Amoskeag Warm Up Added

Well, the headline pretty much says it all. The first warm up game has been added to the schedule for August 23rd, away at Amoskeag. You probably could have figured that out from looking at the schedule over on the right, but it never hurts to beat you over the head with this kind of information.

Fall training begins to take shape...

For those of you who have been so far avoiding our Thursday night run-arounds because Tuesday is the only day you're allowed out of the house, mark down August 19th as the official start of Fall training for you.

Having said that though, Thursday seem destined to pick up in their intensity from now on, if the rumblings from the coach's corner are anything to be believed.

But anyway, I digress. The normal Tuesday and Thursday 6-8 p.m. schedule that you're used to will start up in earnest on the 19th, with a couple of warm up games lining up between then and the start of the league season. The only potential fly in the ointment at this point is the venue, because although Fox Street is intended as our firm Fall home, Maine Special Olympics has the field booked on the 19th and the 26th.

While there are those that might say you'd have a hard time distinguishing our training sessions from an event at the Maine Special Olympic, when they start handing you a medal for coming last, then you'll know you're at the wrong place.

So stay tuned for the ultimate location, but start polishing your boots in anticipation of the 19th. Of course if you want to make an earlier start, join us any regular Thursday night at Fox Street for a decent workout.

Summer Venue Announced

As promised, the club has been able to come up with a venue for Summer training, which will definitely have a familiar feel for some of our longer term inmates.

Yes, it's a oldie but a goodie, as training recommences at Fox Street Field on Thursday nights from 6:30 to 8 pm (starting this Thursday, 6/5). While some of us owe our degenerative arthritis to the many years on the "old" Fox Street, it has become more of a verdant pasture of late, which explains why we haven't played on it for years. Normally the City reserves its best fields for the lacrosse playing children of taxpayers who probably don't even live in town, but by special consent we have been allowed back on for these summer sessions.

Either Mr. Winch has us posing as a co-ed kickball team, or the kids have already destroyed it and it's well on it's way back to becoming the weed-strewn parking lot it always was.

Directions below.

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Summer Training Schedule Begins

After a tough weekend, in which Portland came up a little short in the NERFU Final against Burlington, the management has blessed us all with a couple of weeks off. After that training moves to a slightly more relaxed once-a-week schedule for the summer.

That once-a-week is more than likely to be Thursday, but the exact venue and time have yet to be determined, so keep an eye open here or on the message board for the exact details.

Enjoy the break.

Practice Moves Outside

Tired of all that fake green stuff we've been training (and rubbing our skin off) on?

In which case you can now look forward to kicking your heels up on some of the real stuff. Or rather, some frozen remnants of the real stuff that have recently emerged from the retreating ice shelf.

Beginning this Tuesday (April 8th), practice will be held at Payson Park from 6pm, until it gets dark, or starts snowing. We'll also be doing the same on Thursdays, 6pm until the witching hour.

Nubz can peep the directions to the Payce below.

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40th Anniversary Tour Announced, San Diego exodus begins

Yes Indeed, Portland Rugby Club has defied the odds and made it (or looks set to make it) to the ripe old age of 40. And just like your typical aging hipster it's having a mid-life crisis and taking itself out West to go find itself amidst the palms and sea breezes of San Diego. And guess what? You're invited.

Yep, if you've ever played for Portland (or wished you could), clear your diary from the 18th to the 23rd of February, 2009, 'cos you could be living it up in the always-72-degrees Californian paradise, or if you've got the stomach for it, in nearby Tijuana, which is just a stone's throw away.

Current costs are estimated to be around $750 per person, and that gets you one Old Boys game (if you qualify), one A Side game (if you've got the chops for it) and a visit to watch the IRB Sevens at Petco Park - and that's just the scheduled activities. No doubt there will be countless nights of debauchery in the Gasslamp District or anywhere else you can persuade a taxi to take you.

At the time of writing that's just 332 days until we leave, and that means just about $2 a day you have to save, so get on it. More details will emerge as we get closer to the event, but in the mean time you can ask your questions, make any suggestions or signal your intention to participate through the contact section of the website. This will all get forwarded along to Evan and Andy who are the masterminds behind the plan.

See you there!