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RFC News Archive Well well well my little droogs half the goal is complete, we made it through this first part of the season undefeated and headed to the next round the final four. Congrats to us, but the journey is far from over. I do not mean to shit on anyones parade, but face it gents we still need to work. Yes, you young cats need to hit a gym, train on your own or with a partner (not you special life partner). If my old ass is going to make an effort to walk among the physically beautiful people which hangout in gyms to look good, then so can you. I have made it my goal to get in shape for one last hurrah. My days are numbered, but most of you have a great feature if you accept the challenge and stick with the program. Drink it up on the weekend, go home with that chick that no one else will talk too even, just get to the gym. Our fearless leaders (those are those older gents on the team) should be able to hand over a training program if needed. If I hear one of you boys who still has not got body hair yet say, I dont have the time I will kick you in the teeth with a golf shoe. I hold down two jobs (nights and days) and still make the fucking effort. It maybe a shitty effort as of now, but its something. Do it for me, your real daddy. Get in touch with me and my wisdom if you want to join me and my army taking over the gym from the Barbie dolls and those sissy GAP kids is that what you kids are wearing these days? I am trying to describe those guys that might dress like T-Ball. Just fucking with you skinny. As we all notice the regular season is over, no more easy games will be found. The people we will face from here on out have accomplished what we have, they too deserve playing in these coming rounds. They are here to send us home, that aggression will not stand man! I believe when we return to the pitch The Gladiators of Lake County will be our first opponents. We beat them before, but that does not mean shit. The last two years have seen a complete overhaul in players on our side its possible for them to have the same. They will not have the aging FUR at 15 in his mini-shirt and pulled hammy, but nonetheless it will be a match. Prepare for confrontation and hostilities. On the up and less bitching and preaching GOOD SHOW this season boys. A return to glory of some sorts not a NOTRE DAME return to glory but a real one. I use to spin tales to you young fellas about the team I use to play on that was good no longer, I am proud to now spew narratives on this team. A group of rejects that are putting it together to make one hell of a team on and off the pitch. As for off the pitch activities THURSDAY practice is still ago...the venue has changed however. The new practice will held at 7 pm at the OC Buns. All is welcome. This will start NOVEMBER 16 (this is the plan as of now) I will let MAC know details so watch the web.
Cheers THE CHAIRMAN
LAST and not important: On another note, hit me up if you might be interested in kit (Warm-up pants and jacket, and maybe socks). Its just a thought; if I get enough numbers I will put this in motion and get it going over the winter so we can have them when we return to the field.
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He's a man among boys Simper enjoys time in scrum
Dave Simper is not the oldest member of the Michiana Rugby Football Club (RFC). That dubious distinction belongs to Rick Stanley -- Old Man Rick, as his RFC teammates refer to him.
"Old Man Rick is the oldest," Simper said, "and he has forgotten more about rugby than I will ever know."
But given Simper's age (52), his late arrival to the sport -- he began playing only five years ago -- and the amount of time he spends tackling opponents on the pitch as a wing forward (somewhat akin to a linebacker in football), he tends to stand out as a man among boys. 6-foot, 220-pound boys, that is...
"I became hooked after my first match," said Simper, a 1973 Penn High School grad. "The first game I played, in a (multi-game) 7s tournament, on the opening kickoff I received the ball and just got handed my lunch. That was my welcome to rugby.
"But what goes around comes around and later that day, in another game -- after a rain delay, when the field was softer -- all the stars lined up just perfectly and this young lad tried to take the ball around the outside and I basically lit him up. I got up and went back toward (the action) and he just stayed there, face down in the mud, at the touch line."
After that game, when Simper was walking off the field with a buddy, he felt someone tug at his arm and he turned around to come face-to-face with the young player he had leveled.
"He's about 6-2, about 200 pounds and I thought, 'Oh, boy...here we go,'" recalled Simper. "But he just said, 'I just want to tell you what a great hit that was.' My buddy said to him, 'Not bad for 48 years old, huh?'"
And so began Simper's foray into the sport of rugby. Simper's club, Michiana RFC -- comprised of a core group of 19-25 year-olds and a group of somewhat older professionals -- is a local team that plays in the Midwest Division III. They travel throughout the Midwest for matches, but wherever they play, one sure thing is that Simper -- nicknamed "Super Dave" by his fellow teammates -- will be a physical presence.
