Karen is a college admissions expert with specialized knowledge of the collegiate rugby landscape. She is a credentialed guidance counselor backed by a team at Dunbar Educational Consultants with over 130 years of combined experience in this field. She is also a former Division I Rugby player at University of California at Davis, National U-23 Team player and currently on the USA Rugby Referee circuit. With her deep knowledge and strong ties to the collegiate rugby world, Karen is the best resource for families searching for the best fit college for their young rugby player. Various packages are available to suit every family’s needs. To schedule a consultation and discuss client options, please call Karen at (310) 497-0619 cell or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.DunbarConsultants.com

Karen is a college admissions expert with specialized knowledge of the collegiate rugby landscape. She is a credentialed guidance counselor backed by a team at Dunbar Educational Consultants with over 130 years of combined experience in this field. She is also a former Division I Rugby player at University of California at Davis, National U-23 Team player and currently on the USA Rugby Referee circuit. With her deep knowledge and strong ties to the collegiate rugby world, Karen is the best resource for families searching for the best fit college for their young rugby player. Various packages are available to suit every family’s needs. To schedule a consultation and discuss client options, please call Karen at (310) 497-0619 cell or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.DunbarConsultants.com

RUGBY Magazine's August 2012 digital edition is out and ready to read for all Prmier Subscribers.

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The August edition of RUGBY Magazine looks at the influential All American tour of 2001, and the team's return to Ireland in 2012.

Although not a major talking point in the USA quite yet, the game is beginning to see signs that highly qualified and experienced coaches are stepping down from successful programs to simply find the enjoyment of the game they have lost due to the pressures that Amateur coaches should not be dealing with. In 2005, Eamonn completed his Degree dissertation (as a VERY mature student) on the issue of Coaching Burnout, an edited version of which was subsequently published by the RFU Technical Journal. In this article, he gives his thoughts on the subject with an American slant

Although not a major talking point in the USA quite yet, the game is beginning to see signs that highly qualified and experienced coaches are stepping down from successful programs to simply find the enjoyment of the game they have lost due to the pressures that Amateur coaches should not be dealing with. In 2005, Eamonn completed his Degree dissertation (as a VERY mature student) on the issue of Coaching Burnout, an edited version of which was subsequently published by the RFU Technical Journal. In this article, he gives his thoughts on the subject with an American slant

The Men’s 7s National All-Star Championships is a contest between eight all-star teams to crown the best region in 7s, and find players for the national team.

RUGBYMag.com is proud to offer a new feature.

We are partnering with Rugby Coach Weekly magazine to give you a regular look into some coaching tips and ideas.

RUGBYMag.com is proud to offer a new feature.

We are partnering with Rugby Coach Weekly magazine to give you a regular look into some coaching tips and ideas.

The USA Falcons’ victory at the Serevi 7s is one of those events that could be heavily overstated.

Karen Fong is a college admissions expert with specialized knowledge of the collegiate rugby landscape. She is a credentialed guidance counselor backed by a team at Dunbar Educational Consultants with over 130 years of combined experience in this field. She is also a former Division I Rugby player at UC Davis, National U-23 Team player and currently on the USA Rugby Referee circuit. With her deep knowledge and strong ties to the collegiate rugby world, Karen is the best resource for families searching for the best fit college for their young rugby player. Various packages are available to suit every family’s needs. To schedule a consultation and discuss client options, please call Karen at (310) 497-0619 cell or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.DunbarConsultants.com

Karen Fong is a college admissions expert with specialized knowledge of the collegiate rugby landscape. She is a credentialed guidance counselor backed by a team at Dunbar Educational Consultants with over 130 years of combined experience in this field. She is also a former Division I Rugby player at UC Davis, National U-23 Team player and currently on the USA Rugby Referee circuit. With her deep knowledge and strong ties to the collegiate rugby world, Karen is the best resource for families searching for the best fit college for their young rugby player. Various packages are available to suit every family’s needs. To schedule a consultation and discuss client options, please call Karen at (310) 497-0619 cell or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.DunbarConsultants.com

The best teams have a well oiled game plan on which they rely regardless of the opponent. However there are instances when strategies are tweaked to account for exceptional team strengths, and in some cases, an individual.

