Congratulations to the Killer-Bs

The B-side provided the Club with a thrilling win this past Sunday when it defeated Muskego 17-12. The B-side held a slim, 2-point lead for most of the first half, thanks to the conversion kick by Tristan. The game was a defensive battle, as the B-side played strong defense, deep within its own 22-m line, repeatedly warding off the Muskego attacks. The game came down to the final minutes, when Kassie, playing fullback, made a game saving tackle to stop the 50 meter break away run by Muskego. The team reorganized a counter offensive and pushed down the field in the closing thirty seconds of the game to prevent Musekgo from touching down the tyring try.

It was some very exciting rugby. Our B-side is on a winning streak! I should point out that the B-side lost to both Fond du Lac and Muskego at the start of the season. In the past 2 outings, the B-side have reversed both these losses! Way to go!

B-Side Game: Sunday May 18

WHERE: Muskego
WHEN: 1:15 p.m. kick-off (Be there at NOON)
WHO: Muskego-B v. Brookfield B. If you are an A-side player, you should still attend the match because (1) let's support our B-side and (2) you never know what subs we will need!

DIRECTION: Take Moorland past Janesville Rd. going south. You will come to a four way stop (stop signs, this intersection is Woods and Moorland/Durham), continue south through the stop and about a half mile down on your left will be McShane Dr. Take a left here and the pitch will be on your right hand/south side about a half mile down the road.

See you there.

Sunday's Game...

Date: Sunday, May 11, 2008
Time: Kick-off at 1:00 p.m. (be there at Noon ready to warm-up)
Place: Nagawaukee Park
Opponent: Brookfield A vs. KM-A; Brookfield-B vs. KM-B/FDL

Directions: Take I-94 West to Hwy. 83 exit in Delafield. Take Hwy. 83 North about 1/2 mile (i.e. until you pass all the shopping centers). Nagawaukee Park is on the left (west) side of the road. You can see the goal posts from Hwy. 83.

Please note that Nagawaukee is a county park, so you will need to pay a per car entry fee if you don't have a county parks sticker.

This is just a suggestions, but if you are planning on playing rugby in the fall, I would recommend buying a county park sticker, as 2 of our opponents (KM and CMH) have home fields located on county park grounds and play-off games in the Fall are again likely to be played at Waukesha County parks. Therefore, you can anticipate paying this fee 3-5 times per year, which will make a sticker more cost effective.

PRACTICE CHANGES

Starting Wed., April 16, our practices will move to Brookfield Christian School, which is across the street from Brookfield East.

Our practice times and days will be as follows:

Mon. and Wed. from 4:00 to 6:00

Thurs: from 4:00 to 5:30.

See you all there!

Brookfield v. CMH

It was a hard loss as the Bruisers fell 24-22 to Catholic Memorial on Friday night, under the lights at Brookfield Central High School. Despite the weather taking a toll on the early practices, the Bruisers made an impressive stand against Catholic which was fresh from its tour of Ireland. The Bruisers played to the last whistle, and the match ended with Brookfield in possession and driving forward within 10 m of the CMH try-line for what would have been the go-ahead score.

Tries: Kassie W. (2); Lucy S. (2)
Conversions: Lauren F. (1); Dana A. (1).

Under the Lights

This weekend, the Bruisers will take on Catholic Memorial for the open match of the Spring 2008 Season. This will be our first game, under the lights at Brookfield Central's stadium and should be a great opportunity to show case the team.

We need to be at the field, ready to warm up at 6:00 p.m.!

Let's make these next to practices count and be ready for a great start to the season.

PRACTICE

• Due to the cold and the impending snow, we are cancelling practice on March 27 and 28.

• Practice will take place next week Mon. Wed. Thurs. (our normal practice nights) from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 (shortened due to the temperatures) at Mary Knoll Park. Practice next week will be held no mater what the weather.

Practice Dates and Locations

Currently, our home field (Brookfield Christian) is still very muddy and cannot sustain the wear on the field for practices. In addition, I have several work commitments that will keep me from attending our scheduled practices over the next few weeks. Therefore, I am publishing this revised practice schedule in hopes that we will be able to have practices over during the Brookfield spring break.

Please note that this practice schedule will provide us with 6 practices prior to our game with Catholic Memorial and only 9 practices prior to the Iowa trip. Practice attendance is imperative. That said, I understand that during spring break and with a changed schedule, attendance may not work for some players.

During the week of Spring Break we will practice Tuesday, March 25, Thursday, March 27, and Friday, March 28 from 4:00 to 6:00. The location is to be determined. I am working on an alternative field location and should have an answer by the end of next week.

