TRC Season Resumes 17 August 2010

Dear Members

I hope you have enjoyed the long break, a chance for the children to recharge their batteries and also a few weeks of email silence from me!

Training Resumes

Training will officially resume at Turf City on Sundays starting on Sunday 29 August – one or two age groups may be starting this weekend with some pre-season fitness work but your age group head coaches will have communicated directly with you if this is the case. Same time, same place – 9.30 to 11.00 on the ISA and Anza fields.

For those who have registered over the summer, welcome to Tanglin Rugby Club. You have made the right choice and we look forward to welcoming you and your family to the TRC community. Please remember to bring along your signed registration forms (which should have been emailed to you when you registered online). Bring them over to the Operations Tent where we can direct you to the correct age groups.

On a more serious note, it became apparent towards the end of the last sessions in May and June that more and more parents have started to drop their children off at training and leave. I would remind all members that TRC is not a drop-off club and we pride ourselves on the degree of parental support and involvement in the running of the club. If you cannot stay with your child during training then you must ensure that a responsible adult is assigned to assist the coaches in the unlikely event of an injury and that you remain contactable at all times.

I would also take this opportunity to encourage any parents who would like to become more involved to step forwards and offer to help. The club is run by other parents who give up their time to provide the wonderful environment for the children to enjoy rugby and touch. Don’t be shy – please approach the head coaches, the operations tent or myself if you would like to become more involved.

A gentle reminder to renew any equipment that does not fit. All children playing contact rugby (U9 to U16 boys) must wear a mouth guard and I cannot stress enough the importance of a good fitting one. The coaches will not allow any child in these age groups to train without one so do not ask them to make exceptions. Please also make sure that studs/cleats are smooth and finger nails are trimmed! For newcomers – please ensure kids have plenty of fluids to drink and sun screen.

Dates For Your Diary

Please mark your diaries with the following events over the coming months:

29-31 October – Tour to Hong Kong – We are finalising details but currently expect to tour with most age groups from U7 to U13. The U8s are not touring as their HK counterparts will have already moved up to contact rugby and the U12s have decided to arrange a tour to HK the following weekend. This weekend coincides with the Bledisloe Cup game between Australia and The All Blacks and TRC has secured a block of tickets via the HK union. The U7 to U11 age groups are scheduled to enter the world’s largest ever mini rugby tournament that morning and we are arranging friendly games with HK clubs on Saturday for the older age groups and for all age groups on Sunday. More details will follow shortly but your coaches will soon expect you to confirm your child’s availability and pay deposits so please help them by responding promptly. Due to the difficulty in arranging enough flights and hotels we are unable to manage travel arrangements for parents and siblings who want to support. As soon as we have finalised flight and hotel details we will forward these for you to make direct bookings and families are welcome to join the tour. However, the children will also appreciate the independence of touring with their coaches and team mates and most are old enough to tour without parents (we have made extra allowance for the younger age groups).

5-7 and/or 12-14 November – We are currently finalising dates for the Saracens Coaching weekends when we will host Saracens Coaches for some special coaching sessions. More details to follow.

19 November – TRC Annual Dinner and Dance – Tanglin Club. Details will follow.

28 November – TRC Annual Awards and Family Fun Day after training.

4-5 December – Centaurs Polo Club Tournament and Cup of Nations.

Dates TBC - Clifford Chance Amazons Challenge

Dates TBC – Possible Girls Touch Tour

Barbarians Centre of Excellence (BCE) – applies to U8 to U14 age groups

Tom Browne’s BCE BaaBaas program begins another season very soon – see attached flyer – with trials on this Wednesday for U11s at UWC. You must decide individually if your child has the skills and will benefit from trying out for the program but I am sure your age group head coaches will be willing to offer advice. Many of our members have benefited greatly from this extra coaching in a different environment and have enjoyed the past tours to HK and Australia, where BCE teams remain unbeaten against top quality club and school opposition.

I understand that Tom has changed the age cut-off dates to 30 September (see below for explanation) so there could be a spread of 3 different TRC age groups playing in a BCE age group. If your child is smaller or less developed then I would recommend that you discuss this with BCE directly if you are concerned.

BCE U9 = TRC U8 and U9 (born after 30 September)
BCE U11 = TRC U9 (born before 30 September), U10 and U11 (born after 30 September)
BCE U13 = TRC U11 (born before 30 September), U12 and U13 (born after 30 September)
BCE U14 = TRC U13 (born before 30 September) and U14 (born after 30 September)

TRC Kit and Rugby Balls

We have received deliveries of kit and other merchandise including TRC branded rugby balls, which ran out quickly earlier in the year. As the first day of training will be busy, please arrive early if you need to buy kit for your child before training. The Operations Tent will be open early at 9.00 so come early to avoid the long queues.

TRC Committee Meeting (Open to All)

As there is a lot to plan, there will be a committee meeting next Monday at Brewerkz (Riverside Point) starting promptly at 7pm. These meetings are open to all members who would like to contribute. No need to respond – just come along.

TRC Adult Touch Team

The Touch Football Singapore Winter Touch League starts on Saturday 28 August and will run for around 9 weeks. TRC Intencity has been entered and is looking for more parents who would like to play some touch. Players of all abilities and fitness levels, male and female, are welcome to join us. It’s a great way to burn off the excesses of the week, make new friends and some even stay for a few beers afterwards!

If you are interested then please email Aidan Doyle at doyles@singnet.com.sg.

I look forward to seeing you all at training if not on Thursday evening.

Best Regards

Phillip