Emilie Bydwell is one such individual. The San Diego player was crucial in driving her side to their first-ever Club 7s Championship, not only as the team’s leading try scorer but also as the emotional core. At 5’10”, she’s a 7s prop and 15s center, and is incredibly difficult to pull down with a full head of steam. She has the strength to fend off the soundest of tacklers when bursting through a mini-gap, and has the finishing speed to take a breakaway the distance. She’s an excellent defender as well, leveling ballcarriers and forcing offenses to avoid challenging the middle.

Bydwell also leads the team in terms of international experience. As a center on the Rugby World Cup squad and prop on the USA 7s team, she raises San Diego’s standard of play and has the composure to right the team’s mentality during adversity.

Supported by former 7s Eagles Ryan Carlyle, Val Griffeth and Katie Lorenz, Bydwell and team knocked out their first two pool play games easily. Bydwell scored four tries during San Diego’s 41-5 victory over the Middlesex Falcons and one more in the Surfers’ 22-0 win over Berkeley II. DC Furies coach Sue Parker watched their games as the two sides prepared for their third pool play game, and made a conscious effort to focus her team’s defense to minimize Bydwell’s influence.

While the Furies couldn’t subdue Bydwell entirely – she scored in the 5^th minute – DC’s strategy worked well enough for the 17-7 win and took the top seed out of the pool.

“We were going to have a really hard quarterfinal, whether it was going to be against NOVA or Berkeley, so the worst thing that can happen in a tournament like this is to coast through pool play into a really hard quarter,” Bydwell said after the loss. “So much credit goes to DC, they played outstandingly, and put us under so much pressure. It forced us to check ourselves and really focus in on the quarter.”

The team wasn’t phased, however.

“The culture on this team is unlike any I’ve played on before,” Bydwell said. “We’re talked about it afterward, flushed it out and came back focused for today.”

The loss set up a quarterfinal against defending champion Berkeley, which had shutout pool play opponents Belmont Shore, Morris and NOVA I 103-0. The All Blues took a 5-0 lead thanks to a Vix Folayan breakaway try.

“Our defense was coming up really hard, but we were a little disorganized,” Bydwell said. “Then I threw that quick lineout that was intercepted. For me, that was the moment where thought, ‘OK, we got our second chance. We’ve got to really bring it back and move forward from here.’ After that, we kept that intensity but we had a little more mental focus as a group. That was huge.”

The team settled down and just before the end of regulation, San Diego was rewarded with a corner try from Hannah Lopez.

“We realized that when we swung the ball wide, we didn’t need to score on that first time,” Bydwell said. “We could trust swinging it back and forth, trust our game plan, and as long as we retained possession then it would work for us. And that’s what happened – Lorenz gave Ryan [Carlyle] a really good pop inside, they retained that ball and got it to Hannah, and nobody expected Hannah to run like that.”

The Surfers tied up the game with no time left and forced a sudden-death overtime. Until that try, no one had scored against Berkeley, and San Diego realized they had to repeat the feat in an even more intense situation.

“We were lucky enough to win the coin toss and receive the ball,” Bydwell said. “We said, ‘Let’s just do this right now. Let’s just get it done. We don’t want to be in this game any longer.’ We just need to keep possession, go forward and score. It only took a minute and that’s all we needed.

Lopez scored again, side-stepping defenders from midfield and outracing Folayan in pursuit. San Diego won 10-5 for semifinal berth.

“Having our 20-year-old score those two tries was just like watching your kid grow up in front of you,” Bydwell said. “She was becoming a player who can score two tries in a game like that. That was incredible.”

The Berkeley game was the match of the tournament and gave San Diego the confidence to beat their semifinal opponent 19-5 over the Youngbloodz.

“Based on the people they had, the Youngbloodz were one of the most physical teams,” Bydwell remembered. “We knew we couldn’t play straight-up rugby with them and needed to move the ball. Richie [Walker] managed us well enough that we weren’t too tired for the final. Once we were able to pull away, he made good subs.”

Onto the final, where San Diego had to once again prove themselves. Down 12-7 at the half against a very tenacious Seattle side, the Surfers rallied in the final 10 minutes to pile on 26 unanswered points. Bydwell herself scored two tries and accounted for the first five-pointer that tied up the game. Val Griffeth hit the conversion for the 14-12 lead that they would never surrender.

“The turning point occurred as soon as we got up,” Bydwell said. “Let’s just keep it rolling from here, we thought. Seattle’s a great team. They got to the final and competed really well.”

