Rugby Practice

Run! Run! Hit him! Ruck! Ruck! No, its over - come back. OK, don't do what you just did. It might be against the rules, it might be bad form, it might be detrimental to the health of another player, possibly detrimental to your own health, it might make the ref angry, or it might just be bad karma. Next! Ready, set GO! (ooof)(HuH!)(sounds of mankind crashing into eachother at high velocity)(arms and legs manage to catch eachother)(guys push one way or another over the form of the tackled player for control of the ball)(people with a small idea of what they are supposed to be doing add mass to the confusion)(Approximately same dialog as before)(repeat several times). OK guys, thats the last one. Time for sprints. (assorted groans and breath being caught)...

In case you hadn't picked up, I have joined the GCC Mens rugby club. It seems like an interesting, fun, and extremely physically demanding sport. The only problem is, I and the rest of the new members of the team, are picking up the details of the game in bits and pieces during drills and practices.

Simplistic definition of rugby: a full-contact, heavily modified sport combined of football and soccer.
Simple definition of how to play the game: There isnt one (that I know or anyone on the team could give me).

I enjoy the practices - Its great to be able to exercise and see that my body can be forced to perform what I believed possible, and discovering my strengths and many weeknesses. Sprints, for example, are the most brutal part of practice, and the part I most hate while doing. Sample: Setup of field - 3 cones entitled 1, 2, and 3 - one cone about 10 feet from the line that the team is lined up behind, 1 cone that is about 50-60 feet away, and one cone that is hidden behind the curvature of the earth (the tall grass and short cones may have something to do with this phenomenon) "OK. Sprint to 2, Jog back" This one's not too bad. "OK. Again. Go"- "OK (pant, pant). Again. Go" - "Sprint to 3, jog to 2, jump as high as you can 20 times, jog back." - getting . . out . . . of breath . . by now - "Sprint to three, sprint back" - "again" - can't breath . . . we gotta be done . . - "sprint to 3, jog back" - at least theres some jogging to catch your breath - "Jog to 2, Sprint back" - huf huf - "back and forth to one 6 times at a full explosive sprint, touch the ground each time you get to the line" - finally! finished! yay! I can breath again! - Two minutes later - pain and breathlessness forgotten, legs feeling great, not tired or sore, moving with a long, fast stride towards the MAP Dining Hall.

As long as I am not actually running, or hitting, or being tackled at the present time, I feel as if rugby is a very fun and exciting sport. Our first game is this Saturday, and I actually hope that I won't be playing, because I still dont understand exactly how to play or what can get be in trouble! Seeing an actual game would be a big help. It is a part of a Scottish 'Heritage Festival' (or something to that effect, possibly highlander games would be another name for it) with kaber tossing, food, other scottish competitions, and stuff like that. I am planning on taking lots of pictures - it could be an interesting post about 9-10PM Pensylvania time on Saturday night. . .

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