OCR Text |
Show The Park City Mugby Club on the road to victory : : ; MtelkMg fill imp player) Rick Phaler, it represented a turning point for the team. The Park City Rugby Club started out as another one of Corky Foster's wild notions. Corky had played twice, maybe three times for the Gentlemen of the Aspen Rugby Club in Colorado. In Park City he was getting restless. There wasn't much to do. There wasn't even much work at that time (ten years ago) so he dragged a few friends out of the'Alamo Saloon and explained the basics of rugby: They have the ball - you hit them. You have the ball - they hit you. There were a couple pi other instructions too. The offside line moves with the ball. (No forward passes.). Play the ball not the man. (No blocking). According to Corky Co-rky the first rugby game in Park City was played ' on Labor Day in 1970. "Dave Novelle was looking for some Labor Day events so I suggested a rugby game." Two teams were imported from Salt Lake and Bountiful for an exhibition game. Corky and John Vrable played for th6 losing Bountiful Bounti-ful side. From that date on there were several misterious disappearances dis-appearances noted at the Alamo, Smiles Novelle, Gary Zamuda, Kenny Benitina, Norm Hall and even Alamo Dave Mueller. From April to October they would be conspiciously absent two and three, times a week. Every now and then they would dash in on a Saturday afternoon to nab the biggest guy at the bar'as a substitute for an injured player. This was no tea and crumpets bunch on the Park City field. According to Mueller those first games were like a bunch of kids on a playground. It was nothing like last Saturday's Satur-day's game which flowed for forty minutes at a stretch back and forth across the playing field. A rugby game, Coach; . Phaler explained, consists of . 2 forty minute halves played with only a five minute haf time and 8 minutes of injury time, thus the reputaion as a 'brutal' sport. There are only 2 substitutions allowed and since there is no such thing as an offense of defense squad4 the same fifteen men play out the full 80 minutes. . According to. Dave Bodner "It is a game of condition-ing. condition-ing. The Park City Muckers were 'down 4-0 at the half. Dead Goat was playing, a strong and consistent game but they underestimated the progress that the opponents had made under Phaler's rigorous training program. Instead of tiring at the Half as the Goats were the Muckers picked up a. second win and an incredible deter- The Mockers bind together in prepaution for a scrum. The scrum half (right) rolls the ball into the pack. If all goes well his hooker, supported by two props will hook the ball out of the melee back to the scrum half and the ball is back in play.. nmim ' 1 1,1 ByNanChalat What sort of man plays rugby, you ask? There is a notion that he is the sort of elitist who wears tweed to the office and then sheds all pretense of propriety -once a week on the rugby field. One would also assume that because of the game's British origin that he would be the sort of fellow who also played a mean game of croquet. Not so. There have also been rumors, you mention, that rugby players are savages. That the game is brutal and its players so deviant to. be almost a cult. Yes and, no. ' Despite the intriguing mystique never seen, a game-though rugby has been played regularly in Park City , for a decade. Last Saturday, V however, caught up in the flow of Fourth' of? July , 'activities you found, yourself : ori the sidelines at City Park.. engrossed, jri : a rgame :Vso different from anything you; had anticipated that all JJibse pSdispositlohs were forgot-' ; v -ten.