Radcliffe after defeating Tufts in the 2012 Prom Dress game

Harvard-Radcliffe Rugby Football Club Newsletter

Summer 2012 Volume 3 Issue 2

Presidents Letter
Dear Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni, Fans, and Friends, The summer is winding down and we ruggers are eagerly looking forward to reuniting in Cambridge for the upcoming season. We have some big goals for the coming year, and some exciting changes are ahead for the programme. As you may have heard, it was announced August 9th that womens rugby will become a Varsity sport at Harvard, effective in the academic year 2013-2014. This development has been a long time coming, and is the result of extensive team discussion and visioning. Through negotiations with the Athletic Department and campaigning for University support, we are now on our way to becoming one of the first varsity squads in the country. This move is a testament to the growth of rugby across the country, and we hope that it will pave the way for other teams to follow suit so more women will have an opportunity to enrich their lives through the sport. The move to Varsity will undoubtedly be a big change for Radcliffe, but one that is being approached with care and thoughtfulness to preserve what we love about this organization. The foundation for this transition will be laid over the course of the upcoming year, as we increase our practice times and prepare ourselves to stand out as a force to be reckoned with in the Ivy League division and beyond. The move to Varsity coincides with other exciting

In this newsletter
Presidents Letter Update from Recruiting Chair Captains Notes Fall 2012 Season Schedule (15s & 7s) 30th Reunion Coordinators Update 30th Reunion Alumni Checklist HRRFC Reunion Merchandise

programme developments. In cooperation with the mens team and alumni, we are working to establish a Friends of Rugby group to raise support for the programme and to make plans to ensure a sustainable future for both mens and womens rugby at Harvard. The first meeting will be held in September, and we are thrilled that so many Radcliffe alums have stepped up to be part of this group. As we embark on this newest chapter for Radcliffe, we carry forward with us our history as the scrappy, ragtag bunch of women known for dedication to our team and to each other. We will be celebrating this incomparable Radcliffe spirit at our 30th Anniversary event on October 13th. We hope to see many of our alumni and supporters there! Following the 30th revelry, we will be holding a Town Hall-style meeting to discuss ideas, feedback, and questions about what the future of Radcliffe, which I urge all who are able to attend. As always, do not hesitate to get in touch with us directly if you have any questions or feedback, especially as we head into this period of transition. Much Rad-love to you all, Sarah MacVicar 13

Recruiting Posters 2012

Update from Recruiting Chair, Xanni Brown

With all the exciting changes facing Radcliffe, it's really important that we keep enough people on the team to see us through this transition. To that end, we've been focusing on recruiting new players, especially among this incoming class of 2016. Luckily, the varsity announcement came at a very fortuitous time for recruiting, and we've been able to generate a lot of buzz on the 2016 Facebook page about the fantastic opportunity that is Radcliffe women's rugby. Other plans for opening days awareness-raising include mailing flyers, tabling in Annenberg, displaying some particularly well-designed and badass posters (credit to Shelby Lin, see samples above), and just generally playing a lot of catch in the yard. We have also been casually mentioning Radcliffe in conversations to freshmen in our pre-orientation programs, which is fairly effortless because most of us talk about rugby all the time anyway. We hope all of these activities will be fruitful in generating a large rookie class this fall to build depth in the Radcliffe squad.

Captains Notes
With our fall 2012 season starting in only a couple of weeks, Radcliffe Rugby is at a historic turning point. This upcoming year will be different from any year the team has ever seen before, and it will to take even more commitment, effort, and heart than Rad ruggers have already been pouring in year after year. Our exciting move to varsity will require us to restructure our practice and lifting schedule, although this modification has been three years in the making on this long road towards varsity. Our practices have been increasing in number and in intensity, which will make our transition this year and later on to varsity more seamless than it would have been otherwise. Although these changes have required our players to increase their time commitment and effort as athletes, the Radcliffe spirit and sense of camaraderie still make up the core of the team, preserving our long tradition of acceptance and companionship. We have already gained a new class of excited, talented rookies this past year and are looking forward to welcoming the incoming class into the Radcliffe family. The announcement of our move to varsity has sparked an increase in interest that will further help our program to grow, as the 2016 players will be the first to join the team with our varsity future already in place. With one national trophy already won, we have our sights set on the next one, but there are stepping stones on the way there - namely, beating Brown and Princeton, winning the Ivy League title, and securing a bid to nationals. Although those teams present a challenge in our quest to sweep the league, we know that our team has the talent and desire to take both the Ivy title and the Division I national championship. As captains, we are honored to be leading the team during this historic undertaking, an event that will have a profound effect on Radcliffe, Harvard, and womens rugby in the United States. We have complete confidence that the team is ready and able to rise to this amazing opportunity, and we are excited to kick off the fall season! Radlove, Megan Verlage 13 and Ali Haber 14

