My travels with The Olde' Barking Dogs Rugby team
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Why The Dogs Don't Have Numbers
Since our first Festival in San Diego the OBD's jerseys have sported letters on the back instead of numbers. The pictures below are explanation enough as to why this is.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Who are "The Dogs"?
In early 2004 two alumni of River City Rugby here in Mason City, Iowa sent out an email to our Club's current and former players over the age of 35 to see how many would be interested in forming a team to attend World Golden Oldies Rugby Festivals. They then set about gathering all the information needed to enter us into the 2005 Festival in San Diego. The Olde' Barking Dogs first team was eleven former River City Rugby players, and an additional nine players from other Clubs around the US, and a couple from Canada. Several wives and girlfriends also made the trip with us.
In 2008, The Dogs set off for Edinburgh, Scotland for the 17th World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival. Nine players from the San Diego Festival made up the core of this team, with an additional eleven players attending their first Festival with us. The Dogs welcomed our first female player to the team in Edinburgh when Megan, the daughter of one of our team members kitted up with us and did an excellent job as a back line player in our three matches.
The 2010 Sydney team will have seven Dogs attending their 3rd Festival, and two more attending their second Festival as Dogs. We will welcome to our ranks several new team members who will don our colors in Sydney to howl with us!
It goes without saying that our 2012 team for Fukuoka, Japan will once again change, but we are hoping to keep our core group of players together, and add to our roster several new members who want to travel to the 19th Festival and see what being a "Dog" is all about. If you are interested in traveling with The Olde' Barking Dogs to Japan in 2012 just let me know and I'll make sure you get forwarded all the details when our tour managers have them available.
In 2008, The Dogs set off for Edinburgh, Scotland for the 17th World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival. Nine players from the San Diego Festival made up the core of this team, with an additional eleven players attending their first Festival with us. The Dogs welcomed our first female player to the team in Edinburgh when Megan, the daughter of one of our team members kitted up with us and did an excellent job as a back line player in our three matches.
The 2010 Sydney team will have seven Dogs attending their 3rd Festival, and two more attending their second Festival as Dogs. We will welcome to our ranks several new team members who will don our colors in Sydney to howl with us!
It goes without saying that our 2012 team for Fukuoka, Japan will once again change, but we are hoping to keep our core group of players together, and add to our roster several new members who want to travel to the 19th Festival and see what being a "Dog" is all about. If you are interested in traveling with The Olde' Barking Dogs to Japan in 2012 just let me know and I'll make sure you get forwarded all the details when our tour managers have them available.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Golden Oldies Rugby Pin/Badge Collecting
 |
| My Pin/Badge Vest One aspect of Golden Oldies Rugby Festivals is pin or badge trading. Quite a few of the teams have these made to trade with other players from teams all over the world attending the Festvals. I was quickly addicted to this fun past time during my first Festival in San Diego in 2005. During that week I managed to trade for around 50 different ones. In Scotland in 2008 I added an additional 60 or so. To accommidate all of these I bought this vest to display them all on and had our team mascot embroidered on the back with a list of Festivals I have been to, or am about to go to (Sydney). It will make trading much easier for me in Sydney as I will not have to worry about aquiring duplicate badges. I am setting a goal of 50 new ones for my upcoming Festival.  |
Friday, August 27, 2010
My Scotland Trip Report
I posted this trip report on Tripadvisor.com after we returned from Scotland in 2008.
Oct 06, 2008, 3:19 PM
Well, I've been back home almost a month now & feel it's time to give a little report on my first trip to Scotland. Our tours (Golden Oldies Rugby) are basically preplanned around the Rugby Festival, but some of us went a few days early to see some sights and catch the fireworks on Sunday night, September 30th.
