Coaching Announcements

Hello,

Hopefully you are in the middle of a wonderful holiday season! As we wrap up the year, I'm excited to announce that the coaching appointments for the upcoming season have been finalized!

As you may have heard, Budd Bay Rugby has been working hard over the last few months to shift our coaching paradigm from a single head coach per team, with occasional assistant coaches, to a more flexible "pool" of coaches. The idea is that Budd Bay will ultimately have a large number of coaches who have all be trained in the same coaching style and can, on any given day, coach any of our teams to success. This change was spurred by a lack of coaches across the board, along with a desire to see a consistent coaching style from all of our team leaders. This shift means that we no longer have head coaches, but rather have a team of coaches, some of them focussing on particular teams.

Heading up our new coaching staff is Pete Sullivan. If you have any questions about coaching, or desire to be one, please email him! He would love to get you involved in our program.

And now, the coaching assignments for the 2012-2013 season:

Buffaloes (Senior Men)
Pete Sullivan
Phil Northcraft
Parrish Preston

Bandits (Senior Women)
Coach to be assigned
Assistants:
Marion Kaye (Pnut)
Erika DeLeon

Barbarians (Youth Boys)
Trevor Anderson (U19)
Mike Smith (U17)
Assistants:
Dan Conklin
Mike Radassa
Eddie Haigh
Matt Beagle
Aaron Turcotte
Pete Sullivan

Steelheads (Youth Girls)
Quigg Davis
Jeff Markoff
Marion Kaye (Pnut)
Erika DeLeon
Jen Horne

If you see a coach, please give them a warm thanks for committing to spending hours and hours during the cold, dark, wet evenings, along with their Saturdays, to help our players excel! And if you are at all interested - we really need more coaches! Not every coach can make every practice, so we are always looking for more hands helping to ensure fun and safety had by all

Saturday's a Rugby Day

There may not be any rugby games right now, but +Budd Bay Rugby Football Club's second annual holiday party is tonight! We look forward to seeing you all at this great fundraiser supporting our vision of owning our own fields.

There are a lot of great activities this evening including:

• Updates on our progress towards purchasing a piece of land
• A raffle with all sorts of amazing prizes
• A silent auction where you can get some truly great deals on items generously donated by both club members and community organizations
• Beer & Wine tasting
• Gear Sales
• Left-Right-Center - a game where you could walk away a big winner!
• Food!

Many of you will remember last year's event where we raised over $2,500 to support the development of our own field. We hope to at least match that again this year - if not double it! Of course, we won't be able to do that without your support, so don't forget to bring your donations! We will be accepting Cash, Checks and Credit Cards, and since we are a 501C3 organization, all your donations will be tax deductible. Receipts will be available upon request.

Saturday, December 22nd, 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Once again, generously hosted by the LaValla's:

4537 Foxhall Dr NE

Olympia, WA 98516

See you tonight!

Saturday Fitness Postponed

Budd Bay Players,

With the holiday season upon us we will suspend the Saturday Fitness sessions until Saturday, January 5, 2013.

We will send out a reminder in the new year.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

2012 Budd Bay Rugby Holiday Party!

We hope you can make it!

Come join us for an evening of fun, food, drinks and games. Learn about our club, Vision Fund progress, and have some good laughs with club supporters like yourself!! Your donation includes tickets for craft beer & wine tasting and two raffle tickets for some great prizes.

Also, be prepared to bid on some high quality prizes during our silent auction, to close at 9:30 p.m., and put on your gamer hat for some fun rounds of Left-Right-Center, a fast-paced game that hopefully triples your money!

All donations benefit the Club's Vision Fund, which is dedicated to the purchase and development of club facilities to serve our youth and adult teams, and provide a central place for all our members to connect and enjoy rugby. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted at the event, or you can donate online in advance.

Many thanks to our prize donors, including:

Anchor Bank

BonJour Cupcakes

Colwyn Bay Rugby

Great Wolf Lodge

Lacey Ultimate Fitness

Puget Sound Energy

Scatter Creek Winery

* If you are interested in donating an item or service for auction or raffle, please let us know. *
The more goodness we have, the better the fundraiser!

Help us build a home for Budd Bay Rugby!!

Coaching Staff Announcement

BUDD BAY RFC COACHING STAFF ANNOUNCEMENT

Budd Bay Players, Parents and Supporters,

This coming Wednesday I am making a recommendation to the Board that relates to the 2013 Budd Bay Coaching Staff. This recommendation is based on our existing senior men’s coaching staff and volunteers who have applied for the 2013 youth seasons. We are still in the process for identifying and announcing a coach for our senior women’s team.

This season we have asked volunteers to apply for coaching positions within our club. We realize all our coaching staff are non-paid volunteers, but we strive to put the most dedicated, committed and knowledgeable personnel into positions that best fit their skills. The result of this effort will bring the maximum benefit to our players. Some volunteers have indicated that they can only commit a specific percentage of their time, and we appreciate any time that any volunteer can give. Other coaches are committed 100% to the season. Based on commitment levels, tactical experience, technical experience, communication skills, cultural development, planning and preparation skills, we are determined to develop a collaborative coaching staff whose goal is to provide a consistent coaching style and standard across all of our teams. Our philosophy is based on developing a coaching staff instead of head coaches and assistants. Obviously specific roles will be absorbed by coaches that are fully committed to all practices and games and their skill set fits those of our club’s needs.

Our goal, as a club, is to provide the tools to enable all our coaches get to the highest coaching level possible. This has an immediate impact on the skill level of our players. We have decades of coaching experience within this squad and we are already working as a group to share, collaborate and implement new coaching techniques. Some members were recently involved in a 3 day coaching clinic where one of the most respected coaching directors from New Zealand presented the latest coaching philosophies that are employed by the best teams around the world. The enthusiasm within this group is incredible. They are extremely eager to get the season up and running.

Our club is recognized, locally and nationally, for the large number of players that have gone on to earn State, All-American and National level honors. This is a direct by-product of the coaching standards that we expect our coaches to uphold.

We appreciate your commitment and support to our club, and at the youth level would like to personally thank you for the opportunity to have a positive impact on your child.

If you are interested in becoming a member of our coaching staff please contact me, any official member of our club, or go online and fill out a volunteer application.

