Undefeated. Seven matches in three days.
Only 12 points surrendered to opponents!
See the Pics,
add your pics - thanks Joe!
Video summary of the matches - thanks Ben and Adam
Video
highlights from the Bingham Cup
The Barbarian-Grizzlies WON the Bingham Plate Division Championship!
22-0 versus the Sydney Convicts 2. Congratulations to all the Grizzlies,
World Barbarians and auxiliaries who worked so hard to achieve victory
on the world stage!
The trophy ceremony (above) took place on Pitch 1 following the
Bingham Cup Final where IGRAB titans Sydney Convicts 1 won 18-3 versus
Kings Cross Steelers 1 (London). There are four divisions in the Bingham
Cup tournament, Cup-Plate-Bowl-Shield. Atlanta Bucks won the Bowl Division
12-5 against King Cross Steelers 2 (way to go Bucks!) and Ulster Titans
won the Shield Division 29-5 versus Muddy York (Toronto). Last, but
not least Barbarian-Grizzlies Vince Vogelsang, Bru and Jon Glassmeyer
were honored by the team as Men-of-the-Tournament!
At the start of the tournament eleven Grizzlies combined with the World
Barbarians (Barbies), another team that was several players short of
a full side. The combined team played under the Barbarians' yellow and
black banner. Coach Gus did an outstanding job bringing the two teams
together to play as one. Gus, Brad Torgan, Rai Martinez and all the
great players from around the world that make up the Barbarians were
fantastic teachers and brothers to the Grizzlies.
Leading up to the final, the combined team won their first SIX matches
versus Amsterdam NOP 55-0! an upset against Kings Cross Steelers 2 (London)
6-0! - KXS2 is part of the oldest IGRAB club and was expected to win
big - then Saturday against Muddy York (Toronto) 48-7.
In round one of the play-offs the G-Bs torpedoed Boston Ironsides 25-0.
In the Quarter-Final they won versus Dallas Diablos 19-5 and then San
Francisco Fog 2, 16-0 in the semi-final.
Our own Joel Campbell and Michael (Killer) Kiggins have each scored
their first international Try in Dublin! John Purdom and Grizzly whore
Vince Vogelsang were each named Man-of-the-Match versus the Convicts
2 and the Ironsides respectively. El Presidente' Jim Schmidt took the
first injury - a knee to the eye - way to go Jim! But not to be outdone,
Jon "Crusher" Glassmeyer was hauled off for seven
stitches over his eye and Todd Hughes was sidelined with a pulled ligament
in his knee. Stan Schklar and Vince Vogelsang each took hits to the
ribs. Jim, Jon and Vince were cleared and kept playing. Finally, not
to be outdone, Jim injured his thumb during the championship match.
It hurt, but like a good Grizzly he waited till after the award ceremony
and dinner to see a doctor and find out it was a serious fracture. Good
times.
Pictured with our boys in several of the pictures on Joe Woolley's
web album is Mark Bingham's mother Alice Hoglan. Mark, the tourney's
namesake, was one of the 911 heroes on Flight 93 who sacrificed themselves
to save others (more
about Mark).
Thanks to all our Bingham Cup Supporters
It wouldn't have happened without you!
Gold sponsors Jack Arnold, Jon Grayson, Barry Jeffrey, Mark Tanzer
& Michael Randall, Stephen McRedmon, Chris Thomson, Barry Jeffrey,
Keith Durbin & Gary Bynum, Wills Handyman
Burgundy sponsors John Bridges, Suzanne Bradford & Judy Lojek,
Diane & Steve Neighbors, Bill Haralson, Anne Carr, Wonnie Short,
John Wade, Glenn Swann,
Bill Walker
Blue sponsors Vaden Lackey, Rob Harper, Joe Morris.
And to the more than 250+ others who have made donations at our events
Grizzlies Bingham Side
Joel Campbell
Eric "Dozer" Carey
Jon "Crusher" Glassmeyer
Todd Hughes
Michael "Killer" Kiggins
Ben Marks
John Purdom
Stan Schklar
Jim Schmidt
Vince Vogelsang
Jon Wells
Grizzlies Bingham Auxiliaries
Marco Fernandez
Brian "Trip" Pickler
Scott Ridgway
Adam Ross
Justin Waldner
Joe Wooley
The Sporting Life • All the Rage article
The Sporting Life: My practice with Nashville's gay rugby team
Team coach Shannon Bustillos showed Matt the ins and outs of rugby.
