Healthcare Reform

OU Rugby team wins home tourney

The OU 7s Rugby Team won the Tornado Alley 7s championship last Saturday (July 18), securing 6 points and a third place standing in the TOLA 7s Series.

OU placed first out of 10 teams, beat their rivals, Tulsa, in the semi-finals, and then defeated the Oklahoma City men's club 45-0 in the final game to secure the Cup Championship.

"I'm really proud of these boys," said head coach Kenny Forehand. "To perform so well in front of a home crowd the way they did is awesome. They've worked hard and deserve this win."

The men will travel to Little Rock to compete in the Sweat 7s Tournament next Saturday, in hopes of securing more points towards winning the TOLA Championship. The TOLA Championship Tournament will be held in Shreveport, LA, on August 8, according to the TOLA Web site.

HES Ph.D. candidates conduct research study on muscular electrical signals

Ph.D. candidates in the Health and Exercise Science (HES) department are researching a new method of studying the electical impulses in athletes muscles. Electromyography or EMG will allow researchers to more efficiently record how electrical signals are received and transferred through our muscles, which will, in turn, allow them to develop more efficient ways of training athletes to build muscle.

The study has been ongoing for about three months, and researchers are seeking both male and female and trained and untrained participants.

"Honestly it's been tough for all of us researchers to manage our time between working with participants in the lab and doing our reading and writing, but it's been a very interesting study so far," said Matt Stock, a Ph.D. candidate and graduate assistant in the HES department.

The study is taking place in the Collums building and participants are required to make two visits, each lasting about 75 minutes. Those interested can contact Matt Stock at mattstock@ou.edu or look up more information on HES Web site at http://hes.ou.edu.

OU Rugby Club hosts 7s Tournament this Saturday

The OU Rugby Club will host the Tornado Alley 7s Tournament, a TOLA Series event, here in Norman this Saturday. Besides serving as a fundraiser for the club, this will give the OU men the home-field advantage and a better chance at securing top placing in the tournament, which would earn them more points toward the TOLA Series Championship.

This is the 10th year OU has hosted the Tornado Alley Tournament, and nearly a dozen men's teams are registered to compete this year. There will also be a high school boys pool, and an under-12 youth game.

"We're really excited about this year's Tornado Alley," said club administrator Michelle Corr. "It'll be a great fundraiser for the club, and it'll be a fabulous day to celebrate rugby."

The OU Rugby Complex is located at the corner of Chautauqua and G.T. Blankenship, south of the soccer stadium, and parking is available at the Lloyd Noble Center. There will be a Captain's meeting at 9:00 a.m., and the first game will kick off at 9:30.

Bridge to Somewhere

The bridge that spans the culvert between Lloyd Noble and the entrance to OU's rugby pitch and soccer practice field has been completed just in time for OU's Tornado Alley 7s Rugby Tournament.

Sammy Snider, assistant to the Director of the OU Physical Plant, said OU had been working hard to get the project completed for the fall semester, and, in fact, finished ahead of schedule.

OU 7s Rugby Team head in new direction after disappointing weekend

Last weekend was a pivotal time for the men of the OU 7s Rugby Squad. Unfortunately, it may cause the men’s team to pivot in an unforeseen direction.

On June 27th, the team traveled to Dallas, TX, to participate in a tournament that would hopefully qualify them to compete for the Western Rugby Territory Championship.

The men needed to place in the top three in order to earn points toward entry in the West Championship tournament, said Head Coach Kenny Forehand. But the team finished the tournament with a record of 1-3.

Team Captain Danny Dunlop said the main problem was a lack of both preparation and dedication.

“We only had eight people. There were originally 10 on the roster, but two didn’t show up.” Dunlop said it’s really disappointing to see the hard work of many go to waste as a result of a few “slackers.”

“That’s pretty much the summertime battle. We’re trying to get people dedicated to this work we’re trying to accomplish for the team, and they’re trying to do their own thing, live their off time.”

OU’s squad lost their first game to the Dallas Elite by three tries and their subsequent conversions. The final score was 35-14.

They then had an hour break before they went up against defending national champions, the Gentlemen of Aspen.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” said Colin Coleman, who plays center in the backline.

“We did pretty well against Aspen, comparatively speaking,” said Dunlop. OU lost 28-14.

OU won their third game against the Dallas Harlequins’ B side, winning by four tries for a final score of 42-14.

Two and a half hours later, the men played their fourth and final game against the Glendale Raptors.

"Even with that long break, we were still dead by the time that last game rolled around," said Kyle Lubers, the team's scrumhalf. "When you only have eight guys, that means you've only got one sub. It's impossible for people to stay energized with numbers like that."

Even though 7s is a much shorter game with only seven minutes per half, it's very exhausting because the entire field has to be covered with only seven players, Coach Forehand said.

"A regulation rugby pitch is 100 meters long and 70 meters wide. That's about the same size as an international soccer field and way bigger than a football field," Forehand said.

If OU's squad wants another crack at vying for the Western Championship, their next chance is in Denver on July 11, according to the West Web site. But Dunlop is unsure if that's a possibility for his men at the moment.

"I've got to see what the team feels like, I'm not taking another eight-man side to a tourney like that," Dunlop said.

"The paperwork is supposed to be in for it by tomorrow actually, so I don't think it's going to happen unless I get a lot of people committing themselves to it. So, we'll see, but I don't think so."

