Hawaii Youth Rugby U19 Select

CONGRATULATIONS! TO THE PLAYERS SELECTED AT THE HYR STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE HAWAII STATE TEAM - DESTINATION

Great Northwest Challenge

U-19/U-17 Boys High School Rugby Tournament

Central Washington University – Ellensburg WA

June 17-19th, 2011

KONA - 9

CHINEN, AISEA – halfback
FANGUPO, DAVID – prop
KAMOTO, SALESI – inside center
NONOA, CALEB – flyhalf
PAOGOFIE, FIAGOA - outside center
PAGOFIE-BUYTEN, TAMATASI – flanker
SEMO, EPHRAM – flanker
TEAUPA, NAFETALAI – flanker
WOOCHING, PSALM – center

HILO - 8

AIAVA, NUULAITI – 1st 5/8; fullback
AIAVA, TANIELU – lock
ANITEMA, SOLOMONE – #8
FINEISALOI, ETUATE – prop
FONG, KAULANA – halfback, 1st 5/8
TOLUTA’U, VILI (MAUI) – flanker
KANEHAILUA, KLAYDEN – flanker
PAVAO, TYSON (SEFO) – flanker, fullback

WAIMEA - 1

SEKONA, RAYMOND – wing

OAHU - 5

BARAVILALA, TEVITA – fullback
FAAMATA, JAROME – flanker
SAGAPOLU, IOANE – lock
SILIKIWAI, KELEMEDI – #8
WILLIAMS, LANCE (KEKE) – flanker

HYR is a non-profit organization making all DONATIONS tax deductible; DONATIONS may also be player or club specific! Please contact me or Helen McCormick if you have any questions.

Hawaii Youth Rugby Championships

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Hawaii Youth Rugby Union
Would like to extend a public invitation to
All Hawaii Residents
To join us for our

4th Annual
Hawaii Youth Rugby
State Championship Tournament

To be begin at 3:00 p.m. at
Old Kona Airport State Park
On April 29th and 30th of 2011
Featuring local Hawaii youth participants
Boys and Girls, Player ages 7 – 19 years old
From Oahu, Maui and the Big Island

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special attention will also be given to
Saturday, April 30th, 2011
As this day will host our
Championship Finals
Event times 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Some portions of this event are sponsored
By our Good Friends at the
Hawaii Army National Guard

Hawaii Youth Rugby
Also ensures their
Clubs, Players, Coaches, and Referees
Are registered members
Of the National Organization
USA Rugby
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hawaii Rugby Youth All-Stars

I should have posted this a long time ago, but it's not to late to send a donation (I sent mine on Saturday). From Kevin Perry of Hawaii Youth Rugby:


Aloha Ruggers,


The Hawaii Youth Rugby All State U17’s & U19’s are actively looking for funds through sponsorship or donation. These funds will allow us to travel & compete in the USA Rugby Regional All Star Tournament in San Francisco, California June 5, 6, 2010.

USA Rugby is officially endorsing this tournament, which will serve as the primary pathway for young players to make the Age Grade National Teams. We hope to take our HYR U17 & U19 All-Star teams to compete and show case our local talent. USA Rugby is partnering with these regional All Star sides to identify and develop the best young talent in the country bringing them together to compete against like opposition.

This is a great opportunity for the youth of Hawaii to participate on a national stage playing the game world renowned for its ability to encourage the development of sportsmanship, leadership, self-discipline and respect for authority in its players.

We would be grateful if you would consider our request for funding to support this epic endeavor. Please look over the budget below and our website at www.hawaiiyouthrugby.com and check out the sponsor’s page where your company’s logo can be displayed.

Hawaii Youth Rugby Recognized

Certificate Honoring and Commending SFC Dana L. Mueller on his outstanding work with the Hawaii Youth Rugby Association

Through the efforts of SFC Dana L. Mueller, Marketing & Advertising Director-HIARNG, the Hawaii Youth Rugby Association has been able to receive nearly $100,000 worth of rugby uniforms and equipment kits, the use of National Guard facilities free of charge to offset costs of room and board for neighbor island teams, and enabled HIARNG to host a true State Rugby Championship Tournament for the last two years in a row.