By Matt Gale, Published: Thursday, 05/03/07
Nashville has a gay rugby team? This was my first question when I
ran into Shannon Bustillos, an old friend who happens to coach the
Nashville Grizzlies rugby club. Yes we do, as it turns out, and they're
part of an entire gay rugby league.
At first, I thought the whole concept of gay rugby sounded like a
bit of an oxymoron. The stereotype I had of the typical rugby player
is a stocky, beer-swilling hooligan violently chasing an odd-shaped
ball around a pitch. The stereotypes of gay culture put forward by
Bravo, the E! channel and much of the rest of the popular media? They're
not that.
In the spirit of trying things that are ''out of my league,'' I decided
to give it a shot ??Ѭ? the rugby, that is. I asked Shannon if I could
join in on a practice sometime, and she said the team would be glad
to have me.
Arriving at practice, I noticed a tiny flutter of butterflies in my
stomach. I played rugby for a couple of weeks in college, but quit
because I was nervous about injuring myself. Some of the old anxiety
was starting to return, but I forced it out of my head. The Grizzlies
were all very friendly and eager to help out an obvious newbie.
Practice was just as tough as I remember it from college. We started
with the typical routine of stretching, push-ups and Indian sprinting
a few laps. I try to keep in decent shape, so I had no trouble with
the general warm-up. The drills we ran, however, were a different
story.
In rugby, there are specific rules for how to do everything. There
is a correct way to hit, there is a correct way to fall, and there
is a correct way to pass. My near-total ignorance of the rules and
lingo had me at a huge disadvantage. A player would point at me and
say, ''Want to take the tail on this run?'' and I would offer a confused
stare in reply. Eventually, the team learned to give me more specific
instructions. ''I'll pass the ball to you, you hit the guy in the
red shirt, you'll fall on the ground and hand the ball to the guy
in the blue shirt.'' Once I had specific A-to-B-to-C instructions,
I did OK. Additional tips like ''try to hit with your shoulder instead
of your head'' were especially helpful.
Shannon invited a guest coach named Toby Florek, a player from the
Nashville Outlaws, to demonstrate a special tactic called the Rocket
Pod. In it, four players line up in a diamond formation. This gives
the lead player, the ''rocket,'' an automatic support system as he
runs down the field. If he gets in trouble, he has three players behind
him to whom he can pass the ball. (In rugby, all passes must be lateral.)
The trick? Once you get the ball, you become the Rocket, and the remaining
three players fall in formation behind you. Sounds easy, right? To
an experienced player, it probably is. I, on the other hand, was the
only person at practice who collided with members of his own team.
I probably would have felt some embarrassment if not for the fact
that I was pretty punch-drunk by that point anyway.
Next we worked on a drill for lineouts. Similar to the rules of soccer,
once the ball goes out of bounds, a player must throw it back in-bounds,
preferably to a member of his own team. To increase the chances of
accomplishing this, two players grab a third by the shorts and hoist
him into the air, thus putting the ball out of reach of the other
team. By this point in the practice, the coaching staff realized how
inept I was, so I got to pretend to be an opposing team member. Finally,
my niche! It was just like trying to block jump shots in basketball.
In my lifetime, I have played a wide variety of sports, ranging from
soccer to tae-kwon-do. Rugby combines talents I've learned over the
years from all.
In terms of exercise, the game provides an incredible workout. While
many sports yield opportunities for a player to zone out and simply
go through the motions, if you take your mind off of what you're doing
for a split second on the rugby pitch, you will collide with someone.
As a result, the workout was very focused.
At the end of practice, we played a short scrimmage. Again, the many
rules of the game are a still a mystery to me, so I relied on two
of my own: If someone on the other team has the ball, try to tackle
him. If I have the ball, run like hell. It seemed to get me through.
Overall, my experience was great, and I would recommend rugby to anyone
looking for an aggressive athletic outlet. A final word on the Nashville
Grizzlies: First and foremost, they are a rugby team. They take their
devotion to bettering themselves as such very seriously. The fact
that they are predominantly gay is simply one of many details. All
men who want to learn and compete in the sport are welcome. For more
info, visit www.grizzliesrugby.org
All the Rage is now MetroMix
Out and About Articles
Grizzlies become members of international gay rugby association
Join 36 other gay rugby clubs across the world
by O&AN Staff Reports, Posted 05/15/2007
The International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB) has voted
to admit the Nashville Grizzlies Rugby Football Club to their group
as associate members.
