UNBC Rugby: a Reason to be Proud The puAgny Football Club returns from their first tour of 2004 | On the second weekend of February, the UNBC Rugby- Football Club (RFC) went on its first tour of 2004. There were two matches scheduled; one in Seattle, Washington and the other in Langley, B.C. The team left on the morning of Friday the 13th in three vanloads with the four rookies, Rod Lowet, Damien Shortis, Jeremy Hancyk and Ryan Ozeroff dressed in women’s fash- ion. The first night was spent in Abbotsford, B.C., where the club rested and prepared for the match the next day. By 9:00 am, the full team was across the border and on the way to Seattle. That afternoon the UNBC RFC had a date with the Old Puget Sound Beach Rugby Club (OPSB), of American Super League Rugby. The majority of the team was comprised from the powerhouse nations, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga, all renowned for their world-class rugby players. Of the four Americans on the side, three play for the U.S. National Team, also known as the Eagles. The OPSB had an average height of 6’2 and weight of 265 lbs while the UNBC RFC had an average height of 5’10 and weight of 190 Ibs. Even though the score of 47-0 was in the favour of their opponents, the UNBC side should be proud of competing with such world-class players. Coach and Club President, Shaun Henry, was sidelined due to a shoulder injury and as a result, several UNBC play- ers showed outstanding leadership on the pitch. Jason Schweizer, Dave McMullen, Donald Everson and Ryan Nelson all stepped up to the challenge in the absence of the UNBC RFC leader. In the face of uneven odds, all four of them made an outstanding effort to keep the team motivat- ed. Despite numerous injuries sustained, the UNBC men " played a strong second half, managing to effectively defend against OPSB’s onslaught and only allowing one try to be scored. Unfortunately, Ryan Nelson, Johnny Wilsdon and Donald Everson were unable to play the last minutes of the game due to a variety of injuries, from concussions to sprained knees. In their absence, the team played hard to pick up the slack. The toughest of the UNBC crew included Warren Exshaw, “Dirty” Steve Hughes and Ryan Ozeroff (later named Man of the Match) who played on despite tak- ing severe blows at the hands of their opposition. That ‘evening the Old Puget Sound-Rugby Club hosted the UNBC players to a great time and hospitality with invitations to play again. The morning of the 15th, the UNBC RFC made its way back to Canada to play the Langley Rugby Football Club. The match started at three o’clock with a cold downpour falling on the pitch. The Langley side was smaller and less experienced than the Puget Sound club but the UNBC team was tired due-to the travelling and injuries sustained from the day before. It was an even match.and most of the play occurred midfield. Langley scored the first try but it was matched shortly after with a UNBC try scored by Jason Schweizer. Minutes later, Dave McMullen scored a second try to put UNBC up by 5 points. Unfortunately, a slippery ball and a couple of good kicks put Langley up by a try and the game ended up being 18 to 12 for the Langley side. The game was fought hard on both sides and second half had mostly the forwards involved. Exceptional aggressive play was demonstrated in the front by Greg “Big Red” Hamann, Andrew Holland and The Veteran, “Crazy” Frank. UNBC showed the Langley Club some toughness from Chris Hubbard, Scott “Dogballs” Henry, Rod Lowet and Clancy “The Auss” demonstrating some huge hits. Backs Jeremy Hancyk and Stephen English had exceptional runs with the ball and some solid defensive hits. Matt McIntyre, Damian Shortis, and Donald Everson provided outstanding speed, strength and persistence in the back to make a lot of yardage with great runs for the UNBC squad. The team made it home late after a long drive to Prince George on Monday the 16th. Despite the road record, the February trip was a success and provided the opportunity for the UNBC RFC to show its presence internationally. In the month of March, the club will be traveling to Alberta to enter the March Madness Tournament(Trollsfest) at the University of Lethbridge. The team plans to bring the same toughness and intensity to their pitch and come back to UNBC with a trophy. Travel The World & Get Paid to: Teach English Overseas! Get Certi Best.,.15,000 Grads loved our course! imag Eee Ontine ith the Job Guaranteed oPcx4-888-270-2941 FREE Info Seminars: Call for the location near you! globaltesol.com Forget the Gym: Go Outside! Fitness trends are taking over the main- stream areas of working out and getting in shape. For some, this is not a good thing. It’s difficult to enter any fitness club, fit- ness website, book or video fitness section, without being overwhelmed with new and foreign concepts, such as meditation/relax- ation, tai chi, NIA, and even the feng shui weight-loss program. To work out, a person seemingly has to learn a new language before results will be seen. Whatever happened to the “old-fash- ioned” workout routine of just going out- side? People don’t have to spend tons of money on classes, outfits and equipment in order to get in shape. Take advantage of your surroundings as the weather warms up. One of the key ben- efits of living in an area surrounded by the great outdoors, is that there’s always some- thing to do outside. One of the basics: Go for a walk. Walking has to be the easiest thing to do, it can be done virtually anywhere, and there’s noth- ing needed, but a decent pair of supportive shoes. And, of course, there’s almost no risk of injury. If it’s a little slow-paced for you, then go up a notch, and jog or run. Who needs meditation to get in some personal think-time while working the body, when you can get your heart pumping as well? Another no-brainer: Go for a bike-ride. Remember the days of zipping around the neighbourhood on your new ten-speed? Bring that carefree feeling back and work it into your fitness routine. Our area has so many trail§ perfect for biking, or for a little extra excitement, there are many forested areas to explore. Warm weather brings so many more options: jump rope, head to the lake for a swim, chase a kid through the sprinkler (might want to wait a few more months for those two), go hiking in the mountains, go canoeing/ fishing, walk around town, play extreme frisbee, take up kayaking. The possibilities are endless. So don’t let the mainstream fitness gurus intimidate you, fitness and fun can be found right in your back yard.