know what date you will be available to begin practice in August.
The Fall Season is finally "set" (see below), though I think there might
be one or two minor modifications to try to avoid the Thursday night
game we have scheduled against William and Mary. It is a big schedule,
with lots of chances for rugby for everybody. Let's build on last Fall's
campaign and work on elevating the quality of our play. We may not
improve our record since our schedule is a lot tougher, but I want us to
play crisper, more intelligent rugby with that same tenacity we showed
last Fall.
Now is the time to step up your running schedule. Each of you should put
in 3-4 miles (30 minutes of running) at least twice a week, as well as
two half-hour sprint workouts. For your sprint workouts, try to work on
FORM and ACCELERATION. At this point, I'd rather you take nice long
breaks between really good sprints than slog through at 3/4 speed. Try
to get in 8-10 building sprints of 100 yards: jogging half-speed for
twenty-five, accelerating to three-quarter speed for twenty-five, then
accelerating to a spring for the rest. Focus on the change of tempo,
which is the key to good rugby.
When you hit campus, I need every single one of you to focus some time
on recruiting. We need to bring out at least 2 new players for every
returning player to insure some depth. We have some holes to fill (most
importantly at scrum half), and there is that normal attrition during a
season due to injury and conflicts in schedules. Talk to your friends in
the dorm, in the weight room, at meals. Get people to come out to a
touch practice to learn some skills and focus on the camraderie of the
sport, not its violence.
I look forward to seeing you all in the Fall.
--Ashby
