Buffalo Nationals

This past weekend the Budd Bay Buffaloes and their loyal fans went to Austin, Texas to represent Northwest Rugby! The men's team played two matches in the sweltering Texas weather, which is not ideal climate for a Northwestern Buffalo. They played super hard - they should hold their heads high and all of Budd Bay is very proud of the efforts of our Buffaloes. Here is an overview of both matches.

Saturday v OMBAC
The match kicked off at 1:20 PM. Eight minutes in, the game is underway the boys are on fire (both literally and in spirit). The referee is blowing the whistle and there are a few early penalties. The match is a quarter of the way through and the score remains 0-0. Budd Bay gets a yellow card for a high tackle, and immediately following, OMBAC scores 7. Budd Bay turns this around when Joel Swenson intercepts a pass and returns 90m for a try! Ryan Cole converts making the score 7-7. However, a determined OMBAC turns around and converts a try, score 7-14. The second half was less eventful for Budd Bay. Due to a lot of whistle blowing and some penalties OMBAC takes the match 25-7.

Sunday v. Dallas Area Rugby Club (DARC)
The match against Dallas kicked off at 9:15AM. Just three minutes in Budd Bay is testing DARC in their Red Zone. It works! Chris Cousins bust through the line to make the score 5-0! DARC brings it right back and scores a converted try. Just keeping it even steven, Budd Bay's Pat LaValla makes a quick run across the try line and Mike Radasa lends a hand by converting! Score 12-7. Dallas then scores, no convert, making it 12-12 at the half. DARC scores again but Budd Bay is not deterred.Mike Radasa makes a 15m run and gets Bay 5, and Ryan Cole converts making it 19-17. And just to make the point Bay scores again when Radasa passes to Swensen and Cole converts with another great kick! DARC gets scared and desperately comes back with two tries giving themselves a one point lead. Budd Bay gets a penalty kick in the last minutes of the game. But, the kick is off by just inches and DARC wins 27-26.

Congratulations again to the Budd Bay Buffaloes! We are so looking forward to your next season. But, do not worry rugby is not finished. Our teams will start 7's training next week. Don't forget about the 18th Annual Tatunka 7's tournament happening June 12th. Mark your calendar! And if anyone is feeling generous there are opportunities to volunteer at the tournament. If you are interested please contact Lena: secretary@buddbayrugby.com. Mary Shero, a Bandit, has stepped up to make sure the tournament happens. She needs a little help!

Barbarian Playoff Update #2

While are men are hard at training to prepare for the national playoffs, our boys had another fantastic win up in Buckley this past weekend to continue their march toward a State Championship. And what an exciting win it was... down 19-5 at the half, our Barbarians knocked it up a notch and played strong rugby to overcome Rainier 38-26 at the final whistle - WAY TO GO BOYS!

Our U16 Barbarians had an equally impressive day, taking on the boys from Seattle and overpowering them 7 tries to 2. Teamwork in action...

This Friday the U19’s have the final playoff game in the round robin series. If they win this, they will compete for the championship... Good luck Barbarians!!! We're all rooting for you!

So, if you happen to be looking for some rugby action this weekend - head on up Kent and cheer our boys on. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:30pm in Kent at 7330 S 234th St (98032).

Barbarian Playoff Update

Congratulations to our Barbarian U19s who beat the Valley Joey's in the first round of playoffs last weekend. Despite a quick score in the first two minutes of the game, the Barbarians were challenged to a close match for a full 80 minutes. At the end of the first half, the Barbarians scored twice to stay on top 15-7. The Joey's answered midway through the seconf half to narrow the gap by 5. When the dust settled, our Barbarians were the winners, 15-12, and will coninue on to the next round. Justin Henry bagged 2 tries and David Allen scored one.

This Saturday, the U16s and U19s will be playing up in Buckley, WA. The 16s will play Seattle at noon and the U19s kickoff against Rainier at 1:30pm. Good luck Barbarians!

Being Successful Isn't Easy!

Being successful isn't easy! Rugby is a tough sport - you train hard all season long, so you can play hard with your teammates and win games. You commit to your team and are there every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, again, working hard so you can help your team make big plays and win big matches.

Then, after a long, hard season, your team has won enough to qualify for the Regional Playoff's - and you and your team play hard once again. Blood and sweat stains your jersey, your body aches from days of continuous battle on the pitch. When the final whistle blows, you emerge victorious with your team - cheered on by all the fans yelling your name and the "Budd Bay" chants begin anew. Your team has reached it's goal - to be the best, together. Almost. There's another match right around the corner...

