2020 Message from Club President Joel Peterson
Evergreens Rugby Club
State of the Onion Address
Evergreens and friends,
August 2020 COVID-19 supplementary note: Due to Covid-19 we have been laying low and having minor social events in the clubhouse with no training or games. look for us to be back on the field in the next couple of weeks as we are working on being sanctioned by the BC Rugby Union very shortly. Until then I will leave the following old address up so we can remember what life was like before...
News update:
We are excited to announce that the Evergreens are going to Spain and Portugal in October 2020! Wait, wait, let the crowds calm down! It is true, the Evergreens loved the last tour so much we decided to plan another post-haste and the basic format is already set. Lisbon to Faro to Malaga to Barcelona! $3500 gets you a seat on the thrill of your life! We have close to 50 people signed up already, so if you are interested, contact the club hastily!
I am encouraged by the growth of our rugby club in the last couple of years. Wednesday night attendance continues to grow and we’ve used this regular game of touch to bring in new members. There are actually very few Old Boys rugby clubs that run as consistently as we do, never missing a week. This year we ran during rain, ice, and even snow plus mud. Kudos to this hearty bunch of guys. In fact, one of our largest touch rugby turnouts this year was on Valentine’s Day, which may be more a statement about our relationship with our wives but that’s a story for another day.
We just returned from a very successful tour of Argentina and Uruguay last fall:
The club took a very excited group of 28 people and about 20 players to South America. This tour would not have been possible without the hard work of many people chief among them Brett (B1) Hay. He put together an awesome itinerary and booked us into the most excellent hotels, bars, pubs, shows, and more. For 12 days we ate nothing but meat, meat, and then some more meat, followed by some more meat! We played 2 games of rugby and drank the countries out of booze which makes that an pretty awesome tour. Fundraising by a host of club members from Paddy (120) O’Gorman, Tere (The Ace) Blake, and Ben The Laughing Logger helped the club immensely. At last count over $6000 was raised by the club towards the tour. That’s pretty impressive. This was only possible because of our dedicated club members turning up regularly and participating in these events. Due to the wild success of the tour plans are underway for our next tour already. Stay tuned and start preparing your liver!
We continue to grapple with numbers for some games on Sunday, but this year we filled in for other clubs more often than ever before. This has really improved the unity of our league, broke down the clan mentalities out there, and has given us the opportunity to learn from players and clubs other than our own.
New members: The Evergreens are attracting new and returning players and it has been terrific to welcome Ken Thomas, Matt Muselius, Dallas Millard, Steven Quinn, Duncan Mackay, and Erik Tynes as well as a few other fine additions who are fitting right in. Ken even went out and got an eye injury to follow the trend started by Scott earlier in the season. Remember boys… keep your eyes inside the vehicle at all times.
We held some great events this year including our world famous chili contest and as of my writing this message, preparations are underway for our annual Christmas dinner prepared by a flotilla of members lovingly assembling and cooking a delicious array of holiday treats!
None of these events would be possible without stellar volunteers, to which I owe a debt of gratitude. Tony Gillis is indispensable as quartermaster and edibles procurer, and cook. Chef duties from Jerry and Pita have been an added treat that we cannot do without. Joan’s kids continue to come down in the summer to be entertained by us because of our legendary skills with the dropped ball. Ronnie’s, Duncan's, and Chris' work on the BBQ for that and many other events is very appreciated.
The organization of the club would not be possible without a fantastic exec including Brett "B2" Smith (club captain), Scott Suffolk (VP), and Chris Mant (Treasurer). Special thanks to my past president Barry Magrill whose knowledge of the club and its history has been a great source of guidance for me, and Tony Gillis as quartermaster. I thank everyone who steps forward to help the club in this manner!
Evergreen Rugby is a great club. Open, welcoming, and fun. The social side of our club outshines our considerable skill on the field. I look forward to building this club with you. Going forward there’s an effort to improve our field play which is really exciting.
We are here and we are thriving. See you on the field!