Dunlop said that this weekend was a very revealing time for the team as far as dynamics go, and he feels the team may be headed in a different direction for the rest of the summer season.

"If we don't go to the next qualifier in Denver, then our option is to go to a social tournament. I think that's the direction that our team is going in for the rest of the summer, based on the dedication level right now," he said.

"We definitely have the talent to pretty much win all the social [tournaments], so if we just go social we'll try to win the TOLA. But I don't think we have nationals in us unless we get a commitment from all of our players."

The men will spend the next two weeks preparing for their home tournament in the TOLA Series, Dunlop said.

OU will host Tornado Alley 7s on July 18 at the Al Velie Rugby Complex, located at the corner of Chautauqua and G.T. Blankenship, just west of he Lloyd Noble Center. The first game kicks off at 9:00 a.m.

Reaves Park Gets New Softball Concessions

The new softball fields at Reaves park will have new brand new concession facilities for the fall.

Chris Pickens, a philosophy senior and member of the "That's What She Said" team from the Reaves Park Softball Association, has been awaiting the new concession stand. "At the moment we don't have anything. We've been packing in our own Gatorade and snacks and stuff."

Chris Thompson, a scorekeeper for the recreational league, said The City of Norman has provided the funding for the new facilities, which were actually scheduled to be completed before the season started.

Thompson said that the new facilities will provide better services for all softball participants and spectators, both Norman citizens and OU students alike.

(Appologies for the poor photo quality.)

Slow Your Roll

Hi-Performance Board Sports, the skate shop located in Stubbeman Village just west of Adams Tower, is like nearly every other campus business - having a slow summer.

But owner/operator Mike Anderson attributes more of the slow-down to the fact that most of his customer base is not buying local anymore.

"Kids are now going online to buy their gear just to save $10 or $15 dollars," said Anderson. "But then they want to come in and try on my shoes, or snowboard boots, or jackets just so they know they got the right size. They'll rub my face right in it."

Anderson says he tries to keep prices down and doesn't even make a 10 percent profit on most of what he sells.

He also said the store will be running sales like "buy one pair of shoes, get the next half off" for the remainder of the summer and into the fall semester to try and draw customers, but his biggest challenge will be convincing the new breed of high-tech shoppers to switch gears and keep their money local.

OU Men's Rugby Team Travel to Dallas for West Qualifier

The OU Men's 7s squad travel to Dallas on Saturday to compete in a tournament that could qualify them to compete for the Western Territory Championship.

The tournament, a men's-only venue, is hosted by the Dallas Harlequins and has over two-dozen teams vying for the top three spots, according to the tournament website.

"The men have worked trmemdously hard at practice during these past few weeks since the last time we went to Dallas for the Lone Star Classic," said head coach Kenny Foreman. "They're coming out at 6:00 in the evening when it's still 95 degrees outside and running their asses off. Their heart and dedication proves how bad they want this."

Teams that finish first, second and third in West qualifying tournaments will earn points toward entry the West Territory 7s Championship Tournament. The number of points earned not only determines who will be able to enter the tournament, but also the seeding of those teams.

Two OU Women Ruggers represent Oklahoma on all-star rugby team

Two players from the OU Women's Rugby Team traveled to Pittsburg, PA, last week to play for the West Rugby Territory Under-23 Select-Side Team at the 2009 Women's Inter-territorial Tournament (ITT).

Kelsey "K-Hud" Hudson and Whitney "Emo" Wayland, selected in March at a tryout venue in Glendale, CO, are the first ruggers to represent OU on the West U-23 Select-Side Team in over three years, and their selection will help OU Women's Rugby regain the national notoriety it has enjoyed in years past, according to former Head Coach Tracy Curtis.

The West Territory is comprised of four rugby unions (rugby's version of "conferences") from around the region, and 25 players were selected from 10 different states for the all-star team. The West Team played three games during the week, wrapping up competition on Sunday with a final record of 2-1.

"Representing OU felt pretty badass," Hudson said. "I love carrying our Oklahoma Rugby kit bags because people notice who you are and where you're from. It also felt good giving the Texas people shit, because even though we're on the same team, the OU/Texas rivalry never ends." Hudson, who served as Co-Captain of the women's team during the 2008-2009 school year, said Wayland represented OU very well. "Everyone knew who Emo was, her nickname was 'Sooner Nation.'"

The Pittsburg ITT served as a venue for coaches from the USA Under-23 National Team to scout and talk to potential players. Because of their stellar performance last week, Hudson and Wayland may have a shot at making the USA National Team, according to the West's Head Coach Angie Cranmore.

Men's Summer 7s Squad takes Bowl Championship at Lone Star Classic

The OU 7s Rugby Team placed 3rd at the Lone Star Classic 7s Tournament in Dallas, TX, Saturday.

This earned the squad 4 points in the TOLA (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas) 7s Series, starting the summer off as 4th in the men's standings, according to the TOLA website.

7s is a fast-paced variation of rugby played during the summer months where each team fields seven players for a game of two seven-minute halves (instead of the usual 15 players and 40 minute halves played in traditional rugby during the spring and fall).

The OU squad was exhausted after playing six games throughout the day, said Team Captain Danny Dunlop; their first game kicked off at 9 a.m. and their last game wrapped up around 5:30 p.m.

OU's Club will host their own tournament in the TOLA series - Tornado Alley 7s - here in Norman on July 18.