Updated: 1/25/07
HOG ARCHIVES — 2006 ANNOUNCEMENTS
This section of the HOG Archives contains previously-posted announcements from 2006.
DIRECTIONS TO SHASTA PITCH – Formerly Redding
(posted: 1/23/07)
The directions and address of the school are below. For a visual representation of the directions, go to a site like maps.google.com, mapquest.com, or whichever you prefer.
- Hwy 299 East to Redding
- Turn RIGHT onto Hwy 273/Market St.
- Go SOUTH for 2 Blocks, Turn LEFT onto Tehama St.
- Go EAST on Tehama St./Hwy 299/Hwy 44 for approx. 7 miles
- Take the Deschutes Rd. Exit
- Turn LEFT (North) onto Deschutes Rd.
- Go NORTH for exactly 1 mile
- Turn RIGHT into Foothill High School
- On campus, follow signs to pitch.
- Address: 9733 Deschutes Rd, Palo Cedro, CA
2007 SCHEDULE AVAILABLE:
(Posted: 10/02/06)
The NCRFU AGM (Annual General Meeting) was held last month (Sep. 2006) and thanks to Nate and Hector, who work from the HOGs' satellite office in San Francisco, we actually had representation this year and our loud and obnoxious voices were heard.
We would like to extend a lively and raucous welcome to two new teams this year: the Mendocino Steam Donkeys (Potter Valley), and East Palo Alto --- "Hoooooooold My Pickle, I'll Eat Your Lettuce ..." Cheers, Mates.
There's a Piper Down! Unfortunately, McGeorge has left the building and will not be participating with us in 2007 … Until next time, fellas.
This brings the number of NCRFU DIII teams to 15. After a long and ... long season in 2006, it was decided with overwhelming support to divide our Nor Cal division into three 5-team sections: North, South, and Central. The HOGs are obviously in the North along with Redding, Chico, Mendocino, and Vacaville. We play each team twice: once home and once away, giving us a nice 8-match season with 4 home, 4 away, and 4 Saturdays off.
The HOGs begin with a home match vs. Vacaville on January 6, 2007 at our home field in Manila.
Download 2007 Match Schedule (pdf, 52 KB)
CAME ONE, CAME ALL:
The 69th Annual Aumni Appreciation Weekend came and went ... It was a great weekend of golf, drinking, socializing, drinking, eating, drinking, rugby, drinking, face-licking, drinking, puking, bleeding, etc.
On the field the schoolboys won by 1 point, aided by an under medicated ref and an overly self-medicated alumni ... Seriously, it was a good, hard-fought match against a talented schoolboy squad. The win could have gone to either side, but the kids drove down and scored with only a few minutes remaining to bring them within 1 point. Their kicker split the uprights on a somewhat difficult kick to put them up by one. The Alumni drove down the field and as Tory was eyeing a drop-goal the match was blown up, the Old Boys out of time. Excellent play schoolboys and good luck this year.
Off the field, however, we KICKED THEIR ASSES in drunken debauchery -- Anyone wanna wager as to the final amount of Phil's bill from Hotel Arcata? I would comment more as to the goings on, but what happens at the 69th Annual Alumni Appreciation Weekend, stays at the 69th Annual Alumni Appreciation Weekend. See you all next year.
2006 SEASON RESULTS …
The End of an Era, the Beginning of Something New, or the Continuation of Tradition?
The 2006 season was not what any of us would describe as "stellar" by HOG standards, especially considering that the HOGs not only forfeited a match for the first time ever, but then went on to forfeit 3 more before the season was through.
We've had numerous retirements in the last few years and this has left us a little thin. Even with some amazing new recruits, travelling remains somewhat difficult, as does getting these committed new players the experience they need to compete on Saturday … without practicing. But even if we did practice, how do you replace a player with 15 or 20 years of match experience and anti-social behavior?
But we are not alone. Many teams in Northern California are in the same boat with many of the core players in our division retiring, leaving behind a large void of talent, experience, and socially inappropriate behavior. With the exception of the top couple teams, the results and scoring were all over the place in 2006, with teams having strong numbers one week and forfeiting the next.
And even with all the forfeits and new players, the level of competition (when we did play) remained pretty high. Many of our matches were tightly fought, with none of the blowouts of the past. Hopefully we can all solidify our rosters for 2007 so at the very least we have enough players to avoid so many forfeits.
But for me the most troubling aspect of all this change is the lack of attention teams are paying to the traditions of this great sport, most notably the Socials. Many of these retiring players are taking with them the traditions of their teams and this sport while the new players are not being educated as to the proper spirit of the match and Social ettiquette.
Is this the end of an era? Maybe. But there are many eras in a sport that has been around for over a hundred years. The things that are important are those traditions that have spanned all eras since the birth of Rugby. Great players come and go. What needs to be emphasized with the newbies is that they are a part of something greater than any individual player or group of players.
Let's make an effort in the upcoming season to not only remember the traditions, but to practice them as well. Here are some suggestions for improving the aspects of rugby that have been lacking:
- Attend the social. Don't leave the visiting team sit there with their thumbs up their asses. These are players that you will be facing for years to come. Tip back a few pints, compare your girlfriends, and talk about all the great hits that were left on the field.
- Feed the other team … FIRST. The home team feeds the visitors … before themselves. And don't make them wait, BEFORE you go home and shower, get the food to the venue.
- Wings and Fries does not a Meal Make. Seriously. We all dig snacking on some hot wings and cheese fries while watching football, but after playing in a match how about a burger or pasta or pizza or something a bit more solid.
- Get the beer flowing. If food is not immediately available, at least have the beer ready for the visiting team while they wait.
- Learn your club's songs. At every social, after everyone has eaten, songs will be sung and beer will be drank and fun will be had by all.
- Shut your pie hole. Unless you are the captain, shut the fuck up. Don't talk to the ref. One of the greatest laws in our sport is that the ref can march off 10 meters for bitching.
- Act like you've scored before. When scoring, congratulate your teammates but leave the other shit off the field and don't celebrate at the expense of the other team. It's very poor sportsmanship and doesn't belong on a rugby pitch.
View our 2006 Results in the 'Archive' section.