Bydwell’s performance in the final, putting her team on the front foot to get the rally going, was what earned the power prop the MVP title. It was her first MVP nod of the 27-year-old’s career, and it couldn’t have come at a more memorable event.

It was great to see a few 7s-only clubs at the Women’s Club 7s Championship this weekend. The first-year Youngbloodz finished third, Boston Belles won the Bowl, and the Falcons returned to Middlesex, Mass., with a win in their first trip to nationals. Their formation and inclusion in the championship was necessary, as the women’s landscape continues to develop its depth of 7s teams.

One would have expected the Belles, which advanced to last year’s final and returned many of those title-match athletes, to be the star of the 7s-only clubs, but it was the Minneapolis-based Youngbloodz that took top honors among their compatriots.

Katie Johnson, long-time USA U20 captain, was the driving force behind the team’s formation. She jumped at the chance to add a women’s side to the successful men’s team when the Midwest announced it would be hosting qualifiers to nationals for the first time in 2012.

“I had been training with the men’s team for three years, and I got sick of whoring with other girls’ teams,” Johnson said after the third-place match, wincing slightly after popping a rib back in place. “I asked Sam [Robinson] to coach the girls, and he thought about it since he has a lot of things going on, but of course he said yes. I was really excited about and was lucky enough to have some of my friends come out.”

Johnson tapped Christy Ringgenberg first. As former USA 7s captain, Johnson knew she’d have the best insight, and fortunately the most enthusiasm, in helping get the team off the ground. Johnson then tapped the Twin Cities Amazons – under which the club is officially CIPPed – to fill out the team.

“I got some more muscle when Sylvia [Braaten] and Stacey [Bridges] decided to join,” Johnson said. “They were a little timid about it at first, since they’re not 7s players, but once I got my brutal hitters, who I love playing with – we built the team off them.”

The women were fortunate enough to have an existing structure on which to lean, and were grateful to incorporate into the men’s training.

“I love it. It’s like a family,” Johnson said of the club. “We do everything together. I’m glad they’re so accepting. Not many men’s teams would like women practicing with them. They push us a lot – they don’t let us get away with anything – and bring us up with them.”

The women’s side relied on the internal competition of the club to get them ready for nationals, as no other Midwest team, save Chicago North Shore, provided the competition necessary to prepare for the level at nationals.

The Youngbloodz took the second seed out of the Midwest, winning the first qualifier then dropping the final two to North Shore. But the Youngbloodz were in good form once they arrived in San Francisco. They started pool play with a 15-12 win over Emerald City, followed with a 21-7 victory over Philadelphia, then sealed the Boston Belles fate to the Bowl competition with a 27-0 shutout, thereby winning Pool B.

“We got into our groove in the third game yesterday,” Johnson reflected on the Belles’ win. “We started trusting each other with our one-man hits, our passes were really great, and we had good communication. That was our game plan, and we pulled it together for the last game of the day.”

Johnson in particular was impressive. The rugby community has known her as a mobile No. 8, but when given more room to run, the tall, lithe breakaway showcased some excellent open-field skills, ability to set-up teammates with great vision, and excellent closing speed on breakaway opponents. Johnson indicated that she wanted to work her way into the USA 7s pool, and USA 7s coach Ric Suggitt certainly took note.

On day two, the Youngbloodz dispatched Midwest rival Chicago North Shore with a 14-0 victory. It was an incredibly physical match, but the hard work of Braaten and Bridges paid dividends in the quarterfinals. The team’s run for the title ended in the semis, when eventual champion San Diego defeated the Youngbloodz 19-5.

“They’re always good competition,” Johnson said of the Surfers. “It was nervewracking watching them on Saturday, but our game was fun. They held their own and had fun with it.”

The Youngbloodz ended on a high note, defeating NOVA I 17-0 for third. Again, a very physical match ensued, but a good scrambling defense and opportunistic offense kept the Minneapolis side out front.

The experience was 100% positive for the Youngbloodz and the team is already looking toward next year.

“We came here only expecting to get better,” Johnson said. “We knew we were going to learn a lot from these teams, and we expected to get beat up, too. We’re going to take a lot from this tournament.”

They got a little beat up, but they certainly delivered more punishment than they received. Congrats to the Youngbloodz on their first nationals’ trip.