We will resume our regular practice schedule (Mon., Wed. Thurs.) beginning on March 31. I will let you know as soon as I find out the location of our practices.

I would note for new players, that the Fall season is not so haphazard as the match schedules are established for conference play and we do not have the same problems with weather and field conditions.

Changes to the Schedule

Follow this link to the updated Spring 2008 Schedule.

These changes include the following big announcements:

1) We have moved the date and time of the games against Muskego and Catholic Memorial so that those games can be played at the Brookfield Central High School stadium. We believe this is a great opportunity to increase the profile of our team in the community.

2) We have added a tentative game against North Shore in May. This game may also be played at the Brookfield Stadium, subject to confirmation. Otherwise, we will be playing the game during that weekend.

3) The revised schedule states that outdoor practices will begin the wed. March 26. This date may be subject to change. Due to scheduling conflicts, we may attempt to schedule alternate practice dates (Tues-Thurs.-Friday) during the week of March 24. I will hopefully have this resolved my Monday's indoor practice. Beginning March 31, our practices will be our normal Mon-Wed-Thur practices from 4:00 to 6:00 at Brookfield Christian School

Information from the Pre-Season Meeting

Here are some of the highlights of what we discussed at the pre-season meeting on Tuesday night.

1. We are making progress on incorporating the club and achieving not-for-profit status. We should be incorporated within the next week, thanks to our three brave volunteers who agreed to fill the initial board spots: Jeff Faulkner, Larry Stitch and Neal Anderson. Over the next month or so, the Club will be soliciting volunteers to fill committee positions which will spread the work of running the club and help create a stable future for the program.
2. We still need additional drivers for the Iowa Tournament, on the Weekend of April 11. The team will drive to Des Moines Friday evening, play 2 games Saturday, one game on Sunday, and drive home Sunday afternoon. We have transportation for approximately 15 players. Please email me, if you are interested in driving.
3. We have added two new coaches to our staff, Matt Pinsoneault and Bill Gerking. This should enhance our ability to move the team forward, especially in the absence of Coach Simek, whom we will hope will be returning in the fall.
4. Please note that the dues are due on or before March 17, 2008, or there will be a $10 late fee. You can either mail registrations to my home address, which is in the registration packet, or give the forms to me at the pre-season practice.
5. We are officially considering a tour to the United Kingdom (Wales and England) for the Spring of 2009. We anticipate that the total cost will be about $1,500 to $2,000 and would likely travel over the Elmbrook School District's spring break.

Registration forms for the Spring 2008 season can be found at our google-group. If you are new to the club, you can follow this link to the google group and request membership so that you can access the forms.

The spring schedule is posted on the Blog here.

Details on the Iowa Trip

For those of you who are interested in the details of the Iowa rugby festival, which is part of our spring schedule, you can check out the Des Moines Rugby Club website and follow the links to the U19 Festival. This should be a great opportunity to test ourselves against teams from other states.

Parents, please don't forget to contact Dan to volunteer to chaperon/drive.

Spring 2008 Season

Here is our line-up for the Spring 2008 Season:

PRE-SEASON PRACTICES:

Mondays, 3:30 to 5:00
Feb. 25-March 17
Location: Brookfield Indoor Soccer Complex


IN-SEASON PRACTICES:

Mon., Wed. 4:00 - 6:00 and Thrus. 4:00 - 5:30
Beginning Wed. March 24.
Location: Brookfield Christian School (subject to confirmation)

GAME SCHEDULE:

1. Friday, April 4: Brookfield A v. CMH at Brookfield Central High School at 6:30 p.m.
2. April 12-13: Iowa Invitational Tournament. (PARENTS: We will need voluntter drivers and chaperones) in Des Moines.
3. Sunday, April 20: Brookfield A v. Oak Creek and Brookfield B v. Oak Creek/FDL; 1:00 p.m. at Oak Creek.
4. Saturday, April 26: Brookfield v. Muskego at Brookfield Central High School at 3:00 (A + B games).
5. Sunday, May 4: Brookfield v. Vernon and Brookfield B/FDL v. Vernon-B at Vernon. 1:00 p.m.
6. Sunday, May 11: Brookfield v. KM and Brookfield B v. KM-B/FDL at Nagawaukee Park at 1:00 p.m.
7. Saturday, May 17: Minnesotta v. Wisconsin Rugby Festival in Mauston, WI (hosted by KM). Details to be confirmed.
8. Friday, May 30: Brookfield v. Northshore at Brookfield Central High School at 6:30 p.m. (TENATIVE -- may be moved to a Saturday game).