Please feel free to contact me via email at peteandrachelle@comcast.net or phone (360) 485-6629 (cell) if you have any questions.

Fitness Saturdays

Coaches and Players,

Please note that our newly instigated Saturday training sessions have a new location, due to the soggy grass at Capital Lake. Join us at Olympia High School, in the parking lot adjacent to the football stadium. We will meet at 10:45 am to stretch, fitness from 11:00 - Noon. All coaches and players are encouraged to participate!

SAVE THE DATE - Holiday Fundraiser

Budd Bay Rugby Football Club is pleased to announce the second annual Holiday Fundraiser! Many of you will remember last year's event - great food, raffles, rugby discussions, and over $2,500 raised to support the development of our own field!

This year's event promises to be just as fun, with food, drinks, games and auctions filling the evening. We hope all of you can make it - so be sure to save the date:

Saturday, December 22nd, 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Once again, generously hosted by the LaValla's:

4537 Foxhall Dr NE

Olympia, WA 98516

Please stay tuned for the official invite with further details, but for now, mark Saturday the 22nd on your calendar as an evening of great fun!

Loggers News for the Holidays

A quick announcement before we all head off to Thanksgiving activities! Please join me in congratulating Brett Woods on being invited to the 2013 Loggers 7s squad! Brett will join an incredibly select group of 20 other players vying for a spot to represent the entire state of Washington in the International Elite High School Division at the Las Vegas International 7s Tournament! It's great to have Budd Bay Rugby represented on this squad, and we wish Brett all the best in the upcoming months!

In other news - join us at tomorrow's board meeting if your'e interested in finding out more about what's going on with the club at the executive level, or want to help out in some way. Round Table Pizza in Hawk's Prairie. 6:30 - 8:30 pm. See you there! And of course, stay tuned for more details about our upcoming Holiday Fundraising extravaganza!

Finally, I'd like to wish everyone in the Budd Bay family a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Whether you're eating, spending time with loved ones, eating, shopping, eating, doing some other wonderful activity, or even if you're just eating, have a great time doing it! And what better way to counteract all that eating than getting outside and throwing a ball around a bit!!

2013 Loggers 7s Pool, complete list:

1. Luke Portillo, Chuckanut
2. Aispeli Leua, Liberty
3. Titi Lamositele, Chuckanut
4. Brett Woods, Budd Bay
5. Brian Nault, Shelton
6. Kenny Williams, Chuckanut
7. Wiatt Vasey, Chuckanut
8. Wilson Vasukilakeba, Seattle
9. Philip Hartsell, Seattle
10. Anthony Fleck, Chuckanut
11. Dawit Workie, Seattle
12. Ian Wright, Liberty
13. Michael Doquilo, Seattle
14. Ty Candler, Liberty
15. Jonny Reid, Chuckanut
16. Blaze Yetter, Chuckanut
17. Will Brennan, Seattle
18. Zakir Butte, Eastside
19. Sam Olney, Chuckanut
20. Scott Dean, Liberty
21. Matt Brennan, Seattle

-Kyle

Rugby on TV

Now that the Buffaloes have wrapped up for the fall (with an impressive 6-0 record!), you may be looking for a bit of rugby on the telly! Well, even though our seasons are on haitus, Budd Bay continues to ruck on with our very own Scott LaValla representing the USA overseas. In case you missed Scott leading the USA to victory last week against Russia, be sure to catch him and the rest of the Eagles take on Tonga tomorrow! You can stream the match live online.

USA VS. TONGA - NOVEMBER 17TH:
Eirias Park
Conwy County, Wales
6pm GMT /10am PT/1pm ET Kickoff!
Watch Live on USARugby.org or IRB.com!
Watch on Universal Sports at 5 pm

If good rugby wasn't reason enough reason to watch, Colwyn Bay Rugby Club, in Conwy County, Wales (hosting the match), is proudly displaying some Budd Bay Rugby paraphernalia!



Enjoy the match - and stay tuned for announcements on our upcoming annual holiday fundraiser!

Buffaloes Win, 52-0

At two games in, the Budd Bay Buffaloes' season is off to a stellar start! Coming off of last weekend's 100-10 home win against ORSU, the Buffaloes' headed down to Battleground, WA for their first away match of the season. Despite Saturday's early fall sun adding a lot of heat to the action, and several close attempts by Battleground, all the scoring was done by the men in Blue and Gold. Tries from Joel Swenson, Taylor Briscoe, Tyler Norton, Jonathan Thomas, Nick Mckenna and Antonio Sitama all added to the final total of what was a very well played match.

Some other news for the week:

We need coaches! You don't need to have tons of free time, or rugby experience, to help fill this void! Parents, Old Boys, Old Gals, Old Friends, New Friends, etc, if you're available for even an hour a week, we could use your help in guiding our teams toward success. With over 100 active players, 4 or 5 coaches just doesn't cut it any more. If you're at all interested, please contact our Coaching Director, Pete Sullivan, for details. And again - no experience is necessary!

We need volunteers! Are you looking for a great cause to support? Perhaps you're a high school student who needs to find a fulfilling community service project? Or someone who just feels strongly about helping out others in need through rugby? As you may recall, Budd Bay Rugby has partnered with Helping Hands Noramise to sponsor a youth rugby team in Haiti. There are a number of projects that we need to tackle in order to get this program off the ground. We estimate this could take an individual about 2-3 hours a week, but the more the merrier! Please let Dan Smith know about your interest.

We need youth! Our inaugural season of the Rookie Rugby program was a huge hit last year - and we want to keep that momentum going. To that end, we'd love to recruit some some of our Barbarians and Steelheads - especially Juniors and Seniors - who are interested in helping support this great after-practice event. This is another volunteer opportunity, not to mention a superb resume builder! Of course, we need a few adults as well, so don't let age stop you from volunteering! Please follow up with Dan Smith or Trevor Anderson for more information.

And finally, membership registration is open for players and supporters. If you are a supporter and are interested in joining any of our teams for social events, be sure to sign up for the Social Membership, at only $75.00. Where else can you find such a deal for free food and drinks at all socials for a year? If you'd just like to keep up on club events and help support the club, sign up for a Supporter Membership for only $35.

Keep up to date! Read the minutes from the last BBRFC Board Meeting

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Buffaloes, Vote for your Favorite Eagle!