The Rugby Kit Program was initially intended for High School and Collegiate Rugby teams across America. Realizing that Hawaii Rugby leagues were struggling to stay organized, SFC Dana Mueller, with the assistance of David Ma'afu Wendt, Kevin Perry, Siuaki Livai, and Jack Breen, petitioned the National Guard Bureau and USA Rugby to extend this program to HYR. This allowed HYR to become the only youth rugby league in the country to be awarded the National Guard/USA Rugby Kit Program in 2008, and it has continued to thrive and grow on the islands of Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.

The mission of this program is to provide teams with the necessary apparel and equipment to enjoy a higher level of rugby, and to help grow the sport within the state of Hawaii. While creating relationships between these young athletes and HIARNG Soldiers, this program instills the values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless-Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.

In 20098 the Hawaii Youth Rugby "All-Star" team competed, and finished fourth in the U19 National Championships held at Stanford University in California. Immediately recognizing Hawaii's young talent, Mr. Nigel Melville, President of USA Rugby, sent USA Rugby's current Back-line Coach, Mr. Matt Sherman, to recruit four HYR athletes (Lopaka Morris, Apelu So'oalu, Mafileo Lauhingoa, Semisi Vehikite) to compete on USA Rugby's U18/U19 teams. Not only did these young men represent the state of Hawaii, but also the United States as they competed against national team from Canada and England.

Other important catalysts who shared in this vision, and have made immeasurable contributions to this program's success include both Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Douglas K. Jackson, and Major (MAJ) Loren Penney.

Therefore, the Council on behalf of the people of the City and County of Honolulu, honors and commends SFC Dana L. Mueller. Further, the Council extends its best wishes for his continued success in all future endeavors.

Dated: November 18, 2009

ANN H KOBAYASHI, Introducer
CHARLES K. DJOU, Co-Introducer
DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Co-Introducer
TODD K. APO, Chair

Making A Splash

Hawaii Rugby has been making the news lately.

The Honolulu Advertiser posted an article and some pictures about the La'ie women's team winning the Las Vegas Invitational 7's tournament last month.

eRugbyNews posted an article about the Islanders on March 10th.

A little late, but here's some information from Ma'afu about the youth tournament going on this week at Kapiolani Park and a Positive Coaching Alliance Clinic:

ALOHA TO ALL RUGGERS!

12 NOON: WEDNESDAY KAPIOLANI PARK on the rugby field during the ALOHA 7's.

The POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE CLINIC sponsored by USA Rugby, Hawaii Youth Rugby and Rugby Hawaii Union ..... invites coaches, players, parents and fans to attend.
Please bring your own chair and coaches a pen.

See you all there ! Invite your friends.

SPRINGBREAK YOUTH RUGBY at KAPIOLANI PARK ... get your keikis out!

ALOHA 7'S youth rugby.... Monday 3/15, Tuesday 3/16 and Wednesday 3/17.

Hawaii Youth Rugby Invitational 15's starts 8:30am on Thursday 3/18, Friday 3/19 and Saturday 3/20.

Hawaii Rugby Report

Hawaii Rugby had a great 2009 and is poised for another great year in 2010. I have got to make time to get out to more games this year. Here's what I received in my inbox today:

In February 2009 USA Rugby President, Nigel Melville visited Hawaii, followed by Matt Sherman, current Rugby Head Coach at San Diego State University and Back Line Coach for the Eagles. Nigel Melville, was impressed with 4 Hawaii Youth Rugby players and had them sent to the mainland to try out for the USA U19 team. All 4 players made the team. Lopaka Morris has continued to play for the USA U18 team including in the summer against England.

Hawaii's first U19 team to play in the Nationals in late May placed 4th in the tournament. Hawaii's select side consisted of players from the Big Island, Maui and Oahu, and Salesi Lino who played in one game (due to injury) was impressive enough to make the first tournament team. Hawaii now has an automatic slot in the Nationals.

