Jersey #9: Kentucky's Journey

So I've been away for a while again because I've been doing a lot of traveling. On friday I finally left Kentucky, my truck filled with clean laundry, Brutus, and 25 bucks worth of Kentucky Ale Bourbon Barrel (the best beer in the world, but only available in select liquer stores around lexington kentucky)...I was pretty sad to be leaving - I had already left the hills of eastern Kentucky and spent thursday night with one of my guy rugby friends from the Lexington Blackstones. He's a speedy little winger and one of the greatest guys I know, so he took me out to eat for my birthday and then let me bum a spot on his expensive couch while brutus (reluctantly) slept on the floor.

After about 10 hours of driving through the sea of farmland I arrived at my own little spot in the cornfields known as Cedar Falls, Iowa. I'm on this cleaning kick so I spiffied everything up and then sat down to relax, trying to figure out what I would do for the weekend before school started. There had been speculation that my friend Ace from Kentucky was considering driving up to Madison, WI to hang with my friend Maggie from U19's and Midwest...on saturday I found out that she was coming for sure, so I packed a little bag, threw Brutus back in the truck, and set off on another little adventure 3 hours away in Wisconsin!!

Even though I had to get up at 5am on monday morning to make it back for the first day of classes (BOO!), the trip was definitely worth it!!! Unlike most of the people you spend random weeks with throughout your life (friends from summer camps, beach flings, even old high school friends), rugby friends seem to always be there with open arms and an open couch. Despite the fact that total time I've spent with many of these people is likely under a month, the bond we have is amazing. Most of my birthday phone calls, Christmas text msgs, and random drunk dials throughout the year come from fellow ruggers, and I think that's awesome...

I've played a lot of sports over the years - basketball, softball, cross-country, soccer....but none of those seem to have the type of outside support I've found in rugby. And when you're looking to improve your game to reach that next level, it seems all you need to do is announce yourself and suddenly there are hands reaching out from everywhere looking for a way to give you a leg-up. Now, don't get me wrong...there are always a few bad apples in every bunch, but on the whole rugby players, coaches, and enthusiasts seem to be a really special group.

Having read Justin Marshall's autobiography over the winter break, I was very interested to find that a men's professional rugby player in New Zealand has had experiences not so different from my own. They play silly games like "killer", are full of pranks, and the bonds they have with fellow players cross even the most competive lines. Marshall, for instance, happens to be best buddies with another guy you might have heard of - George Gregan. After tests they often grill out at one another's house and talk often on the phone. It's encouraging to see that even loads of money and giant crowds can't change some things about rugby...hopefully it would be the same in this country if that kind of professionalism were to develop.

Anyhow, I have to be finishing this up because class is calling...but I just wanted to say thanks to all my rugby buddies out there. I love you all and am so glad I found this sport and these people - my life would be very different (and likely much less exciting) without them. I hope everyone out there had a wonderful new year as well!!

Tonight I have my first practice back from break, and this weekend I will be traveling to Philly for one of Jules McCoy's footwork camps (www.footworkcamp.com). I am very VERY excited to be back in full rugby mode!!!! I will write more about that later...until then.....

Rugby love!!!!