Location:
Waterfront Restaurant
4211 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Phone:     310-403-3560

Join the Santa Monica Rugby Club as we salute Stuart Krohn for his years of service and congratulate him on the growth of his ICEF program.

Cocktail “hour” will start at 6 p.m. with the show starting promptly at 6:30. All guests are welcome but please note that the roasters will likely use ribald language, racy humor, and ethnic epithets. Good times!

Attire: Semi-Formal

Menu:

• 1st Course - Butternut Squash Soup or House Green Salad
• 2nd Course - served w/ vegetabls and garlic mash. Choice of
  * Grilled Salmon in Burre Blanc sauce
  * Rib eye steak
  * Chicken Picatta
  * Vegan Pasta Primavera
• 3rd Course - Chocolate Fudge Brownie or Homemade Cheesecake

Cost:

• current players = $60
• non-players = $75 if paid in advance or $80 at the door (contact Dominic @ hero1240@hotmail.com to pay in advance)

*All proceeds above cost go toward the Santa Monica Dolphins. So make this a green holiday by coming to support Stuart and your team.

• All-Star Comedy Roast with world-renowned comics Doug “The White Sinbad” Bratcher, Kain “is Abel” Cross, Steve “Bung Nose” Bagnara, Aaron “JYD” Blatt, and more (please contact Dominic Riebli if you would like to take part).
• Doug will perform his not-so-famous rendition of the Bottle Dance from “Fiddler on the Roof.”
• Celebration of the SMRC Women’s team’s first national playoff appearance.
• Club holiday party/opportunity for the current players to meet the Old Boys and learn about the rich heritage of SMRC.

These games are an important part of Santa Monica’s continuing efforts to establish and enhance relationships with various collegiate programs.

Without going into the details at this point, suffice it to say an 8th place finish, for the squads first-ever tour, is impressive.

Thanks to all of you that supported our efforts in every way, whether it was well wishes or cash or both. We will be taking a well-deserved rest for the rest of November, get back to light training for a couple of weeks in December and then start our march back to nationals in January.

Thanks again for the support.

For Whom: COACHES and PLAYERS

Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009

Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (9:30 registration opens)

Location: Daniel Webster Middle School 11330 Graham Pl Los Angeles, CA (near Santa Monica)

Price: $30 for coaches and $10 for players

RSVP to Corrie Samaniego at rugbycalifornia@live.com

Register and Pay day of event!(Cash or Check only)

Luke Gross’ Lineout Seminar will focus on helping coaches to better coach the lineout safely and effectively; for players to understand the fundamentals of throwing, lifting and jumping; and to better learn basic offensive and defensive lineout strategies.

In the wake of Belmont Shore’s decision to drop-out of the RSL and league management’s subsequent decision to neither invite a replacement team nor adjust the league schedule, SMRC arrived at this most difficult of resolutions.

“While we absolutely recognize the superior level of competition that exists within the Super League, a team like ours needs to look at the comparative rate of return on our investments,” Team General Manager Dominic Riebli says.

“Put simply, Belmont’s exit made the RSL competition weaker while simultaneously making the Southern California Division 1 competition stronger.

“Given our limited financial resources, a growing youth program, and an influx of new or inexperienced players that require development, the membership decided that we need to consolidate our resources and focus on building and promoting a stronger all-around Club, not just a strong RSL team.

“We are grateful to the Super League for allowing us to participate in the elite domestic competition and have set the goal for re-entry in the near future.”

Parking at the NAF is now $10, so you want to avoid having to park there.

It’s homecoming weekend, so UCLA has generously offered to allow us to party with them on Friday night.  If you plan to stay past midnight, please attend to your car.

For late-comers and for those who don’t care about expensive parking (try carpooling), here’s a map.

Here are the winners:

• Energy Drink Bag ‘o’ Fun: Jen Hoffman (Carrie’s friend)
• SMRC Gear: Mike Kenji*
• $25 Hard Rock Cafe Gift Card: Harry Silberman*
• $25 Hard Rock Cafe Gift Card: Gong (Coach’s friend)
• $25 Le Grande Orange Certificate: Cort!
• $25 Le Grande Orange Certificate: Alan Nicholson*
• $50 O’Brien’s Gift Certificate: Wendy Dolan*
• $50 O’Brien’s Gift Certificate: Matt Martin (Sinner’s friend)
• 1942 Don Julio Tequila: Lexitard, how appropriate

And the Grand Prize:

2 Roundtrip Airfare Tickets: KILIAN KERWIN!!!! (Who bought 10 tickets, by the way. THANK YOU, Kilian!)

Please tell everyone who either bought tickets or donated money just how important their contribution was to our team. Traveling is expensive, and as you all know, we did not have much time to plan. Every little bit helps. : )

Our fundraising efforts for Nationals have been very successful, and it’s because of all of us. We work hard, and we play hard, and it shows when people come and party with us! I’m hoping we can continue to have events and other types of fundraisers regularly.