"My wife Christine describes me this way," said Simper. "'Dave cooks, he's compassionate, he will show his emotions, his two son's could bring him to his knees with their beautiful smiles, but don't make him mad and then get in his path on the rugby field.'"
Simper, who played football at Penn and had a brief stint playing football at Ball State, loves the game for a number of reasons.
"It's the only way I know that you can physically abuse somebody and not have to go to Anger Management classes," he joked. "It's just an all-around great game. I like the physical aspect, I like the camaraderie with the younger guys. I just wish I had started playing 25 years ago."
Aside from his love for the sport, Simper, who also helps out with the Penn Rugby Club, said he has discovered a whole community in his time with the Michiana RFC.
Rugby players "take care of their own," Simper said. They look out for one another, they network from within, hire from within the community. Simper has made great friends from being involved. He and his wife were, in fact, recently honored as God parents by a rugby friend of Simper's from Cheltenham, England.
All in the family...
And they also know how to have a good time.
"Yeah, when you're out on the field, it's a major battle. You want to win," Simper said. "Tempers fly and things happen. But when it's over, it's over and you line up and shake hands and then sit down together and you talk and you eat together and drink together."
Simper said the sport itself is a far cry from what people tend to perceive as "a bunch of hooligans running around smashing each other." The amount of agility, field awareness and stamina required to compete is enough to help any athlete, he said, improve in any other athletic pursuit.
"(University of Iowa football player) Bryan Mattison, the son of (former Notre Dame defensive coordinator) Greg Mattison, played with the Penn Rugby Club for three years and his father was nervous about him playing," Simper recalled. "But after he saw the kind of game that it was and what it helped to do for his son, he said it was probably the best thing that Bryan ever did. He actually wrote that to us on Notre Dame stationary."
Simper added that there is a sportsmanship angle to the sport. Rugby, played with 15 players per side, is managed by only one official. With 30 guys running around on the field being watched by one referee, it is easy to understand, then, why rugby is called "the gentlemen's game." It's up to the players to respect the laws of the game.
"The beautiful thing about rugby is also that it affords athletes an avenue to continue competing," he said. "How many high school athletes get scholarships in their sport and continue to play? It's such a small percentage. The season ends and you graduate from high school ... and it's over. But rugby, and high school rugby, gives players the opportunity to continue. Universities have clubs, large metropolitan cities have clubs. That last Friday night is not their last opportunity to compete."
Before each match, Simper said he also has an opportunity to reflect on his life -- a life that has not always been easy. A life in which Simper -- who lost two sons to cerebral palsy -- has continued to stay active and involved.
"Before every match I look to the stars and I tell them, 'I don't want you to enhance my performance, but just kind of look after your old man,'" said Simper of his boys. "That's my big advantage, having two angels watching over me."
Simper, a realist, knows that although his wheels are still good now, his rugby window is limited. He'll continue to play in the Michiana RFC's spring and fall seasons, and will play throughout the summer at the Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. With a perspective most could learn from, Simper spoke of the importance of living in the moment.
