Rugby and Judo

After much deliberation, I'm sticking with two sports for now: Rugby and Judo. This, as it happens, works out incredibly well with Judo on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Rugby on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (with the occasional Saturday thrown in there).

Rugby:
As you start to get the hang of one thing, you get thrown into the next. The past two practices we have split up into forwards and backs (I think that's what they're called). I'm a forward meaning that I go into the scrum - a big mob thing to get the ball when there is a turnover. There are eight people in each team's scrum I'm what is called a lock. My body size: tall and fairly skinny is well suited for this position. I would try to explain how a scrum is set up and what it does but I feel I would botch it and make everyone confused....so that's just going to have to wait for when next we meet.

Part of being a lock is that locks are generally also jumpers. Jumpers and lifters come into play when the ball goes out of bounds. the other team throws it back in and like in soccer or basketball both teams are working on claiming the bal once it's thrown. The jumpers are lifted into the air to try and get the ball. Today was the first time we practiced this aspect of the game. One thing I have been meaning to get for a while was some spandex shorts: they're just really good to have. And now that we are doing this I basicallt have to get some tomorrow. One of the ways to lift a person is by they're shorts so when they lift me they have to put their hands up my shorts around my waist band so there is a lot of thigh showing. Spandex makes it so I don't get as much of a wedgie and so my lifters don't have to put they're hands in my pants. More comfortablt for both sides.

a general rugby note: I'm exctied! On Saturday, most of the rugby team is driving down to Seattle (Magnuson Park) to participate in a clinic and meet the other college rugby teams from around the state. This is a really great opportunity because not only do we get to practice with other people with different styles, but the coaches are some fo the best in the country. One has coaches college rugby all over the country, and one used to be the coach for the US National Rugby team.

Judo:
Judo is way fun. I'm still only just beginning so essentially all that I do during most practices is fall. You have to fall before you can learn to do anything else. Part of falling is to slap your hand into the mat so that as much of the force of the fall is tken by your arms rather than your head or core (potentially damaging). In order to teach you this and to build up our arms the Sensei has all of us beginners just lay down and slap the mats as hard as we can. Eventually we work up to just running at our Sensei and being thrown: this is when you really learn if you're doing it right.

Knowing how to fall, while painful, is a necessary first step to learn any martial art. Also, many of the Senseis and older students have stories of when knowing how to fall saved them from serious injury, or in the case of one Sensei: death.

I apologize for not having much more interesting things to write about, most of what I have going on right now is school and sports. However, I would like to thank my Grandma, and Aunt Judy and Uncle Ken for their amazing care packages that I got today. THANK YOU!!