Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Budd Bay Email Groups

Everyone in the Budd Bay RFC community may notice a few changes on our website. We are attempting to enhance and promote communication among all our members and keep everyone informed of team events, match results and general club news.

One such change is the "News & Updates" section located on the main page of our website. This is for all announcements from the club. The next change is the "Google Group" email listserve. The adult teams have been using such a list for many years successfully. This year, we add the U19's to the Groups. All club-wide announcements will automatically be distributed to each teams email group, so no one should miss anything!

If you would like to sign up for the email group, please visit your team's homepage by clicking on one of the links above this article. You can also sign up for any of the other teams you may be interested in. If you are already signed up with YahooGroups (adult teams only), you will be transitioned to the new site in the coming months, so you don't have to do anything and you won't skip a beat!

Don't forget - you can also see what's scheduled by clicking on the Club Calendar on the upper right hand of most pages. And, as always, if you have specific suggestions for something you would like to see included on the site, let me know!

Cheers,
Dan

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Budd Bay Bandit Makes PNW Grizzly Squad

Megan Sanders, a rookie with the Bandits in her first season, has been selected to the U23 Grizzlies, the Pacific Coast's All-Star team.

This rare honor will pit Megan against some of the best women ruggers in the nation - something she is excited to take on.

"I'm excited to play at this new level and learn all I can from the experience! Thank you Budd Bay for all you have done for me, getting me ready for this amazing opportunity!" - Megan

Megan will be kitting up to play in the National All-Star Competition (NASC) on June 13-14, 2009 in Pittsburgh, PA.

"We are very proud of her accomplishments on the pitch. She earned this spot through her hard work all season. Megan has what it takes to seriously compete at the higher level. Congratulations Megan!" - Dan Smith, Coach

If you would like to make a donation to help offset Megan's travel costs, she would be most appreciative. As a starving college student, travel to the East Coast is not always that easy.

Good Luck Megan! Keep us posted!


Checks can be made out to "Budd Bay RFC / Bandits" and mailed to:
Budd Bay RFC
c/o Bandits
5702 22nd Ave SW
Lacey, WA 98503

Please indicate your donation is for player support.

Budd Bay Buffaloes Earn National Berth

Team first from state to win Northwest title

BY GAIL WOOD | The Olympian • Published May 15, 2009

Chris Cousins wasn’t sure what to expect when he took over as player-coach for the Budd Bay RFC Buffaloes, an Olympia men’s rugby club.

But Budd Bay RFC did the unexpected by winning the Northwest Rugby Division III championship, becoming the first Washington team to win the title and advance to nationals.

The Buffaloes, with players ranging in age from 19 to 46, fly today to the national tournament in Austin, Texas. They’re seeded 14th after finishing 11-2-1 for the season and will play Beaumont RFC, Southern California’s No. 1 seeded team, at 10 a.m. Saturday.

“I never expected this to happen,” said Cousins, who became player-coach a year ago. “We were in transition. Our coach stepped down last year. I stepped in, and being a player and going into a coach’s role … it was a hard dynamic to go from peer to coach.”

If Budd Bay RFC wins Saturday in the 16-team tournament, it will advance to the round of eight and play on Sunday. If the Buffaloes lose, they’ll play a consolation game Sunday.

“It’s the first time a Washington team has done this,” Cousins said. “There’s never been a team from Washington that’s made it to the national tournament for Division III.”

Budd Bay has been a regional runner-up to Oregon teams several times in the past decade. The team was formed in 1998.

“From the start, we laid it out on the table,” Cousins said. “They decided they wanted me to coach. To be honest, I don’t know how we did it. But they put up with me running them to death at practice.”

Bud Bay RFC will be the only team at nationals with a playercoach.

“With our level of talent and the experience we have, it was the best fit,” Cousins said.

Cousins, the team’s scrum half, leads the Buffaloes in scoring. He has played rugby for 17 years and has played on an Army national championship team.

Other key players include Dan Santana, second-leading scorer Mike Radasa, flanker Cody Smith, eighth man Alex Queirolo and hooker Zach Dona. The team has 36 players making the trip.

If the Buffaloes win games both Saturday and Sunday, they’ll be among the final four teams to play the next weekend in Boulder, Colo.

“Nobody expected anything from us. We’re going to surprise some people,” Cousins said.

Budd Bay RFC beat Eugene, Ore., 51-10, in the Northwest championship game last month to earn the trip to nationals.

Gail Wood: 360-754-5443

gwood@theolympian.com

LaValla named to US Men's National Rugby Team

Former Barbarian & North Thurston graduate will play against Ireland and Wales

The Olympian | • Published May 19, 2009

Scott LaValla, a former Budd Bay 2007 graduate of North Thurston High School, has been selected to play for the United States men’s national rugby team.

