BGSU RUGBY FINISHES TOUR OF ENGLAND While most students headed off to Florida or other points south, the BGSU men’s rugby team flew to England and still managed to find more sun and better weather than anyone stuck in Ohio. The team completed a busy schedule that had them playing three matches, attend coaching sessions and tour some of England’s most famous landmarks. “This was our fourth tour to England and our sixth overseas tour since 2000,” stated rugby director Roger Mazzarella. “Judging how few clubs do it anymore, I guess I’m one of the old guard that still believes the tour builds not only the club, but also the game itself.” Other tours have included South Africa, Ireland and Wales. “It is a chance to see other cultures up close while at the same time getting a glimpse of what rugby could be in this country,” Mazzarella added. English culture and history were a major part of this trip as the team was given guided tours of Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and the Royal Air Force Museum as well as England’s national rugby stadium at Twickenham. Other trip highlights included visits to the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery and the city of York with its massive Minster and its Viking Museum. “One of the highlights for me personally was talking to the WW II vets that were touring the RAF Museum at the same time we were there,” commented Mazzarella. “ One, a Mr. Frank Paine, had been a tail gunner in the Lancaster dam busters made famous by the movie of the same name. Several of us talked to him for quite awhile in front of a new display that featured a shot-down dam buster that had just been recovered from the bottom of a Norwegian fjord.” “Twickenham was unbelievable,” stated wing Ted Kilgore. “It was amazing how every single detail from the color of the paint to the quotations on the walls had been meticulous planned to give the England team players every possible psychological advantage. Sitting in the locker room stalls of the guys that had just beaten Wales two days before was inspiring.” Upon their arrival and following a morning practice with the Aylesbury RFC coaches, BGSU was hosted at a “president’s” dinner. Attending the dinner were high-level officials from the Rugby Football Union who made presentations to BG head coach Tony Mazzarella, captain Dane Szente and president Frank Viancourt. In the end though, testing themselves against players that started at the age of five was the key reason for BGSU making the trip. In that regard, it was obvious that BG had been incorporating the lessons learned in the coaching sessions. In a nod to BG’s success, Brunel University started a number of alumni in the first match, and though down at the half 12 – 15, the Falcons eventually lost 49 – 24. But that would be the last taste of victory for the Brits. Playing against the academy side of one of England’s oldest and most prestigious clubs, the London Saracens, BG raced out to a 24 – 7 halftime lead on the strength of two tries by fly half Teddy Terezis before eventually winning 33 – 22. “This was one of the most important victories in the history of this club,” stated Mazzarella. “If I heard it once, I heard it a dozen times of how impressed our opponents were of our pace and quick tempo play.” Adding a little frosting to the cake was the fact that a pair of Saracens senior club members, Americans Chris Wyles and Hayden Smith, had driven over to lend support to their touring countrymen. BG made presentations of tour shirts to the two Eagles and wished them success in the Uruguay matches. Also on hand to watch the Falcons take on the Saracens was Aidan Kelly – now a senior lecturer at Goldsmiths University outside London – but forty four years ago he was the starting fly half and coach (a role he prefers to downplay) for the Bowling Green RFC. At the time he was in grad school at BGSU and as it turned out, taking classes from many of the Sociology professors that ended up working with Martha Mazzarella in that department. Another six degrees of separation…………………. One of the highlights of the Saracens evening was the traditional “Kangaroo Court”, presided over by Saracens prop & magistrate Eugene Yost. Saracens and Falcons alike were punished for transgressions, both low and high, by being “beautified” by the Saracen trainers. For not playing fiercely enough, both team’s front rows were offered a heaping spoonful of dog food to “build character”. Saving the best for last, the Falcons crushed league leading University of the Arts London by a score of 108 – 0. Flanker Frank Viancourt, scrum half Mike Powell, fly half Teddy Terezis, eight man Sean McFarland and flanker Rick Suda each scored a pair of tries in the victory. Admittedly the Arts students were still in celebration mode after having won their Varsity Match three days before. Nonetheless, the enthusiasm of the colonists in an early Saturday match took the descendants of rugby’s inventors by surprise. “I wanted to get in there and get a couple playing minutes for myself, “ commented Mazzarella. “An old Indianapolis Reds friend, Dave Toth, and I have a bet going on who will have played in the most decades. But being 64 with a bad back, a bad knee and a wife to remind me I’m 64, I probably wisely stayed on the sideline.” BGSU RUGBY FINISHES TOUR OF ENGLAND While most students headed off to Florida or other points south, the BGSU men’s