The buzz about Vikings rugby has never been better...Rugby World Cup going on, lots of interest from new players, upcoming tours and....a brand new Vikings program for girls in Seattle. Let's get Vikings rugby rolling for 2012! Join us on October 29th for our first open house of the season for new and returning players and parents. Learn about boys and girls rugby for ages 12-18. New this year is a Seattle Vikings girls team. Anyone (boys and girls) that are interested in playing rugby this next Spring season should attend this event:

-Meet the coaches, staff and returning players and parents
-Learn about rugby and our 2012 season
-Learn more about England, Wales and Ireland tour in 2013
-Buy official Seattle Vikings gear
-Watch live college rugby directly afterwards

Date: Saturday, October 29th
Time: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Where: The Brig Community Center at Magnuson Park (click for directions),
7400 Sand Point Way NE
Park Map

 

A big thanks to players and parents who came out last Friday night to Horizon View Park for our end of season party. Special thanks to the Brennans and Susan Michaels for food and location coordination. The weather even cooperated!

Seniors, good luck and keep playing rugby: Chris Aiworo, Gavin Grisham, Jack Halvorson, Isaac Kowals-Dym, Jack Moseley, Jope Motokana, Ryan Murphy, Will Romano, Kevin Smith, Nick Solimano, Levi Carroll and Colin Thal. The best news is that many of these guys will keep playing, including many at the university level including Western Washington, University of Washington, Central Washington University and the University of Arizona to name a few.

2011 Award Winners

Top Vikings
U14 – Top Viking, Finlay Bruce

U16 – Top Viking, Tony Cammarano

U19 –  Top Viking, Dylan Peppin

All Club – Top Viking, Nick Solimano (two-time winner)

Special Recognitions
Susan Michaels, Christine Widdis and Lisa Tagal (Parent Coordinators)
Julie Agel (Trainer)

Rugger Awards - understanding and embracing the culture of the sport (underclassmen only)
Kian Alden, Dylan Peppin, Tony Cammarano, Roy Forney, Phillip Hartsell, Ethan Hausman, Jacob Sands, Phoenix Tagal, Wilson Vess, Sam Bradley, Will Brennan, Finlay Bruce, Connor Miller, Tristan Mohn, Riley Halvorson and Isaac Mohn.

More tournament photos at SportsWurlz

This last weekend the Vikings traveled to the Pacific Coast Invitational Tournament in Morgan Hill, California. The Vikings finished second in the Varsity Silver competition to a strong Santa Rosa team. A few of our guys hadn’t been on a plane before or even down to California. Upon arrival, we were greeted by sunshine that would stay with us the whole weekend. After a quick lunch in Palo Alto, the Vikings Van caravan was down the 101 to Morgan Hill, just 20 minutes south of San Jose. We stayed right across from the park, just a 10 minute walk to rugby. Very convenient. That afternoon we watched some great rugby from Jesuit the eventual NorCal champs as they beat a tough side from San Mateo.

Later that evening we explored the vast dining options Morgan Hill offered and were off to bed with a full rugby day ahead of us on Saturday. This would be a proper tour with plenty of preparation, team talks, walk throughs, team meals and of course...a Kangaroo court.

Santa Rosa – in a game that was evenly matched from the start, Seattle and Santa Rosa squared off as the late afternoon winds picked up. The Vikings played some excellent rugby, moving the ball well in the backs with tries to Jope Motokana. Santa Rosa countered with a strong forward pack that worked well to convert several tries as the Vikings dug a bit of hole and despite a late try went down 24 to 17.

Pleasanton – Just two hours later the Vikings played a second match against a team from Pleasanton. After a back and forth start to the match, Seattle put in some tries with had some hard running from Jope Motokana, Gabe Evans, Jack Moseley and Nick Solimano to take the game 19 to 5.

Motherlode – after some confusion on our next opponent tournament officials arranged a third match with Motherlode on Sunday…a team from El Dorado County. Motherlode played some tough gritty rugby led by their forward pack. Seattle had some nice breaks and near tries from Matt Brennan and Michael Doquilo but just couldn’t put the game away. Nick Solimano eventually iced the game with a penalty and the Vikings were in the final with an 8 to 5 win.  

Santa Rosa (again) – a tired Vikings team faced off against Santa Rosa again on the main field with a bigger crowd. With some early tries Santa Rosa put the game out of reach…the sun, the long weekend and a large Santa Rosa squad just wore us down. Santa Rosa 24, Seattle 7.

This was a very successful trip. Our players conducted themselves (mostly) like gentlemen and received praise from teams and organizers of the tournament for their conduct and play. The restaurant on Saturday called our group the best large group they had in the restaurant in a long time. A few minor tour offenses were handled in a Kangaroo court led by Steve Brennan in the airport coming backJ

Some thank yous:

Coaching Staff – Jim Gourley, George Peppin and Steve Brennan who handled all the coaching duties, plus dinner plans, snacks for players, driving duties, airport confusion...the list goes on and on.

Julie Agel – she is irreplaceable. We kept Julie busy as she cared for a number of mostly minor injuries and helped guide everyone on nutrition, hydration and staying out of the sun. Next time you see her please thank Julie (to the point of embarrassment) for her time this last weekend and throughout the year.

Players – everyone handled themselves well, particularly our group leaders Nick, Jack and Levi who took on some extra responsibility. You set a standard for future tours.

Parents – we know there is a cost for these trips and we appreciate the support you have given us this last weekend and throughout the season. It was fantastic to see a parents welcome as we cleared security late Sunday night.  

