Old Laurentian 2011 Minneapolis Tour....Thank You!!!

First of all, thanks to everyone who made the Old Laurentian's Tour to Minneapolis a great success. You've heard my speeches, read or ignored my emails and blogs regarding the importance of the relationship, so don't worry, I'm not going down that road. I just wanted to thank everyone who worked so diligently to make sure the tradition continues and thrives for years to come. With that, a thank-you from all of Metropolis Rugby to the following....(apologies if I left anyone out, I'm still recovering from the tour myself)

Chris Babiash & Tom Lavin: These guys basically made the whole thing come together. From organizing the hosting lists, apparel, airport pick-ups, general schedule and leading the Twins & Bowling events respectively to St. George's Day trophy and send off and a million other things, they ran a great tour and did a great job making sure our guests were well cared for.

Jeremy Ancel - Legend's & Mayslack's: We run a rugby club, Jeremy runs two bar & grills. We were able to give him a wish list of what we needed for socials, concessions and Jeremy ran with it making sure things were taken care in a way that would ensure everyone would have fun and certainly not be left wanting for more.

Joe Heron & Crispin: His involvement and support of the Kieran's event as well as St. George's Day trophy were crucial. Turns out the English love Crispin! We cleaned Legend's out of it Saturday night.

Rob Wagner & Dropkick Photos: Another stellar display of Rob's talents as he captured both Thursday night's action with the Ols v the U of M and an entire day of rugby at SAOS Saturday. Make sure you check out his work and buy some photos at www.dropkickphotos.com

SAOS - Adrienne Smith & Zach Lee: Adrienne & Zach were on site all day Saturday strapping ruggers up and fixing them up on the pitch. This is a huge part of a successful day of rugby.

Justin Swartz & Red Card Furniture & Design: Justin came through in a massive way, on a time crunch and with incredible results as he designed and made those excellent individual awards and outstanding team plaque that was gifted to the OLs Saturday night.

Edina High School Rugby Players & Parents: After a successful morning of rugby, the players and parents stayed around to help out on the scoreboard, concessions, while supporting the OLs and Metropolis teams on the pitch. This really added to the day's festival mood in a positive way.

Super Joe Kiley: Joe led a successful effort in the week's leading up to the event as he organized a massive group of Old Boys to join in the fun on the weekend. His efforts led to a great turnout on the pitch as well as the social on Saturday that couldn't be missed by anyone.

Metro, Minneapolis & Metropolis Old Boys: The incredible turnout and general support by all groups of Old Boys was apparent throughout the tour and great to see. Special thanks to Anton & Horse for a unique, soggy but eventful Bike Tour on Wednesday and J.D. Koloc for a perfect golf outing Thursday.

Tom "Oaf" Hromadka: From making sure the tent and field were set up to working with his brother John as well as Mike Kreblin and other volunteers on the concession stand Saturday he led a successful effort that made Saturday a great one at the pitch. Mike also secured the Waste Management garbage/recycling bins, including special pick-up for us. Well done.

Metropolis Rugby Players and Fans: From the new/young Metropolis guys stepping up to host, entertain, show up to events and carry on the tradition with enthusiasm and dedication to ladies from the various local teams stepping up to do the same, it was incredible to see such great follow-through and support of the Tour. I know the OLs were very appreciative.

At the end of the day, a lot of people did a lot of work and a ton of fun was had by all. The tradition and relationship between our two clubs will continue to grow strong as a result of this work, lasting memories made and plans for more are already in the works!

High School Rugby with International appeal

Well, the Old Laurentians are two days into their Minneapolis invasion and all is well. After a rousing welcome party at Legend's late Tuesday evening, a cold, wet, muddy...yet snowy bike tour yesterday, golf and rugby tonight, Twins baseball tomorrow we'll all be ready for an exciting day of rugby at SAOS Field at Columbia Park on Saturday.

Come for the important and competitive League battles between Edina and Minnetonka High Schools as they raise the curtain on the day's events. Stay to witness the speed and athleticism of Metropolis as they meet the skill and experience of the Old Laurentians. This long standing battle has never failed to provide excitement, last minute heroics...and even a chuckle or two along the way.

