Stay connected!

Like us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/HRRFC

Follow us on Twitter: @RadcliffeRugby Shoot us an Email:

[email protected]

Harvard Radcliffe Rugby Football Club Newsletter

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 2 S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

Check out our website

hrrfc.wordpress.com/

Join the Alumni Email List

Email [email protected]

Presidents Letter
Dear Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni, Fans, and Friends, As many of you know, this past semester was our last as a club sport. When we return in the fall, we will officially be the 42nd varsity sport at Harvard. A lot has happened over this past semester as we went through the final stages of our transition. Though there were many bittersweet moments, the team is very excited to begin our next chapter among some of the first Division I varsity womens rugby programs in the United States. We recently welcomed Sue Parker, the teams new coach. We were able to meet with her a bit at the end of the semester and we look forward to working with her more next year. We also have a new strength and conditioning coach, Chantelle Boucher. Though we are slightly terrified of her summer fitness plan, we are sure she will get us into great shape for the season and we are excited about the energy she will bring to the program. We are eagerly waiting to hear who else will round out the coaching and training staff. Of course all of these new additions meant that we had to say goodbye to some very important members of the Radcliffe family. We will forever be grateful to our coaches, Bryan and Mel, our strength and conditioning trainer, Beth, and of course Gianna, our athletic trainer and the BFFL of everyone on the team. We also graduated six seniorsSarah MacVicar, Chloe Bates, Emily Yorke, Rina Perrault, Kellie Desrochers, Megan Verlageand our favorite 3L, Sam Fox. All of them contributed an incredible amount to the t team both on and off the field and they will be sorely missed. We hope (read: expect) that they will not be strangers and we will see them cheering us on at some of our games in the future. You all will forever be members of the Radcliffe family. Though a lot has changed in the past few months, our Radcliffe spirit still remains. Our current team is determined to never lose that spirit and to pass it on to future generations of Radcliffe ruggers. To steal a quote from Ali Haber, Harvard is who we play for. Radcliffe is who we are. Rad Love, Brandy

Donate!
Visit our support page hrrfc.wordpress.com/ support/

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Presidents Letter Captains Note Spring 2013 Recap Beast of the East Results Sue Parker Named Head Coach Meet Coach Chantelle Boucher Female Club Athlete of the Year 5 5 4 3 2 1

Alumni on Campus Senior Send Off Senior Thoughts

Thank you to everyone who participated in the HarvardRadcliffe Foundation for Women's Athletics phone-athon!

P AGE

Captains Note
Happy summer to all Rad ruggers past and present! The current team has dispersed for the summer, but were all working hard on fitness and skills and getting ready for our inaugural varsity season. The expectations are high as we acclimate to a new coaching staff, but morale on the team is higher than ever. We know everyones watching our program, and we cant wait to represent Radcliffe (and Harvard) on the national stage. Our spring 2013 season was a unique one, starting off with league playoffs in March instead of the fall. With only one warm-up game in the stadium bubble beforehand, we were outmatched and lost a couple of hard games to Princeton and Dartmouth. Since only the top team from Ivies qualified for nationals, the rest of our spring season was focused on development and gearing up for Beast of the East. Our first step was recruiting a new class of rookies who gained both nicknames and Radcliffe badassery very quickly. Leading up to Beast, we had two more games to gel the team and work on rucking, d e fe n se , a n d b a llh a n dling. First, we played against the Providence womens club team. This game was more for practice than for pride, and we rotated through the entire bench, giving a lot of rookies their first taste of a rugby game. It was a close game that showed much more of our potential than playoffs did and set the positive tone for the rest of our season. We then had a Friday night game against BC, which we dominated despite horrendous weather conditions. Our rookies had quite a showing, and the game was another strong stepping-stone to the Beast of the East. That next weekend was the tournament, and our goal since Ivies had been to take home the Beast trophy. We faced off against UConn Saturday morning, taking them down easily 24-0 and then shutting out BC as well that afternoon, 42-0. Sunday morning we beat Yale 35-0 in a rough semifinal game and moved on to play BU in the finals. The last game was the hardest, with several tries held up and lots of questionable penalties, as BU held a 5-0 lead for most of the second half. Radcliffe fought hard and rallied, though, winning 7-5 and taking home the trophy, a giant rugby ball, and some awesome trucker hats. We finished up the season with one last game at home - a rematch against BU only a week later. Unprecedented fan attendance helped push us to a much more resounding victory, but it was bittersweet to know it would be our last game in those Radcliffe jerseys. We also said some really tough goodbyes to our wonderful coaches, Bryan and Mel, and our athletic trainer Gianna, who only joined us this year but really became part of the family. We cannot express how much we appreciate all they have all done for this team, and we would be nowhere near where we are today without them. The road ahead of us is far from easy, but were so excited to be embarking on it and to take this program and this sport to the next level. We will officially become Harvards 42nd varsity team this coming fall, but we will never lose the thirty years of ragtag Radcliffe spirit that built this community and fueled our determination to get to this groundbreaking moment. RadLove, Ali Haber 14 and Xanni Brown 14 (a.k.a. Captains Alexandra)

Captains Alexandra posing after winning the Beast of the East Championship.