LaValla will play for the USA Eagles against Ireland on May 31 in Santa Clara, Calif., and against Wales on June 6 in Bridgeview, Ill.

He played for the U.S. Under-19 team in 2007 and was a captain for the U.S. Under-20 team in 2008. LaValla also was a member of the Eagles for two games in November at Japan but did not play.

Locally, LaValla has played for the Budd Bay Barbarians U-19 team and the Pacific Northwest Loggers U-19 team.

He currently is a student in Ireland at Trinity College Dublin and plays for the university’s team, Dublin University Football Club, the oldest active rugby club in the world.

In other national news, former Budd Bay Barbarian Kevin Erskine scored two tries to help pace San Francisco Golden Gate to a 48-13 defeat of the Dallas Harlequins in the USA Rugby Super League quarterfinals.

SFGG will play the Denver Barbarians next week in one of two semifinals in USA Rugby’s top club competition.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Buffaloes Win PNW Championships! (4-5-09)

Budd Bay's Senior Men - The Buffaloes - take first place in the 1st Annual PNRFU Divisional Playoff in a 51-10 victory over the Gentlemen from Eugene, OR.

Budd Bay RFC was proud to host the DIII Playoff's this weekend with all six regional teams competing for a berth at the National Sweet 16's in Austin, Texas. On Saturday, the #2 Buffaloes competed against #3 Oregon Sports Union (ORSU) Jesters in a hotly contested match. After the full 80 minutes, the match was tied, 26-26. About 11 minutes into the 20-minute overime, Trevor Anderson kicked a penalty for the game-winning points, beating ORSU 29-26 and putting the Buffaloes into the Championship match on Sunday versus Eugene OR. Chris Cousins scored three tries on Saturday, adding to the victory.

On Sunday, the Buffalo pack dominated Eugene RFC and spun the ball wide to the backs for a flurry of tries. The game ended with a try from Dan Santana, one of the club's founders, centering the ball under the posts for a victory of 51-10.

This win signifies the first national DIII berth earned by a senior men's rugby team from Washington State and the first playoff victory by Budd Bay in the 10 years our club has been competing regionally. The Buffaloes now join the Barbarians (PNW Champions 2001 & 2006) and the Steelheads (PNW Champions 2004 & 2006) as Budd Bay RFC championship-winning teams.

The Buffaloes look forward to the National Champrionships, Sweet 16's, as the #14 team in the nation. The Austin, TX tournament will be a two-day tournament held on May 16 & 17. The winners from that round will head to Colorado for the Final Four.

Scott LaValla - USA U20 Captain! (6-15-08)

Scott Lavalla, Captain USA U20 & former Budd Bay Barbarian, stands with his fellow captains at the U20 World Championships. (click for image)

Alex Goff Achievement Award (5-30-08)

Alex Goff announced his retirement as Head Coach of the U19 Steelheads. During the Annual Steelheads Awards Banquet, Goff recieved his own surprise... The first ever "Alex Goff Achievement Award", presented in recognition of his dedication, commitment and outstanding contributions to the betterment of Budd Bay RFC and to the overall development of rugby in the community. For complete text of the presentation, click here.

4-30-08 Steelheads Plaoff Recap

For the third year in a row the Budd Bay Steelheads girls U19 rugby team were denied a state title in the Washington Youth Rugby girls final, losing a close game to rivals the Kent Crusaders.

Sunday in Redmond the Steelheads made the final by beating Lynnwood 63-0. Kelsi Stockerts scored three tries, and Erica Fife and Audie Haisch added two, while Erica Legaspia, Mika Underwood, Jel Santos and Kati Barker all added tries. Ellie Linn kicked four conversions.

But it wasn't to be in the final as Kent scored two late tries to win 10-0.

"We are very disappointed," said head coach Alex Goff. "We suffered a bit from bad luck in this game and we're more than a little frustrated. But the kids worked very hard and kept at it. Kent is three-time national #2, and we beat them twice this year, just not today."

The Budd Bay 2nd side also competed on Sunday for the stat Plate competition. in the semifinal Budd Bay and Chuckanut played to a 0-0 tie, and the game went to penalty kicks. Maria Noonan's kick won the game for Budd Bay 1-0. They went on to play Seattle in the Plate Final, where Noonan scored a late try, but Seattle scored two to win 10-5.

"We wanted two trophies out of this weekend and we got them, they just turned out to be the runner-up trophies," said Goff.

Next up for the Steelheads is a trip to Palo Alto, Calif. for the Pacific Coast Invitational May 9-11.

Budd Bay is currently 13-3, having lost to BC school champs Carson Graham, the University of Oregon, and Kent

Sunday, May 24, 2009

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