Rugby-Mandatory Player and Parent meeting
Tue 12/4/2007 12:08 PM

Players and Parents,

It's hard to believe, but the rugby season is right around the corner! I have attached our tentative season schedule and have set the date for the mandatory player and parent meeting. The date of the meeting will be Wednesday 1/9, 7:00-8:00 PM in the large cafeteria at Red Land High School. All players and at least one parent should plan on attending this meeting. We will be discussing the upcoming rugby season, expectations, fund raising, etc.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you!

Regards,
Coach Robinson

Rugby Meeting
Fri 12/14/2007 9:43 AM

Players and Parents,

Good morning! I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season.

I just wanted to let you all know that I have arranged for Front Row Outfitters, the company that does our jerseys, shorts, kit bags, etc., to be at our player and parent meeting on January 9th. They are going to create a price list of West Shore United items and other rugby items that will be available for sale the night of our meeting and send it to me ahead of time. I will send the list out before we meet so you will have an idea of cost before the meeting. Some of the items will be available the night of the meeting, others can be ordered at the meeting for delivery at a later date. Here is a sampling of items:

1. West Shore United jerseys
2. West Shore United Shorts
3. West Shore United Socks
4. West Shore United Hooded Sweat Shirts
5. West Shore United Kit Bags
6. Practice Shorts and Jerseys
7. Head Gear
8. Shoulder Gear

I will send a price list when I receive it from the vendor.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all on the 9th!

Regards,
Coach Robinson

Player Parent meeting reminder
Tue 1/8/2008 9:43 AM

Players and Parents,

Please complete the attached documents before the Player and Parent meeting tomorrow evening.  If you know of any new players that will be attending the meeting that are not on this email list, please forward them the information.  We are trying something new with dues this season.  There is information regarding this change in the information packet. 

I am also attaching a price list of some of the items the vendor from Front Row Outfitters will have at the meeting.  He will have most of the items the players will need for the season- mouthpieces, head gear, shoulder protection, practice shorts, practice jerseys, socks, balls, tees, etc.  See you all tomorrow!

Coach Robinson

Followup message (Tue 1/8/2008 1:27 PM)....

All players must also sign this form for registration with USA Rugby.  Here is the link to the form:

https://register.usarugby.org/Rugby/_SPF/Documents/d244aa08-6aad-487e-b747-a8aa45988ab5/Rugb y-Waiver%20&%20Release-Adult%20doc.pdf

Thanks,
Coach Robinson

Rugby information
Wed 1/9/2008 9:21 AM

Players and Parents,

 I just wanted to give some clarification on the forms that were sent out, especially the dues structure, since that is the most drastic change.  I had a meeting with a group of six parents and we decided as a group that this was reasonable structure for  dues to help minimize the need for multiple fund raisers while covering the costs of running the team. The main reason the dues structure is changing is because our team has been way more successful than anticipated the past few years and has incurred more expenses than anticipated because of that success.   We also want to minimize the fund raisers during the season that, in the past, helped off set the costs of running the team.  I think most would agree that there were too many fund raisers last season.  Having one major fund raiser- the Team Program- we can focus on selling ads in the pre-season and be done with it so we can focus on rugby for the rest of the season.  If your family chooses  not to participate in the selling of advertisements for the program (which is totally fine) you have the option of paying the money out of pocket.  I know that some of you do not have the money to pay out of pocket (I wouldn't) so the selling of program ads is a great way to make your dues money and minimize your personal cost.  I would like all of you to know that no player will ever be turned away because they do not have enough money, or did not sell enough ads.  If you find yourself in a situation where you do not have enough money and did not sell enough ads to cover your dues, please see me.  We have sponsors from the Harrisburg Men's team and also parents from West Shore United, that are willing to help.  I will keep the names of all players that need assistance confidential.  I would just ask that if you get a sponsor to help with your dues, please don't spend money on items such as team jackets, team jerseys, etc. without first offering to reimburse the person that covered your dues.  Another thing that I neglected to mention is that if you have more than one child playing there will be a discount for the second and third child.   The first child will be responsible for $300.00(dues+ad sales), the second $150.00(dues+ad sales) and the third $75.00(dues+ad sales).   If you have more than 3 children playing rugby, than God Bless you!  Your fourth child can play for free!

