There are some confirmed Rugby Sevens Tournaments this Summer in Canada, mainly on the Western Region.
The Vancouver Rowing club is scheduled to go on June 20th, with a Prizemoney of $1500 to the winner. Simon Fraser University holds theirs on the weekend of July 5th, the same weekend that the Calgary Stampede International is hosting theirs. This will be followed by the CAN AM International on July 11th and the Abbotsford International Sevens on July 25th. I hear that those long legged Kenyans will be blazing around with speed and dust flying behind them on the grounds of Rotary Stadium. The Kenyans National Team have proven to be worthy players lately, having beaten World Champs like New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa in the current World Sevens Series. If they are indeed coming, that alone should be worth the price of the ticket.
I understand that the BAYSIDE SHARKS will be hosting one too, but there has been no mention of it on their website and it is difficult trying to contact someone who can confirm it.
Anyone else organising a tournament that we don't know about?
Please use this forum to let us know and pass the word around.
Another topic we should discuss is the prize money. Tournaments with good Prizemoney usually attract good comepetition and I think Clubs should seriously consider this to attract good teams that are competitive and serious about their Sevens game. Rugby Canada will benefit a lot from this in terms of exposing young talents to the game - especially those with speed to burn that love the standard Canadian physical approach to the game.
There is a Club in one of those Rugby playing countries in the South Pacific that started Sevens Rugby with the 1st Prize being a case of beer. I believe four teams showed up on a Saturday afternoon.........and Sevens was born to this Land. This Club now hosts the biggest Club Sevens Tournament in that country with the first prize of at least $10,000. By the way, the winner of the case of beer invited the rest of the teams and sat down to enjoy a nice Cold one with all of them. I believe Calgary recognises that and has come up this year with $5000. Well done CRU!! Do you think this can be done around the country here in Canada? I think BCRU can do it. There is also a lot of talent here locally that can put up a very good show, especially with that kind of money to play for.
Food for thought as we participate in this Summer's tournaments.
Good Luck to all!!!
Cheers,
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Fiji Experience
The beautiful island nation of The Republic Of Fiji is a group of islands in the South Pacific, comprising of about 320 islands altogether. It gained its independence from the British Empire on October 10th, 1970.
The country started off pretty good in terms of its political, social and economical growth. Its first Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, worked very hard to move the country forward in all all areas of operation.
One of the biggest assets of the country was its attraction to the Tourism Industry. The country is blessed with beatiful beaches, mild tropical weather and abundance of sunshine. Resorts and Hotels as well as inexpensive 'backpackers' stops accomodate tourists and those looking to experience something different during their holidays. In the boom days immediately after Independence, Hotels and Resorts would be booked solid right throughout the Summer Vacation seasons and you will be hard-pressed to find rooms. People from as far away as Europe, North America and even the Asia Region were flocking in to the country to enjoy its hospitality, its people, culture and of course its beauty.
The country is experiencing a bit of a decline in 'tourist' numbers lately, mainly due to the economic situation across the world, but also the local political climate. The country has been embroiled in a political rugby game with the Military on one side and anyone who is against them on the other side. The Military's intentions and reasoning were supported and agreed to by many in the local political scene initially, but it appears that even the public is starting to question how long it will take to get a democratically elected government back in power to make decisions for the country.
Meanwhile tourists continue to visit this beautiful country, although, not as many as needed to boost the economy in that sector, at least.
Those that have visited return home with fond memories and wonderful stories to tell. Those that may be contemplating a day on one of those heavenly beaches might be asking if it is safe to go, given the political drizzle.
The purpose of this blog is to ask those of you that have gone to Fiji for business or holiday recently to share your experience with us so we can get a true picture of 'a day in the life' of the visitor.
Personal experiences - with the people, the hotels and an overall look at the country during the days, weeks you were there.
I am hoping that this would encourage those that are thinking of visiting to go, or at least be informed of the of what to expect when they go.
Thank you
The country started off pretty good in terms of its political, social and economical growth. Its first Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, worked very hard to move the country forward in all all areas of operation.
One of the biggest assets of the country was its attraction to the Tourism Industry. The country is blessed with beatiful beaches, mild tropical weather and abundance of sunshine. Resorts and Hotels as well as inexpensive 'backpackers' stops accomodate tourists and those looking to experience something different during their holidays. In the boom days immediately after Independence, Hotels and Resorts would be booked solid right throughout the Summer Vacation seasons and you will be hard-pressed to find rooms. People from as far away as Europe, North America and even the Asia Region were flocking in to the country to enjoy its hospitality, its people, culture and of course its beauty.
The country is experiencing a bit of a decline in 'tourist' numbers lately, mainly due to the economic situation across the world, but also the local political climate. The country has been embroiled in a political rugby game with the Military on one side and anyone who is against them on the other side. The Military's intentions and reasoning were supported and agreed to by many in the local political scene initially, but it appears that even the public is starting to question how long it will take to get a democratically elected government back in power to make decisions for the country.
Meanwhile tourists continue to visit this beautiful country, although, not as many as needed to boost the economy in that sector, at least.
Those that have visited return home with fond memories and wonderful stories to tell. Those that may be contemplating a day on one of those heavenly beaches might be asking if it is safe to go, given the political drizzle.
The purpose of this blog is to ask those of you that have gone to Fiji for business or holiday recently to share your experience with us so we can get a true picture of 'a day in the life' of the visitor.
Personal experiences - with the people, the hotels and an overall look at the country during the days, weeks you were there.
I am hoping that this would encourage those that are thinking of visiting to go, or at least be informed of the of what to expect when they go.
Thank you
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Game of Rugby in Canada
How can we improve on the quality of the game at the Club level without putting too much strain on the players and administrators. A lot of thought and ideas, needs to be put in practice by the Management at Club levels to improve their clubs to competitive levels.
To do this, it requires the participation of everyone in the Club, from the newest member of the mini team the the oldest veteran that watches the game on Saturdays.
Programs need to be put in place to attract the curious and incentives should be in place to motivate those that are already in the Club.
I have been involved in Rugby in both Ontario and BC and a recurring problem we always have is how do we attract new people to join the Club and hopefully play on Saturdays. I am sure that this is an issue across the country, seeing that Rugby is a minority sport, compared to soccer and Hockey - at the mini grade level.
How do we compete against these two sports at this young age group?
As the rest of the country start their season, and BC takes a break, I am sure that there is some backroom discussions going on right now regarding this issue.
I am inviting all members of the Rugby Community to voice the comments and suggestions so we can at least pick those that we feel can work for our Clubs.
Please feel free to post your response, but let's be diplomatic and positive with it.
How can we improve on the quality of the game at the Club level without putting too much strain on the players and administrators. A lot of thought and ideas, needs to be put in practice by the Management at Club levels to improve their clubs to competitive levels.
To do this, it requires the participation of everyone in the Club, from the newest member of the mini team the the oldest veteran that watches the game on Saturdays.
Programs need to be put in place to attract the curious and incentives should be in place to motivate those that are already in the Club.
I have been involved in Rugby in both Ontario and BC and a recurring problem we always have is how do we attract new people to join the Club and hopefully play on Saturdays. I am sure that this is an issue across the country, seeing that Rugby is a minority sport, compared to soccer and Hockey - at the mini grade level.
How do we compete against these two sports at this young age group?
As the rest of the country start their season, and BC takes a break, I am sure that there is some backroom discussions going on right now regarding this issue.
I am inviting all members of the Rugby Community to voice the comments and suggestions so we can at least pick those that we feel can work for our Clubs.
Please feel free to post your response, but let's be diplomatic and positive with it.
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