“I’m With You” - OMBAC Rugby On and Off the Pitch
“I'm with you.” - this is one of rugby's greatest and most powerful phrases. It encompasses everything we love about this sport. You will hear it most commonly used on the pitch by supporting players to let their teammates know where they are and to remind them that they have support. Whether that's going into contact to form a ruck or whether that's knowing that your teammate is running a supporting line for a pass and a potential score.
The foundation of rugby is firmly underpinned by this phrase. But after this past weekend, it struck me that this phrase extends far beyond the whitewash of the rugby pitch.
OMBAC Wallabies just finished hosting our first SDSevens youth rugby tournament, and what a day we had! It was a discovery for me as much as it was for most of us, and it is clear that putting together a tournament like this is not a solo effort. Sure, it needs someone to lead it, but there is no way a single person can make it happen on their own. Early on, it was vital that we had a great team of volunteers and I was absolutely blown away by the response. Over 40 of you signed up to help with more chipping in on the day. And the jobs were never too small, never too big. They were just jobs that needed to be done;
Some of you came down on Friday to help line the five fields that we used.
Some of you took concessions to a whole new level, even hand-wrapping spam musubi the night before.
Some of you pushed a wheelbarrow of dirt and a shovel across the entirety of Robb Field to make sure there were no dangerous gopher holes.
Some of you found food vendors to come to the event and made sure they arrived on time.
Some of you don't even have kids in the club, but gave up your Saturday to make SD Sevens a success.
Some of you were former players, back in town for the summer after playing at Arizona State, or at New Zealand's Auckland University, and yet you gave up your time to help us run scores to HQ.
Some of you helped check in over 600 players.
Some of you carried posts with me at 5:30 in the morning before the sun came up. And yes, Robb Field at 5:30 in the morning is exactly how you think it is. :-)
The list goes on.
It was incredible that so many of you put your hand up and said, “I'm with you,” and came to support. And this is exactly what this club is all about. A reflection of this incredible group of players, coaches, and parents, all of whom understand that everything that we do must center around the athletes themselves. To all of you who were involved and stepped up, I couldn't be prouder.. You all truly made the day go smoothly.
As a club, we performed well. There was clear growth at every age group, with some fantastic rugby on display. After the final whistle was blown, OMBAC finished 3rd at U16, 3rd at U10 Experienced, and 4th at U12 Experienced! Well done to everyone!
And while things may not have gone our way all day, it was a stark reminder of the health of the game and how blessed we are to be playing rugby in San Diego. We have some great competition right on our doorstep, coupled with an abundance of resources for training and skill development, available for those who love the game and want to continuously improve.
Well done Wallabies!
Before we wrap this up, I would like to thank a few specific people who are worthy of mention for the effort they put into making SDSevens a great day:
Thank you to…
First and foremost, the main man, Steve Marshall. Thursday, he marked out where the fields were going to go by himself. Friday, he was out there with all of us lining the fields getting them ready. Saturday, he was one of the first to arrive, organizing posts for the second field. A true legend of San Diego rugby and an incredible human being.
Shane Dempsey, Strength and Conditioning coach for OMBAC men's club, who basically organized the schedule and ran the entire bracket for the day. He took it in his stride, even while out in Massachusetts with the National Collegiate Rugby All-Americans team until a few days before the tournament, he volunteered his time in the evening to put together the schedule and make the changes as they came up. An absolutely class act, and the day was all the better for it.
Celso Fernandez, who not only took care of the dumpsters and organized the trash cans for the day, but was also the first one on the scene on Saturday morning and the last one with me to leave Saturday afternoon. Eternally grateful.
The entire Kemp family, but in particular Jen Kemp, who, alongside Erin Everett, took the lead on the concessions, planning out what they would sell, and making it look inviting. Thankfully, she didn’t listen to me at all with regards to quantities.
Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Turbide, who put in the work to get everyone aligned in the weeks leading up to the tournament. Sarah sadly couldn't be there on the day so it seems like a good opportunity to also thank Colleen Anderson for not only organizing our food trucks but also stepping in as the volunteer coordinator for Sarah on the day.
Finally, Chalise Zolezzi for leading the check-in booth and marking over 600 players and coaches, with the help of Jonessa, Jessica, and Beth. Chalise gets a special mention as she is also my wife and couldn't have been more supportive over the last few weeks, particularly in the days leading up to the event itself. I was definitely not stressed at all! (Not looking at you at all, City of San Diego!)
Thank you, thank you, thank you! - See you next year?