When a full side has to travel to far away and exotic locales, such as San Jose, CA or Austin, TX - the costs really start to make being so successful on the pitch challenging. But never impossible.

We need your help. Our players need your help. Every little bit will go along way in helping our players achieve their goal of being the best rugby team in the country, and representing our club and community on the National scene. Our men have earned high honors as the #1 Pacific Northwest team and have a very realistic shot at the #1 slot in the USA! Our Steelheads have returned from California victorious and are looking forward to the opportunity at a shot at the National title.

I am hopeful that our wide network of rugby players, supporters, family and friends can help our teams realize their full potential. Player costs can be as high as $500 each to travel. I know times are tough for everyone right now, but anything will help. $20, $50, $100 or even $500 - whatever you are able to donate, will help our teams and less fortunate players be a part of what they have worked so hard for all season. If every member of Budd Bay and our extended family donated just $20, that would make a world of difference.

So, I ask you, can you help? Can you donate in support of our players and help us all achieve the dream of being the best rugby club in the USA?!?

If you can make a donation, please mail a check payable to Budd Bay RFC to the following address:

Budd Bay RFC

5702 22nd Ave SE

Lacey, WA 98503

If donating online is easier, please go to:

http://www.buddbayrugby.com/dues.php

Immediately following the membership options, there is a button for donations to the club.

I thank you. Our players thank you. Together, we can all be part of something bigger and really make some noise in the rugby world.

Cheers,
Dan

Budd Bay RFC President

Budd Bay Champions all around!

This weekend was an unforgettable one, as our Buffaloes won their second PNW DIII Championship title 55-12 over Corvallis RFC from Oregon.

The weekend began with a heated match against Portland. The scoring started early with a try and conversion, then a pair of well placed penalty kicks by Ryan Cole. Portland fought back, bringing the score to 13-6 at half time. With two players serving time in the sin bin at half, Portland put five more points on the board to cut the Buffalo lead to 2 at just three minutes into the second half. Never giving up, the Buffaloes came back hard adding three converted tries to seal the semi-final win over Portland, 34-14. Ryan had two more conversions in the second half, complementing tries by Alex Queirolo and Taylor Briscoe. Dan Conklin added the final points, converting a try from Mike Radasa in a beautiful kick from the sideline.

On Sunday, the Buffaloes kept their heads high and played tough rugby against Corvallis. After a quick try in the first five minutes by Jake Dixon, strong defense by Corvallis kept the Buffaloes at bay for the next twenty minutes, when an overthrown ball was picked off by Dixon once again, dotting down 20 meters for the try. The momentum shifted in Budd Bay's favor, with 28 points scored in the next following ten minutes to close the half, 41-0. Tries in the first half included a truly team-made try initiated by Captain Paul Borneman from the 50m with four touches to finally being brought over the line by Paul. Taylor Briscoe, Mike Radasa and Jake Dixon contributed to the first half score, with conversions by Ryan Cole and a penalty. The second half was contested by Corvallis, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit and hard rugby played by the Buffaloes. Fullback Jesse Fox and Winger Matt Beagle contributed the tries, with Mike Radasa converting, to end the match 55-12.

And, once again, the Buffaloes take home the trophy as 2010 DIII PNW Champions. Congratulations Buffaloes - a long, hard & undefeated season ending with some well deserved hardware.

While there was a lot of excitement at home this weekend, the intrepid Steelheads were in California representing the PNW at the Pacific Coast Invitational Tournament. After beating two tough opponents on Saturday, the Steelheads competed in the final for the tournament title and WON! 25-5 was the final score of the tournament final and the girls came home with the trophy and well deserved honor. Congratulations girls!

The last league match of the season for the Barbarians was this weekend, ending in a 5-5 draw against the Griffins from Yakima. They look forward to the double header this weekend at Rainier Vista Park and the start of the playoffs for the boys. If you're looking for some good rugby action this weekend, be sure to come out and support the Barbarians. The first match kicks off at 1pm.

Buffaloes End League Season 13-0-1!!!!!