I hope you had a great summer, and are ready to get back into rugby full tilt now that the first tournament is behind us! That's right, last weekend the men competed against a number of D2 teams, and played fantastically! They had two wins and a tie - no losses - to finish 3rd overall. A really great effort for these guys playing up a division. As for divisional play - that kicks off this weekend, at home! The Buffaloes will be hosting ORSU at Rainier Vista at 1:00 pm. Join them on the field, and at their social afterwards at Cheers.

Membership registration is open for players and supporters. If you are a supporter and are interested in joining any of our teams for social events, be sure to sign up for the Social Membership, at only $75.00. Where else can you find such a deal for free food and drinks at all socials for a year? If you'd just like to keep up on club events and help support the club, sign up for a Supporter Membership for only $35.

Hit Register Online below for all the details.

And finally - show our favorite national player some support! Scott Lavalla, a former Barbarian and current USA Eagle is one of several players up for some recognition. And as of right now - he is the leading vote getter! If you have 10 seconds to spare, go to this web site, look in the upper left, and vote for your favorite USA Eagle abroad: http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com.

Coaching Director, Senior Teams Registration

One of the most important aspects of our volunteer organization is our coaching staff. Without them, we'd have a bunch of athletes running aimlessly around, kicking balls into the road, and otherwise causing havoc! The time and effort put in by our coaches is enormous, and it seems only appropriate that they receive all the assistance that we can provide. To that end, the board is please to announce the creation of the position of Coaching Director.

The coaching director will oversee the coaching staff, provide technical and logistical support, and work to develop a larger base pool of available coaches. To read the full description of the position, check out the Director of Coaching General Responsibilities and Job Description. And if you are interested in the position, please apply using our Volunteer Application, and plan on attending our next board meeting on Wednesday, August 15th at 6:30. We will be making a selection at this meeting, so all applications must be recieved prior to that meeting.

In other news, Registration of the 2012-2013 for the Buffaloes and Bandits, as well as the Supporter Membership, is up and running. You can register here. If you registered last year, use the same log in and password, most of your information has been saved!

Finally - I will begin transition from the President's account to the Secretary's account shortly. We will try to monitor the President's email account, however, until the club has a President, responses may be slow or missing altogether. Of course, if you are interested in the position, PLEASE attend the upcoming board meeting!

Looking forward to a great upcoming season. And I hope to see some of you at Lowes in Lacey for the Barbarian's Car Wash today!

AGM this Sunday

Final reminder (unless I send another one tomorrow) - Budd Bay Rugby's Annual General Meeting will be held this Sunday, from 1-4 pm, at the meeting room at Cabela's. You can order lunch and bring it in to the meeting room if you'd like.

We have a lot to get through - so please be prompt! Some of the items we will be covering include:

• Season Wrap-Up
• Changes to the By-Laws
• Increases in Dues
• Awards
• Election of new Board Directors

Rumor has it that there may have been a glitch in the Matrix and not everyone received notification. So please spread the word and make sure all your friends know to attend!

Vote, Projector and Cabelas

Don't miss out on your last chance to vote! The Budd Bay Brother and Sister are given out to the single outstanding Male and Female who best exemplified the spirit of Budd Bay Rugby over the year - based on your votes! Click here to vote. Deadline for voting is 7/11, so get them in before it's too late!

Does anyone have a projector that we could borrow for the AGM? We've found a location, and it comes with a screen, but no projector! We'd like to save on printing costs by projecting the materials instead of printing out packets.

As for the location - the AGM will be at 1:00 pm at the conference room at Cabelas. That's right - you can get lunch, drinks and any fishing supplies you might need all while helping to set the course for the future of Budd Bay Rugby!

See you there!

Reminders and New Info

One week until the AGM! I hope everyone is planning on attending. I've run into a little hick-up on the location, so please bare with me while I sort that out. I promise to provide at least an hour's notice...

Of course - the date hasn't changed - next Sunday, July 15, from approximately 1-4 pm (contingent on location availability!).

There will be a lot of important items discussed at the AGM, including:

• new Buffaloes season schedule, 
• new RugbyWA registration requirements, 
• changes to the structure of the board and the bylaws, 
• changes to the Dues policy, 
• budgets for the upcoming season, and
• election of a new President and other officers.

We need your feedback - and more importantly - we need the assistance of volunteers to step up in to these roles!

A few other items to wrap up this gorgeous weekend we just had:

Barbarian Garage Sale Fundraiser:
Barbarians are having a fundraiser garage sale on Sat, July 21st at:
1220 Devon Lp NE, Oly

Donations will be accepted starting 7/17. Contact Della Durr at mom4jo@comcast.net for more info.

Interested in being a host parent?
If you are interested in hosting a Japanese student, please see the following request for help:

I am writing to you in hopes that Budd Bay Rugby might be able to help us with an urgent need for volunteer host families for students from Okinawa. The Okinawa Times Newspaper and Compass USA are bringing 60 teens from Okinawa to Olympia July 23 to August 20 and we are still in need of 7 more volunteer families to host these amazing kids and their adult escort.

In the past rugby clubs have been very open to hosting students. Would it be possible to check with Budd Bay members to see if anyone would be willing to open their hearts and homes to one of the student below?

The students participate in English classes and activities Monday-Friday from 8-5 at the United Olympia church. They would be with their families in the evenings and on weekends. We ask families to simply make the student a member of their family for the few weeks they are here. No need to make special plans. Although families are volunteers, we do provide a $40 per week stipend to help offset the cost of food for the student. Families can host for either 2, 3 or 4 weeks, whatever works for their schedule.

Any help you could possibly lend would be greatly appreciated.

Hina is 13 years old. She is from Ginowan City and has two older brothers and a dog. Her hobbies include playing violin and she belongs to a tennis club. Her favorite subjects at school are English and PE. She hopes to become an interpreter one day. She is looking forward to visiting an American shopping mall.

Riho is 14 years old and has a 10 year old sister. She loves to sing and hopes to be a singer one day. She wants to improve her English so that she can write songs in English. Her hobbies include playing the piano,volleyball and tennis. She is looking forward to making American friends.

Nanami is 15. She is looking forward to making lots of American friends. She enjoys going to the movies, shopping, cooking, listening to pop music and watching soccer.

Rinna is 13 years old and she has a 9 year old brother. Her hobbies include singing and playing the drums. She likes to play badminton and watch baseball. She is looking forward to learning about the American culture.