The Grizzlies and the Newcastle Ravens (UK) were informed of their
acceptance on May 15. They now join 36 other clubs in the United
States, Canada, South America, the British Isles, Europe, Australia,
and New Zealand.
Doug Sladen, president of Grizzlies, considers IGRAB membership
an important milestone in the club's development.
"Membership in IGRAB has been one of our goals from the beginning,"
Sladen said. "Achieving it confirms all our hard work over the last
year. We look forward to playing more IGRAB teams in the fall."
Every other year, IGRAB coordinates the Bingham Cup, an international
tournament for gay rugby clubs named for Mark Bingham a gay rugby
player from San Francisco and one of the heroes of 9/11. The next
Bingham Cup takes place in Dublin Ireland in the summer of 2008.
With regular season matches over, the Grizzlies have begun preparation
for summer sevens tournaments in which seven players instead of
the usual fifteen play quick matches.
The Grizzlies will play in the Southern Fried Sevens tournament
in Atlanta June 22-24 during Atlanta Pride.
Nashville Grizzlies to Play Home
Opener Against Chicago Dragons on November 11 by O&AN
Staff Reports
The Nashville Grizzlies Rugby Football Club will play their first
home match against the Chicago Dragons Rugby Football Club on November
11 at 11:00 a.m. at Ted Rhodes Field (720 Mainstream Dr./Metro Center
Blvd.).
Organized in March, the Grizzlies are Nashville's first rugby team
predominantly made up of gay men. The club already boasts a membership
of 28 players. Earlier this season, the Grizzlies played the Charlotte
Royals and the Atlanta Bucks. A match with the Minneapolis Mayhem
is scheduled for the spring in Minneapolis.
Grizzlies President Doug Sladen invites the community to come to
the match and support the team: "We'd love to have a big crowd at
the match cheering us on for our home opener. You'll have a great
time and admission is free.?"
Rugby has become one of the fastest growing sports among gay men
across the country since the nation became aware that Mark Bingham,
a member of the San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club, was one of
the heroes of United Flight 93 that was highjacked by terrorists
on September 11.
For more information about the Grizzlies, go to
www.GrizzliesRugby.org
Grizzlies take on Charlotte in first rugby match
by O&AN Staff Reports
The Nashville Grizzlies Rugby Football Club played its first match
on Saturday Oct. 7 against the Charlotte Royals in Charlotte, N.C.
The Royals won 37-14. Shannon Bustillos, who has been playing for
thirteen years and coaching for six years and was one of the founders
of Marquette University's Division I women's rugby team, coaches
the Grizzlies.
"What I really like about this team is that they epitomize all the
best qualities of the sport. There are experienced athletes, guys
who have never played a team sport, and guys of all shapes and sizes,"
she said. "It's great to be around a group that has such a high
level of camaraderie. Everyone is really supportive and dedicated,
even more so than many established teams.?"
Join the Grizzlies for a fund-raiser beer bust at The Chute on Sat.
Oct. 14 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
For more information visit
www.grizzliesrugby.org.
Bingham Cup® 2010
The Bingham Cup is a biannual international, non-professional, gay
rugby union tournament named after Mark Bingham, a former University
of California-Berkeley/ San Francisco Fog rugby player. Bingham died
in the September 11, 2001 attacks on board United Airlines Flight 93.
The Minneapolis Mayhem RFC will host Bingham Cup 2010 in Minneapolis
June 17-20. Nearly 1,200 gay rugby players from around the world will
travel to Minneapolis to compete against each other for the tournament's
top honor-the Bingham Cup.
The Nashville Grizzlies RFC will be returning to the Bingham Cup to
defend their 2008 win of the Bingham Plate. We will be fundraising throughout
the spring of 2010. Direct donations can be made by clicking on the donation card image
below and then clicking on the Make a Donation button under Donate to the Grizzlies.
A donation can be made by check by mailing it to Nashville Grizzlies RFC, P.O. Box 330568, Nashville, TN 37203
March 14