Fall 2012 Season Schedule

15s Scheduled Matches
September Beantown Tournament 9/8 & 9/9 (UMass Amherst) Yale 9/22 (Away) Princeton 9/29 (Away) October Columbia 10/06 (Home) Dartmouth 10/13 (Home)* Brown 10/20 (Home)

7s Scheduled Matches
October Sevens match 10/27 (TBD) November Ivy Sevens Championships 11/03 & 11/04 (TBD) *Match during 30th Reunion weekend
If you plan to attend any Radcliffe Fall 2012 Season match, let us know! We will keep you updated on game time and location changes. For further details, contact Match Secretary, Ji Su Yoo.
jisuyoo@college.harvard.edu

30th Reunion Coordinators Update

Hello Radcliffe Alums! This is Brandy, your 30th Reunion Coordinator. I hope you are all getting super excited for the reunion because it is right around the corner (October 13th, 2012). Schedule Saturday will begin with registration where you will pick up your t-shirts and any additional merchandise you have ordered (see next page). Everyone will then move to the pitch and find a comfy spot to watch the Ivy League rugby match against Dartmouth followed by an alum-side game where alums will get a chance to scrum, ruck, and tackle current Radcliffe ruggers. Later in the evening, we will get all classy with a reception and catered dinner, after which we will proceed to get all un-classy at the reunion social. Get your lyrics ready. The next morning, we will hold a Town Hall-style meeting where we will discuss recent developments with the team over the past several years, our transition to being a varsity program, and what this means for the future of Radcliffe Rugby. Guests & Children I have already been in contact with many of you asking if you are allowed to bring guests to the reunion. Yes! Guests are certainly welcome. If you would like to bring guests, please purchase tickets and fill out the info form for them as well. If you are paying online, you will have to purchase the tickets one at a time. If you are paying by check, please make it out for the total amount of all tickets being purchased. Children are welcome as well and can attend all events except the social. Please let us know if you are bringing little ones so that we can plan accordingly. We are putting together some rugby activities for the kiddos, so if you are interested in helping or have some event ideas, please get in touch with Emily Yorke (eyorke@college.harvard.edu). Feedback & History Display As part of the historical significance of the 30th Anniversary of Radcliffe Rugby, we would like to have a Rad Rugby history display. If you have any pictures, history, stories, etc. please send them my way (brandymachado@gmail.com). Also, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions, feel free to contact me. RadReunionLove, Brandy Machado 14

30th Reunion Alumni Checklist

RSVP & register before 1. new deadline, September 1 10th, at tinyurl.com/rad30 Order merchandise for 2. immediate pick-up at Reunion check-in desk (see next page) Contact Brandy Machando 3. if you are interested in speaking about Radcliffes history at the banquet dinner. We need more alumnae speakers!
brandymachado@gmail.com

Dig through your hard 4. drives for past Radcliffe photos and stories to be included in the Rad Rugby history display (forward to Brandy). Send agenda items for the 5. Town Hall meeting (discussing the future of Radcliffe) to Alumni Liaison, Emily Yorke. Detailed agenda to be released in coming weeks.
eyorke@college.harvard.edu

E-mail Emily your childrens 6. events or activity suggestions.

One t-shirt is included in the reunion ticket price, but you can purchase additional merchandise here: tinyurl.com/30thmerch There are t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and shot glasses outfitted with the 30th Reunion logo. T-shirts also come in youth size options for those of you with tiny ruggers. Orders are due by September 10th, so order soon! We will have a small amount of merchandise for sale at the reunion, but there will be greater variety available through the order form.

Radcliffe Rugby
c/o Sarah MacVicar 510 Eliot Mail Center Cambridge, MA 02138
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