Haruka is 14 years old and has a 10 year old brother and a 16 year old brother. She loves ballet and practices every day, while also studying hard at school. She likes listening to classical music and plays the piano. She also enjoys swimming, soccer and baseball. In her spare time she likes doing puzzles, shopping, cooking and going to movies!

Ayane is a cheerful humorous 15 years old boy. He is looking forward to improving his English skills and learning about the history of Seattle. His hobbies include baseball, playing piano,going to the movies and cooking. He enjoys listening to classical, jazz and pop music. He wants to be a doctor in the future.

Escort: Eita Matsudo is a kind 40-year-old junior high computer teacher who lives in Okinawa with his wife and 2 sons. He is chaperoning the group and he enjoys studying English and overseeing his school's karate club. He also enjoys movies, reading, and surfing.

Thank you so much for your help.

Local Coordinator

Audrey Edwards
360-790-8822
aedwards93@yahoo.com

Annual General Meeting

Next up in our busy summer schedule is the Annual General Meeting, or AGM. This is our year-end meeting where we address some of the bigger issues that are facing the club, enact new policies, and vote on new board members. Look for a more detailed agenda coming out next week, however, there will be some important topics discussed such as changes to the number of board members, increases in the dues, and elections of serveral new board members (including President!). So, if you're interested in having input on any of these items, please plan on attending! The AGM will be on Sunday, July 15th, at 1:00 PM. Stay tuned for a location.

PLAYERS: Its time to vote on the Budd Bay Brother/Sister. This award is given out to the single outstanding Male and Female who best exemplified the spirit of Budd Bay Rugby over the year - based on your votes! Click here to vote. Deadline for voting is 7/11, so get them in before it's too late!

20th Annual Tatunka Sevens Tournament Wrap Up

Another great Tatunka Sevens Tournament has come and gone!  Despite the gale-force winds, runaway tents and shattered goal posts, all who were there can once again attest to a grand event.  In the end, the club made over $2,800 - one of our best tournament fundraisers in a long time!

I would like to thank all the teams who attended:

Men's Competitive	Men's Open	Women's Open
Beach	Del Ray	Breakers
Oregon Sturgeons	Eastside	Del Ray
Pacific Rovers	Ft. Lewis	Mudhens
Portland Pigs	ORSU	ORSU
Salem Spartans	Shelton	Portland
	Tacoma	Tacoma 1
	Valley	Tacoma 2

And those who were instrumental in coordinating, setting up, running booths, cleaning up, taking down, etc:

Mary Shero - Tournament Coordinator
Dan Smith	Joel Swenson	Nick McKenna
Matt Carrithers	Dan Dillashaw	Amy Carrithers
The Barbarians helping with Concessions
The Buffaloes helping with Setup, Takedown and Clean Up
The Evergreen State College

And now - on to the results! A big congratulations to our winners:

Men's Competitive	Oregon Sturgeons
Men's Open	Del Ray
Women's Open	Seattle Breakers

We're already making plans for next year (June 8th, 2013), so keep your calendars marked and we'll see you on the pitch!

Next up is the Annual General Meeting (AGM) - coming up on Sunday, June 15, 2012.  Remember - lots of big things happening here - perhaps one of the more important AGMs that we've had in many years.  We will be electing new board members, including a new President, modifying the bylaws, increasing dues, setting budgets for the upcoming season, etc.  Please plan on attending!

-Kyle

AGM

What a great Spring season we had! Congratulations to all who made this year so successful - continuing our tradition of State Champions, Runner Ups, and National Qualifiers. While we should all take a breath and pause for a few moments, there is still news to share.

The Sevens season is about to get under way - contact your coach if you're interested in knowing more. However, the news today pertains to our upcoming Annual General Meeting. Per our club's Bylaws, the AGM will be held on the third Sunday of July (7/15). The AGM has several focuses, and a complete agenda will be sent out in advance, but one of its main purposes is to elect new board members. This year there will be a number of positions needing to be filled, so I want to give everyone time to think about how they can help serve the club.

The first position open for election will be mine. I have decided, after 4 years on the board and 2 years as President, that it is time to focus on my family (play time with a 9 month old no longer constitutes listening to him while I sit in front of my computer!). Effective August 1st I will step down and the newly elected President will take over. I have agreed to remain available for a time to help transition the new President and/or other new Board members.

Our Secretary, Lena McKown, will be stepping down as well after several years of service. She stepped up and filled a hole without any intentions of it being a long term commitment, and has stuck with it, providing all of the wonderful Board Meeting Minutes that you review each month!

Our Junior Team Representative, Dan Smith, will also be stepping down. Most of you know Dan due to his 6 or 7 or 8 or 32 (I'm not even sure anymore) years filling just about every position on the Board! Dan will be consolidating his focus to the Vision Fund, where he will be continuing his good work in helping us secure our own fields.

The Vice-President, being a position that is currently not filled, is also up for election, and per our By-Laws, the Members at Large are voted on annually.

That was the long version... The short version is, the following positions need to be filled by some of our wonderful volunteers!

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Senior Team Rep
• Junior Team Rep
• Member at Large 1
• Member at Large 2

I hope each of you are able to thank Dan and Lena who have spent many many many hours over the last few years serving on the board, helping to ensure this club operates smoothly. We will need people to fill their shoes! If you think you may be interested, please reach out to any of the current board members for more information, or plan on being at the AGM.

Again, a more detailed agenda (along with time and location) will follow, however, here's a sneak peak at some of the items we plan to address:

• General Reports by Director
• Dues Increase?
• Bylaws Modification - Change Board Structure
• Community Service Events
• RugbyWA, PNRFU and PCRFU changes
• Awards
• Elections

There will be more!

If you can get over the excitement of all that, here's what's coming up in the future:

The 20th Annual Tatunka 7's Tournament will be held on June 9th at The Evergreen State College. This promises to be an amazing event - each year seems to be more pulled together than the last - in no small part to our Tournament Coordinator, Mary Shero. Feel free to shoot her an email if you'd like to get involved, and of course, you can register online.

That news, of course, means that the Sevens season is starting. Practices will resume shortly for those interested in Sevens, with details on the tournament schedule being worked on. Check back on our website for info on the start of the season.

