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Parent / Player Meeting Minutes
RUGBY MEETING MINUTES 10/15/08
CLUB NEWS
There are two new high school rugby teams: Lancaster and Hamburg.
There is no longer a Canisius High School team.
COACHING
Coach Conrad has been asked by USA Rugby to start stepping up his
involvement on a national level. He is playing D1 and Super League rugby,
as well, and he may be representing USA Rugby at some rugby events in
Wales.
Other coaching news:
Coach Pluff may be helping to start up the new Lancaster Rugby club.
Coach Adams and Coach Jenkinson will be at the games when they can.
However, with both of them working full time and most games starting at
4:30 p.m., there may be some delays in them getting to games.
Coach Bennett will take an even more active role in the team.
Coach Conrad told the players that the “strictness” of the guidelines will
go up this upcoming season since it’s essentially just he and Coach
Bennett doing the coaching. Players need to remember that they represent
the Ken West Club at all times and act accordingly. This applies to
conduct on and off the field, academic responsibilities, and active
involvement in the team’s fundraising and other efforts.
In fact, Coach Conrad said, the club is considering drafting a Character
Evaluation, which would be filled out by each player’s teachers to see if
those teachers feel the player should play in the club.
KENMORE WEST STANDARDS OF PLAY
Coach Conrad announced there will be the A team and JV this year, but
there will not be a B team
this season. This means the standards will go up a notch for the A side;
the stakes are higher for players competing for spots on the A team.
PRE-SEASON TRAINING & PRACTICES
Several Ken West players have taken the initiative to hold
speedball practices at Crosby
Field every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. Anyone can show up to play.
Coach Conrad commended the players who organized this, and encourages all
players to participate if they can.
Coach Conrad trains on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 6:30 to 7:30
a.m. Players are welcome to join him.
Ken West playing fields under construction
Coach Conrad has no information at this point about where regular
practices will be held, since the Ken West fields aren’t scheduled to be
completed until next fall. We may have to find a new location for
practices. Coach is thinking of renting time on Sunday nights at
Sportsplex in Amherst so practices can be held on the turf fields. More
info TBA.
SCHEDULE & TRIPS
Because of the Ken West field construction, we will have to make our own
schedule this year in cooperation with the other teams needing field time
throughout the area.
There will not be a trip at the beginning of the season this year. Coach
Conrad said this decision was made to eliminate player burnout. There will
be a trip at the end of the season.
There are only two spots at the Army tournament this year. That means
we’ll have to beat McQuaid and Fairport in order to qualify.
Possible England trip in Spring 2010
Ken West has been contacted by the England team to come there and play,
tentatively in Spring 2010. THIS IS A VERY AMBITIOUS GOAL. The cost per
player would most likely be $1,800-2,000. Players would need to get
passports, physicals, shots, health insurance information, etc. Coach
Conrad stressed that players cannot just rely on their parents to make
this trip happen. This trip will require stepped up fundraising. More
information TBA.
DUES
Dues for this year will stay the same as last year: $100 – which includes
shorts, socks, and transportation. Each player is responsible for
registering with USA Rugby to get their CIPP #, which usually costs around
$20.
FUNDRAISING
Parent Club President Laura Doolittle went over the fundraisers planned
for this year. Fundraisers pay for the socials (food and drinks) held
after each home game, awards, T-shirts, and more. One idea the club will
try this year is setting up individual accounts for each player, so that
whatever funds that player raises goes right into his or her account,
which can then be used to pay for trips, etc. throughout the season.
Forever Strong movie was a hit!
The Ken West Rugby Club brought the only showing of the rugby movie
Forever Strong to this area. According to Club Treasurer Katie Wood, the
team raised $1,100 (net) for the club through this fundraising event.
The next fundraiser is at Soho bar on
Saturday, November 1, from 7 to 10 p.m. The cost per person is
$10, which includes draft beer, wine and pizza. Well drinks and bottled
beer are available for $2 each. Any player or parent who sells a ticket
should mark “Paid” on the back of the ticket, along with the player’s
name, which the person will use to get in to Soho that night. Any monies
collected by players/parents can be handed in at Soho the night of the
fundraiser; tickets can also be purchased at the door. All proceeds from
this fundraiser go to the club. The Soho fundraiser will also feature a
Basket Auction, which is a good moneymaker for the club. This auction
depends on donations from parents, players, and friends of the club. You
can bring your assembled basket to Soho that night, or you can purchase a
basket and items to go in the basket, and drop everything off at Elaine
Diebold’s house (or she’ll even pick them up at your house – wow!). For
more information:
Soho Basket Auction
Elaine Diebold, Organizer
24 Enola Ave. (off of Delaware Ave.)
225-8172 (home)
888-7128 (work)
EDiebold@BuffaloSchools.org
City Coupon Books will be sold again this
year. The price went up to $20 each, but the books pay for
themselves quickly (there are about $40 in coupons for Dicks alone). The
club makes about $5 per book sold; that money will go into the individual
account of the player who sells the books. For more information, contact
Treasurer Katie Wood.
Can & Bottle Drive will be held every
month this year, too. On the second Saturday of every month,
starting in November (11/8), cans and bottles can be dropped off at the
predetermined location. The players will sort and cash in the collected
cans and bottles. For more information, contact Laura Doolittle.
Dash’s Receipts – for every $100 in
receipts from Dash’s, the club receives $5. Last year, we raised about
$900 from this very easy fundraiser. Simply save your Dash’s receipts and
turn them in at Soho or other events. Any funds raised will go into the
club’s general operating account.
Candy Selling at Bills Home Games – This
Sunday, October 19, any interested players and/or parents can
carpool out to Rich Stadium to sell candy at the Bills home game. Cars
will leave the Kenmore West parking lot at 9:00 a.m. We sell candy till
about noon. Any funds raised will go into the individual accounts of the
players who sold the candy. For more information, contact Laura Doolittle.
FOR SENIORS -- COLLEGE RUGBY SCHOLARSHIPS
Coach Conrad announced he has been in contact with Matt Fernandes from St.
Bonaventure University about scholarship opportunities at SBU. Fernandes
letter to players in attached.
Laura Doolittle announced two other scholarship opportunities: U.S. Rugby
Foundation (USRFF) at
www.usrugbyfoundation.org and Ken-Ton Friends of Youth at
www.kentonfriendsofyouth.org.
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Dear Kenmore West Rugby Player and Parent,
Sorry for the informal introduction, my name is Matt Fernandes and I
serve as the President of the St. Bonaventure University Rugby Alumni
Organization. I want you to know we have been helping to build the
program over the past few years and are on our way to something special.
SBU has a lot to offer!
While we are nationally ranked in DII and have consistently been beating
D1 teams, we are looking forward to officially going to DI soon
(anticipate Fall 2009). We have very high ambitions to be the best
Catholic University team in the East and have the support from the
University, alumni and a great base of players who learned how to play at
the high school level that will help us get there. We currently have 12
players who have played at the high school level and with the combination
of generous financial aid offered by SBU, a dedicated coaching staff,
alumni funding and career guidance and top notch facilities- we expect
that number to grow. Last year we had a successful tour of Ireland and we
anticipate a Southern Hemisphere tour planned for 2010.
We would like to extend an invitation to your players to be hosted on a
campus visit, watch the team play and meet our players and coaching staff
(see schedule below).
Free, no obligation on-line application to the University:
http://www.sbu.edu/undergraduate_Admissions.aspx?id=2078
Meet with the admissions office and discuss financial aid opportunities
that may be available.
Matt Fernandes SBU '05
(c) 774-265-0186
fernandes70@yahoo.com
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