rugby team flew to England and still managed to find more sun and better weather than anyone stuck in Ohio. The team completed a busy schedule that had them playing three matches, attend coaching sessions and tour some of England’s most famous landmarks. “This was our fourth tour to England and our sixth overseas tour since 2000,” stated rugby director Roger Mazzarella. “Judging how few clubs do it anymore, I guess I’m one of the old guard that still believes the tour builds not only the club, but also the game itself.” Other tours have included South Africa, Ireland and Wales. “It is a chance to see other cultures up close while at the same time getting a glimpse of what rugby could be in this country,” Mazzarella added. English culture and history were a major part of this trip as the team was given guided tours of Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and the Royal Air Force Museum as well as England’s national rugby stadium at Twickenham. Other trip highlights included visits to the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery and the city of York with its massive Minster and its Viking Museum. “One of the highlights for me personally was talking to the WW II vets that were touring the RAF Museum at the same time we were there,” commented Mazzarella. “ One, a Mr. Frank Paine, had been a tail gunner in the Lancaster dam busters made famous by the movie of the same name. Several of us talked to him for quite awhile in front of a new display that featured a shot-down dam buster that had just been recovered from the bottom of a Norwegian fjord.” “Twickenham was unbelievable,” stated wing Ted Kilgore. “It was amazing how every single detail from the color of the paint to the quotations on the walls had been meticulous planned to give the England team players every possible psychological advantage. Sitting in the locker room stalls of the guys that had just beaten Wales two days before was inspiring.” Upon their arrival and following a morning practice with the Aylesbury RFC coaches, BGSU was hosted at a “president’s” dinner. Attending the dinner were high-level officials from the Rugby Football Union who made presentations to BG head coach Tony Mazzarella, captain Dane Szente and president Frank Viancourt. In the end though, testing themselves against players that started at the age of five was the key reason for BGSU making the trip. In that regard, it was obvious that BG had been incorporating the lessons learned in the coaching sessions. In a nod to BG’s success, Brunel University started a number of alumni in the first match, and though down at the half 12 – 15, the Falcons eventually lost 49 – 24. But that would be the last taste of victory for the Brits. Playing against the academy side of one of England’s oldest and most prestigious clubs, the London Saracens, BG raced out to a 24 – 7 halftime lead on the strength of two tries by fly half Teddy Terezis before eventually winning 33 – 22. “This was one of the most important victories in the history of this club,” stated Mazzarella. “If I heard it once, I heard it a dozen times of how impressed our opponents were of our pace and quick tempo play.” Adding a little frosting to the cake was the fact that a pair of Saracens senior club members, Americans Chris Wyles and Hayden Smith, had driven over to lend support to their touring countrymen. BG made presentations of tour shirts to the two Eagles and wished them success in the Uruguay matches. Also on hand to watch the Falcons take on the Saracens was Aidan Kelly – now a senior lecturer at Goldsmiths University outside London – but forty four years ago he was the starting fly half and coach (a role he prefers to downplay) for the Bowling Green RFC. At the time he was in grad school at BGSU and as it turned out, taking classes from many of the Sociology professors that ended up working with Martha Mazzarella in that department. Another six degrees of separation…………………. One of the highlights of the Saracens evening was the traditional “Kangaroo Court”, presided over by Saracens prop & magistrate Eugene Yost. Saracens and Falcons alike were punished for transgressions, both low and high, by being “beautified” by the Saracen trainers. For not playing fiercely enough, both team’s front rows were offered a heaping spoonful of dog food to “build character”. Saving the best for last, the Falcons crushed league leading University of the Arts London by a score of 108 – 0. Flanker Frank Viancourt, scrum half Mike Powell, fly half Teddy Terezis, eight man Sean McFarland and flanker Rick Suda each scored a pair of tries in the victory. Admittedly the Arts students were still in celebration mode after having won their Varsity Match three days before. Nonetheless, the enthusiasm of the colonists in an early Saturday match took the descendants of rugby’s inventors by surprise. “I wanted to get in there and get a couple playing minutes for myself, “ commented Mazzarella. “An old Indianapolis Reds friend, Dave Toth, and I have a bet going on who will have played in the most decades. But being 64 with a bad back, a bad knee and a wife to remind me I’m 64, I probably wisely stayed on the sideline.” With a 4 – 1 record the Falcons will host Notre Dame at 4:15pm on Saturday in BGSU’s Doyt Perry Football Stadium.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 13:23:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015