And that's not all - stay tuned for details on the Annual Rafting Trip, Community Events, Fundraisers, and more. This won't be a quiet summer!

-Kyle

PS I want to thank our Fields Coordinator, Rena Carlson, our Senior Team Coordinator, Jennilyn Franklin, our Treasurer, Savannah Parker, and our Members at Large, Mark Baca and Tom Cusack, for their continued work on the Board, and commitment to remaining on the Board next year. Its great to have continuity along with fresh faces!

End of one Season, Start of the Next

Hello,

The end of the 15s season is upon us! The Buffaloes wrapped up their year last weekend in Chula Vista. Despite not advancing, the Buffaloes walk away knowing that they will always be the first and only Pacific Coast Champions from the Pacific Northwest!

I want to thank every person who contributed to their trip down south. Due entirely to your generosity, the Buffaloes were able to raise ~$2,500.00 for their trip in three short weeks! This allowed us to supply vans and hotel rooms to the team at no cost - ensuring all were able to travel down. Once again, the rugby community's generosity is staggering, and makes me proud to be a part of the organization.

Speaking of travel - both the Steelheads and the Barbarians will be traveling this weekend. They are heading up to Chuckanut for the RugbyWA State Championships. If you're able to head up with them - I know they would love your support! Many thanks to the coaches and parents who have worked hard to arrange accomodations, meals, travel, etc to make the trip work. Go Bay!

And speaking of generosity - Budd Bay was mentioned in The Olympian today in conjunction with our adventures at Wolf Haven. You can read the story here. Clearly they appreciated our help as much as we enjoyed being able to give it - and we are looking forward to more partnership with them in the future, as well as some other great events coming up at the end of the summer (stay tuned!).

And finally - as a reminder, all agendas and minutes from our club Board Meetings are posted online. If you want to know what the latest discussions are about, feel free to review (or come to a board meeting!). Links to both are available here.

If you can get over the excitement of all the latest news, here's what's coming up in the future:

The Alumni game/Vision Club Fundraiser/Barbarians Team Banquet - Details are still being fleshed out, but the match will be in the early afternoon on May 26th at Rainier Vista. This will be a fundraiser - there will be a small entry fee to try your luck against the current Barbarian squad. Good luck!

The 20th Annual Tatunka 7's Tournament will be held on June 9th at The Evergreen State College. Again, still working out the details, but it promises to be an amazing event - each year seems to be more pulled together than the last - in no small part to our Tournament Coordinator, Mary Shero. Feel free to shoot her an email if you'd like to get involved, and of course, you can register online.

That news, of course, means that the Sevens season is starting. Practices will resume shortly for those interested in Sevens, with details on the tournament schedule being worked on. Check back on our website for info on the start of the season.

And that's not all - stay tuned for details on the Annual Rafting Trip, Annual General Meeting, Community Events, Fundraisers, and more. This won't be a quiet summer!

-Kyle

Car Wash, Kettle Corn, Schedule, Alumni Match, 7s

Isn't this time of year exciting? So much going on in the world of Rugby! Here's your weekend update:

Last week I saw a number of you out getting your cars scrubbed clean by the Buffaloes. And I mean SCRUBBED! They took my very dirty brown truck and made it yellow again! In case you missed your opportunity, the Buffaloes will be holding another car wash on Sunday, starting at 9am, at Cut Rate Auto Parts on Pacific Avenue.

But wait - it gets better! What could make a carwash better, you might ask? How about some fresh Kettle Corn? That's right, one of our own Buffaloes will be selling Kettle Corn at Cut Rate Auto Parts on Saturday and Sunday, from ~11-5, and all proceeds will benefit the Buffaloes' travel fund.

Flavors include:RegularCarmel CornLime AttackRugger's Blend

Can't make it to Cut Rate Auto Parts but still want some Kettle Corn? I can feel your pain. But don't worry - we have a solution. You can either order some up over the phone, or print out an order form that will be available from our website shortly. You can order all week long. Until we get the order form online, call Crazy Poppin at (360) 786-6366 to reserve your bag.

For those of you who have chosen to help them out with a donation, thank you so much! I'll be sending out tax-deductible receipts shortly. If you're still interested, you can do so on the Buffaloes' website - www.buddbayrugby.com/buffaloes.

The Steelheads are playing Rainier Plateau this weekend, 2pm kick off, at White River Alternative School (27515 120th St E, Buckley, WA 98321‏). This will be their final away game before the State Championships, so help them bring home the season with a bang. And don't forget - the Steelheads are home next Friday for their final home match, so if you haven't had a chance to watch them yet - mark your calendars!

The Barbarians have their final league match this Saturday against Seattle - in Seattle. If you're in the area - give them some love! This will be a great last tune-up before the State Championships.

Upcoming Events:

If you check the webpage regularily you may have noticed two new upcoming events added - the Alumni game/Vision Club Fundraiser/Barbarians Team Banquet, and the 20th Annual Tatunka 7's Tournament.

That's right - TWENTY YEARS. This is one of the longest running annual tournaments in the Northwest - and we host it! Find out more about the tournament details at www.buddbayrugby.com/super_saturday. And stay tuned for updates about the Alumni Game/Vision Fundraiser/Barbarian's Team Banquet - info will come. For now, set aside May 26th, starting at around 11. It's going to be a blast!

-Kyle

This weekend

A few items for the weekend:

The Buffaloes will be holding a car wash on Sunday, starting at 9am, at Cut Rate Auto Parts on Pacific Avenue. Help the men pay off their plane tickets, hotels and van rentals while getting your car clean at the same time! The weather is supposed to cooperate, should be a great day to start your Spring cleaning.

For those of you who have chosen to help them out with a donation, thank you so much! I'll be sending out tax-deductible receipts shortly. If you're still interested, you can do so on the Buffaloe's website - www.buddbayrugby.com/buffaloes.

The Barbarians have their final home match of the year at Rainier Vista - come support the boys as the take on Eastside. There will be matches throughout the day.

I believe the Steelheads are away this weekend, but if you can travel with them, I know they'd love to have your support.

Finally - you should all have your gear by now (with a very small exception who I will be emailing shortly). If you're missing gear that you thought you'd ordered, got an extra T-Shirt (we're missing two!), or want to see about what is still available (some team T-shirts, beanies and scarves), let me know.

Stay tuned for further excitement as the season starts to wrap up!

