This win puts the Utes back to the Final 4.  Utah will be playing against Cal Berkeley this Saturday in Glendale, Colorado at 6:00 p.m.  Mountain Time.  Both of the  semis (6:00 pm and 8:00 pm MT on Saturday, May 14)will be televised live on www.ESPN3.com and via tape delay on ESPNU.  If you haven’t seen the Utes play this year, this will be a great opportunity to see them square off against one of the best in the country.

(April 11, 2011) by Hugh Brown

UTES DOWN COLORADO 50-22

Utah’s match versus Colorado this past weekend almost was not played due to the terrible weather in Salt Lake City.  Eventually it was moved from McCarthy Field (covered by snow) to the Murray Stadium.  Played in wet freezing rain, the Utes played a good first half and pounded their way to a 50-22 victory.  As had been the case in the past, a Utah mistake set up a Colorado try just three minutes into the contest and the visitors led 5-0 to start the match. The Utes would go on to dominate the remainder of the first half, however.  Utah’s forwards put pressure on the Buffaloes scrum and Tonata Lauti fell on a loose ball in the end zone, then converted, to take a 7-5 lead.  Mike Kimball scored a try at the seventeen minute mark after some nice passes and five minutes later Cameron Loser scored another with Lauti converting.  Toward the end of the half the ball was swung wide and Kave Lauti juked his way across the try line to make it Utah 26, Colorado 5 at intermission.

A.J. Tuineau opened the second half for the Utes with a try from his wing position and Loser scored his second try (converted) to up the lead to 38-5. After the Buffaloes scored a try, Bryce Jenkins stole a ball and offloaded to Chance Fivas who scored a try down the sidelines.  Colorado never gave up, scoring two more tries, before Shon Curtis (who was making his first start at prop) put in the Utes’ final try, also converted by Tonata Lauti.  Coach Blake Burdette said the terrible weather resulted in a number of handling errors and slipped tackles, but felt good about the win.

UTES HOST AIR FORCE 3:00 SATURDAY

The Air Force Academy rugby team is disciplined and incredibly fit, but they were not considered a contender for the CPL playoffs at the start of the year as a result of a poor fall.  That has changed as the Zoomies have played well this spring.  Air Force is 3-1 (tied with Utah in the CPL West) with victories over Wyoming 52-0, Colorado 36-15, and Colorado State 46-10 (along with a trouncing at the hands of BYU).  This coming Saturday they invade Salt Lake City.  The match has been moved to a 3:00 start on the Ute Soccer Field.  Utah’s seniors will be honored before the match.

UTAH WARRIORS EDGED IN THE SNOW

The Utah Warriors played their match against Old Puget Sound Beach on an inch of snow and a gusting wind on Saturday in Salt Lake City.  The weather conditions kept the Utah backs in check and OPSB kept most of their play in the forward pack.  Puget Sound led 13-10 at the half and then upped the lead to 18-10 before the Warriors scored a converted try at the end of the match to make it close.  OPSB 18, Utah Warriors 17.  These two teams are fighting for second place in the West Conference as San Francisco Golden Gate swamped the Denver Barbarians 52-24.  The Warriors will host San Francisco this Saturday in at 4:00 pm match.

UTAH H.S./U19

The two top U19 rugby teams in the United States met two weekends ago and Highland defeated United 34-15.  The loss dropped United to number three in the April 7 U19 rankings as California’s Belmont Shore slipped into the second position. United had tied number Red Mountain, ranked 9^th out of Arizona, in an earlier match.  Snow Canyon is currently 15^th in the high school rankings.  Reported scores this past weekend:  Desert Hills 32, Las Vegas Aces 3; West Side Warriors 52, Dixie HS 12.

NORTHSIDE TOPS STEELERS

The Northside Tigers handed Provo an 18-15 loss two weekends ago.  It was the Steelers’ first loss to a Utah team in two years.  Provo still leads Utah Division I club play and were to play this past weekend, but no score has been reported.

CPL RUGBY SCORES

The big match of the week, played on Sunday, was California against St. Mary’s.  Both teams were undefeated in CPL play. Cal entered the match 21-0 while St. Mary’s was 10-1 (having split its two games with the University of British Columbia).  The Golden Bears of Berkeley prevailed, but in an exciting and match: Cal 60, St. Mary’s 34.

West:  BYU 70, Arizona 12; Arizona State 29, Wyoming 0; Air Force 46, Colorado State 10.  Pacific:  UCLA 24, Claremont 10; San Diego State 45, Cal Poly 19.  East: Army 40, Delaware 13; Dartmouth 34, Rutgers 31; Navy 24, Kutztown 20; Penn State 22, Ohio State 17.  Mid-South: Arkansas State 70, Tennessee 23; Life 55, Notre Dame 3; LSU 39, Oklahoma 5.