I arrived with three traveling companions (fellow ruggers) on Saturday morning. Did a small money conversion at the airport (ouch) so we'd have enough cash to catch the bus to our Hotel. We were able to store our bags in a holding room, as we were a few hours before our check in time. Once that was taken care of we took a short walk to Ryan's Pub/Restaurant from our hotel (The Clarendon on Chadwick Place). My roomy & myself ordered a pint, sat at a sidewalk table, and watched the city rush by. We soon realized due to the time change we were having our first drink of the day at 6:30 a.m. Iowa time! Oh well, when in Scotland, drink according to their time, not the time back home.
The three things we noticed right off the bat were how to spot a tourist (us). Wearing shorts. Wearing a baseball cap. Men have facial hair. WOW, we really stuck out like sore thumbs, but found it rather humorous and interesting. We also noticed, at least downtown, the lack of bright colors in everyone's clothing. Lot's of black, gray, and brown's everywhere. Nothing wrong with that, just interesting differences from what we were used to. (Yes, we don't get out much!)
The weather co-operated with us our first two days in Edinburgh. On Sunday several more people from our tour group met up with us & we explored more of the City. Had a late afternoon meal at Worlds End Restaurant on High Street (GREAT place!), and then hit some pubs on George Street before the fireworks at the Castle.
Two things that we did on Sunday prior to our pub tour were to climb The Scott Monument & The Nelson Monument. We walked from one to the other also. As we are "older" Rugby players, our level of fitness wasn't what it should have been to tackle both of these on the same day. Be advised.
The fireworks were amazing! I think they estimated 300,000 people there watching them. Our group hung out for a few hours afterwards in the pubs (seeing a pattern here?) meeting up with fellow Rugby players from all over the world. There were 127 teams from 18 nations attending our festival in Edinburgh for the week.
Our Rugby Festival started on Monday with an opening ceremony at Edinburgh Castle. We then walked through the streets of Old Town to a park where we were treated to traditional Scottish food and music. I had my first taste of "The Haggis" there, and must say, I enjoyed it.
Tuesday was a game day. We played a team from Australia, and then went to Murray Field where we utilized the large covered tent to eat, drink, and mingle with fellow ruggers.
Wednesday was our Picnic Day Out. We were coached to Musselburgh Race Track for an afternoon of more Scottish fare and drink. The current Highland Games champion athletes were also on hand to demonstrate their sport for us. A very interesting and fun off day for us all.
Thursday was another match day. That evening was also our team's "Pub Crawl". Rumor had it that there were 32 pubs on George Street that needed to be visited in order for our "Crawl" to be official. Sadly, our crew was only able to stop by a dozen or so. Old age and strong ales were our downfall, but we gave it the Ole' USA try none the less. No injuries of major importance to note from the evening's festivities.
Friday was an open day for us. Several gentlemen took the opportunity to play a round of golf on the new course at St. Andrews. I had reserved the day for the Castle Tour, shopping, Internet cafe, and laundry. The City buses are a great way to get around for relatively little cost. A one-day pass for 2P50 was a good investment. I was able to travel to several spots quite easily with a little help from some charming locals who were kind enough to assist this Iowan with directions and bus numbers to accomplish my tasks.
Saturday was our last match of the week. It was also the evening of our team's formal dinner. I had reserved seating a month prior to our visit at La Piazza (thanks to recommendations from folks here), a fantastic Italian restaurant a short walk from our Hotel on Shandwick Place. They accommodated us nicely, and the food and drink selections were great. It was a nice ending to our week together in Scotland.
Sunday was our last day. The morning was spent buying last minute gifts for family and friends back home, packing, and getting in a few more visits to places on our "have to see" lists. Our week in Edinburgh was concluded with a sit down dinner for all the teams attending with music, drink, laughter, and lots of photos. The week had definitely gone by too quickly.
In conclusion, I had a fantastic 9 days in Scotland. The only thing I would consider a downer would be the rate of exchange, but that was expected, so taken in stride. If I ever have the chance to visit again, I will definitely do more exploring. With four days of our tour basically centered on Rugby, it was hard to do everything I wanted to.