-Kyle

Pac Coast Champs!

Two weekends ago the Buffaloes went to Bend to defend their Pacific Northwest RFU championship title. Sadly, they came up a little short against Bend in the Final. However, second place earned them a trip to the Pacific Coast RFU Championships last weekend.

Their first matchup on Saturday was against the top ranked team from Northern California - Bay Area Rugby. This all-Somoan team came out strong, and Budd Bay battled hard all day. At 79 minutes the score was 15-15, and things looked to be going into overtime. However, on the final drive of regulation time, Budd Bay dotted down to win. With the conversion, final score was 22-15.

In the final, Budd Bay showed renewed confidence and beat Modesto 44-19. This resulted in Budd Bay winning the Men's DIII Pacific Coast Rugby Football Union Championships - the first time any team from the Pacific Northwest has ever done so!

The next time you see a Buffalo, be sure to congratulate them on the phenomenal level of play exhibited last weekend, both on and off the field!

The Buffaloes now head to Southern California for the USA National Championship Sweet 16s. They will be kicking off a few fundraisers in the next week or two to help earn some travel funds. As you might imagine, a trip to Southern California takes a fare amount of coordination and money.

I hope that when the fundraising gets announced you all can spread the word to your friends and neighbors. The more people chipping in the more we can help out our traveling ruggers.

If anyone would like to be preemptive with a donation, they can do so on the Buffaloe's website - www.buddbayrugby.com/buffaloes.

Congrats to the Buffaloes!

And of course, while the Buffaloes will be away for their next matches, the Barbarians and Steelheads still have a few games left. Be sure to check out the club calendar and get out and support them!

-Kyle

Steelheads vs Stingers

The Steelheads played the Shelton Stingers in Shelton on Sunday and came away with a 10-5 win. It was a hard fought game on a soggy field on a sunny day. Shelton’s try came in the first five minutes of the match, after that the Steelhead defense shut down the Shelton backline attack. Megan Johnson, scrumhalf, scored the first try from a five meter penalty late in the first half. The teams were tied at the half. Christa Cushon scored the other try in the second half on a breakaway run when she came up from fullback position to join the backline. The entire team played a very physical game, working hard to win the breakdowns and keep Shelton backs under pressure. A well deserved win for the girls. Next week the Steelheads will be at home against Chuckanutt – kick off at 1 p.m. at Rainer Vista. We hope to see you all out there to support these hard working young women!

Ref Certification

Hello,

Please see the following email from RugbyWA. If you'd like to be more involved in local rugby while earning some cash at the same time, this is a great opportunity for you!

-Kyle


RugbyWA Member Clubs,

As you probably already know, we are in desperate need of more referees to cover the growing number of rugby matches played each weekend in Washington.

The few available referees that we do have are already being spread thin across the state refereeing everything from D1 men's club rugby to U16 HS matches (including some new referees that were certified in January and are already gaining valuable experience in high school league matches).

So, in partnership with the Kent Crusaders RFC, the Pacific Northwest Rugby Referees Society has scheduled another Referee Level 1 Certification Class for Sunday, March 25th, at Kentwood High School.

Attached is an announcement that provides all the details.

This is important...please send this announcement to your local rugby community. Two great groups to recruit are old boys and college players.

Click here for more infomation.

Cheers,
Steve Chanfrau |President |Rugby Washington|253-691-3566
Growing rugby. Developing community.
steve@rugbywa.org|www.rugbywa.org

This Weekend

Hello,

The rugby season is in full force this weekend. Get on out and support our players!

The Barbarians travel to Chuckanut with games begining at 12:30. Fancy a trip? Head north and help them ramp up their defense of their State Title!

The home season begins tomorrow with the Buffaloes welcoming Coos Bay to Rainier Vista. Kick off at 1:00 pm. The Buffaloes look to top their 45-0 victory last weekend, and your support would help.

And finally, the Steelheads will be playing at Rainier Vista on Sunday. Their season debut promises to be exciting, and the weather is threatening to cooperate!

I look forward to seeing you at the pitch this weekend.

In case you missed it (which is likely, since I forgot to post it), here is the Buffaloes' match report from last weekend.


The Buffaloes traveled to The Farm to play ORSU this past Saturday. At kickoff the skies were overcast, and over the course of the game the Buffaloes experienced every type of precipitation. This made for extremely muddy field conditions. In spite of this, the Buffaloes came out hard from the first whistle.

While the play was a bit sloppy due to the mud, the Buffaloes' great rucking earned them two tries before the whistle. Due to their skilled rucking and great defensive performance, the score was Budd Bay 10 and ORSU 0 at the end of the first half.

In the second half, the Buffaloes came out with a vengeance adding seven more tries on the day. Even better though and for the second consecutive game the Buffaloes' punishing defense kept their opposition out of the try zone. The men's hard work resulted in a big win, and the tally at the final whistle was Buffaloes 45-ORSU 0.

The Man of the Match was Aaron "little T" Turcott. Other try scorers were: Joel Swenson, Nick McKenna, Jonathan "Shorty" Thomas, Chris "Cuz" Cousins, Antonio Sitama, Taylor Briscoe, and Griffin Boudia.

This week the Buffaloes have their home opener at Rainier Vista Park in Lacey, Saturday at 1:00pm when they take on Coos Bay. Come out and support the Buffaloes to victory!


-Kyle

Rookie Rugby and Gear Orders

Hello,

Rookie Rugby is here! Gear orders are here!

Another email full of great information, so don't stick it straight in the trash!

Rookie Rugby

Trevor Anderson, one of the Barbarian coaches and club founder, has been heading up an effort to bring Rookie Rugby to Budd Bay. As of today we are officially opening enrollement! This great program will allow youth 12 and under to spend more than a month learning about rugby and developing ball handling skills. The details are:
- Practice Tuesdays and Thursdays at Bush Park, 6pm-7pm, beginining April 3rd and running through mid May
- Matches on some Saturdays, schedule to be determined.
- Enrollment includes USA Rugby CIPP, Size 4 Rugby Ball, Budd Bay Rugby T-Shirt, Rugby Socks and non-contact rugby training by our certified coaches.
- Enrollement cost is $65. BUT WAIT! Register by 3/15 and recieve a $5 discount. AND... Register 2 or more family members and receive another $5 discount!