Now, let’s go kick ass in Houston.
-Lex

Here is the plan:

Season

The season runs from Saturday 9th January to Saturday 6th March. There are no games on Saturday 13th February because that is the special weekend, when every truly loving husband takes his wife away for a special weekend — the International Rugby Seven-a-Sides Tournament. This is the highest standard of rugby played in the United States and it is this version of the game which will be played in 2016 Olympics.

The fixture list for the 2010 season has not been released yet. Training, however, will begin on Sunday 5th December, at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center at 10:30 am and continue on Sundays 13th & 20th December and also Sunday 3rd January. This is pre-season training; people will be away, on vacation, and doing family things. If you miss a session or two don’t worry. The main thing is that when we enter the Fullerton Tournament on 16th January, most players will have an idea of what to do.

Training will likely follow the following plan:

10:30 – 10:45 stretching and warm up (for the elderly coach’s benefit)
10:45 – 11:15 first skill session and then water.
11:20 – 11:50  second skill session and then water.
11:55 – 12:25 scrimmage
12:25 – 12:30 wrap up, comments, and player review

Parents should know that both Stig and I are USA Rugby certified, and we have completed the Positive Coaching Course and the International Rugby Board Rookie Rugby Course. That means we have to keep the coaching safe, fun and to try and develop the individual player through competition. Rugby is a sport which requires the player to makes decisions on the field – our job as coaches is to encourage that.

Everybody gets to play and everybody will be subbed out at some stage.

Age Groups:

U10 plays tackle rugby but the scrums are uncontested (no pushing). Dog piles are not permitted in any version of rugby from U8 to senior rugby.

U8 plays non-contact rugby (two handed touch counts as a tackle and the player has to pass the ball.

• If you were 9 or younger on the 2nd Sept 2009, you can play U10. For girls you have to be 10 or younger on that date.
• If you were 7 or younger on the 2nd September 2009, you can play U8. For girls it is 8 and younger. 

Parents

If your child played last year and is returning, please reply letting me know. If your son or daughter is playing for the club for the first time, please send me an email with:

Your first and last name
You telephone number or email address
Your child’s first and last name
Your child’s date of birth

We can do all the tedious paperwork later.

If you are not returning, let me know so that I can take you off the email list.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me or to call me at home (310) 471 4559.

Stig and I look forward to seeing all of you again and meeting the new players and their parents.
David Edward
 

General Schedule

• Monday @ 7:15pm (Recommended - additional fee*): Track session/Fitness & Agility - This week at Santa Monica College track but going forward it will be at SaMoHi track.
• Wednesday @ 7:15pm (Optional - additional fee**): Weight session - Focus/CrossFit in Culver City
• Thursday @ 7:15pm (Mandatory - included in club dues): On-field skills session - Penmar Park (We are trying to get permitted for a different field but, until we do, we will stay at Penmar)
• Saturday @ 11:30am (Optional - additional fee**): Weight session - Focus/CrossFit in Culver City

*Track sessions are an additional cost to your club dues.  See fee details below.

**These weight sessions are an additional cost to your club dues.  Each session has a small fee for the trainer plus the monthly gym membership to CrossFit.  See fee details below.  If you’d like to attend an inital session to see if you would have an interest in participating regularly, just pay the fee for the trainer.  If after attending, you’d like to participate regularly, you’ll need to become a member of the gym.  Cost is $50 per month, which grants you full access to the gym classes, and is a discount to the regular gym membership.  For those who don’t know, CrossFit gyms operate group fitness sessions and therefore charge premium prices - usually over $100 per month - for membership.