In My Humble Opinion:
Edinburgh Castle- MUST TOUR
Scott & Nelson Monuments- MUST CLIMB
The Haggis- MUST EAT
Pints & Drams- MUST DRINK
Looking Right- MUST DO BEFORE STEPPING OFF CURB
Rugby Players Wearing Kilts- DON'T ASK THEM IF THEY ARE WEARING IT IN THE "TRADITIONAL MANNER"
Edinburgh, Scotland- MUST VISIT AGAIN
Oct 06, 2008, 3:19 PM
Well, I've been back home almost a month now & feel it's time to give a little report on my first trip to Scotland. Our tours (Golden Oldies Rugby) are basically preplanned around the Rugby Festival, but some of us went a few days early to see some sights and catch the fireworks on Sunday night, September 30th.
I arrived with three traveling companions (fellow ruggers) on Saturday morning. Did a small money conversion at the airport (ouch) so we'd have enough cash to catch the bus to our Hotel. We were able to store our bags in a holding room, as we were a few hours before our check in time. Once that was taken care of we took a short walk to Ryan's Pub/Restaurant from our hotel (The Clarendon on Chadwick Place). My roomy & myself ordered a pint, sat at a sidewalk table, and watched the city rush by. We soon realized due to the time change we were having our first drink of the day at 6:30 a.m. Iowa time! Oh well, when in Scotland, drink according to their time, not the time back home.
The three things we noticed right off the bat were how to spot a tourist (us). Wearing shorts. Wearing a baseball cap. Men have facial hair. WOW, we really stuck out like sore thumbs, but found it rather humorous and interesting. We also noticed, at least downtown, the lack of bright colors in everyone's clothing. Lot's of black, gray, and brown's everywhere. Nothing wrong with that, just interesting differences from what we were used to. (Yes, we don't get out much!)
The weather co-operated with us our first two days in Edinburgh. On Sunday several more people from our tour group met up with us & we explored more of the City. Had a late afternoon meal at Worlds End Restaurant on High Street (GREAT place!), and then hit some pubs on George Street before the fireworks at the Castle.
Two things that we did on Sunday prior to our pub tour were to climb The Scott Monument & The Nelson Monument. We walked from one to the other also. As we are "older" Rugby players, our level of fitness wasn't what it should have been to tackle both of these on the same day. Be advised.
The fireworks were amazing! I think they estimated 300,000 people there watching them. Our group hung out for a few hours afterwards in the pubs (seeing a pattern here?) meeting up with fellow Rugby players from all over the world. There were 127 teams from 18 nations attending our festival in Edinburgh for the week.
Our Rugby Festival started on Monday with an opening ceremony at Edinburgh Castle. We then walked through the streets of Old Town to a park where we were treated to traditional Scottish food and music. I had my first taste of "The Haggis" there, and must say, I enjoyed it.
Tuesday was a game day. We played a team from Australia, and then went to Murray Field where we utilized the large covered tent to eat, drink, and mingle with fellow ruggers.
Wednesday was our Picnic Day Out. We were coached to Musselburgh Race Track for an afternoon of more Scottish fare and drink. The current Highland Games champion athletes were also on hand to demonstrate their sport for us. A very interesting and fun off day for us all.
Thursday was another match day. That evening was also our team's "Pub Crawl". Rumor had it that there were 32 pubs on George Street that needed to be visited in order for our "Crawl" to be official. Sadly, our crew was only able to stop by a dozen or so. Old age and strong ales were our downfall, but we gave it the Ole' USA try none the less. No injuries of major importance to note from the evening's festivities.
Friday was an open day for us. Several gentlemen took the opportunity to play a round of golf on the new course at St. Andrews. I had reserved the day for the Castle Tour, shopping, Internet cafe, and laundry. The City buses are a great way to get around for relatively little cost. A one-day pass for 2P50 was a good investment. I was able to travel to several spots quite easily with a little help from some charming locals who were kind enough to assist this Iowan with directions and bus numbers to accomplish my tasks.
