News

You know the routine -

Wake up early, get to work. 

Your day is a mixture of PT, busting your ass, and dealing with issues that pop up all day long.

Your days are extended into the night, where there is more PT, organized sports, and still dealing with issues.

Rinse, repeat, rinse.  This isn’t your typical 9 to 5 gig; you do this 24/7.  It’s not a job to you, it is who you are.

But you aren’t Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force. 

You are a professional.

You are an entrepreneur.

You are a Rugger.

You are American Sin Bin.

American Sin Bin began as an idea from the bright minds at Ranger Up.  With the mission of elevating the game of Rugby in America and delivering a World Cup Championship to the United States, it seems pretty clear that….WAIT A MINUTE!!!! (Cue screeching tires and blaring horn.)

Okay, let me try that one again…

With the mission of elevating the game of Rugby in American and delivering a World Cup Championship to the United States?!?

Okay, now, let’s hold our respective horses.  There are lists of things that we, as individuals, strive for.  Attainable goals like losing weight, gaining a degree, starting for the Varsity squad.  For firms it may be an increase in profit share or inroads into a particular market.  But the United States winning a World Cup in Rugby?  Get outa’ heah!

Which of the following things does not quite fit with the others?

New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, England, United States.

If you answered the United States, you get the grand prize – A three night stay at the NoDuh Spa.  All four other countries have displayed a definitive prowess in the game; all are renowned for their accomplishments on the pitch.  The U.S.?  Eh…not so much.  So to make the claim that the U.S. will capture a World Cup in Rugby takes some significant brass balls.  But if there is one thing the Ranger Up turned American Sin Bin crew has in abundance, it’s brass balls. 

This past February, Las Vegas hosted the Las Vegas Rugby Sevens 2013, and the American Sin Bin crew was there to meet, mingle, and support the teams in attendance.  Ruggers from all over the world were there, each striving to bring out his/her best, to party like Rock Stars, and to support each other.  Fortunately for them, American Sin Bin had the party part covered.  Saturday night at the tourney belonged to the ASB crew, who put on a blowout with over 2000 Rugger guests.  Included in this group were 200 VIPs who drank and partied free all night long, thanks to T Rex and her ASB compatriots.  But for T Rex, and all the folks at American Sin Bin, this wasn’t just an opportunity to party, or to get the ASB name out there.  This was an opportunity to give back, to support the Rugger community and lifestyle.  And really, this is the crux of who American Sin Bin really is.

American Sin Bin is committed to elevating the game of rugby in the United States, and ultimately, winning the World Cup.  They are accomplishing this through investing in youth programs, grass roots adult programs, sponsorship initiatives and event support.  I asked T Rex why.  What is it about Rugby that makes her so passionate in her support? 

It isn’t just a sport, she replied, this is a way of life. 

It’s the camaraderie, the amazing people who will be in your life forever.

Even at events, this seems to be T's favorite part.  For her, the most rewarding part of the matches ASB attends is talking to fellow Ruggers face to face, and being able to dialogue on an even pitch, speaking the language that they do. 

American Sin Bin’s plan is built on two principles: Pushing younger players into the sport, and sustaining the current crop of Ruggers.

It is this investment into the education of the next generation, the encouragement of current players, and the active efforts to support that close knit Rugger community, which vaults ASB to the top of the support network.  And, it is this dedication and commitment that has led to the do-or-die mantra of pulling off the difficult, though not impossible, task of bringing that World Cup Championship to the United States.

I think they’ll do it.

By Grin and Barrett

Warm dark red liquid slid down my arm, gradually making its way to the tip of my finger and then crashing to the ground with a plop.

Everything is a struggle, pain wracks every part of my body, seventy nine minutes have taken from me my youth and all my strength.

We are down by nine points in this match, a daunting number.  But we don’t know what giving up is, we haven’t ever heard that you can quit and we don’t care if you think this is over.

We are GV rugby.

The scrum crashes together like a tidal wave striking a mountain, neither really feels great about the experience.  The ball slides in smoothly to us. Our eight man, Mario, picks up the ball and you can see the pain in his face as he takes the first step, but pain is nothing and so it fades away behind what matters.

Fifty Eight seconds.

Mario bursts forward with speed that should have left him long ago, punishing any who stand in his path, sacrificing his body for just a few extra yards before three of them take him to the ground and we take two more crash balls down to the five yard line.

Forty Seconds.

Kevin, the scrummy, moves in, digging and clawing the ball out of the pile of corpses that are players.  “Crash!” His hoarse voice screams as he turns and whips the ball at the first forward he sees, Donkey, who stand right in front of me. A last second glance in my direction lets me know what he wants me to do.  It’s time to drive this ball in.  I grab the nearest person to me and as Donkey slams head first into their defenders we come up behind him, bind on and launch him like a rocket into the chest of the opposing team’s biggest man, who, like a falling oak tree, thunders to the ground.

Thirty seconds.

The Sir comes over to find where the ball has landed, and like a blessing his arm comes up and his whistle blows.  The first try is complete.

We surge back to mid field hollering like banshees, it is still possible, we can do this.

Blood has crusted my entire arm now, finding its way to my jersey and staining it.  I look down and know that I didn’t give this blood for nothing, we can do this.

Zero Seconds, over time.

The kickoff happens, with their whole team chasing it as if it is meat and they are starving lions. 

One heartbeat.

I catch the ball as if it is surreal, and turn charging up the field.

Two heartbeats.

I take it to ground letting my team cover my decent, placing the ball back.

Three heartbeats.

The ball screams across away to the backs, finding its way through to Timmer on the outside, with Cody chasing him.  He offloads to Cody who gets slammed into inches from the side line.

Fourth heartbeats.

NO! My mind screams, if Cody goes out this game ends.  NOOO! At the last possible second, he offloads, back to Timmer.

Five heartbeats.

Timmer gets hit hard as he offloads the ball and it goes wild with everyone chasing it. Somehow, by miracle perhaps, it finds Mario’s hands.  He runs, so fast and so relentless it is like a Spartan warrior slashing at his foe laughing all the while at their pathetic attempt to take on his might.

When his dance across the field ends, it’s in the try zone.

The impossible happens.

My heart skips a beat.

Dan Kennedy (DK)

Grand Valley State University Rugby