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NOVEMBER
2007 NEWSLETTER |
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December 22, 2007 |
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Heard Along the
Touchline The 2008 UCLA Rugby merchandise catalog and online store is
soon to be completed and in operation. This season are offering everything from Pro-flex
embroidered caps, to a full line of Adidas polo shirts, T-shirts, fleece tops
and our official match jersey. This is the official kit that all UCLA
athletes wear! Contact Coach Stewart for more information and to place
your order! 310-740-7856 |
Dear UCLA Men's Rugby Supporters, RE: 2007-08 Season Preview The 2008 Winter Quarter is about to begin and I am
writing to update everyone on what promises to be an exciting season of rugby
at UCLA! We are very thankful for all of the support and encouragement we
have received from all of our supporters to date in our attempt to bring this
program back to national and international respectability. In particular, I
wish to personally thank the members of the board of The Friends of Bruin
Rugby for their commitment to getting business done which has allowed us the
opportunity to progress as a team on the field. We look to field a very young competitive side this
season featuring a balance of returning players, campus and key freshman
recruits from the various High School programs in the state of California.
Our work in the community has resulted in our landing 4 players from Southern
California Youth programs which continue to grow and are quickly becoming
fertile recruiting ground. We also will be welcoming back 3 players from
study-abroad programs including 2007 Captain Scott
Hugo
who has been studying at Oxford and recently played in the JV match vs.
Cambridge! Our schedule is now finalized and we hope to see you on
the sidelines at any of our matches (home or away). Should your kids wish to
attend, we can make arrangements for them to be the match-day mascots where
they will lead the team out to the field in a UCLA uniform, have their photo
taken with our captains and receive a ball signed by all of the players. Please
contact me personally to make arrangements. One of the most entertaining events on our schedule is
the Dennis
Storer Classic to be held at UCLA January 26 & 27, 2008. The
tournament comprises the teams of the Pac-10 Conference and a High School
component that exposes potential recruits and their families to the “UCLA
Experience”. We hope many of our supporters can attend this important event,
enjoy the top class college rugby and sample some of the fine food and
beverages in our hospitality area! Plans are also in place to send the team to Canada to
play UBC and UVIC over Spring Break. Our long-term goal is to take the Bruins
on a North American tour each year with an overseas tour planned for every 2nd
season. We believe that this schedule will help us to improve the quality of
our play each year and ensure that the players have the opportunity to
experience different cultures, meet new people and become ambassadors of
goodwill on behalf of UCLA. We are confident that they will enjoy the touring
experience as many of you have in the past. Our Hall of Fame
Dinner is planned for mid-May with plans to bring former coach
Ged Gardner back from New Zealand as our honored guest. Ged is an admired
figure from our past that greatly influenced our history and made such
difference to the lives of so many of our former players. You won’t want to
miss this historic event! Finally, our 3rd Annual Golf Tournament (LA)
is slated for June 19 at the Brookside GC in Pasadena. Our 1st
Annual Bay Area Golf Tournament will be held at the Presidio GC in San Francisco,
dates to be confirmed. All of the above events are worthwhile reasons for us
to get together and support UCLA Rugby! Please stay tuned to our website at bruinrugby.com for all future updates
regarding matches and events. The support of our Alumni is critical
to the continued development of our program and we hope that all of our
supporters will take advantage of the year-end
tax benefits of making a much-needed donation. We are
campaigning now in an effort to raise additional funds to kick the season off
on the right foot and ensure that the players have the resources they need to
compete at their very best. Our players are elite students, competitive athletes and
people of character that represent UCLA in all of the best ways and we
believe that our program enhances each student’s college experience. We hope
that the Bruins shall continue to be a source of intense pride for all of our
alumni and supporters! Thanks for being a part of UCLA Rugby. GO BRUINS! Yours truly, Scott Stewart Director of Rugby & Head Coach |