Participants do NOT need rugby experience - just a desire to have a great time and learn about the sport. Register now! Just follow the links for Rookie Rubgy Players. Feel free to email info@buddbayrugby.com if you would like more information.

Gear Orders

Is your Budd Bay Rugby shirt looking a little tired? In need of a BBRFC Kit bag? Order forms are ready. I will be delivering order forms to coaches at practice tonight - so if you're at practice be sure to grab one before you leave. If you're not at practice (or you managed to misplace your form...) you may print one out here.

Forms must be returned to coaches by 3/6/2012. This is a fast turnaround - but we want to get those orders going!

Items available for purchase include:
- Club T-Shirts with team logo on back
- Club Sweathshirts
- Beanies
- Scarves
- Boxers
- Umbrellas
- Kit Bags

If you cannot make it to practice but are still interested in ordering gear, go ahead and shoot me an email and we can work it out.

-Kyle

Jammin for Haiti

Hello,

Previously, I sent out an email discussing how Budd Bay would be working with Helping Hands Noramise to bring about some positive changes in Haiti. Today, I'm pleased to formally announce that Budd Bay Rugby will be working to sponsor a Rugby team in Haiti.

We will be kicking off this effort tomorrow night (Fri, 2/17) at the Jammin' for Haiti event at Traditions Cafe.

Why are we doing this?

When Budd Bay RFC was founded, one of its principle tenants was to give back - supporting community outreach efforts throughout the Puget Sound. Rugby provides a strong foundation for our players to join a community and grow, both physically and mentally. Encouraging our players to give back helps us ensure that we are giving our players the best possible chance to develop into quality human beings, as well as quality ruggers.

This sense of community, of support, of reliance on one another is an essential principle of rugby, and is an area that Haiti needs to continue to develop.

So bringing Rugby to Haiti seems the only logical next step! In a country where the sport is all but non-existant, we can help grow the game we all love, instill rugby values into the Haitian community, and foster an atmosphere of global awareness and giving within our own organization.

What is Jammin' For Haiti?

A small group of Haitian women formed a collective to make and sell jars of jam. They were working together - as a team - to succeed. Unfortunately, they were robbed (by their own treasurer no less). This left the women without any income, and further entrenched a belief that teams cannot succeed - that everyone must think about themselves.

This event on Friday is intended to raise money for these women. The money will not be a handout to replace what they've lost, but rather, a chance to help them continue to develop a strong business model that will allow themselves to be successful in the long run.

Budd Bay Rugby will be there in force - Traditions Cafe will be closed so we're providing refreshments (there will be snacks as well), some silent auction items, and some logistical support. There will be other organizations donating items, along with music and fun people.

Come on out, support these women, and help us start our effort to create a global rugby club!

What does it mean to sponsor a rugby team?

Budd Bay will be working on several different approaches. Ultimately the goal is to provide equiptment - balls and boots - for youth in Haiti who are interested in participating. Currently, players play barefoot, or share sneakers. Other goals include providing meals for players, and educational materials.

This is intended to be a long term project - we don't expect to have full teams up and running in Haiti in a few weeks. But the options are endless - who knows - one day we might send a squad of players to Haiti to play against our international partners!

This sounds fun, how can I help?

Join us on Friday! Talk about ideas, meet the people involved, help us plan!

Used cleats are great - have gear that's a size too small? We're going to be collecting it over the next few months.

Financial donations are always appreciated, you can do so now at http://noramise.org/donate. We'll be working on getting our website set up so you can donate through our page too.

And let us know how you'd like to be involved! Got an idea? Want to throw your hand in? There's so much potential here - it will just take a few interested individuals to turn this into a phenomenal success!


-Kyle

Haiti Relief Effort

In keeping with its charitable history, Budd Bay RFC is pleased to announce we will be partnering with former Budd Bay RFC immortal, Rosedanie Cadet (many of you may remember her as former women's coach, former Steelheads coach and just about everything all-star in rugby), and joining with Helping Hands Noramise (HHN) to help bring about some positive goodness in Haiti.

Following the tragic earthquakes that rocked the tiny island nation, Rosedanie began working with small communities in Haiti to help rebuild - with an eye on sustainability and empowerment. Read more about Rosedanie and her efforts here: http://noramise.org/our-story

Two years ago, Rosedanie asked for help to bring rugby to youth in the communities she was working with. We were happy to help, giving HHN a handful of balls and t-shirts. Little did we realize, rugby was non-existent in Haiti - and the youth are craving more rugby. Through our partnership with HHN, Budd Bay RFC will sponsor an international side to help spread rugby and our love of the game across the seas. Through rugby, we hope that the communities working with Rosedanie will find more unity and strength to empower the redevelopment of their home.


JOIN US this Friday, from 7-10pm at Traditions Cafe for music, a silent auction and door prizes. If you can't make it, but would like to make a donation, please visit http://noramise.org/donate, or contact Rosedanie via email (rosedanie@noramise.org) to contribute your gift for the silent auction. The more prizes the better! Hope to see you there!

Match Report

Hi!

The Buffaloes started off the second half of the season this weekend with a trip south to face the Portland Pigs. It was a perfect day for rugby thanks to all the Bandits, Friends and Family that made the trip to support the Buffaloes. However, the field conditions were less than perfect when the field quickly turned to mud which made life hard for the forward packs from both sides.

It was a hard fought contest from the first whistle. Portland scored on several kicks from penalties. The Buffaloes managed to put together a couple of great moments of phase rugby, resulting in a try from Johnathan "Shorty" Thomas, and a great run by Eddie Haige, dotting down between the posts. The half ended 15-6 Budd Bay.

In the second half, it became clear that it was the first season match after a long break as errors plagued both sides the game. While the Buffaloes kept the Pigs out of the try zone all day, Portland was still able to convert on several more penalties. The penalty kicks were enough to bring the score to 15-15 at the final whistle.

The match may have ended in a tie, but the team knows where they fell short and look forward to a good week of training for their match against Kitsap this upcoming weekend. Eddie Haige was named Man of the Match for that great run in the first half.

Nice work fellas and nice work supporters for making the trip. We look forward to the Spring matches coming up!