GAME SCHEDULE:

9:30 am - Edina JV vs. Minnetonka JV
11:00 am - Edina Varsity vs. Minnetonka Varsity
12:30 pm - Metropolis Old Boys vs. Old Laurentian Veterans
2pm - Metropolis First XV vs. Old Laurentian First XV

Food and N/A Beverages available at the Legend's Bar & Grill concession stand under the big tent. Admission for entire day of rugby comes at the bargain price of $0.00!

Letter to the Old Laurentians - Minneapolis 2011 Tour

Below is what I wrote to be included with the Old Laurentian's Tour Program, although it turns out that I may have missed the publication deadline. Regardless, it is traditional that the President or, in the OL's case, Chairman of the Club submits a type of "Welcome" letter for the Tour Program. That said, I hope that by reading this you gain a better appreciation of what this Tour is all about, why it's a big deal, why the Metropolis and Old Laurentian relationship is important to individuals as well as the respective clubs as a whole. So, without further adieu, read on....

"It is with great pride and excitement that, on behalf of The Metropolis Rugby Club, I welcome The Old Laurentian Rugby Football Club from Rugby, England, the birth place of the sport we love, live and support everyday, to our little corner of the world here in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is truly an honor to welcome such a great group of friends, ruggers and well-behaved gentlemen.

For many of the the OL Tourists, several Metropolis RFC members, families and friends, the nature of the long standing, important, dare I say "intimate" nature of the Old Laurentian and Metropolis Rugby relationship needs little explanation. This mutually destructive (oops, I mean, beneficial) relationship began with the OLs welcoming Metro RFC to their little spot of heaven known as Fenley Field 20+ years ago, with a return trip paid to the US in 1991. Legends, friendships, great losses, player exchanges, as well as random, unexpected (sometimes unwanted) visits, continue to add to the story and create new memories with each passing year.

For the folks mentioned above, myself included, we've looked forward to this tour with great anticipation. Through detailed planning and coordination led by Hughesy, Tom Lavin, Chris Babiash and a host of others, the tour is on and the wait is over. No longer do we sit around with great expectations of friendships rekindled, pints to be hoisted, top-notch on-field competition (especially by the Veterans and Old Boys), excuses of "well, I would have tackled you but we're a much kinder gentler nation now so we are more welcoming to foreigners", Ricky Reed's cross-eyed dart tossing, Dan Volkman's increasingly frustrating "accent". Soon we'll be watching the sunrise under the posts on the final day before emotional airport send-offs. The dread/relief of crawling back home to the family trying to explain why Easter Sunday Dinner is canceled this year is near to being reality.

While my experience with the camaraderie and brotherhood that is the Old Laurentian and Metropolis relationship doesn't span the entire 20+ years, I do get to point back to 1997 as my first encounter with the Men Who Walk on Water, and consider myself very fortunate. With the personal history many of us share, it is very easy to take this all for granted and focus narrowly in on our own close, personal friendships built over many years of touring and livin' the dream together. As we stand back, however, and look at the bigger picture, encourage our new members to take part, build new relationships, create their own stories and memories, participate in player exchanges, we start to really see the power of the bond between our clubs. This bond transcends time, generations, isn't reliant upon one particular set of Presidents, Chairmen, Veterans, Old Boys, etc. to continue to grow. It's infinitely larger than any individual, just as each of our clubs loom significantly larger than the mere sum of its members. As long as The Metropolis Rugby Club and The Old Laurentians draw breath from the same blue skies our clubs, our members, our history, will be forever and inextricably linked.

During this time of celebration, anticipation and general tom-foolery, we'd be remiss if we were not to pause and remember two of fellow mates who were so suddenly taken from us since we last met. Both clubs have suffered and shared in two tragic losses in long-time members, members who were the bedrock of their respective clubs, loved by all and are dearly missed. It's safe to assume that were Old Laurentian Kevin "KJ" Jones and Metro/Metropolis fixture Matt "Mitchie" Comstock here with us they'd be two of the most excited and involved guys on the tour. Neither would miss a minute of the weekend's events and legend unless, perhaps, it was to conspire behind the scenes to make things even more memorable for all. I've no doubt those two will be together celebrating, watching over us and being grateful to not wake up with the same headaches we'll all certainly experience.

With that, I once again welcome each and every touring Old Laurentian! You have now been initiated into the long winded, self-indulgent and meandering writing style that my Metropolis Clubmates have come to loathe and/or ignore over the years. If you've survived this, the rest of the tour will be a breeze!"