Saturday was our last match of the week. It was also the evening of our team's formal dinner. I had reserved seating a month prior to our visit at La Piazza (thanks to recommendations from folks here), a fantastic Italian restaurant a short walk from our Hotel on Shandwick Place. They accommodated us nicely, and the food and drink selections were great. It was a nice ending to our week together in Scotland.
Sunday was our last day. The morning was spent buying last minute gifts for family and friends back home, packing, and getting in a few more visits to places on our "have to see" lists. Our week in Edinburgh was concluded with a sit down dinner for all the teams attending with music, drink, laughter, and lots of photos. The week had definitely gone by too quickly.
In conclusion, I had a fantastic 9 days in Scotland. The only thing I would consider a downer would be the rate of exchange, but that was expected, so taken in stride. If I ever have the chance to visit again, I will definitely do more exploring. With four days of our tour basically centered on Rugby, it was hard to do everything I wanted to.
In My Humble Opinion:
Edinburgh Castle- MUST TOUR
Scott & Nelson Monuments- MUST CLIMB
The Haggis- MUST EAT
Pints & Drams- MUST DRINK
Looking Right- MUST DO BEFORE STEPPING OFF CURB
Rugby Players Wearing Kilts- DON'T ASK THEM IF THEY ARE WEARING IT IN THE "TRADITIONAL MANNER"
Edinburgh, Scotland- MUST VISIT AGAIN
Welcome!!
This will be my first attempt at blogging. I wanted to do this to save time sending out emails to the over 300 people on my email list. This way, people can follow me in my travels with the "Dogs" as we head out every two years to the World Golden Oldies Rugby Festivals.
My first Festival was in May of 2005 in San Diego. My team mates and myself had an amazing time, and I made a promise to myself to attend every Festival I was able to from that point on. We next traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2008, and are leaving in a few weeks for Sydney, Australia for the 18th Festival!
The overall concept of Golden Oldies Rugby is for players 35 years of age and older to still play the sport we love at a more "relaxed" level of play. There are rules in place to somewhat insure we still get a good run in, but hopefully without the worry of major injuries from contact. We don't keep score, and in the end, the motto of "Fun, Fraterntiy, and Friendship" is pretty much adhered to. There's still Rugby being played, but without the pressure of win at all costs, and maintaining an unblemished winning record. In a nutshell, it's an amazing experience, and every Rugger over the age of 35 should make an attempt to attend one of these Festivals at some point.
As I learn more about this blogging thing I will add links and info about Golden Oldies Rugby for anyone who may want to learn more about it. For the most part though, this will be my travel journal. I am hoping to post each day of the Sydney Festival to keep everyone in the loop with us "Down Under Dogs"! Stay tuned, and thanks for stopping by!
My first Festival was in May of 2005 in San Diego. My team mates and myself had an amazing time, and I made a promise to myself to attend every Festival I was able to from that point on. We next traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2008, and are leaving in a few weeks for Sydney, Australia for the 18th Festival!
The overall concept of Golden Oldies Rugby is for players 35 years of age and older to still play the sport we love at a more "relaxed" level of play. There are rules in place to somewhat insure we still get a good run in, but hopefully without the worry of major injuries from contact. We don't keep score, and in the end, the motto of "Fun, Fraterntiy, and Friendship" is pretty much adhered to. There's still Rugby being played, but without the pressure of win at all costs, and maintaining an unblemished winning record. In a nutshell, it's an amazing experience, and every Rugger over the age of 35 should make an attempt to attend one of these Festivals at some point.
As I learn more about this blogging thing I will add links and info about Golden Oldies Rugby for anyone who may want to learn more about it. For the most part though, this will be my travel journal. I am hoping to post each day of the Sydney Festival to keep everyone in the loop with us "Down Under Dogs"! Stay tuned, and thanks for stopping by!
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