Joel
November 2019
State of the Onion Address
Evergreens and friends,
August 2020 COVID-19 supplementary note: Due to Covid-19 we have been laying low and having minor social events in the clubhouse with no training or games. look for us to be back on the field in the next couple of weeks as we are working on being sanctioned by the BC Rugby Union very shortly. Until then I will leave the following old address up so we can remember what life was like before...
News update:
We are excited to announce that the Evergreens are going to Spain and Portugal in October 2020! Wait, wait, let the crowds calm down! It is true, the Evergreens loved the last tour so much we decided to plan another post-haste and the basic format is already set. Lisbon to Faro to Malaga to Barcelona! $3500 gets you a seat on the thrill of your life! We have close to 50 people signed up already, so if you are interested, contact the club hastily!
I am encouraged by the growth of our rugby club in the last couple of years. Wednesday night attendance continues to grow and we’ve used this regular game of touch to bring in new members. There are actually very few Old Boys rugby clubs that run as consistently as we do, never missing a week. This year we ran during rain, ice, and even snow plus mud. Kudos to this hearty bunch of guys. In fact, one of our largest touch rugby turnouts this year was on Valentine’s Day, which may be more a statement about our relationship with our wives but that’s a story for another day.
We just returned from a very successful tour of Argentina and Uruguay last fall:
The club took a very excited group of 28 people and about 20 players to South America. This tour would not have been possible without the hard work of many people chief among them Brett (B1) Hay. He put together an awesome itinerary and booked us into the most excellent hotels, bars, pubs, shows, and more. For 12 days we ate nothing but meat, meat, and then some more meat, followed by some more meat! We played 2 games of rugby and drank the countries out of booze which makes that an pretty awesome tour. Fundraising by a host of club members from Paddy (120) O’Gorman, Tere (The Ace) Blake, and Ben The Laughing Logger helped the club immensely. At last count over $6000 was raised by the club towards the tour. That’s pretty impressive. This was only possible because of our dedicated club members turning up regularly and participating in these events. Due to the wild success of the tour plans are underway for our next tour already. Stay tuned and start preparing your liver!
We continue to grapple with numbers for some games on Sunday, but this year we filled in for other clubs more often than ever before. This has really improved the unity of our league, broke down the clan mentalities out there, and has given us the opportunity to learn from players and clubs other than our own.
New members: The Evergreens are attracting new and returning players and it has been terrific to welcome Ken Thomas, Matt Muselius, Dallas Millard, Steven Quinn, Duncan Mackay, and Erik Tynes as well as a few other fine additions who are fitting right in. Ken even went out and got an eye injury to follow the trend started by Scott earlier in the season. Remember boys… keep your eyes inside the vehicle at all times.
We held some great events this year including our world famous chili contest and as of my writing this message, preparations are underway for our annual Christmas dinner prepared by a flotilla of members lovingly assembling and cooking a delicious array of holiday treats!
None of these events would be possible without stellar volunteers, to which I owe a debt of gratitude. Tony Gillis is indispensable as quartermaster and edibles procurer, and cook. Chef duties from Jerry and Pita have been an added treat that we cannot do without. Joan’s kids continue to come down in the summer to be entertained by us because of our legendary skills with the dropped ball. Ronnie’s, Duncan's, and Chris' work on the BBQ for that and many other events is very appreciated.
The organization of the club would not be possible without a fantastic exec including Brett "B2" Smith (club captain), Scott Suffolk (VP), and Chris Mant (Treasurer). Special thanks to my past president Barry Magrill whose knowledge of the club and its history has been a great source of guidance for me, and Tony Gillis as quartermaster. I thank everyone who steps forward to help the club in this manner!
Evergreen Rugby is a great club. Open, welcoming, and fun. The social side of our club outshines our considerable skill on the field. I look forward to building this club with you. Going forward there’s an effort to improve our field play which is really exciting.
We are here and we are thriving. See you on the field!
Joel
November 2019