HARV A RD RUGBY

RADCLIFFE CLUB

FOOTBA LL

V O LUME

4,

ISSUE

P AG E

Recap of the Spring 2013 Season

HRRFC preparing for the match in a pre-game huddle.
BROWN UNIVERSITY, Rhode Island

of rookies, HRRFC fell to Dartmouth Women with a final score of 20-12. The remainder of the season was used for player development and recruitment. In subsequent weekends, HRRFC played developmental matches against Providence Womens Rugby and Boston College. Following these matches, HRRFC jumped into the 2013 Beast of the East Tournament. The team capped off the season with the first and only home game of the spring season against Boston University.

With the move of the Ivy League Playoffs to March, qualifying for Nationals became the primary focus for the HRRFC 2013 Spring Season. In the first match of the weekend, HRRFC faced Princeton. After a long, hard game filled with injuries and a strong, physical Princeton lineup, HRRFC fell to the Tigers 49-5. On day two of playoffs, HRRFC faced Dartmouth. After another hard game filled with heart and intensity, especially demonstrated by our new class

Beast of the East 2013

Portsmouth, Rhode Island
April 20th &21st, proved to be a weekend filled with rugby as the annual Beast of the East tournament kicked off on one of the few nice spring days that the East coast had to offer. Per usual, the pitches and handcrafted uprights were set for some of the best competition in the northeast. Competing in the DI bracket, HRRFC faced the University of Connecticut and Boston College on the first day of competition. Both games ended in Ws for the HRRFC squad with scores of 24-0 and 42-0, respectively. On day two, HRRFC faced Yale University in the semifinals. With the 35-0 victory, HRRFC catapulted into the Finals. In the championship game against Boston University, HRRFC entered the match confident and hungry for the victory that would clench the championship title. After a tough match against a strong BU defense and questionable calls from the referee, HRRFC came out on top. With the final score of 7-5, HRRFC claimed the trophy as well as the tournaments signature champions trucker hats and earned the

A HRRFC scrum against BU in the final match of the tournament.

right, once again, to be called Beasts of the East.

Beast of the East Results

Day 1 HRRFC vs. UConn 24-0 HRRFC vs. Boston College 42-0 Day 2 HRRFC vs. Yale 35-0 HRRFC vs. Boston University 7-5

In response to the Boston Marathon tragedy and the campus wide lockdowns, teams from the Boston area, including HRRFC, took the time to pose for a BOSTON STRONG! photo to display the solidarity amongst the rugby community.