CPL West Standings

TOP EAST CPL – Army & Navy (4-0 20)

TOP MIDSOUTH CPL – Arkansas State (4-0 20); Life (4-1 20)

TOP PACIFIC CPL – Cal (5-0 25); St. Mary’s (4-1 20)

CPL Rankings (Apr 11 – Only college matches are included in the won-lost records)

UTES’ 2011 SPRING SCHEDULE (9-2)

Bolded teams are College Premier League matches

Take Falcon Ridge Road up to Hard Way and take a left. You will see the soccer fields as soon as you turn left. You can change the map to satellite and zoom in and see the fields. I hope this helps.

* Home of the 2010 National Champion Soccer Team “Real”!

The Virginia Cardinals were able to secure championships in 2 of the 3 divisions they entered this year, with the over 45’s and 55’s leaving with Finals victories.  Their 50’s played well, but were stymied in the Finals by Boulder, Co.

With the 45’s team losing some key players during the grueling 3 previous games on Thursday (a couple of them were former University of Utah and Haggis players),  the Finals match against the Barbarians was a defensive battle.  The Cardinals were able to break from the 0-0 tie just before halftime to go up 3-0.  With both sides turning up the heat in the second half, some great scoring runs gave the Cards the 22-10 victory.

The 55’s match was no less exciting, with athletic play and some terrific passing that only the experienced players can provide.  The first 15 minutes was a slugfest until Viselli landed the solid punch, picking up a dropped ball from the Colorado scrum half and dashing around the forwards down the sideline for the score.  With conversion good, the 7-0 score was just the start.  At 22-0 late in the 2^nd half, the Colorado scrum began to use their size, winning and keeping the ball down the field for two scores.  The last few minutes was intense, as the Cards hung on for the 22-14 victory—and the first Finals Championship in that division for the always competitive Virginia Cardinals.

So, YES, there is Rugby Life after High School—and after college—and after club—and even after Old Boys, which is usually over 35 years and older.  Many Tournaments have added the older divisions because so many rugby athletes are staying fit and playing into their 50’s and 60’s.  The Pacific Northwest Master’s Tournament in Vancouver, B.C., the Can-Am Rugby Tournament in Saranac Lake, N.Y., the Ft. Lauderdale Ruggerfest, the Aspen Ruggerfest and others are even thinking of opening an over 60’s division, with all of the these tournaments having over 60’s games this year (but not an actual competitive division).

This is a Hot…Hot…Hot (103 degrees) Hot!

My nephew Ryan Malin…Hot and hard work.

Becoming a Strongman
For the Spectrum & Daily News

What boy wouldn’t like to be strong and look like his heroes? Ryan Malin, of Washington City, was no different while growing up watching body builders.

“When I was a kid, I watched the strongest man competition on television,” Malin said. “They had great strength. I wanted to be like them. They were my heroes, like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I just liked the idea of being big.”

At 15, Ryan was 6-foot-2-inches and weighed 115 pounds and was on the wrestling team at Pine View High School.

“I started out being tall and scrawny,” Malin said. “Being little, I wanted to change that and started working on body building.”

Malin started competing in body building at the age of 17. His coaches, including wrestling coach Vance Casperson at Pine View High School, encouraged him to train.

“(Casperson) taught me something very important, how to feel good about myself,” Malin said.

He placed first in freestyle at state and fifth at state for wrestling. His mentor was Marty Haughton Boding at Gold’s Gym in St. George.

In 2003, at 19, the many hours spent at body building paid off. Malin placed second as Teen Mr. Utah competing in Bountiful.

“It was fun for me,” he said, “but appearance is all part of the body building, whereas the Strongman Competition is strength, so I switched to that sport.”

ow at 25, 6-foot-4-inches and weighing 300 pounds, Malin is competing in the Strongman Competitions.”The Strongman competition is designed around the work industry of pure strength of feats like pulling trucks, flipping cars, keg toss, log lift or throwing the Atlas Stones,” Malin said. “I like doing them all and train to do them.”

Training takes at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours six days a week at home as well as at Gold’s Gym and the Academy, where Malin works.

Working out with the weights on a daily basis helps him keep in good condition. He says it is also good to get a good night’s rest.

“I don’t really have a regular time for bed or when I get up,” he said. “I’m a night owl and not a morning person but it’s important for me to get eight hours straight sleep, which I do. Everyday it is different when I go to bed and when I arise.”

He believes it is also important to have a good attitude and to have confidence.

“My favorite saying is taken from one of my favorite movies ‘The Departed.’ It is this, ‘I don’t want to be a product my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me,’” Malin said. “My parents also taught me that ‘You can do and achieve anything you want to.’ These thoughts are what I try to teach the kids I mentor at the academy.”

