietly sent home at the end of the season. We know nothing, they just show up on our doorstep every year. A now busted myth.
   
3. Paul Lasike, unstoppable in the national championship game last year against United, but does not receive the most valuable player award.
4. The movie Forever Strong and it's use of my cultures Haka and Kia Kaha. The story, the record, the aura and shine is dulled quite a bit by the truth. Go and see the movie. After the movie this blog will be here to offer those who choose to read, "the rest of the story."

I will continue to add valuable rugby related contact as well.

Good News

I heard the first round of games were very competitive compared to years past. HR's A squad soundly beat the first year Lowland Club by 40 points, but Lowland did score. United A soundly beat Highland B. If someone can post all of the scores, that would be great. If this first round of play and the quality of rugby we saw at the tournament in St George is any indication of what is coming up for the rest of the season, we are in for a great and competitive season. Watch out for our two local St George teams. Although both are very new, I believe they will give every team a run for the money.

HR challenge 2009

Have more confidence in your local players. A self imposed limit of two import players on the field at anyone time gives them a strong vote of confidence. They will step up and fill the gap sooner than you think. Give them a chance!

This will never happen with 4-6 imports on the field. Like a crutch, each year your dependence on the import players grows because the local boys never get the chance to be really tested.

If not then I encourage the local union to put such a rule in place as soon as possible, under an anonymous coaches vote. I am confident that it will pass. This will immediately level the field for your own teams and protect your boys from these ridiculous, discouraging and unsportsmanlike scores of 50, 60, 70 and 100 to zero.

You do not need the blessing or permission of USA Rugby or the Pacific Coast to make such a change. Take the destiny of Utah rugby into your own hands and away from the stifling control of HR.

Do what others have been unwilling and unable to do. All it takes is KIA KAHA.

HR now a U-19 Club

5.1 Club Eligibility

a) Club must be based on a state- or nationally-accredited school that issues High School Graduation Diplomas.

b) Club must be represented by a Roster that is limited to: players that are registered students at the High School upon which the Club is based, plus players that have graduated from that High School, plus up to a maximum of five (5) special exemption players in 2009, three (3) special exemption players in 2010 and two (2) special exemption players thereafter.

c) Special exemption players are students that do not have an otherwise available high school contact rugby program, and are either home-schooled students in the Club high school district, or are students from high schools in districts that are contiguous to, or overlapping, the club district.

It appears that recent changes in the USA rugby rules now exclude HR from The National High School Club Championships. They are not based on a nationally accredited school that issues High School graduation diplomas and cannot meet the single school student guidelines.

HR will only be able to measure itself against the best U-19 clubs. Missing the opportunity to play many of the very teams in the country.

Rather than tighten up the import player guidelines, USA Rugby now allows U-19 teams such as HR to have 5 non resident and non student players. This gives a rubber stamp to a class separation of those teams with the money and contacts to import players from other countries, 2% of the teams, while the remaining teams look to their local players exclusively.

USA rugby has also ignored their own 2005 report complied by Ed Hughes, by omission, and is now condoning and encouraging the illegal and planned practice of non resident players overstaying their visas to play in the National Championships. Education, staying in school and the visa laws are not a part of the U-19 formula.

This is PROGRESS??

Perhaps someones conscience will be rattled when one of these young men is arrested, deported and not permitted to return to this country for 10 years. A moral dilemma indeed. Who makes such decisions and why?

The logic, fairness and moral rationale is beyond me?

St George Rugby Tournamnent

An excellent tournament was held this weekend in St George Utah. Six teams from Utah and one from Arizona enjoyed almost perfect weather and playing conditions. Most impressive was the numbers of young men on each squad, 50 to 90 in some cases, the fact that everyone had an opportunity to play and the parental support. Support from the Utah Rugby Union and the National Guard was very visible and appreciated.

Unfortunately our friends at HR declined the invitation to attend, because their import players have not yet arrived from down under. Sadly, another missed opportunity for their local players.

The two local teams, the St George Knights and the Snow Canyon High School Rugby Club have planted a good seed here. These two 2nd and 1st year teams were very competitive.

A few weeks ago a HR coach commented at a union meeting, "that without Highland rugby would die in Utah". This tournament proved that uninformed statement to be completely false. Rugby is alive and well and will continue to thrive in Utah with or without HR participation.

Hyde Rugby - Kia Kaha

Hyde Rugby - A New World

A great example of the positive influence that rugby can have on the lives of young men, their families and communities. In the most difficult of environments, rugby is playing a role in empowering these young men to be masters and not victims of their circumstances. They are slaying the dragons of mediocrity in pursuit of their potential, being the best that they can be.

The game, spirit and comradeship of rugby along with kind and caring coaches, teachers and parents at Hyde Charter School, remind us all of why we love this game.

It is far beyond the score board and winning. It is all about the "mighty change", family, brotherly love, teamwork, unity, courage, hope, service and integrity.

Kia Kaha

Crossfit

See this site for some excellent advice about what it means to be fit and healthy. Not for the mirror muscle crowd. Something here for everyone.

The Crossfit Prescription:

The CrossFit prescription is “constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.” Functional movements are universal motor recruitment patterns; they are performed in a wave of contraction from core to extremity; and they are compound movements—i.e., they are multi-joint. They are natural, effective, and efficient locomotors of body and external objects. But no aspect of functional movements is more important than their capacity to move large loads over long distances, and to do so quickly.