Dear family and friends
As soon as Grayson returned from the clinic today, we put on long pants and headed down to USC. Tonight Austin was playing in a rugby match and we wanted to see it. This one was a special match that Austin could not lose. It was the current team vs. the alumni – and Austin qualified to play on either side! He played most of the game as the captain of the current team, as the current captain was sidelined due to injury. However in the final quarter, there was an injury to the alumni squad, and they were a bit short on bench strength. As a result, Austin removed his jersey, put on an alumni jersey, and went out there and played for the alumni! All in all it was great fun, as most of the alumni were recent and knew Austin well. The bottom line – the alumni crushed the current team. All of the best players from the past few years were there and they were unstoppable!
Rugby, if you have never seen it, is part soccer, part American Football, part keep away, and just plain crazy! Just so you sound informed the next time someone asks you about Rugby, a contest that we might call a "game", is called a match. The playing field is called a "pitch". The shoes that the players wear are celled "boots". What we might call a "touchdown" (and the players must down the ball in the end zone to score) is called a "try".
If you know Grayson, sports have never been his thing. He did well to sit still through the first half then the two of us took a short walk over to the bookstore to poke around a bit while Regina and Xixi continued to cheer on the teams. Since this is Homecoming Weekend, the store had more merchandise than I have ever seen in it! We purchased a trinket then headed back to watch the end of the match. I hope that our football team will score like our alumni tomorrow. Unfortunately hope is not a very good strategy. Given that the Ducks brought their weather along with them, it is a bad omen!
Tonight was a fun evening for all – Fight On!
Pax!
Brant
Hi Brant and Regina:
ReplyDeleteNice "Beat Oregon" trinket!!! As a Duck Fan, I've known the gutter...and the Ducks don't do "prosperity" very well....usually find a way to squander it! Hope this year is different. We're all nervous up here hoping the best for our Ducks. When I attended the U of O, it was called the "University of California in Eugene" so there should be a reasonable amount of Green and Yellow in the stands tomorrow looking on...if they sold any seat to the Ducks!
That Rugby is quite a game....in Ireland I know that they play the game until they are dead! ...at 50 yrs old, they are still out there! Attorneys, cab drivers, all on the same team for years and years. Some don't have real ears on the sides of the heads anymore. You are right it is crazy!
Go Grayson...glad it was a good day!
In Him,
Doug