Competing in Strongman

This is Ryan’s first year competing in Strongman events. In his first competition in Phoenix, he placed seventh out of 40 heavy weights in the Dead Lift Medley. He lifted in five different events that day dead lifting 700 pounds, the 600 pound bar, and the 700 dead lift weights.

In the Huntington Beach, Calif., competition, Malin placed seventh out of 25, pulling a 40,000 semi-truck. In July, he was also training for the Colorado Strongman Competition.

Switching from body building to strongman competition also had a lot to do with diet.

“I hated the body building diet I had to follow, which was three months of eating a strict diet of protein, rice and broccoli throughout the day,” he said. His diet now includes anything and as much as he wants to get at least 8,000 calories a day.

He attributes his success to his sponsor, Coral Canyon Chiropractic.

“I would not even be able to go to these events without my wonderful sponsor …” Malin said. “When I was injured at one of the meets, the chiropractor adjustments and the supplements helped my healing recovery time in less time.”

Coral Canyon Chiropractic is a partnership with Dr. Kelly Murie, Dr. Joshua Carr and Dr. Adam Murie. They met Malin when he came into their practice because of an injury he incurred while training.

“We work on his body to help him have performance enhancement to avoid injury, hopefully, during competition,” Murie said. “He is a special guy to take the rigors of the competition.”

They use the Active Release Technique, which effectively restores normal function to tissues in the body by breaking down the fibrous adhesions that cause tension and pain through combined pressure and stretching in a specialized manner.

“Through restoring range of motion to the joints and muscles, Ryan is more effectively able to strengthen more of the muscle fibers of a region,” Murie said. “Without it, he could not fully move through a full range of motion. Chiropractic manipulation and ART restore that motion so he can heal faster, but also strengthens better.”

Currently employed at the Abundant Life Academy in Kanab, Malin counsels with youth, ages 18, mentoring, working on self-esteem and teaching them lifting techniques.

“I like to give,” Malin said. “It is a very rewarding position to work with these boys.”

Malin’s future plans include preparing to go to nationals. He plans to start his own business by opening a fitness center in Hurricane. He is also in the process of developing a supplement drink.

Thaya Gilmore
St. George Spectrum News

Thretton Palamo Scores for Utah (photos by Ed Hagerty)

With teams from all over the country and playing on national television, NBC, the Utah Rugby 7′s team won the inaugural Collegiate Championship Invitational.

Utah defeated Cal for the CCI 7s title in an overtime thriller that could only do good things to sell 7s rugby, college rugby, and the athletes who played.

Don Pati scored in sudden death to seal a surprising 31-26 win.

Cal kicked off and immediately pressured, forcing a turnover . After moving hard up the left sideline, they spun it to Keegan Engelbrecht, who had lined up as second receiver, and the flyhalf took a gap, pulling out of a shirt-grab, to score one minute into the game. Engelbrecht slotted the conversion to make it 7-0.

Engelbrecht’s kicking had been key to Cal’s fortunes all day and his high restart allowed Cal to retain possession and go on the attack again. Only some quick tackling from Naki Angilau and Don Pati halted the charge.

Utah forced a scrum in their own 22 and worked it wide to Angilau, who wrong-footed one Cal defense, shrugged off Colin Hawley, and weaved around two more as the Bears scrambled to contain him. At midfield Angilau popped to Blake Miller, who pinned his ears back and went in under the sticks. Mike Wunderli’s conversion tied the game at 7-7 with five minutes gone in the 10-minute half.

A deep restart from Utah held Cal in their end,  and while Cal started to run out, a thumping tackle from Pati pushed Blaine Scully into touch.

Utah had the lineout near midfield, but the throw went long and Cal retained. Off a ruck Dustin Muhn faked infield, drawing both Utah fringe defenders that way, and then zipped back weak to score a true scrumhalf’s try. Engelbrecht added two more to make it 14-7.

But Utah got one back immediately. Palamo won the ball and then took the return pass from Zach Taylor to go all the way for the score. 14-12 with a minute left in the first half.

Utah forced a turnover in Cal’s end near the end of the half, but Palamo – seemingly with a gap to run through – grubbered for Angilau. The ball went into touch and the half ended.

In the second half, Utah clearly looked unperturbed by the presence of the intimidating Cal Bears. They took the attack to Cal and forced a dropped ball in Cal’s half. That led to a scrum, from which Palamo sold a dummy and then sidestepped his way under the posts. Wunderli hit the conversion for the 19-14 Utah lead.

Cal worked hard to get that one back and two minutes later, a big break on the outside from Colin Hawley drew enough attention that he was able to offload – despite a huge tackle on him – to Engelbrecht for the flyhalf’s second try and a 21-19 Cal lead.