General Info

• Equipment: Bring water to all sessions.  Cleats and a mouth piece for on-field skills.  Running shoes for track sessions.
• Club Membership forms: I will forward the membership form to you before Thursday’s practice.  Please fill it out and either bring it to practice or send it to me at hero1240@hotmail. com.
• Club Dues: This year, you will finally be able to pay your dues online and have access to an installment plan.  We will add a dues portion to the www.santamonicarugb y.com website in the near future.  I will let you know as soon as that is up-and-running.
• non-Students:
• $325 if you pay in full before January 1, 2010, or
• $50 per month for 7 months
• Students:
• $175 if you pay in full before January 1, 2010, or
• $27.50 per month for 7 months
• Financial hardship/exclusions: Gents, if you might have difficulty in meeting your financial obligations to the team, please contact me at hero1240@hotmail. com so that we can discuss it.  The Club has means for you to meet your dues requirements and will always help with work where we can.  We always want to maximize participation in practices and games and never want lack of funds to be a reason for a guy to exclude himself from being part of SMRC.
• Weight and Track sessions: Bring running shoes and water.
• Attendance: This is not a mandatory practice but management would recommend that you take advantage of these track sessions as they help you to build your overall fitness and agility.
• I know that some of you have been training on your own, and I appreciate that.  However, as any one of the attendees at these sessions will attest, you will get more out the sessions and become a better athlete and rugby player by joining us.
• Fee: $5 per session.
• I organize these sessions independent of Santa Monica Rugby Club; therefore, SMRC does not cover the cost of the session.
• Our trainer, Danny Henry, charges $100-$150 per session.  I estimate that we will have 20 guys or more in attendance.  Therefore, I’m estimating the cost will be $5 for each attendee.
• There 8 track sessions - 5 in Novemer and 3 in December.  You can pay anyway you’d like - by session, by month ($20 & $20), in bulk ($40).
• Again, if this represents any kind of financial hardship for you, please contact me at hero1240@hotmail. com to discuss.
• Structure: On behalf of the players that attend, I contract a professional trainer, Danny Henry, to work with us.  He is the consummate professional and an amazing trainer.  Danny has constructed a “Strength and Fitness Decathalon” that will help each of us to establish a base level from which to judge our progress.  We’ll do these events throughout the coming weeks.  Events include:
• 1 Mile run
• 40 yard dash
• Pro-drill
• T-drill
• Clean
• Back-squat
• Deadlift
• 5 broad jumps
• 20 yard dash
• Step-ups

THIS WEEK: November 2-6

• Monday - Track session (Santa Monica College track - 2225 16th St. @ Pico.  Parking will be difficult so you’ll likely need to park a fair distance away.  Please plan on arriving early as we do start on time)
• Tuesday, 9:15pm - Women’s team last practice (Penmar Park - 1233 Rose Ave @ Penmar)
• Wednesday - Weight session (Focus/CrossFit - 9000 Washington Blvd @ Robertson)
• Thursday - On-field skills session (Penmar Park)
• Friday - Scrimmage @ UCLA (North Athletic Field)
• Here’s my rec for parking: Park at the lot on Broxton @ Weyburn (1010 Broxton Ave, 90024-2804).  It’s $3 and open till midnight.  From there, walk north on Westwood or Gayley to the North Athletic Field.
• Parking at the NAF is now $10, so you want to avoid having to park there.
• It’s homecoming weekend so UCLA has generously offered to allow us to party with them on Friday night.  If you plan to stay past midnight, please attend to your car.

Gents,

We are proud to report that our Old Boys squad began this year’s campaign with a 20-10 SMOG (Santa Monica Old Guys plus friends) victory over the Central Coast Fossils at the 7th annual “Battle of the Bone” over-40s match at Elings Park in Santa Barbara.  Our undersized forwards, led by none other than Mick “The Great” Clarke, secured plenty of possession and allowed us to move it out at will to our backs who showed very strong handling skills and pace.  Our defense was aggressive, making consistant tackles, and creating a bit of turnover ball as well.

Our first score came when we had several phases, advancing the ball to their 22.   Velios Kodmichalos, youth coach and hooker, won a big ruck, that gave us quick ball to our #10 Julian Chaubell (of the Jaguars).  He showed his class in beating his opposite number to score an uncoverted try.

Our second score came in a similiar situation where the flow was going to the right and numerous phases. None other than Buddha called for a dog runner to the left, reversing the field.  He created some space with a step and then dragged the next defender into score.  It was uncoverted.

Our third score came from quick ball at the break down.  It was a brilliant display of backline play where every man with a “teened” jersey touched the ball - Paul Chung, Rodrigo Lacruz, Raminder Sandhu (having moved from flanker).  Toa, fullback from Riverside, put it down into the corner.  John Ruud showed some strong kicking by converting it.

Our final score came late in the final period we were driving on the opposition again when the ref called a penalty to us.  Kilian took the initiative and tapped the ball and took off.  The opposition was not back ten and they attempted to horse collar our captain.  As he tried to shake him off, their #9 jumped in and landed two of the weakest right hands that I have ever seen.  Fistacuffs at an old boys game–HOO RAH!  Kilian showed poise and a Marciano type chin.  We got the penalty and John Ruud nailed a beautiful strike to give us another 3 points.

Great game and loads of fun, with SMOG bringing the trophy home to Santa Monica.  Man of the Match goes to the Mick “The Great” Clarke for his powerful running on the 8-9 takes, running over and through bigger opposition, thundering tackling, being at every breakdown, pillaging possession and leading in front of the team.  Good job, Mick!

Adam