 Here is an example of some of the things the $300.00/player dues will be used for:

* USA Rugby Membership- $20.00 per player
* Shorts and socks for new players- $30.00
* Referee fees for the season- $300-$400
* Rugby Balls- $300.00
* Cost to feed players after games- $20.00 per player for the season
* Rugby Equipment needed-  Rucking pads, Scrum Sled, Pinnies, Med Kit refills, $3000.00 (approx.)
* Athletic Trainer at Home Games- $250.00
* Lights at Stadium for Play-off game- $325.00
* 2008 Team T-Shirts- $500.00
* Trophies for End of season MVP's- $105.00
* Travel to Nationals (if we are fortunate enough to qualify)- $600 approx. for vans or bus, gas, tolls
* New alternate set of jerseys- $1500.00
* Misc. Costs Based on 2005/2006/2007 season- approx. $4000.00 (Kit bags, T-shirts, hats, game shorts, patches, socks, End of seaon cook out, Coaching Certifications, Coaches gifts, etc.)

Regards,
Coach Robinson

Player and Parent Meeting (recap)
Fri 1/11/2008 9:41 AM

Players and Parents,

I wanted to thank all of you that were able to attend the player and parent meeting on Wednesday evening. It was nice to see some of the regular rugby faces and a lot of new faces as well. If you were not able to attend the meeting but are still interested in playing rugby this Spring please let me know and I will get you the necessary paper work. I know that we covered a lot of things on Wednesday, so if any of you have any questions that have entered your mind since the meeting, please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to answer those questions.

At the meeting I neglected to mention our team web site ( www.westshoreunited.com) and our Senior Club's website (www.harrisburgrugby.com). I would like to know what kind of information you would like to see on our website . If you have any ideas, please forward them to our webmaster Jared Moore at Jared.Moore@dataquestinc.com . As of now these are the basic plans for the website: bulletin board with important information, game schedule, roster, club history, statistics, photos, videos, important document links, and coaches profiles and contact information. Please check the web site regularly during the season to get updates and important information as it will be posted there first. I will include some other helpful websites at the bottom of this email.

We had a lot of parents sign up on the volunteer sheet to help out with the many tasks that it takes to run this club. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you. Your help really helps ease the burden on the people who seem to always be there doing the work. The more people that volunteer to help, the less work for everyone involved and the more time to enjoy watching the boys play. It's not too late to sign up to help. Just let Mark Askew know that you are interested in helping and he will put you on the list. Here is his email address: maskew@accuratelift.com

I have attached an updated 2008 schedule. The previous schedule that I had sent out didn't have the Sunday date of the Penn State Camp listed. The Penn State Camp is the weekend of 2/15-2/17. This is a great camp for new and experienced players. Penn State has excellent coaches and they really focus on teaching the fundamentals to new players while at the same time keeping things interesting for experienced players. It's also a great chance to have some team bonding before the season starts. I need to know what players are interested in attending the camp as soon as possible so I can get our team registered. Please just send me an email if you will be attending. I'll also need some parents to help chaperone and transport the players around campus that weekend. If you are interested, please let me know.

The Radford Rugby Festival is the weekend of 2/29-3/2. Radford College in Radford, Va. is about 5 hours away from Central Pennsylvania, so we'll be leaving on Friday afternoon around 4:00 from Red Land High School. We'll stop to get something to eat for dinner on the way down and should arrive at our hotel around 10:00. I have already reserved a block of 20 rooms at $74.99/night. We will be staying two nights. I need to know what players are interested in attending this weekend as well. This Rugby Festival will be our main tune up for the regular season, so please do whatever you can to make the trip.

I would also like to know who would be interested in ordering a hooded sweatshirt or team jersey. The sweatshirt will be Navy Blue with United Rugby on the front. The price will be somewhere between $20-$25. The team jersey is a high quality rugby jersey made by Barbarian. The cost for the jersey is $57.00. Anybody can order a sweatshirt or Jersey- players, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, etc. If you need sweatshirts or jerseys, please let me know how many and what size. If there is a parent out there that would like to volunteer to take orders for these items, that would be wonderful. Just let me know and I will send your contact information out to everyone and they can place orders with you. I will also get you the contact information of our vendor as well.

