USQRA

It's Registration Time

The 2002-2003 USQRA rugby season is almost here and that means its registration time.  All US teams that want to compete against other teams must file a registration form and pay their dues by October 15th.  Teams not registered with the USQRA will not be allowed to play at any event due to the lack of approved liability insurance.  If you host an unregistered team at your tournament the liability insurance provided through the USQRA will be void for all participants attending.

To download the 2002-2003 USQRA Registration Kit click here.

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Written by Ed Suhr

2002-2003 Season is Here!!

As the summer draws to a close, it can mean only one thing… rugby season is here again.  It should be an exciting year beginning with Summer Blast in September and ending at the USQRA Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona.  Phoenix will be hosting both 2002 National Tournaments on April 11-13, 2003.  This should be a great weekend.  The USQRA Annual Meeting will be held on April 10th.  Each team should plan to have a representative at the AGM so that you can have input into the organization.  This is your chance to be heard, don’t waste the opportunity. 

The dates for Regionals and Sectionals are on the calendar.  Several teams have already submitted bids to host them.  Anyone else who is interested in hosting one of these tournaments should contact Angie MacCabe so we can finalize the schedule.  This is a great opportunity to showcase rugby in your hometown and raise funds for your team at the same time.  

Adam Ellis has stepped down as Treasurer of the USQRA due to work and family commitments.  We are looking for someone to fill his position and serve on the board until the next election.  If you are interested in helping our organization, please contact me.

I would like to remind everyone that we need nominations for the USQRA Hall of Fame.  There are some great players, coaches and support personnel deserving of recognition.  USQRA’s two annual awards, The Spirit of Achievement and the Athlete of the Year, also should be nominated by the membership.  The appropriate nomination forms can be found on the web page.  I encourage everyone to think of individuals worthy of these distinctions as the season progresses. 

The coming season looks like it will be competitive and exciting.  I wish everyone luck and look forward to seeing you on the court

A Note from the Commissioner

I hope that everybody has enjoyed the summer away from serious rugby and is psyched to get the new season rolling. Congratulations to the players, coaches and staff of our national team for the second place finish at the World Championship.  While we didn't do as well as we hoped, I think the national team will approach 2004 with a renewed vigor and sense of purpose.  To the extent that there are understandable kinks in the High Performance Training Program, the summer has been spent identifying those problems and finding solutions.  Looking at the youth of the Canadian team, I think it's very important that the HPTP continues to develop for 2004 and 2008.

Special congratulations to Steve Pate on his ESPY nomination.  You've done us all proud, big fellah.

Some members of the Minnesota team are working on a compilation of the USQRA wheelchair specifications.  Once the compilation has been reviewed by the wheelchair specs committee it will be forwarded to the RAC’s and posted on the web.

A summary of the player transfer rules are included in this newsletter.  Failure to follow the transfer rules could result in the denial of a transfer.

Finally, good luck this season,

Tom Hamill
dragonsedge@juno.com

PLAYER TRANSFER PROCEDURE
Written By Tom Hamill

Players intending to join a new team for the 2002-2003 season are reminded that they must follow the USQRA transfer procedures.

1.  The player must resign, in writing, from their previous team by September 15, 2002.  The previous team may object to the transfer within 14 days.

2.  The player must notify the Commissioner of the request to transfer by September 30, 2002.  Notice can be sent by e-mail to dragonsedge@juno.com or fax to 856-241-2440 or mail to Tom Hamill, 1667 Auburn Rd., Swedesboro, NJ 08085.  

3.All  transfer requests are subject to approval of the Commissioner.

4.  The transferring player must provide the Commissioner with a copy of a driver's license as proof residency within 150 miles of the player's new team by December 15, 2002.

Please note that as a result of By-law amendments passed at the 2002 AGM, "transfers" will be defined very broadly to encompass any player movement between teams, including situations where teams merge or the previous team folds.  Also, any player transferring to a higher ranked team as defined by the post season Top 20 will be unable to compete in 2003 postseason play.

quadrugby.com

If your team is hosting a tournament this season, big or small, please email in the information in so that it can be added to our websites online Rugby Calendar.  You should include the tournament dates, contact persons name, email address and phone number, and location of the event.  This is a great way to get the word out as your tournament approaches, and also distribute any important information such as playing schedules, hotel information, and gym location.  

Once your tournament is over be sure to email in the results for the world to see.  If you send in a brief story and some photos we’ll post them online as well.  It only takes a minute to do this and really helps to convey a professional image for our sport!  Do your part and send your information in early to jbishop@quadrugby.com

Serving up the Hits!

USQRA PRESEASON TOP 20

   1.         Lakeshore Demolition      

   2.         Phoenix Heat       

   3.         Texas Stampede     

   4.         California Quake   

   5.         San Diego Bushwackers          

   6.         Casa Colina Buccaneers          

   7.         Suncoast Lightning

   8.         Tampa Generals     

   9.         Boston Pitbulls    

 10.         Sharp Edge        

 11.         Denver Harlequins 

 12.         Pasadena Hurricanes            

 13.         Casa Plan "B"     

 14.         Texas Ruff Ryders 

 15.         Chicago Bears     

 16.         Portland Pounders 

 17.         Charlotte Crash

 18.         Minnesota Ice  

 19.         Casco Bay Navigators            

 20.         Tentucky TNT

Accident Report
by Ellen Kaitz

As one of the newest members of the Board, I come to you with hopes of using my medical and scientific background to help make our game as safe as possible.  Previous Boards and consultants have done a great job in evaluating the needs of players and equipment to enhance the quality of the game.  Many changes have been made in rules and in wheelchair design to try and keep players safe.  But until now, these decisions have been based on “best guess” information rather than on any objectively collected data. 

For those of you who attended the AGM, my goal at election was to develop a database of injuries and incidents to help make scientifically valid decisions about safety.  Toward this end, I have developed an incident report form.  It is a single page form in a check-box and fill-in format which will be available on our QR web site.  It would be completed by the director of each tournament (or their designee), and submitted with the score sheets which are already collected.  The form should take no more than a few minutes to complete, but can provide valuable information for future decision-making. 

An example of the form is included in this newsletter. If you would like to receive the version that can be filled out and emailed please email me at KaitzE@chi.osu.edu

Classification Update

The USQRA Classification Committee has begun to gear up for the upcoming season. Our focus and mission is to provide as many panels at season tournaments as possible, host at least two beginning classification workshops and cover all post-season play.

Currently, we have had no requests from tournament hosts for classification clinics. Traditionally we hold panels at, Beast of the East, Best of the West, Conveen, Valdosta, Portland and Columbus. If your players are in need of classification please contact tournament host and/or Your Sectional Classification Rep

Sectional Classification Reps

Pacific
Trisha Suhr  503-238-1324

Mountain
Angie MacCabe 775-677-9067

Heartland
Doug Mazur 262-512-9901

Atlantic
Cyndy Ellis 508-533-5895

We continue to look for new classifiers, if your team knows of any interested therapist or physicians please contact Lauren Rosen at 813-258-1148.

Need Balls?

Are you still playing with the same old balls? If so, now is a GREAT time for you to upgrade to the most requested rugby ball the USQRA has to offer. Don’t begin another season without first getting your primary piece of equipment up to date….

These are the same balls that have been used by the majority of teams in the states for the last four seasons. The “soft-touch” finish helps to make them easy to handle, especially during the heat of a battle.

You’ve seen and played with them at Nationals. At big tournaments such as the Demolition Derby and Best of the West they are the ball of choice. Start your season right and order your new balls today!

To download the order form Click Here .

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