BOULDER,
Colo.
--
In
order
to
provide
clear
communication
to
players,
representative
coaches,
and
parents,
USA
Rugby
has
officially
announced
the
remaining
age-grade
Eagles
selection
venues
for
the
summer
of
2008.
Current
and
former
age-grade
staff
-
Mike
Kwedar,
Coilin
Jones,
Jason
Payne,
Paule
Barford,
Bill
Stevens,
Damian
Dowling,
Sean
O’Leary,
Michael
Engelbrecht,
and
Salty
Thompson
-
are
tasked
as
age-grade
selectors
and
will
attend
these
upcoming
events:
May
30-31
-
USA
Rugby’s
National
Guard
High
School
and
U-19
Championships,
Pittsburgh,
Pa.
June
7- 8
-
South
All-Star
Challenge,
Charlotte,
NC.
June
14-15
-
Denver
LAU
Tournament,
Aurora,
CO.
June
14-15
-
Midwest
LAU
Invitational,
Elkhart,
IN.
June
21-22
-
Potomac
LAU
All-Star
Challenge
Cup
Tournament,
Pittsburgh,
PA.
June
26-29
-
Ohio
State
University
Camp,
Columbus,
OH.
July
10 -
Oregon
vs.
Washington,
Portland,
OR.
July
20-26
-
National
Age-Grade
Camps,
Elkhart,
IN.
The
major
LAU
Age-Grade
events
create
the
highest
competition
in
the
country
along
with
USA
Rugby’s
National
Guard
High
School
and
Under-19
Championships
and
a
few
top
level
competitions
such
as
the
Pacific
Coast
Invitational.
Denver,
Elkhart,
and
Pittsburgh
are
joined
by
the
South
this
year
to
comprehensively
cover
the
country.
These
events
will
allow
representation
from
over
30
states
at
the
Under-20
and
Under-18
levels,
allowing
National
Team
coaches
and
selectors
to
pick
from
an
extensive
array
of
young
players.
The
focus
is
on
identifying
the
best
prospects
at
the
following
birth
years
and
programs
for
the
2008-2009
season.
The
Under-20s
Teams
will
look
for
players
born
in
1989
and
1990.
The
Under-18s
will
draw
from
1991
birthdates,
while
the
Under-17s
will
predominantly
focus
on
1992-born
players
and
exceptional
1993s.
"Our
objective
is
identifying
the
cream
of
the
crop,
this
summer.
With
camp
limits
set
at
30
players
per
age
group
there
will
be
intense
competition
for
camp
invites
In
the
past,
we've
cast
a
very
large
net
in
the
summer,
but
now
that
net
has
narrowed
to
accelerate
learning
and
skill
acquisition
in
both
players
and
coaches;
to
stretch
the
limits
and
see
how
far
we
can
go
to
close
the
gap
on
tier
one
nations,”
Under-20s
Head
Coach
Salty
Thompson
said.
“This
puts
a
huge
onus
on
player
identification
and
our
selectors
and
National
Age
Grade
Coaches
are
reliant
on
local,
and
LAU
coaches
to
help
point
us
towards
their
best
performers.”
According
to
Thompson,
regional
age-grade
competition
is
thriving
in
the
U.S.,
with
more
states
producing
age-grade
select
sides
than
ever
before.
In
the
last
three
years,
Louisiana,
Florida,
Utah,
Indiana
and
Southern
California
have
emerged
to
challenge
the
traditional
age-grade
powers
of
Texas,
Minnesota,
Wisconsin
and
Sacramento
Valley.
"It’s
important
to
encourage
the
continued
rise
of
competitive
LAU
age-grade
rugby
by
use
of
the
existing
framework
of
proven
events
and
encourage
more
states
to
get
involved
to
help
raise
the
bar,”
Thompson
added.
For
more
information
on
the
USA
Rugby
Age-Grade
National
Teams,
please
visit
www.usarugby.org
