Difference between revisions of "Commented on the season"
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Academy rugby subsequently went from strength to strength in numbers and with far better coaches than I ever was, the Zoomies came into the radar of the powers that be, resulting in the acceptance of rugby as part of the Academy’s range of official sports . There is only one regret that I have with this move under the official wing is that there ins no mention of the words “fair play” and “sportsmanship” in the rugby sports Mission Statement which I believe to be an essential element of the game. I don’t know whether any of you saw the the Japan/South Afica match in last year’s World Cup in which the Japanese beat the mighty Boks., At the end of the game, the Boks spontaneously applauded their victors: a good example of sportsmanship. I think that this concept was one which Tex tried to inculcate into his policy for the club and which I hope I had tried to continue. | Academy rugby subsequently went from strength to strength in numbers and with far better coaches than I ever was, the Zoomies came into the radar of the powers that be, resulting in the acceptance of rugby as part of the Academy’s range of official sports . There is only one regret that I have with this move under the official wing is that there ins no mention of the words “fair play” and “sportsmanship” in the rugby sports Mission Statement which I believe to be an essential element of the game. I don’t know whether any of you saw the the Japan/South Afica match in last year’s World Cup in which the Japanese beat the mighty Boks., At the end of the game, the Boks spontaneously applauded their victors: a good example of sportsmanship. I think that this concept was one which Tex tried to inculcate into his policy for the club and which I hope I had tried to continue. | ||
| − | + | On a personal basis, I have found that one of the pleasures one has to cheer oneself up in one’s old age are memoriess recalling faces and the incidents one associates with them and four stand out in my time at the Academy: First Jimmy Carter,the first team captain in my first season, who is to be congratulated on reaching the rank of bird colonel, was always in the thick of a scrummage covered in mud with a smile on his face and the ball firmly in his grasp which was all that mattered , although how a fly half managed to get into that position so often, I’ll never know, but he certainly led his team from the front, the next one was Randy Sheppard who when we played VMI carving his way thro the VMI pack like a knife through butter, third was Keith Wilkinson who was superb in the line out and in loose play was a consummate player seemingly to have a sixth sense of where play would be going next,. The fourth was Roger Smith, who came to the academy knowing nothngabout rugby, but took to it like a duck to water and was an outstanding scrumhalf by any standard | |
| − | First Jimmy Carter,the first team captain in my first season, who is to be congratulated on reaching the rank of bird colonel, was always in the thick of a scrummage covered in mud with a smile on his face and the ball firmly in his grasp which was all that mattered , although how a fly half managed to get into that position so often, I’ll never know, but he certainly led his team from the front, the next one was Randy Sheppard who when we played VMI carving his way thro the VMI pack like a knife through butter, third was Keith Wilkinson who was superb in the line out and in loose play was a consummate player seemingly to have a sixth sense of where play would be going next,. The fourth was Roger Smith, who came to the academy knowing nothngabout rugby, but took to it like a duck to water and was an outstanding scrumhalf by any standard | + | |
Finally [thank goodness, i can hear you say] Rugby allowed me to leave the Academy with not only with a host of pleasant memories but also with some long lasting friends and you don’t know until you reach my advanced age how important friends are. In particular, one Tex Byrd, who my wife thinks of as the epitome of an English gentleman, with who I would trust my last farthing [but not much more !!] Two others : Harry Bennett and Ren Crowell who have sadly gone to joint the great majority on the bleachers I have also maintained close friendship with Rroger Smith with whom I correspond n any thing from free range eggs to theology ! | Finally [thank goodness, i can hear you say] Rugby allowed me to leave the Academy with not only with a host of pleasant memories but also with some long lasting friends and you don’t know until you reach my advanced age how important friends are. In particular, one Tex Byrd, who my wife thinks of as the epitome of an English gentleman, with who I would trust my last farthing [but not much more !!] Two others : Harry Bennett and Ren Crowell who have sadly gone to joint the great majority on the bleachers I have also maintained close friendship with Rroger Smith with whom I correspond n any thing from free range eggs to theology ! | ||