"I know eventually someday I'll have to put my boots away," he said. "But until then, I'm going to enjoy every minute I'm out there." By Chago ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have returned from paradise to once again take the field with a group of jokers, wise guys, pre-madonnas, and other not so interesting group of individuals that call themselves the Michiana RFC, during a 50 degree heat wave. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Michiana Rugby team is looking as it does at this time each year…shitty. I can not talk because I have not been to a practice. But I have heard through the grape vine the average number of player is six. As the season moves forward, the season will is looking like a bust once again. Not so much a bust, but rather a changing of the guard. The aging squad is slowly fading. With age, our ruggers have fallen to the spell of family. Face it boys, we are not getting any younger…look at Danny; he has gray and is losing hair by the minute. You know that times, they are changing. Dan is a father, Brian is working on number 2 (a second baby, not a duce of his own). Bill too is added to the list recently. Who is next….(LEE). It is looking so, to update those that give a shit, Lee still has a girlfriend. My twin has finally done well and not scared the young lady away. He has tried his hardest, but she refused to go. He must medicate her with some toxin from Africa that really causes mental defect. Actually she works at the Buns so it was a match that had a chance. She works there and her lives there. Nice girl, nice girl. The future of the club is now up to the youngsters. We re Fucked! To encourage everyone to play, we have raised dues. I am sure the numbers will jump as the temperature rises. I hope ND and IUSB can supply use with an extra 30 guys. Oh yeah, Fray and Bonek are starting a club at IUSB. Those crazy bastards. They will most likely be with the club through this year and look to move on next season. Mr. International, we ll miss you like a pimple on the ass that can not be reached. That s all I have for now gents, I have to get back to reality and take a nap before I eat McDonalds. Ahh, I love the two cheeseburger deal. Catch you later fuckers Chago 3-Down ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 1(Fort Wayne) This last weekend was a victorious weekend for all South Bend rugby teams. Penn H.S. and Marian H.S. both began the day with major victories over Fort Wayne H.S. The Men s club continued the dominance by putting up good numbers against visiting men's club from Fort Wayne. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 2 (Lincoln Park) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 5 (Woodsman) This weekend the Michiana rugby squad traveled to the beautiful Louisville Kentucky, home of the dueling banjos. On this trip, Michiana did something extremely strange, they traveled with numbers. On top of that, the players that traveled played the positions that they normally should play. JP (fast as lighting) was able to use his slender self as a prop, etc. etc. This game (playoff game) was set for Saturday at some weird Kentucky time I think it was 2 Indiana time and 3:52 Kentucky time. Michiana faced off against last years rival Northwest Woodsman. Prior to the game Flint faced off against Louisville and lost due to not scoring enough. Michiana arrived at there usual, whenever the hell they want, and booted up trying to redeem themselves from the prior years lost to the Woodsman. DREAM SEQUENCE (wavy lines and shit to one year ago in Buffalo NY): South Bend Rugby lost to the Woodsman due to the lack of a team. South Bend travels to New York with an eight man, a Mexican, a gimp, 40 year old rookie, and pocket full of dreams. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 6 (St. Louis) Last weekend, Michiana faced St. Louis at the Moose Grounds. I was unable to stay and see all of it, but this is what I gathered about the match. St. Louis was not too terribly strong, in fact the best player I saw at the match was the old guy that was doing all their kicking. I know that kicking can be a valuable aspect of the game, but give me a break guys. They looked like they were playing hard, giving it all they had. Michiana on the other hand looked like they were practicing or warming up. Everyone was going through the motions and doing what was expected. No real effort. Normally after a little scuffle, like Bills in the beginning of the game, we normally get a little fired up. Not in this case. Well, after watching St. Louis score an unimpressive try, I decided to abandon ship and head off to work. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 7 (Battle Creek) Last Weekend Scott G-Money took his hard core 10 guys and traveled to Battle Creek and captured a win for Michiana Rugby. As members of Michiana showed up to meet at the Moose, one by one they tried to weasel their way out of going to Battle Creek, led by their captain G-Money. Cries of, "I don't want to go, I am going to get hurt with this bunch of Lady's." Something like that. But remember, Did we give up when the German's bombed Pearl Harbor...NO. Neither did Michiana...the got the victory by scoring more than the other team...I heard that somewhere. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Week 8 (Northwest) Michiana RFC won last weekend 80-5 over Northwest Exiles in Elkhart. Lee showed off for the crowd of high school girls by scrambling for 5 tries. Thus Proving that he refuses to pass. Following suit Mr. International Fray also rumbled, with less running skill, and found the try zone three times. Other Michiana players found the try zone, but not as much. The best try of the day goes to Webmaster Bob. After snagging a kick, Bob scrambled with determnation toward the try zone as both Michiana players and Northwest players watched. He let out a madmans grunt and took off...no one tried to help him so he had to score. His try however was over shadowed by the kickoff later in the game. The Exiles constantly kicked to Bob, and most of the time he did well taking the ball up. But late in the first half, Bob fielded the kick clean, took three steps or so, whipped around like a man with a purpose, and tossed the ball over his supports head. Actually he threw the ball over the crowds head as well. Like an olympic athlete, Bob managed to toss the ball out of play and almost cleared a not so near fence. It was very impressive. Michiana played extemley well, mauling well several times to move the ball up field. The entire team showed great hands. The pack players displayed they too can handle the rock by moving the ball well throughout the match. |
Chago Chat
by Ricardo Ramirez
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