The final thing I need is the short sizes of all new players and any players that would like to order new shorts. The sizes run Small, Med, Large, X-Large, XXL, XXXL. They have an elastic waistband with a drawstring. Please send me your sizes ASAP so I can place an order and have the shorts by the time the season starts.

Thanks again! I'm really looking forward to a great season of rugby!

Best Regards,
Coach Robinson

Rugby Referee Certification
Sun 1/13/2008 11:13 PM

Players, Coaches and Alumni,

I just wanted to let any player, coach, or alumni that has played for at least 2 seasons know that there will be a rugby referee certification course in Camp Hill on Saturday Feb. 2. This is a great way to broaden your knowledge of the game and also to give back to the game. It's also a chance to earn some extra money as referees get paid about $50/game and up. If you are interested in attending the course to get certified as a ref, please let me know and I will get you more information.

Thanks,
Coach Robinson

Penn State Camp Information
Mon 1/14/2008 12:18 PM

Players and Parents,

Here is the link to the registration page for the Penn State Camp. http://www.outreach.psu.edu/psu-sport-camps/rugby-winter/FeeRegistration.htm All registrations must be completed online. Follow the prompts on the page as it guides you through the process. We are registering as a team, so you should only have to pay $80.00. After you register, please let me know. If they charge you more than $80.00 don't complete the checkout. Let me know and I will contact someone at Penn State. Please let me know when you have registered so I know how many hotel rooms to book.

Thanks,
Coach Robinson
West Shore United Rugby

Cherry Blossom Tournament Invite
Tue 1/15/2008 12:02 PM

Players and Parents,

I just wanted to let you know that West Shore United has been invited to one of the most prestigious rugby tournaments in the country- "The Cherry Blossom Tournament" in Washington DC. This tournament is by invitation only, so it is quite an honor to be asked to attend. This tournament regularly attracts some of the best teams from the United States and Canada. The tournament is the weekend of 4/5-4/6. This was not on our original schedule and I have contacted the team that we were scheduled to play that weekend (Hempfield) to see if we can play the game on another date. If they agree to move the game, I will send out a revised schedule with the Cherry Blossom Tournament added and the new date for the Hempfield game. The Cherry Blossom is an "A" side tournament, so only 25-30 players will be allowed on our roster, but all players are welcome to attend this great tournament. I will let you know more information when I get it.

Thanks,
Coach Robinson

Practice Times
Tue 1/15/2008 4:21 PM

Players and Parents,

I have finalized our practice schedules for the next four weeks. We will be practicing on the following dates at the Susquehnna Sports Center in Lemoyne.

Wed. 1/23 3:30-5:00
Fri. 1/25 3:30-5:00
Wed. 1/30 3:30-5:00
Fri. 2/1 3:30-5:00
Wed. 2/6 3:30-5:00
Wed. 2/13 3:30-5:00

Click on this link if you need directions: http://www.susq-sports.com/index.php?topic=directions

For practice please have the following items if possible:

Rugby Shorts
Mouth Piece
Rugby Shirt or Heavy Shirt
Sneakers

Thanks,
Coach Robinson

Revised Rugby Schedule
Tue 1/15/2008 4:42 PM

Players and Parents,

Hempfield has graciously agreed to reschedule our game with them so that we can attend the Cherry Blossom Tournament in Washington DC the weekend of 4/5-4/6.  I have attached our revised schedule with the changes underlined.   We will now be playing an away game versus Hempfield on Friday evening 4/18 at 6:30.  This game will be under the lights at Hempfield's Stadium.

Thanks,
Coach Robinson

Rugby Conditioning
Wed 1/16/2008 9:26 AM

To All Players (and parents too if you're interested),

Coach Harding has volunteered to do some conditioning runs with any interested players. I would highly recommend taking advantage of this training as it will really help you in the upcoming season. If you are interested please contact Coach Harding at jim.harding@eds.com and jim.harding@verizon.net and also let me know as well. After he has a list of players he will contact you and let you know when and where the conditioning runs will take place. This is a great opportunity so please take advantage of it if you can.

Regards,
Coach Robinson

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