With the final blow of the whistle last Saturday, the Buffaloes earned a final victory against the Gentlemen from Eugene, 30 - 15. This victory was lucky number 13 for the Buffaloes, to end their stunning season undefeated - a first in Buffalo history. The Buffaloes solidly secured their 1st place seed heading into this weekend's DIII PNW Championships in Bremerton.

The winner of the DIII PNW Championships will take the #3 seed for the National Championships next month in Austin, TX. The Buffaloes need all your support this weekend - if you can make the trip to the tournament hosted this year by Kitsap RFC.

The Buffaloes first match kicks off on Saturday at 2pm, against Portland - the Buffaloes lone tie on the season. If you can make the event, get ready for a great weekend of rugby. Directions to the pitch can be found here: DIII PNW Championships, Bremerton, WA (reminder, traffic on I5 is expected to be heavy due to construction, we recommend taking the route up 101)

If you're looking for action a little more local... our Barbarians are taking on the U19s from Yakima on Saturday at Tumwater Middle School on Littlerock Road, kickoff at 1pm.

Last Friday, the U169’s took on Liberty in SeaTac. The game was played in the right spirit and both teams displayed a high quality of rugby. Budd Bay held the lead at 5-0 at half-time through a try by Steven Malapeai. Liberty came out much stronger in the second half, scoring 3 tries in the second half to run out winners 24-5. The match was much closer that the score indicated. The coaches were very proud of the effort and attitude that our players displayed. It was very refreshing to hear the players comment how much they enjoyed the game and how much fun they had playing. Our 16’s are a very young squad, but the future looks very bright for this group of fine young men.

While our men and boys are staying close to home, our Steelheads are on their way to California to represent Budd Bay in top fashion at the Pacific Coast Invitational Tournament. They worked hard all season and have earned another invite to the prestigious tournament. Congratulations Steelheads!

Good luck to all our teams this weekend!

BBRFC Presidential Nomination Committee

Hello all,

As most of you know, Dan Smith will be stepping down as President of BBRFC in August, after many years of leading this club. Dan’s service, commitment, guidance, drive and support have been phenomenal, and will be greatly missed. One of the things that Dan has been working on is assuring that the transition to new club leadership goes as smoothly as possible. Along those lines, Dan has commissioned the board to create a Nomination Committee, tasked with nominating a President, as well as other board positions that need to be filled. I have agreed to coordinate this effort.

Whether you have been involved in the club leadership or not, you have no doubt been impacted by Dan’s involvement. Our next President will have that same impact on Budd Bay Rugby. The leadership of the club determines the coaches, fields, practice times, dues, player policies, budgets, and more, and the President sets the tone.

The Nomination Committee will be responsible for seeking out potential candidates, and then vetting those candidates. The Committee’s recommendations will be presented to the club members at the AGM at the end of July. The Committee will most likely not need to meet regularly, as much of the ground work can be done through email. While the time commitment will be small, the impact a Committee member will have on the club will be enormous.

If you are interested in the direction our club will take in the next few years, would like to help shape the qualities needed in our club leadership, or are simply want to give back something to the sport you love so much, the Nomination Committee is the place for you! Some of the roles of Committee members will include:

Determining which board positions, in addition to President, need to be filled.

Defining the job descriptions for those positions.

Reaching out to players, parents, supporters, and other members of the Budd Bay Rugby community for nominations to fill those positions.

Reaching out to community volunteer groups and other external resources to find qualified candidates.

Compiling a list of interested and willing candidates.

Creating questions to ask those candidates.

Interviewing the candidates.

Selecting individuals to nominate, and presenting those nominations to the club members at July’s AGM.

I am asking that anyone interested in being on this committee email me in the next two weeks. Note that I will be out of town, so will not respond immediately, but I will contact all interested individuals when I return. Please send me an email at fields@buddbayrugby.com by 4/30/2010.

A few notes:

Being on the Nomination Committee does NOT disqualify you from running for a position on the board. In the event that a conflict of interest arises, you will be asked to recuse yourself from relevant discussions.

If you know of someone who might be interested, but does not receive club emails, please pass on this opportunity!

I do not anticipate this being an overwhelmingly time consuming job.

I do anticipate this being an incredibly important point in the club’s life – and your participation will have a profound impact on the future of Budd Bay Rugby.

In the event that an enormous number of individuals indicate their interest, we may limit the number of committee members to help facilitate an efficient process (we only have 3 months!). All interested members will be notified of the next steps at that time.

Thank you for your interest in the future of the club!