P AGE

Sue Parker Named Harvards First Varsity Womens Rugby Head Coach
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Harvard athletic department has announced the hiring of Sue Parker as the first head coach for women's rugby, as the program will begin play in the 2013-14 academic year. Women's rugby will be the 21st varsity sport for women and 42nd varsity sport overall at Harvard making the university the nation's leader in both areas. "We are excited to have Sue Parker join us as our first coach of varsity women's rugby," said Bob Scalise, Harvard's Nichols Family Director of Athletics. "We believe that she will provide excellent leadership both for our program and athletes. As the head coach of the first varsity women's rugby program in the Ivy League, she will also be a leader in the rugby community as a whole, a role I am sure she will fulfill with equal ability and enthusiasm." "I share Harvard's philosophy that rugby presents a unique educational opportunity to its studentathletes," Parker said. "I am thrilled to be joining the athletic department as the head coach of women's rugby, and am very much looking forward to working with such an exceptional team of women." Parker, who brings a host of national team and international competition experience to Cambridge, served as head coach for women's rugby at Navy from 2002-08 and 2011-13, establishing a perennial national championship contender in Annapolis, Md. Parker cultivated a positive team culture in the club environment, while sustaining excellence on and off the field. She developed players in all facets of the game and oversaw the strength and conditioning program for the team at Navy. In addition, several members of the Midshipmen earned spots on various national teams. Parker also worked to form an alumni network and led all fundraising efforts. Parker was the head coach of the Washington, D.C. Furies Women's Rugby Football Club during the summers of 2010-12, establishing the team as one of the best in the country on a consistent basis. In 2009, Parker was tabbed head coach of the USA Women's 7s Rugby National Team, and she managed all aspects of the squad and program. She led the team at the Dubai International Tournament, and created a city-based league to serve as the beginning of a high-level infrastructure for developing the game in the United States. From 2007-08, Parker worked as an assistant coach for the USA Women's 7s Development Team, and frequently acted as head coach in international competitions, including the North American Caribbean Rugby Association in the Bahamas in 2007 and the National All-Star Championships from 2007-08. Parker also served as an assistant coach for the USA Women's U-23 15s squad from 2003-07. The Chair of the USA Rugby Women's Collegiate Strategic Committee, Parker helped draft the vision statement promoting women's rugby to NCAA varsity status and presented the plan to the USA Rugby Board of Directors. Parker is also a member of the USA Rugby Women's NCAA Committee and is a non-voting member of the USA Rugby Women's Collegiate Competitions Committee. Parker, a former member of the USA Rugby 7s Eagle from 19972000, holds several rugby coaching education certificates including the iRB Sevens Level I, USA Rugby Level I and II and the Developing Rugby Skills Course. She is also a USA Rugby Level I Instructor. A 1986 graduate of the University of Maryland, Parker was a member of the women's track & field team for four seasons. She also attended Virginia Law School, earning her degree in 1990. Parker is a member of the American Bar Association and holds Bar memberships in New York, Maryland and the District of Columbia, as well as the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and Federal Circuits and the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York and the District of Colorado. Harvard will be the first Ivy League institution to sponsor a varsity rugby program and continues to lead the field with its long tradition of supporting athletics for women. This tradition began in the 19th century when Radcliffe College, its sister school, offered tennis and basketball teams. In 1923, Radcliffe competed in the country's first intercollegiate swimming meet. The women's rugby club, which began in 1982, has won two national championships (1998, 2011) in the club ranks. Division I women's rugby is currently classified as a National Collegiate Athletic Association emerging sport. This designation is used to encourage growth of opportunity at the intercollegiate level in these sports. According to USA Rugby, growth of the sport has increased exponentially at the high school and intercollegiate level and currently there are over 300 collegiate women's rugby clubs. The sport of rugby also returns to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 after being recognized in four previous Games. To view the full GoCrimson article, view: http:// www.gocrimson.com/sports/ wrugby/2012-13/ releases/20130508_Sue_Parker

"I am thrilled to be joining the athletic department as the head coach of women's rugby, and am very much looking forward to working with such an exceptional team of women."

HA RV A RD

RA DCLIFFE

RU GBY

V O LUME

4,

ISSUE

P AG E

Meet Chantelle Boucher: Strength and Conditioning Coach

Hello Radcliffe Alums! My name is Chantelle Boucher and I will be the Radcliffe Rugbys Strength & Conditioning Coach. I am very excited to work with Harvards newest varsity sport. I am eager to help build a physically fit and mentally tough team that is ready to compete on a National level. A brief background about myself: I have had the opportunity to live all across the US as well as in the Gold Coast of Australia, but ultimately I call Maine home. I attended The University of Maine where I earned a degree in Kinesiology/Exercise Science. This upcoming fall will be the start of my third year at Harvard University working with the Strength & Conditioning department in the Palmer Dixon Strength Training Facility. Palmer Dixon is a 24,000 square foot training space equipped with 24 power racks and lifting platforms. We have approximately 40 usable yards of track that is 12 lanes wide, that will soon to be converted into indoor turf. We believe in full team lifts while using free weights to train our athletes to their highest potential. As some of you may know, Harvard has the largest athletic department in the nation with Womens Rugby making our 42nd varsity sport. Alongside Rugby, I also design and implement training programs for the Field Hockey, Sailing, Diving, Alpine & Nordic Ski teams as well assisting with Football. Each program is designed to increase the athletes on-field performance and decrease their risk of injury. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to become a part of the Radcliffe family and to take the program to a new level. GO CRIMSON! Coach Chantelle Boucher

Megan Verlage wins Female Club Athlete of the Year 2013

Megan Verlage accepts her 2013 Female Club Athlete of the Year Award.

(Photo Credit: Go Crimson)

Following HRRFC tradition, our very own Megan Verlage won the title of Female Club Athlete of the Year 2013. Megan Taco Verlage won this honor in recognition of her four year commitment to HRRFC, her starting presence on the field, her grand showing during the 2011 DII National Championship, and her off the field leadership and mentorship to younger mem-

bers of the team. Finally, as a lasting testament to her commitment and badassery, Megan accepted the award with one arm in a sling, demonstrating once again her willingness to give her left arm, literally, to her team and family. Congratulations, Megan!