The Collegiate All American 7s teams that will go to Glendale for the Serevi Rugbytown 7s and the NASC in Chula Vista are very, very strong teams.

They aren't just one-dimensional - the mix of players is a good insight into how USA teams should be constructed going forward.

The fallout continues. Just as organizers for the Women’s Club 7s National Championship received news that Southern Exposure had pulled its entry from this weekend’s event, rumors have surfaced that the Sacramento Amazons, too, will not be competing.

Upon reading this morning’s announcement (here) that championship organizers were reshuffling the brackets, the Amazons’ former coach, Mary Swanstrom (who helped the team to a third-place finish at last year’s DII national championship), reached out to RUGBYMag.com:

“I just read the RUGBYMag.com story about Southern Exposure dropping out of national 7s this weekend,” Swanstrom wrote. “I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but the Amazons aren't planning on competing either. 

“I am not coaching the Amazons anymore, but have been doing some personal training for a couple of the girls from the team. Monday, the players told me that the coach texted the team and informed them that the Amazons will not be playing at nationals. 

“I don't think they have informed USA Rugby.”

Lindsay Tiernan, USA Rugby Championship Events Manager, also indicated that no one has heard from or been able to confirm anything with Sacramento.

The Amazons were meant to fill one of three spots previously vacated by the West and Military. While Sacramento’s withdrawal is less inflammatory than Southern Exposure’s – which signed a USA Rugby participation agreement on July 24 and then claimed player unavailability as reason for withdrawal – it’s still a slap in the face to tournament organizers.

“It sounds like the team is falling apart again, “Swanstrom continued. “I don't know if the Amazons will have much of a team for 15s this fall either. They are struggling to get 5-6 people to the practices.”

USA Rugby and tournament organizers haven’t officially verified Sacramento’s omission; however, the national governing body has shared all of their rosters/participation agreements with RUGBYMag.com, and the Amazons are absent on both accounts.

What does that mean for the competition? If there are no replacements for Southern Exposure and Sacramento Amazons, then that puts the competition at 14 teams. What’s more infuriating is that if the aforementioned teams had a realistic grip on their player availability, then tournament organizers could have set up a 12-team event that would have been solidified on July 21, when the last of the territorial championships were being contested.

Evolution of the 2012 Women’s Club Championship

• Original Plan (16): 3 Pacific Coast teams, 3 Mid-Atlantic, 2 Northeast, 2 Midwest, 2 Southern California, 2 West, 1 South, 1 Military
• West and Military drop out sometime in July (13 teams remain) but with enough notice that MARFU, Northeast and Pacific Coast play out their territorial championships to fourth place and each send an extra team (16 teams)
• In retrospect, had Southern Exposure known they’d be unable to attend nationals by July 21 (when MARFU and NRU contested their territorial championships), then tournament organizers could have opted for a 12-team event right then and there, as only 12 of the original 16 seeds remained.
• As of August 1 (16): 4 Pac Coast, 4 MARFU, 3 Northeast, 2 Midwest, 2 So Cal, 1 South
• August 2 (14): Southern Exposure and potentially Sacramento Amazons withdrawal, leaving Pac Coast with 3 reps and no South team

 Stay tuned as more information is made available.

At our April Training Camp in Chicago, an eager 10-year old with an oversized personality asked me an interesting question.

At our April Training Camp in Chicago, an eager 10-year old with an oversized personality asked me an interesting question.

RUGBYMag.com columnist Aaron Manheimer and Chicago Lions star Mark Roberts show methods for training to improve your fend and stiffarm in rugby.

 Coach and commentator Eamonn Hogan discusses some rules for coaching in Amateur Rugby.

I was looking for the "Pool of Death" in the national 7s championships, but I really don't think there is one. Sure there are some tough pools, and perhaps one pool has a heavy. heavy favorite (Pool C). 

The July issue of RUGBY Magazine is available to RUGBYMag.com Premier Subscribers!

RUGBY Magazine's July 2012 digital magazine gives American rugby fans all sorts of exciting and interesting things to read about.

Read about and see the emotions and plays that made the USA U20 men champions. Check in with Mose Timoteo to find out what the long wait for his 32nd cap was like.

Hear what Eagle coach Mike Tolkin has to say about the future. Meet the best tiny Wisconsin-based Philippina rugby players you're likely to meet, and the USA women 7s sensation that is Bui Baravilala.

