32nd Annual Slippery Rock Rugby Tournament

Dear Alumni,
I trust this letter finds you well. My name is Bryce Markwardt and I am the current president of the Slippery Rock Shamrock RFC. I’m writing this letter to try and strengthen the relationship with our alumni and keep you updated with current players and events of our Slippery Rock Shamrock RFC. Our club is now 37 years old and going strong. I am hoping to continue the traditions from our past while strengthening the bond between players and alumni. That is why I am initiating communications today. My goal is to get you more involved with our program.

For some of the older alumni who have been gone long enough to not know many current players, we’ve included a brief summary of our board members and two bios of featured members, Josh “J-Robs” Robertson and Christian “Droz” Haggerty.

Our current board includes myself, Bryce Markwardt, nicknameless and president. I’m a Junior Exercise Science major, preparing for the MCAT. Chris “Frenchie” Tumminello is our second term vice president, also a junior Exercise Science major. Our match secretary is Ryan Abel, a junior Marketing major. Our treasurer, Kyle “Shakespeare” Shuler, is a sophomore Exercise Science major. Finally, our recruiting chair, Michael “Bubba” Maloney, and our social chair, Derek “Baby D” Jones, are both second semester members. We are proud to be a part of this program. It is hard to believe it has been in existence this long. I personally am looking forward to helping this program flourish in the future. Our house is still standing; the nightmare on elm street. Our pack and field captain, not-so-awesome Alex Gordon, backs captain Ryan Abel, J-Robs, and senior Brian Deakin currently live there. Our selector captains are Frenchie (Forwards) and junior Alex “Gunny” Tabor (Backs).

Jrobs

Our current featured veteran, J-Robs, is a 6’1”, 190lbs Fly-half from Johnstown, PA. He graduated from Richland Senior High and majors in Information Systems with a minor in Business Administration. He has played rugby for four years; eight semesters on Slippery Rock Shamrocks RFC. He was backs captain for 4 semesters, giving up the slot to Ryan Abel this semester. He was vice president of the club for one year, and president last year. His plans after graduation are “Going to look for a career in the Technology field in the Pittsburgh area and hope to continue a rugby career as either player/coach/referee to further my skill and knowledge of the game. Also, to develop rugby at all levels wherever I can.” He added “Playing rugby at Slippery Rock has changed my life in so many positive ways. The Rock Rugby family is an amazing group of individuals who have given me an opportunity to become who I am today. I take pride in bringing new members into our family and the support we receive from our alumni. I’ve met some my best friends and mentors through this club and plan on staying involved with the club after graduation. Good Cheer. Good Friends. Rock Rugby.”

Droz

The second current featured member, Droz, is in his second semester on the team, having earned Rookie of the Year honors in his first semester. From Indiana Township, PA and graduating from Fox Chapel, he’s played rugby for 5 years. At 5’8” and apparently 160lbs (on a very good day), Droz primarily played fullback with some time at scrum half as well last semester. A Parks and Recreation Management major with a Safety minor, Droz plans to “To find seasonal jobs as a Park Ranger in different National Parks around the country, as well as traveling to some of the most remote places on Earth in the off seasons. I would also like to pursue my love for rugby by joinging a Mens Club once I settle down and land myself a real job that doesn’t involve me moving every six months.” He adds, “Playing on a rugby team through my high school career has given me so much, providing me with a family along with motivation, strength, and a positive attitude. Coming to college, I definitely wanted to advance not only my knowledge of the sport, but the lifestyle that comes with it. The experiences I’ve had with Rock Rugby have been some of the greatest things I’ve done in my short-lived life. Being with the people you love, playing the game you love is truly a blessing.”

Our schedule for this spring is not yet finalized, as we still have several open weekends in March. We do however have several tournaments lined up We will be participating in a Tri-Match in West Chester, PA on March 15th. WVU RFC’s tournament is the next week in Morgantown, WV on March 22nd. Pitt City has not given us a date for their tournament, but we are hoping to be able to send a side to theirs as well. April 5 & 6 we will be in Washington D.C. for the Cherry Blossom Tournament that you all make possible and is a huge favorite of the club’s. We cannot thank our alumni enough for continuously allowing us to attend this tournament. Slippery Rock Shamrock’s home tournament will be held April 26th and we hope to see all of you there to play for the SLOBS and get to meet our current club members.

This past year, our club has seen some changes. When I joined, we were in the Allegheny Rugby Union. This past fall, we were realigned into the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference (MARC). Our conference had three of the top 25 DII teams in the nation. The dues to this conference are double compared to the ARU and SRU is adamantly enforcing a 0% increase in the budget. We are also buying a new set of “black” jerseys as several of ours were destroyed throughout the years. We have been able to raise most of the money for those by selling the old black ones (which we still have several left if anyone is interested) and home-knit shamrock winter hats we received as a donation. Finally, we have been looking for a coach. We haven’t had one since before I joined a couple years ago, yet we’ve managed to continue to be successful. We ask you all to continue your support and involvement in the club that we have all grown to love. Any contribution is accepted and greatly appreciated. Our alumni organization has established a fund that will be controlled and monitored by both SRU and the Alumni organization. Your contributions will be put to good use. We are hoping to have alumni contribute with either monthly installments or one time donations at an appropriate time so that we can formulate our budget and purchase the items needed with the available funds. Thank you in advance for your consideration to contributing to our Shamrock program.

Monthly installments of $25.00 (or whatever amount you feel comfortable with) which is only a $300.00 investment to the club. Yearly payment in April (for the next season) of $100, $200, $300, $400 or $500. Of course any amount you donate will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for continuing to be a part of this amazing program.
Good Cheer. Good Friends. Rock Rugby.

Bryce Markwardt
President, Shamrock Rugby Club
btm1001@sru.edu
724-562-4404

Slippery Rock 19 – 14 Franciscan