Terry Gumbert of the Gulf Coast Hurricanes recently attended tryout's in Colorado to earn a spot on the USA National Rugby Team. This is his summary of what it was like to compete in order to make the team that will represent the USA in International competition in 1997.

May 22, 1997 - The day before tryouts begin……

Going into this I have never trained and been as apprehensive about anything. I have played at the club level for 5 years and have had relative success. But, I feel nothing can prepare me for what I am about to undertake.

I was asked if I wanted to be a contender months ago. From the moment the question was asked I knew I wanted to have a chance to play at this level. This has been a dream since I was a kid. Now here, the chance lies before me.

As I said earlier, I have trained and gotten the advice of others before me of what to expect. Yet, when I got on the plane and kissed my best supporter (my girlfriend) goodbye, I knew it would be a glorious trip and so far it has been.

I have see many guys I play with at every tournament and I have seen others who I don't know. Each person, friend or foe, is someone that could be a part of "THE TEAM". As the conversation flows you can here the anticipation and feel the knots in everyone’s stomach. Yours truly included.

Most of us have eaten healthy and are off to a early nights sleep. I am busy making last minute adjustments on the equipment and trying to find a way to go to sleep. I should be dead tired but, the butterflies have arrived………

More tomorrow

May 22, 1997 - Day One

Well, when I left you last night I forgot to pass on a few key notes. We are in Denver and we are trying out for Stoke Mandeville. I guess with all the excitement I forgot those details.

Suprisingly enough I slept well and awoke ready for the day. I had a good breakfast (I always heard it was the most important meal of the day), and I managed to get the gear to the bus on time. We all left as a group. I still was seeing people who I did not recognize, and that in itself left me questioning who was who and were they any good.

All those questions started to be answered as we started to warm up. As expected we did timed sprints and slalom drills. Boy, was I stiff. And it seemed everyone else was too. I tried to stay loose but, the beginning of the tryouts got the better of me. After a forward and back drill and some half court passing, I felt good about how I was doing.

We broke for lunch and the camaraderie began to develop. It was neat to see the 3.0’s helping the 1.0’s and .5’s. Everyone seemed to realize the importance of working together. It was also noteworthy how everyone was talking about how the morning went. The pass that should have been better, the missed push, and the skills that just needed more work were all being discussed.

In some small way this gave me encouragement as I watched guys that did some skills better than I feel, they had performed poorly. Even I felt I could have done some things better, but I did not get down on myself I just stayed the course and kept trying to stay focused.

Lunchtime over, it was time for more rugby. We started off with the low pointers passing. I came out hot and felt good about my throws. After the throws it was into a little one on one. Finally a little contact. The object of the drill was to prevent the player from getting to half court, using mid-court and the sidelines as out of bounds. It was awesome! I started slow but, quickly found my knack and felt I finished the drill great.

We then went into a precision passing drill. And at this point you could see the natives were getting restless. Players were getting nervous seeing the coaches move players from one group to another. I even heard someone say "Well, that’s it for me." And I thought, man you can give up after this short of a time. I tried to keep the moral up and get the guys excited. Hell, this is what we dreamed of !!!!

The drills over we got into some two on two. A time to shine I thought. I got paired with a 2.5. He was quick and looked for the lanes, pleasure to pick for. Unfortunately, I had to share time with a 2.0 that is just learning the game. He came around nicely though and with encouragement was making the defense look out of place.

At this point I too stopped and evaluated my performance. Yes, there were faster ones. And yes there were some good passes. But the one thing I brought that no one else had was experience. That is something I hope will come in handy the rest of the weekend. Anyway the final drill of the day was a scrimmage. I loved it! It was awesome. I don’t remember getting this psyched up after a long day but, I did and in a hurry. We went full court and I tried like everyone else to make that play that would get you noticed. It was fun and I feel really good about the way that I played.

So, as my weary 1.0 hands type this. I dream of tomorrow. The sore shoulders, the bumps and bruises, and the plays and the excitement of going for it. Until next time………….

May 23, 1997 - Day Two

As I tried to sleep through the night, I kept waking and thinking, go back to sleep. I wanted the night to be over and for the day to begin. Well, it would and the highs and lows that the day would bring would have me wishing for the solitude of night.

I decided to get down to the restaurant and get a good breakfast. I really must have gotten up early as I was the only one down there. As the other players started to file down, it was apparent that yesterdays grind had left its toll on almost everyone. For some it was not the physical part, it was the mental end that had us drained. We all chatted about yesterday and finished up breakfast and got ready for the day.