We map out what the college landscape looks like, on a real map.

Alex Goff ponders what's the big priority for 2013 and 2014, while Pat Clifton wonders what works - parachuting in talent, or developing from within.

It's all in RUGBY Magazine - free to call RUGBYMag.com Premier Subscribers.

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The Pacific Coast has switched the format for its women’s club 7s championship, set to occur this Saturday alongside the Palo Alto 7s at Stanford. Last year, the territory had two seeds and determined berths to nationals via two separate tournaments held in the northern California and Pacific Northwest regions. This year, since three seeds are at stake, one traditional tournament will be held.

Six teams are expected on Saturday (listed by seed): reigning club 7s champion and perennial favorite Berkeley, Sacramento Amazons, Seattle, Emerald City Mudhens, East Palo Alto and San Jose Seahawks.

The All Blues, Mudhens, and EPA comprises Pool A, while the Amazons, Seattle and Seahawks comprise Pool B. The top four teams after pool play move onto the Cup bracket, while the bottom two compete for the bowl. The competition will commence at 8:30 a.m. and end at noon.

There was some concern expressed by the two Pacific Northwest teams – Emerald City and Seattle – as to the format of the championship. According to Mudhen coach Phil Killham, the team had been informed in April that the seeds would be determined identical to 2011’s format, but when three seeds were afforded the Pacific Coast, the clubs started proposing scenarios to determine the berths. One proposal had the top two seeds named at a Northern California tournament, and the lowest seed won at Pacific Northwest tournament. The Mudhens supported this scenario, but on June 11, it was announced that all three seeds would be won on July 14 in Palo Alto. The late notice has stressed the club’s finances, and unfortunately, the team will have to cope with late-arriving players during the morning of the tournament, possibly missing games.

“With so much at stake, it is really unnecessary to leave everything to the last moment and to continually treat women’s rugby as an afterthought,” Killham said. “We train far too hard to have our season come down to a hurried three-and-a-half hours of play between six sides.”

The Mudhens have been playing 7s for four years now and supplement their domestic schedule with trips to British Columbia, where there is a denser population of quality women’s rugby teams compared to the Pacific Northwest. Veterans like World Cup wing Ashley Kmiecik and longtime captain/president Kammi Lopez anchor the squad, while a crop of promising youngsters in former Collegiate All American Christina Zier (Central Washington), University of Washington alumni Claire Lundy, Liz Stone and Leah Bueing, and Western Washington grad April Fogel fuel the lineup.

The Mudhens finished second at the Tatunka 7s and Burnaby Lake 7s, and won the Vancouver 7s. After the Pacific Coast Championship, they’ll return to BC for the Abbotsford International 7s.

It was Seattle that beat Emerald City at the Tatunka 7s, although the Breakers bowed out of the Burnaby Lake 7s in the semifinals. The Breakers are still new to 7s and competing in only their second summer season. They are fortunate to have coach Evan Haigh from Old Puget Sound Beach leading the charge. Seattle’s star is scrumhalf Carrie White, who is fresh off the USA player performance camp that occurred last week. She’s supplemented by try scorers Megan Sanders (flyhalf), Parisa Asgharzadeh (forward) and Jesenia Torres (wing), all of whom are speedy, tenacious and sound tacklers.

As for the Nor Cal teams, there’s no denying that Berkeley will win the whole shebang. Notables like Phoebe Boone, Irene and Elaine Gardner, Nathalie Marchino and Lucy Croy, to name a few, lead a deep, talented squad. Don’t be surprised if the All Blues exit the tournament with no points against.

The All Blues got a look at San Jose during their small 7s tournament, where the Seahawks went 0-4. 2012 is the first year that the team is competing under the San Jose name, and their young lineup is indicative of a developing team. Led by Jennifer Takara and Jennifer Crowder, San Jose have banked some wins over the summer, going 1-2 at Palo Alto 7s (June 30) and 2-2 at the San Francisco Fog tournament. The Seahawks steadily improve, but they are not yet national caliber.

East Palo Alto and Sacramento are known for their physical style of 7s, and their aggression can cause problems for opponents. Too often, teams will be baited into a more contact-oriented game, where both the Razorbacks and Amazons are strongest. While they do have their speedsters, opponents will be best served moving the ball away from their sizeable lineup.

Stay tuned for day-of updates and player/coach feedback.