During Spring break 2009, GW Graham Secondary School from Canada, was the first out of state team to participate in the Annual Hawaii Youth Rugby Invitational. UH Youth Rugby Club won the U19's and the Big Island Select took the U17's. The 2010 tournament (3/15 to 3/17 SEVENS,.... 3/18 to 3/20 FIFTHTEENS ) has 3 teams from Canada (already with tickets) and 1 from California already committed.

Early May 2009, HYR State Championship was played on Oahu and the Kahuku Red Raiders won the U19's, the Waimea Boars the U16's and the Kona Bulls the exciting U13's. The Kona Bulls is one of the new HYR teams on the Big Island that has all 3 age categories covered from U13s to U19's.

In mid December, Frank Merrill and the Pacific Coast Grizzly's U17's select side did a 3 island tour of the Hawaiian Island where they were victorious in all 3 matches. This tour has been a catalyst to Maui who now has 3 youth club sides. A tournament in Hawaii as early as this December between a Hawaii All Star team, 2 Canadian All Star teams and the the Pacific Coast Grizzlys to be played on all 3 islands.

April 13th 2010, Napier High School from NZ is playing a Hawaii team on Oahu, is another test of our local talent.

The University of Utah Rugby team has a $9,000 scholarship specifically for a Hawaii rugby player for 2010. This is hopefully the beginning of the deluge of academic/athletic opportunities.
Hawaii Youth Rugby has made some giant leaps this past year and there is no turning back. There are so many people responsible for this achievement. It starts from the parents, players, coaches, supporters, sponsors, league organizers and tournaments all the way to the President of USA Rugby, Nigel Melville.

And the adults:

Rugby Hawaii Union is ready for the next chapter which is to join USA Rugby for the first time.

2009 was a historic year also for adult/senior rugby because we had 4 Woman's (Aliamanu Blues, Laie Park Rookies, Windward Tehines, and the Lady Raiders) teams in the league for the first time in Hawaii. The championship for the Woman's Division was won by the Laie Park Rookies.

The Men's Division Champions saw a repeat from 2008, the Islanders RFC. The Islanders were also successful on their Summer tour to the Sevens Tournament in Arizona where they successfully battled a 15 team competition to an unblemished record and championship.

Later in the Summer, rugby was a participating sport in the Aloha State Games.

October 9/10th during the Fiji Day Festivities we had a 7's tournament and also a coaches and referees clinic conducted by USA Rugby. A lot of rugby knowledge and the Rookie Rugby was shared in those days plus the Aloha/Bula spirit.

Several players from our union are having opportunities to try out for the Eagles and there will more in the future. The door will also open for countless other opportunities that will advance our local players.


There you have it. Great stuff, due to the hard work and dedication of a lot of people. I don't understand the name change of the Union, but don't let that distract you from the wonderful state of Hawaii Rugby.

Maui Youth Rugby

Twenty Eight U17 Maui rugby players will gather tomorrow in Lahaina (Maui) to play the California U17 Grizzlies. This is the first stop on the Grizzlies tour of Hawaii.

After Maui, the touring party will come to Oahu for a BBQ on Friday night followed by a game on Saturday (3:00 pm at Kapiolani Park).

Good luck to everyone, and Go Hawaii Youth!

Hawaii Youth Rugby vs Pacific Coast Grizzly U17 All Stars

Here's what I can piece together from the Hawaii Youth Rugby website and some emails I've received:

The Pacific Coast Grizzly U17 All Star team will be touring Hawaii in a week or two (unsure of the start of the tour). They will start off on Maui, travel to Oahu, then finish up in Kona on the Big Island (officially Kailua-Kona on the Island of Hawaii if you're not familiar with the islands).

On Oahu, the Grizzly will play an Oahu All Star team on Saturday, December 19th, at Kapiolani Park (time?). On Friday the 18th at 4:30 pm there will be a barbecue at the park for the teams, and another barbecue following the Saturday match. We love to eat here in Hawaii. A 2-Barbecue Extravaganza according to one of the emails.