-' s ' ' "'''tii,- ' ;:' ; ";It; was not, , as previously assumed, a cross between V. football and soccer. There K were kicks, and passes and . lost of bady contact but there the similarities only created more confusion than clarity the plays never moved in. increments as small as a yard and they never seemed to stop. The home team had the ball, suddenly it was in the hands of the opposition and the players moved toward , ... itif' t ' ' ''-5 , ' ' - ' - r i s ynWi-? ' . .y 1 - ' 'S A fifl ' , . - by Di Gcst Ccsch Skip Shirff: The barefoot kicker from New you; Thev ja1I disappeared into a;pileup' which was ; immediately dispersed and the, play begun again with a . lincouty all in a mater of a minute. Clearly these men were involved in a complex and rigorous sport. ' Park City won that game, i Saturday; against their arch ' Jg&foz Dead, GoaUlliey won back a trophy that has been theirs only twice in the last seven years since the . Dead Goat officially broke off from the park City Rugby Club to become the Muckers toughest competition. By all counts; it was one of the finest rugby games ever : played in Park City and -.according .torCpaehj-Umd- "Alamo" Dave.MuclIer: One of the original Muckers commented,. com-mented,. ?It wmfis clears game as . Tve everolayed." - ntk dig Mmetos ". ... v. I. T tS- v .viWKl v V- ,:;lr r' ' J ' mv f - : ;v:v,iiiiif . mmm. i'A VjS sJf' pilil':,:': ' v v - $v - v v ? ' I i .mination. When Skip Shirf picked up 2 penalty kicks bringing the score around to 4-6 the tide tured. When Mark Stokan got hold of the ball he ran it down the field then placed a kick over his mark to teammate Scotty Thompson who went for a try and made it. 4-10. During the last play Park City not only held their line but Sean McDonald went for another try and ended the game at 4-14. Instead of the traditional Dead Goat Victory chant Maua Aiono one of Park Citys oldest opponents shook his head and commented "Park City is real tough this year." Maua had been forced out of the game during the second half because of a hip injury. The formidibly muscular Samoan explained that he had been hit from below "by a little guy" the, week before. Though Maua is considered the Muckers most infamous opponent he is also regarded as a gentleman on the rugby fieldr V V ' ' While the Muckers were busy attributing their out- standing performance to Phaler's conditioning program pro-gram which began last ; February, Phaler attributed the professionalism of the game to the referee who is the head of the Colorado Referees Association. His calls said Phaler, really showed that he was dedicated dedica-ted to the game. Phaler was the forth player to mention the word dedication. dedica-tion. Sundquist had also mentioned it and . Alamo didn't have to say it, it was evident. The game takes dedication to pursue and the Muckers have it. . What kind of man glays rugby, you ask?. Well you , wouldn't be need to be afraid to meet him in a. dark alley ;. but you certainly wouldn't start an arguinent wfth him. ; v 111 " 1 t a i n i- There are no specialists on the rugby Held. Each man must be able to kick or pass or run as the play changes from offense to defense without interruption. . Coach Rick Phaler: The key to survival out there is to be bigger big-ger than anyone fast enough to catch you and fast enough to get away from anyone big enough to hurt you. 1 vfc ,'11 .Jiff-" . ..A ln P 1 v T 1 ' If , ' 1) 1 '' ': . " I ! 7 1. 7 - . . W . : . ..- ' ' . . J-,:' : 1 - . ' .v . fc..--'" . . ; V's " '..;. ,.. . . .Tf .,i . . -.r 1 ' " v.;-- : ...... . ' v :1-: .. - f. - f , i,s 1 4 r7 ' 'y--H' , : . v' 7;-,, h.v--" s. v , ! - Jwv"IL '"linn 1.1 ' ' : Qfa:Wc$e!tt fttfffi<&ty Q0$m$22 jPather. . s ' : MHNMMMMMAHfrtHMMMMaMM , . -icly 2647: sW,c-;, ... ' ! ;'ld Town Tourney ihSsiyyaUe;-Id: v , "" - PocateUo vs. the F.C. Muckeri in Park City 'Aul6: , '(.; : Idaho Falls vs. the P.C. Muckers in Park City. Aug. 31: . the Pocateilo Tourney in Pocatello, Ida. Sept. 13: . - Oriffirts (SLC) vs. the Park City Muckers in Park City. Sept. 20-21: ; The Challenge Cup in Park City. . ' 'g iliHnWy" ' '"''"' ptnnn iliinm. . ill i tinmmrv n fci.ii ii iiiiimni ....! ilujii. mtTtv '4 - . . ..,.T..-I - ) v " -.''"'.?.'" ..V.i -; - .- t'?l'. " -- -v.'l . ';!. . ii. 1 i ".'.. I , ; 1 l ....... . ...... ... .. i . ... . Maua Aicno: Respectfully known as 4The Samoan' on the field, agonizes, jis the Muckers take the lead..-;r,.R , t' ,7 ;y t:y!JX' '-: V K V- ' '.. .1 1 :-..";V ; ;! :i, . -':l . .' : - ' |