Alumni on Campus: Soledad OBrien

The Class of 2013 welcomed one of our very own, Soledad O Brien, as they sat and listened to her inspirational speech during Class Day exercises. Ms. O Brien, whose participation on the team was included in her introduction, encouraged recent graduates to think for themselves and not listen to the advice of others or let others tell them the life they should be leading. Ms. OBrien has been named a Harvard Distinguished Visiting Fellow for the Graduate School of Education during the year of 2013. Ms. OBrien will be working with Harvard Ed School to make education more accessible to everyone, despite economic background or race. We welcome her back to campus and hope to see her at some of our games.

Soledad O Brien giving her Class Day Speech.

(Photo Credit: Harvard Magazine)

Senior Send Off

Keeping with HRRFCs long standing tradition, a Senior BBQ was thrown in honor and recognition of the graduating class of 2013. The afternoon was filled with four years worth of memories, commemorative gifts, and, as always, the Radcliffe spirit. However, this Senior BBQ proved to be even more heartfelt as our team also said goodbye and thank you to our coaches Bryan Hamlin and Mel Denham as well as our trainer Gianna Sarra. As we move for ward, remembering the precedent that the seniors and coaching staff have set for us, HRRFC hopes to continue many of these traditions and honor the hard work, dedication, and love that many ruggers have put into this program.

HRRFC Ruggers line up to sing the Radcliffe Hymn to the graduating seniors during the Senior BBQ.

Congratulations Class of 2013!

Congratulations to our graduates: Emily Yorke, Megan Verlage, Kellie Desrochers, Chloe Bates, Rina Perrault, Sarah MacVicar and Sam Fox. We thank you for your contributions to HRRFC and look forward to seeing you succeed in the life beyond Radcliffe (which apparently exists). Again, thank you for your leadership and instilling the Radcliffe way for future generations of Radcliffe ruggers.

From Left to Right: Sam Fox, Emily Yorke, Megan Verlage, Kellie Desrochers, Chloe Bates, Rina Perrault and Sarah MacVicar

Senior Thoughts by Sarah MacVicar

Dear Radcliffe, Several weeks ago, I began the process of reflecting on my most formative college experiences. Part of this process has been trying to express the role Radcliffe has played in these four years, and what follows are my thoughts on what this team has meant to me. It may not be well-written or even coherent, but it is 100% genuine and I wanted to share it with all of you. Ive spoken to a lot of you about my attempts to articulate what this team means to me and how far I could be willing to go for each of my teammates. The inspiration of certain recent events led me to the realization that one of the benchmarks I would use would be the fact that I (as I think would many others) would without hesitation give any one of you a kidney. But this measure still hasnt been satisfying, and so this letter will be a compilation of my continued attempts to describe what has made Radcliffe such an integral part of my life here. When I came to the team freshman year, I had no idea that it was about to become the all-consuming force that it has. Im not sure when exactly it happened, but at some point during freshman year, I began to understand why the Radcliffe bond was so strong. Some of it is intangible, but I have also watched the Radcliffe spirit manifest itself in very concrete ways as the team has fought back from a losing score when a teammate goes down, when ruggers have stood concussion watch for each other late into the night, or when the team has rallied to support someone going through a rough patch in school or in life. It is no exaggeration for me to say that Radcliffe is one of the reasons I made it through Harvard, and I am grateful every day that I found my way to this team. The culture on this team is unlike any other I have before encountered. We may not be perfectly cohesive all the time, but there is a fundamental understanding that being a part of Radcliffe means being ready to go to bat for any teammate at any time. This is what sets us apart. This is why when we call each other family, we mean it. Sure we may have our family squabbles from time to time, but at the end of the day, this is the only community I have found at Harvard, and perhaps even more broadly than that, that truly understands the meaning of unconditional love. Radcliffe is the kind of team they make sappy sports movies about. We are the underdogs, the scrappy team with the most heart, and the team that perseveres to win National Championships we were not even considered contenders for. Never forget our roots, but do go forward and realize the dreams the senior class has for this team. You are an extraordinary group of women, and I count myself lucky to have each and every one of you in my life. I am so grateful to be taking this scary next step into the world knowing that while we may no longer be geographically close, I am in the company of such a phenomenal class of young women. Sarah Mac Vicar Treasurer and President Emeritus

Thank you, Radcliffe, for four incredible years on and off the pitch. Memories of early morning practices on the goose poop field, freeganed dinners, Roast, long van rides all over the Northeast, a National Championship, hypothermic games, even more hypothermic post-game ice baths, Primal Screaming, email threads about dog breeds and favourite things, snugby, Beast hats, Gator Ball, finding out about going varsity, and of looking up in the pregame huddle to see the intensity in the faces of those I care about as we prepare to pummel our opponents will not soon fade. I love you all, and I trust you to carry on the traditions and values that make this team so special while forging Radcliffes next chapter in your own way. Good luck, have fun, and ruck on. RL, Sarah