BBQ expertise (that leave me out), food, and cash donations are most welcome. Contact Hawaii Youth Rugby or David Ma'afu Wendt to donate or for more information. I know they're looking for help getting the team from the airport to the park & their hotel when they arrive in Honolulu (sometime on the 18th).

The tourists leave for the Big Island on December 21st, to play their match against the Big Island Select U17 on December 23rd.

That sounds like a great Christmas Present to the all the players and fans. Come out to your respective venue and support Hawaii Youth Rugby and the touring side players and coaches.

Also, Hawaii Youth Rugby needs your donations to help fund all the great programs they're running. Information regarding donations (tax deductible) are on the website (I'll be writing my check and sending it in, as I'm already past due in doing that).

Hawaii Youth Rugby Website Updated

Check out the new and improved Hawaii Youth Rugby website. Hawaii Youth Rugby is making great strides, and the new website is just one of many ways the organization is fulfilling it's mission.

Find news, information, documents pertaining to rules and codes of conduct, contacts, and more. There is a Sponsor's page showing the businesses, organizations, and individuals who have made the commitment to sponsor Hawaii Youth Rugby. And one thing I like very much is that meeting minutes that are posted. I like transparency, and this is a great way to find out what's going on with the running of the organization. Reading the minutes (yes, I do that) gives me great confidence in the organization and its leaders.

Great job everyone!

Hawaii Youth Rugby Update

It looks like Hawaii Youth Rugby is really picking up steam. Just received an update today:

Starting December 17th we will have games in Maui against the U17 California All Star team, Honolulu on Saturday Dec.19th and the Big Island (TBA).

Saturday, February 13th ..... Papakura HS. from New Zealand vs Hawaii U17's

March 14th til the 20th .... St Marys and St Johns HS from Canada are here in Honolulu.

Tuesday, April 13th ..... Napier HS. from New Zealand vs Hawaii U17's

... a possible 3 mainland teams to play in the Hawaii Youth Rugby Invitational, March 24th to the 27th 2010.

Hawaii Youth Rugby season on Oahu starts January 9, 2010.

Keep up the good work everyone!


*pinched this photo off the web from some blog.

Hawaii Youth Rugby Tournament and Awards Banquet

Hawaii Youth Rugby State Championship Tournament this Friday and Saturday at Kapiolani Park on Oahu.

Friday, May 1st - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday, May 2nd - 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

Sponsored by the Hawaii Army National Guard.


Awards Banquet:

7:00 pm Trophy Award Presentations and the announcement of the HAWAII YOUTH ALL STAR TEAM, RUGBY HAWAII REP SIDE and the WOMAN'S REP SIDE.

Location: 891 Valkenberg Street at the FLEET RESERVE ASSOCIATION BUILDING (off Nimitz Highway Ewa end, fire station and a small church is in the vicinity.)

ADMISSION: $10.00 Adults $5.00 Youth.......pupus and pizzas.

Tickets to be sold at the park or check with your coaches for your team allotment. DONATIONS FOR THE STATE TEAM going to the National All Star tournament at the end of May is also accepted.

Match Report

Check out this Match Report from the Waimea Rugby Club (Hawaii Youth Rugby) on the Big Island of Hawaii. I love this, and I think you should consider using this format for your rugby club, or for any event your organization has put on and wants to communicate the results to your fans and/or members.

It's short, includes some great action shots, is attention getting, and brings enthusiasm to the event. This is a great idea, and a great job done with this. I'd like to seea report like this from every team in Hawaii. Send it out to your list immediately after the game (or event, if you're not a rugby club) to generate support and enthusiasm.

But beware, try to add too much and make it too long, and you'll bore everyone. A few sentences, a few pictures, and off you go. Just like this one.

Hawaii Youth Rugby

Some Hawaii Youth Rugby players where in the US U18 (under 18) squad that played in San Diego recently. Wow! Congratulations to the players, coaches, teams, and Hawaii Youth Rugby (especially Kevin Perry).