Being a great team means looking like a great team. I have received comments from many that we have great looking, quality gear. Here is a list of what we have, cost and how to order. As a reminder all players receive rugby shorts, socks and a practice shirt with dues. We will be distributing and selling gear at our upcoming player and parent meeting on January 22nd. A big thanks to Susan Michaels for helping out here with the kit bags, if you haven't seen these they are exactly like the high quality canvas bags you see that many schools have today.

Item	Cost	Description	How to Order
Practice Shorts	$15	High quality cotton shorts to wear for practices	See Coach Wicks
Supporter Fleece Jacket	$50	Great option for those cold Friday nights on the sideline, Half zip, midweight fleece with front pockets	Contact Susan Michaels Susanmichaels1@comcast.net
Team Jacket	$50	You’ve seen them around, high quality water and wind resistant team jacket	See Coach Wicks, limited supply will order more if needed
Knit Hats	$10	Black knit hat with Vikings logo	See Coach Wicks
Scarves	$15	Black and red stripes with Viking logo. Great option for supporters.	See Coach Wicks, limited supply will order more if needed
Player Kit Bags	$50	Sturdy canvas bag with strap customized with your name.	Contact Susan Michaels Susanmichaels1@comcast.net

Thanks everyone for a great night with the Vikings BBQ. Fantastic to see everyone out!

Departing Seniors - best of luck and keep playing rugby
Brendan Michel, Tyler Rutten, Joshua Schenkman, Spencer Kleevgaard, Will Romano, Vincent Granados, Griffin Wright and Rami Mackay.

Rugger Awards - understanding and embracing the culture of the sport (underclassmen only)
Nick Solimano, Jack Moseley, Kevin Smith, Michael Doquillo, Matt Brennan, Andy Johnson, Kellan Anderson, Per Nyhammer, Isaac Kowalls-Dym, Jordan Woltjer, Cameron Mohn, Dane Halvorsen and Jack Halvorsen.

Top Viking Award Winners
U14 - Andy Johnson
U16 - Matt Brennan
U19 - Griffin Wright
All Club - Nick Solimano

Special Recognitions
Joney Springberg (Parent) and Julie Agel (Trainer)

Kangaroo Court
Dane "Deuce" Halvorsen
Griffin Wright and Rami Mackay - Cornflake Award

Hi all,
I wanted to make sure everyone had the fitness plan we distributed last night at our player/parent meeting. As we discussed, rugby demands a high level of fitness and sticking to this basic plan will not only make the game more fun, but reduce the risk of injury. The program has been specially designed for rugby. Big thanks to Greg Faherty for putting this together.

Seattle Vikings Workout

A big thanks go out for our 2009 season go out to coaches, players, parents, fans and supporters of Seattle Vikings Rugby. I think we can all say that this season wasn't easy but we have much to look forward to. At Saturday's picnic we announced our 2009 award winners:

-Most Valuable Back: Nick Solimano
-Most Valuable Forward: Griffin Wright
-Most Improved Back: Rami Mackay
-Most Improved Forward: Will Murphy

I also want to congraulate Nick Solimano for making the 2009 Loggers and the other trialists, Rami Mackay, Isaac Kowals-Dym and Alek Bjordahl. Our Lynwood contingent...you guys made a real effort to come south to learn and play rugby. Parents - thank you! You stepped in and helped wherever we needed it, I particularly want to thank Bryn and John Martin who went above and beyond here! Our trainer Julie Agel, who provided support throughout the season. Lets keep in touch, players join us on Sundays for our touch sessions over the summer. Recruit! Recruit! Recruit!

Cheers,
Craig Wicks 

 

Micky Merriam Fields at Magnuson Park is the new home to Seattle rugby. Magnuson Park lies at Sand Point on the west side of Lake Washington just north of the University of Washington and Children's Hospital.

From I-5 (coming from the North)

1. At exit 172, take ramp right for Corliss Way N toward N.E. 80th St.
2. Bear left onto NE 80th St
3. Bear right onto Banner Way NE
4. Road name changes to NE 75th St
5. Bear right onto 55th Ave NE
6. Turn left onto NE 70th St
7. Turn left onto Sand Point Way
8. Turn right into the park near NE 74th Street
9. Follow NE 74th Street into the park and take a right into the main parking area
10. Field is directly east of the main parking area

From I-5 (coming from the south)

1. At exit 170, take ramp right for Ravenna Blvd toward NE 65th St
2. Bear left (crossing Ravenna) onto 8th Ave NE
3. At 65th Street NE take a right
4. Travel on 65th Street NE 3.5 miles to Sand Point Way
5. Turn left onto Sand Point Way NE
6. Turn right into the park near NE 74th Street
7. Follow NE 74th Street into the park and take a right into the main parking area
8. Field is directly east of the main parking area

Many ask about injury rates in rugby compared to other contact sports, I have seen studies done in different parts of the world that show that rugby compares favorably in terms of injury rates to other contact sports. This is recent study done in the US that our team actually participated in.

Injuries Sustained by High School Rugby Players in the United States, 2005-2006

For additional questions regarding injury prevention or care please contact our trainer Julie Agel.

IRB - International Rugby Board, official sanctioning body of rugby.
USA Rugby- governing body and rugby union for the United States.
Washington Youth Rugby- local league, find standings and more here.
Seattle RFC- our parent club that has been in existence since 1966.
University of Washington Rugby- coached by Seattle RFC members Shawn Loudenback and Joe Rissone.
Scrum.com - international rugby news.