-Lena

Wolf Haven

Hello,

As many of you may have heard, following the Jan 2012 winter storms, local wildlife conservation organization, Wolf Haven, appealed to the community for help to address the $50,000 worth of damage they experienced. Falling limbs damaged enclosures and remote cameras and made quite a mess throughout the grounds of the Tenino-based international organization dedicated to the conservation of wolves.

Dan Smith had the inspired idea to mobilize an army of ruggers to help Wolf Haven get back on track, and last weekend each BBRFC Team volunteered ruggers to lend a hand in the storm clean-up.


Not only did the Club make a difference for another member of the local community, but over 50 Budd Bay Directors, Coaches and Players worked hard alongside each other - moving in unison toward a common goal - a true rugby unit.

"Ruggers are my new favorite people!" one Wolf Haven staffer said.

(Click the image for more pics!)

The wolves also recognized the effort - thanking them with song upon arrival both days, and bidding them farewell on Sunday.

Today I would like to thank each of the individuals who went out and dedicated a part, or all, of their weekend for this volunteer activity. It's great seeing everyone leap at the chance to be so selfless - and shows an amazing promise for the future of Budd Bay!

You can read a little more, and see a lot of pictures, at our new web page dedicated to Budd Bay's charity efforts - www.buddbayrugby.com/giving_back. And stay tuned for our next event - Jamm'n for Haiti Charity on February 17th!

-Kyle

News Updates

Hello,

I have a number of exciting items to announce - it's been a great week for Budd Bay Rugby! I know this one's a little long, but there was so much good stuff happening that I couldn't contain myself! And now, in no particular order...

Please join me in welcoming Wes Hillman as the new head coach for the Bandits! Wes has been with the club as a parent for quite a few years, and has agreed to take it to the next level as head coach. While Wes has many years of coaching other sports, this is his first foray into coaching rugby. For any of you old hands out there, this would be a wonderful opportunity to get out and return to the sport we all know and love! I'm sure Wes would be more than appreciative to have some assistant coaches to help him out. Even if it's only a few times a month - some of that rugby experience would be a great boon to the women! You can contact Wes at wes.hillman@buddbayrugby.com if you would like to get involved.

Erika DeLeon has agreed to return to the role of Bandit's Team Manager. She'll provide a single conact point for the women, helping to coordinate the many tasks that are needed for a team to have a successful season. Erika will need lots of assistance from her teammates - so ask her how you can help out! She can be reached at women@buddbayrugby.com.

We have a new board member! Jennilyn Franklin was appointed at the last board meeting as the new Senior Teams coordinator. This is a much needed position that has been covered primarily by Dan Smith (our Youth Team Coordinator) over the last few months - it's great to have Jennilyn take over. The Senior Team Coordinator is the primary contact between the adult teams and the Board, as well as the indivdual responsible for making sure players are registered, payed, in good standing, etc. Both the Bandits and Buffaloes will be hearing more from her in the future as she gets up to speed. Jennilyn can be reached at seniorteams@buddbayrugby.com.

I am very pleased to announce a new partnership with KBA Bookkeeping! Towards the end of 2011 the board decided that due to our high turn-over of Treasurers, increased costs for fields, equiptment, etc, and increased possibilities of making our long term dreams a reality (owning our own fields - and the costs associated with them), finding a professional bookkeeper was an import step to take. Our goals for the new bookkeeper revolve around constantly being aware of exactly how much money we have on hand (and how each team is meeting their budget) as well as easily being able to maintain our 501c3 status. After much research, we discovered KBA Bookkeeping, and were very impressed with both the services they offered and the manner in which they provided them. To top it off, KBA Bookkeeping agreed to provide bookkeeping services at an extremely reduced rate - making it possible for us to work with them. We are looking forward to continuing to build on this partnership to provide the club with the best financial accounting available.

In consideration of our club's roots as a charitable organization, Dan Smith has begun arranging several events coming up soon. You should have already received an email about these events, but in case you didn't, please email Dan Smith at smithe@buddbayrugby.com. Coming up first is a service day at Wolf Haven - needed due to the more than $50,000 worth of damage brought on by the recent storms. Get your name in now to make sure you are a part of this great event.

Finally - if you're a registered player you will be recieving a link soon to sign in to TeamStream - our new tool for player communication. I strongly encourage each person to sign up for a few reasons. The first is the ability of the coaches to communicate out from one central point - reaching out to you through email or cell phone if you'd prefer. And second, update your profile for the online roster! That's right, team rosters can now be found online. Go to your team's home page and click on the "Think you recognize a friend? Here's the roster" link. If you're all paid up your name will be there, and your pic if you so choose. If you're not paid up - now's your time to do so!

OK - I think that's enough good news for one day. Please help me welcome these individuals to their new roles in our rugby community, and look forward to more good stuff in the coming days and weeks!

-Kyle

Weather Updates

Hello,

I hope everyone made it through the storm safely, and has their power back!

Due to the weather, last week's board meeting was postponed. The board meeting will be held this Wednesday, January 25th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Round Table Pizza in Hawks Prairie. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Presuming the projected windstorms next week don't knock out more power, practice will resume on Tuesday at 6:00 for the youth teams and 6:30 for the adults.

Stay safe out there!

-Kyle

Practice Cancelled

Hello,

Due to the road and field conditions, tonight's practice at Skyhawk's Park has been canceled. Steelheads - please look for further information from Coach Quigg, I believe he has something planned for you all. The remaining teams - look to resume practices on Tuesday, 1/24.

Feel free to help me spread the message! Text your friends, post on Facebook, etc. Let's make sure no one is sitting at the park in the dark tonight!

Please have a safe remainder of the week!

-Kyle

Need Some Gear?

Hello,

Hope you had a great holidays!

This is just a quick note for those of you looking to do some post-holiday shopping for the upcoming season.  Schmetzer's Sporthaus, an athletics goods chain, is looking to expand into rugby!  They are adding rugby supplies to their stores and are offering Budd Bay players a 15% discount for the month of January!

It's great to have more local options, and Schmetzer's Sporthaus is looking forward to a long-term relationship with Budd Bay Rugby.  Their nearest branch is in Tacoma, so if you need some gear for this January, it's now only a short drive up the road!

For more information, including store locations, visit their website: http://www.soccerspecialists.com/.  Note that mostly they display soccer gear; lets show them the demand for rugby gear is strong!

Be sure to tell them you're with Budd Bay Rugby so you can get that 15% discount.   

-Kyle