Don't forget the Hawaii Youth Rugby Tournament March 26-28th at Kapiolani Park.

Hawaii Youth Rugby Tournament

Hawaii Youth Rugby is getting noticed. Many thanks to Kevin Perry for all his hard work and vision for youth rugby in Hawaii.



Hawaii Army National Guard & USA Rugby Announce Support of the Hawaii Youth Rugby Invitational Tournament

The Hawaii Army National Guard and the Hawaii Youth Rugby Association is proud to announce the Hawaii Youth Rugby Invitational Tournament, the largest youth rugby venue ever held in the great state of Hawaii. In addition to the local island clubs, teams from US Mainland and Canada will be in attendance. All are invited to join “Hawaii’s Own” and share the “Aloha Spirit” in cheering on fine young athletes and future leaders to victory at Kapi’olani Park March 26, 27, 28, 2009.

USA Rugby and The Hawaii Army National Guard officially announced the extension of its partnership agreement with the Hawaii Youth Rugby Association for the 2009 season. Through the Rugby Kit Campaign, USA Rugby and the Hawaii Army National Guard have provided field equipment and uniforms to several qualified Hawaii rugby clubs. This gesture has afforded much of Hawaii’s youth an opportunity to participate and enjoy the sport of Rugby. More importantly, it has helped to establish the solid infrastructure and stability necessary for rugby to continue to grow throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

The National Guard partnership will build upon the foundation of rugby in the State of Hawaii, allowing players and coaches to become better in their sport and in their communities. This program will continue to create better leaders with the strength of character and mental toughness that embodies the values of the Hawaii Army National Guard, USA Rugby, and the Hawaii Youth Rugby Association.

For more information contact SFC Dana L Mueller dana.mueller@us.army.mil or David Maafu Wendt at hawaiiguide50@hotmail.com

Strategic Planning

Since I'm on tour giving presentations on Strategic Planning, I'll share some of it with you. One of the things I talk about are the four elements of the Strategic Plan:

Products & Services

Markets

Financial

Structure

Products & Services are the products and services that you're going to offer to you customers. For most organizations you're probably talking about broad product lines or service offerings, but for smaller organizations you might be more specific, defining individual products or services.

Markets defines the markets where you're going to sell your products and offer your services. These might be geographic markets, types of customers, demographics of customers, or however you segment your markets.

The Financial element is one that is often confusing to people. In the Strategic Plan, we're not talking about the budget or sales or revenue forecasts. What we're doing is defining the financial structure of the organization over the planning time period. We're setting financial goals, defining where we're going to be. This is different than what most organizations do, and requires a different mind set. Set the target, then we'll work on how we're going to get there.

The fourth element is Structure. This is defining what the organization will look like, how it will be structured, so we can reach the other goals we've defined. It might include things like new plants or facilities, new departments, a re-structuring from what we look like now, or even individual positions that need to be added and filled.

As an example, let's look at what might be included in a Strategic Plan for the Hawaii State Rugby Union. The first thing that has to be decided is the time frame fro the plan. For a small, fledgling organization, a two-year plan is probably appropriate. So let's use two years.

What you want to do is define what the organization will look like two years from now. Products & Services for the Union include a variety of things. The weekly games are an important part, so we'll include them. We have one tournament each year, but maybe two years from now we'll have two tournaments. One might be the local tournament, with all the local teams, and the other might be an international tournament, like the one the Harlequins used to put on. Services might include annual coaching and referee clinics, so that we can train new people and keep the current people up-to-date with their skills. Maybe we want to add some sort of fitness training clinic for everyone in the Union who wants to attend.

For Markets, the Union might want to expand so that it includes teams on all the islands. It might include adding some games on the mainland. Remember, these are goals we're defining over the time period of the plan. We'll talk about how we get there later in the process. Our goals must be realistic, but they should also be stretch goals.

The Financial element defines our financial structure. Maybe we say that one of your goals is to have total revenue of $50,000 annually at the end of year two. That would include team dues, tournament fees, sponsorships, sales of Union merchandise, and anything else we come up with. We might set goals for the profitability of the tournaments, or total sales of merchandise.