We started out the day with stretching and a quick run through of in-bounds. Guys were trying to be pumped up and get the adrenaline flowing. We finished the passing and were instructed that the rest of the day would be devoted to scrimmaging. I was excited. I knew that this would be one area in which I could shine.

Well, I thought that I was excited but it turned out to be a day of highs and lows. Playing in some line ups and watching in others had my mind running around in circles. Trying to figure out what the
coaches wanted had me second guessing myself. Should I be more defensive or go offensive. I had no problems with the defenses or the offensive schemes, It was just a huge mental task.

Then it occurred to me. Play your game. And if they like that then we can go from there. It worked. I felt much more comfortable and started playing like a champ. The coaches even said "Don’t worry if your not playing much, it doesn't’t necessarily mean something bad." And instead of taking it bad, I thought all right I am on course.

However, I saw that all of this was taking its toll on the rest of the guys on the court. I went back into a morale builder. I wanted everyone to be energized and play hard.

The games on the court could not have been more intense and hard hitting. Each player giving everything they had to make that play or stop that would get them noticed. There were awesome hits and spectacular passes. Each one in and of itself deserved to make a highlight film.

When we broke for lunch it was apparent that the clock was ticking and some of the guys were already counting themselves out. It was disappointing to hear as I thought all of us had a chance.

Lunch broke and we went through stretching exercises again. They asked another player and me to lead the team in stretching. It went quickly as we all wanted to get back on the court. It didn’t take long and we were back at it.

The afternoon was even more filled with pressure than the morning. It was becoming intense and I think the coaches could see it too. So, the only thing to do in that situation is to have a 1’s game. I
think the break was just what we needed as the high pointers got a break and a chance to smile, while the low pointers raced up and down the court.

The practice ended with the USA cheer and the hammer dropping. It was great to see the guys still in it. I knew that the rest of the tryout still had bearing for a lot of us. It would be important to keep mentally and physically strong.

As we got back and cleaned up, it was evident that we all needed to relax and take on tomorrow with all we have………….

May 24, 1997 - Day Three

Selection Day…….

Well it had to happen. What could be the worst or the best day of our careers in rugby was upon us. We were told to be at the gym by 7:30 a.m. as we would once again go full court scrimmaging. Having more butterflies than one man should be allowed I knew I sat on the bubble.

The best way I always heard to face a situation was square on. So, I like everyone else tried as I did in the earlier days to perform beyond my capabilities. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was. Each pass felt heavy and all the contact seemed to be a little stronger. It was if I was caught in some nightmare. But, then it happened. In the first scrimmage I had blocked a pass and it was like a totally new game. I felt like I couldn’t do anything wrong and everything seemed to go right. I was even holding the biggest man in the game by myself. It was awesome.

As the time ticked on, it was obvious that we were under close scrutiny. The coaches had to come to a decision and it was going to be soon. The players were silent. The camaraderie that had been there before, had gone silent. Each man evaluating his worth against the other. Thoughts were being expressed though. "How many low pointers do you think they will take." "Do you think they will go with the big guns"? I decided right then that no matter what I would be happy for those that made it. I wanted it but, I wanted the best team to be out there.

The coaches were off to decide and they told the low pointers to have a game. It was fun, but the aggression and the fun were replaced with apprehension and questions. The game ended and they
called us in for a team meeting.

After the thank you's for the people who worked tirelessly the coach called the names off in order highest to lowest. It seemed like an eternity. I was about to go crazy. Each name meant something would they be taking more high point rather than low points. It looked that way. It was finally time. The low pointers were announced and my name was first.

I couldn’t do anything but cry. I had worked so hard and like everyone else and sacrificed a great deal for this, and it paid off! I wanted to run, scream, yell from the top of my lungs, but that would not be very respectful. Instead, I remember telling someone to be happy for everyone who made the team. It caused me to think of the players who missed the final cut. I went over and thanked each of them and tried to give some encouragement. They would all be back and probably make another team but, it still hurts not to make it.

After the selections we took a team and tryout photo of the athletes. We were then swept off upstairs to fill out about a inch worth of papers. We also selected captains and my day was filled with more happiness, when the team voted Dean MacCabe and I Captains. I couldn’t find the words to say thank you enough. I feel like I am not worthy of it but, I’ll do my best to lead.

As everyone finished the paperwork and started to depart, I found myself excited but sad. Excited that I had done what I set out to do,but sad that this part of it was over. I guess the only way to describe it was as a Ferris Buehulers Day Off. What a Weekend!