Latest revision as of 02:33, 12 April 2024
Ladies & Gentlmen
I was highly honoured n to be invited to this the 40th anniversary of the USAFA rugby club and even more delighted to be asked to say a few words on my experiebces with the zoomies . I regret however that old age and infirmity have forced me to decline . However, my very dear friend Tex Byrd has offered to say a few words on my behalf and I leave the floor to him. My previous club experience had been with Durham City RFC, a well estsblished club in the NE of England which one or two of you may remember and with the OCTU Rugby club. When I was posted over here, I was invited to understudy Tex for a year and when he was posted , I was left in charge and it was only then that I realised that USAFA RFC was unlike any that I had come ion contact before . It was diametrically opposed to the OCTU club where the players were an integral part of the officer training programme and the Commanding Officer of the Officer Cadet Training Unit took a keen interest in their progress . Here I found that the Rugby players were outside the main stream of the academy – I found out later that one of the Commandant’s coven of Colonels referred to the Club as outlaws and I decided to try to bring them into the fold. The most dramatic move was the change of badge. Altho most seniors were attached to Phat Fred, the younger players wanted a Rugger badge on their A jackets which I knew the Comm would never agree to Fred. I therefore asked for a more suitable emblem and Roger Smith came up with the design of Eddie the Eagle..which is still used by the women’s team. I took it to the Comm, General Beck, a General for whom I had a great deal of respect and he, despite strong opposition from his Colonel’s Court, approved the new emblem. With the introduction of the badge on the A jacket , the newer players began to become more conformist. And we received the Comm’s blessing to go to Cranwell where we beat our opposite numbers by 6 points to 5 in icy conditions. We also had a longstanding tradition of playing and beating the Canadians at Royal Roads.
Academy rugby subsequently went from strength to strength in numbers and with far better coaches than I ever was, the Zoomies came into the radar of the powers that be, resulting in the acceptance of rugby as part of the Academy’s range of official sports . There is only one regret that I have with this move under the official wing is that there ins no mention of the words “fair play” and “sportsmanship” in the rugby sports Mission Statement which I believe to be an essential element of the game. I don’t know whether any of you saw the the Japan/South Afica match in last year’s World Cup in which the Japanese beat the mighty Boks., At the end of the game, the Boks spontaneously applauded their victors: a good example of sportsmanship. I think that this concept was one which Tex tried to inculcate into his policy for the club and which I hope I had tried to continue.
On a personal basis, I have found that one of the pleasures one has to cheer oneself up in one’s old age are memoriess recalling faces and the incidents one associates with them and four stand out in my time at the Academy: First Jimmy Carter,the first team captain in my first season, who is to be congratulated on reaching the rank of bird colonel, was always in the thick of a scrummage covered in mud with a smile on his face and the ball firmly in his grasp which was all that mattered , although how a fly half managed to get into that position so often, I’ll never know, but he certainly led his team from the front, the next one was Randy Sheppard who when we played VMI carving his way thro the VMI pack like a knife through butter, third was Keith Wilkinson who was superb in the line out and in loose play was a consummate player seemingly to have a sixth sense of where play would be going next,. The fourth was Roger Smith, who came to the academy knowing nothngabout rugby, but took to it like a duck to water and was an outstanding scrumhalf by any standard
Finally [thank goodness, i can hear you say] Rugby allowed me to leave the Academy with not only with a host of pleasant memories but also with some long lasting friends and you don’t know until you reach my advanced age how important friends are. In particular, one Tex Byrd, who my wife thinks of as the epitome of an English gentleman, with who I would trust my last farthing [but not much more !!] Two others : Harry Bennett and Ren Crowell who have sadly gone to joint the great majority on the bleachers I have also maintained close friendship with Rroger Smith with whom I correspond n any thing from free range eggs to theology !
.So my time here in the delightgful state of Colorado was one of her most pleasant and pleasurable postings in my 25 years in the RAF and for much of that I would like to thank the cadets who were here in my time and who in many cases have turned out to be exceptional officers despite being outlaws in their time.
Thank you.