Four minutes to go and it came down to who had more energy left. Utah were stuck in their own 22 but a sweet give-and-go between Pati and Palamo allowed Ryan Bailey to get the pass with 80 meters to go. The sub Utah player had enough pace and endurance to make it count, though, and he was in under the posts. 26-21 Utah.

With time winding down, Utah seemed to have it all sewn up. They had a lineout in their half and really only had to win the lineout and kick to touch. But the throw was not straight. Cal chose the scrum and worked it left to Dustin Muhn. He was corralled, spun it back right, and Connor Ring just got in at the right. Engelbrecht lined up the difficult conversion and just missed. 26-26. Overtime.

Cal kicked off in overtime and for once their kicking caused trouble, as Engelbrecht sent the ball directly into touch. Utah still looked spry despite the long final and took the free kick. Cal was penalized for coming in from the side and the Utes sent the ball left. Pati had two players outside him, but spotted the tiniest of gaps, took it, hopped past the final grasp of the final Cal defender and a minute into OT ran in under the posts. No need for a conversion in Sudden Death, and Utah, amazingly, improbably, and beautifully, had clinched the CCI 7s Championship.

Cal immediately hugged and applauded their conquerors, and Utah are champs in a brilliant advertisement for 7s.

I have not yet seen a team from the Soccer World Cup Applaud their conquerors as is common in rugby and why the fraternity/sorority of rugby keeps on growing for a lifetime.

The bruises will disappear but the memories and friendships will last a lifetime.

Participate in the poll to the left.

Utah 31
Tries: Miller, Palamo2, Bailey, Pati
Convs: Wunderli 3

Cal 26
Tries: Engelbrecht 2, Muhn, Ring
Convs: Engelbrecht 3

Sunday Results

Challenger Quarterfinals
Notre Dame 22, Florida 17 OT
Indiana 12, Harvard 0
ASU 24, Penn State 12
Bowling Green 15, Army 12

Championship Quarterfinals
California 36, Tennessee 0
San Diego State 17, Dartmouth 7
Arizona 21, Ohio State 10
Utah 24,Navy 0

Challenger Semifinals
ASU 17, Notre Dame 7
Bowling Green 27, Indiana 0

Championship Semifinals
California 33, Arizona 0
Utah 17, San Diego State 10

Challenger Final
Bowling Green 32, ASU 12

Championship Final
Utah 31, California 26

Special thanks to U of U Rugby.

The former UCLA coach and Hall of Famer had been in and out of the hospital in recent years, but this time, it was different.

Warren told Wilkes that Wooden might be nearing the end of his inspiring life. A few days later, a grave Bill Walton called Wilkes, saying, “Jamaal, you need to get over here.”

So Wilkes headed to campus to see his 99-year-old former coach, one of many long-ago UCLA basketball greats who gathered at Wooden’s bedside in his final days to say farewell.

“There were lots of people coming through,” said Keith Erickson, who starred on the 1964 and ’65 national title teams. “Everybody wanted to give their last regards to him and let him know for sure that we had been there and how much we loved him.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, known as Lew Alcindor in his college days, rushed back from Europe, reaching Wooden’s side hours before he died Friday night. Gary Cunningham, a player, assistant under Wooden and later head coach of the Bruins, cut short a vacation in the Sierra Nevada. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre, a longtime friend, came by, too.

USA TODAY 6/6/2010…More…careful…emotional additional must see pics and comments.

Greats Suround Wooden 2007

The hot sports season has begun.

It’s officially hot in St. George, Utah, Mesquite, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada and surrounding areas.

This season we’ll have Rugby National Championships pics, Strongman (Iron-men) competitors interview, Volleyball defending National Champions review, and an Ironman survivors interviews from St. George’s first Ironman event and much more…as it’s heating up!

Line out catch.

Get your little ones going on the right track…the fast track!

Don’t miss out on the upcoming camps (Single and Multiple days).

We are very excited to bring you the Utah Rugby Camps for this year. To those of you who have sent a child to one of our past camps, thank you for your continued loyalty. Rest assured that your child’s 2010 camp experience will be just as rewarding.

Those considering sending a child for the first time should know that the camp’s safety and integrity are our top priority, and that your child will receive professional instruction from a team of outstanding coaches. Again, thank you for considering Utah Rugby Camps for your child’s camp experience. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Warm regards,

Mark Numbers and Blake Burdette
Camp Coaches

As a player for the  St. George Sindewinders 1984-1986 and in Germany in the US Army (Won the 1997 EUSAR Championship).

I know the importance of proper skills and good coaching. Get your kids to this!

More on both coaches and signing up click here. Utah Rugby Camp 2010