Finally, the structure. We've got a structure now, but what will it look like at the end of year two so that we can achieve the other goals we've defined? Maybe we need a marketing director to help get the word out about rugby, to advertise the tournaments, and just raise the level of awareness to the general public. If we've defined two tournaments as a goal, maybe we need a dedicated tournament director to act as the project manager for both of them. We might need to formalize the structure that includes the referee committee, the Hawaii Youth Rugby organization, the select side selection committee, and the disciplinary committee. We might need to add a coaching committee to address the needs of the coaches and run the training that we defined as a goal.

That's part of what we're looking at when we do Strategic Planning. We set out defined goals, then we work to get the entire organization, and everyone in it, moving in the same direction, towards meeting those goals.

Rugby results week 3

Along with this week's results, some commentary by me.

I made it down to the park for some rugby last Saturday, and it was great. One thing that's great is that all the games are played in the same place (Kapiolani Park). As of now there are three games every Saturday. The first one starts at 1:00 pm, and the other two follow. Everyone is in the same place, and it's quite the festive atmosphere. How many other places get this to happen?

I only saw one game, since I'm busy preparing for my trip, writing my book, and assorted other busy things, but it was a good one. The Barbarian vs. Kalihi Raiders. A close game by two closely matched teams. The Islanders have won all their games so far, so I'm going to try to make sure I catch their game this week.

The games and the organization of the Union have been looking good. A big Mahalo (thank you) to everyone who's putting in the effort to keep things moving forward. Thanks to Ma'afu for the effort at the top; Etu and Saga for their efforts with the referees; Lofi for his scheduling, and especially with reporting the results; and Kevin Perry for his valiant efforts with Hawaii Youth Rugby (hang in there Kevin). There are many more people putting a lot of effort in too, with the teams, the clinics, and all the little things that are needed to keep things going. All your hard work is paying off.

As always, we need your support, and your generous donations. It takes a lot of money to run the whole of the rugby organization; the adult Union, the youth league, and all of the individual teams. But the rewards for everyone are great; the players, the volunteers, and the community.

We've got some work ahead of us with the youth, especially here on Oahu, but we're going to get there.

Small Money makes Big Money

Thanks to Ma’afu (David) Wendt for this. We were having a meeting for Hawaii Youth Rugby over dinner when Ma’afu told us about how a former boss long ago told him that “small money makes big money”.

We’re all looking for the big payoff, the big win, but business usually doesn’t work that way. It’s usually slow and steady, incremental gains over time. It takes hard work and dedication, but the chances for success are greater.

If you’re a service provider, like me, you dream of that big client that will give you a lucrative, long-term contract. You can then spend all your energy on that one job. But that’s rare. It’s usually a steady stream of smaller clients and smaller jobs. That takes a lot more work. You have to keep track of all the jobs and all the clients. You have to schedule your time and move from place to place. Instead of tracking one job and preparing one invoice, you have to track and prepare many. And you’re constantly working to develop new clients and maintain your relationship with all your existing clients. It’s hard work and it takes commitment and dedication. But the odds of success are greater. For one, if you lose one client or finish one job, you have others already in place. If you lose that one big client or that one big job ends, you’ll have to start over with building relationships and signing up new clients. Small money makes big money, over time.

Another way to look at this is with cost savings. Again, we’re always looking for the big fix, the big saving, that one big cut that solves all our problems. But that’s even rarer than the big win. It’s just not as simple as finding a hole in the ground that’s mysteriously sucking up all your money. It’s a lot of little things. A process that doesn’t perform as effectively as it should. Mistakes that require you to fix, or rework, something you’ve already done. Misplaced paperwork that delays a delivery. Fix the little things and they’ll add up to something big. Make something that works well work better, a little bit at a time. Small savings make big savings is the same as small money makes big money.

There’s nothing wrong with trying for the big payoff or the big savings, keep trying. Just don’t overlook the small money. Work on the small money while you’re working on the big money, and maybe you’ll have both.