"Obscure" Sports

Two obscure sports: Rugby and Arena Football

Many of you know that I am in love with the game of rugby. It seems lately that it has really just become more and more popular in the United States. I am finally getting settled enough here in St. Louis to join a club and start playing. This weekend I am going to Nashville, TN, for a huge tournament called "Nash Bash." We'll be playing 2 games over the weekend and the coach has promised me all the minutes I want (obviously I want all 160 minutes!). He even said that I could play Fly-half, which he said they are in desperate need. I think I can play that position, since I played 8 seasons there for WPI. I just bought new boots for this season and they are pretty snazzy. They even match our uniform (which I didn't plan). They are Canterbury's and are black with red and white stripes across. Another cool thing is that they are made of kangaroo leather which is great for kicking. Last night I found The Rugby Channel on the Internet and I am going to get to see over 250 matches of the next year (most of this summer!). The Rugby World Cup is also coming this fall and should get national coverage in the US.

Well, after this upcoming weekend there will be more to report about rugby! Now on to Arena Football.

Folks, I am now a "season-ticket holder" for the River City Rage, St. Louis' arena football team. I have 2 tickets on the front row 30-yd line. We can talk to the players, the coaches, the refs, and even catch some balls (we get to keep them!). Last night was the preseason opener for the Rage and it was a blast. They killed the other team by over 30 points. The stadium is in MO, but only about 45 minutes from doorstep-to-doorstep. 8 players play on each side (the NFL has 11) and the receivers can get a running start up the field, which makes the action quick and high scoring. Another cool thing is that the field is only 50 yards long and is a similar size to a hockey rink (with padded boards too). At the game last night there must have been 4 or 5 huge hits right in front of us on the boards - I was definitely pumped up! I may or may not have trashed-talked with a few of the visiting players...especially when they missed tackles or blocks. Overall I give it an A+ for the night...

The next Rage game is in 2 weekends--look for the update on this as well! Have a great week!