American Sin Bin

We've all followed the Ranger Up and American Sin Bin crews as they travel the country bringing shenanigans, awesomeness, and Ranger panties to the good people of The Land of the Big Mac. But at the end of the day who's responsible for keeping up with dry cleaning bills, bail bondsmen, and their penile implant surgeons?

Continuing our Meet the Staff series, meet Alexis Bucholtz also known as Lex, Accounting Analyst for Ranger Up, American Sin Bin, and Unapologetically American. Originally from New Jersey, Lex had to accept the job at Ranger Up two years ago because her audition for the Jersey Shore didn’t go so well because:

1. She is German and not Italian

2. She refused the spray-on tan and

3. She actually kicked some major ass as a Marine and can handle her alcohol.

Yes, I know it is hard to believe that this little cutie was a Marine, but that's just the beginning. She's also a rugger, playing flanker for the Raleigh Venom and will zero in on your ass from 300 yards and blind side you with a fury of Bryan Urlacher proportion.

Everyone at the ASB / Ranger Up Headquarters still can’t figure out how Lex was placed in the accounting position in the first place as it was either the fact that she was a Marine and can do anything or that she was a Marine and too stupid to realize that she can’t do everything and had no idea what she was getting into. Either way, Lex is kept busy by Nick and Tommy who, according to her, are spending way too much money on bourbon and Swedish Fish. Most days you can find Alexis in front of her computer, trying to manipulate the numbers to make Tommy bigger than he actually is (she still hasn’t found the right formula and don’t think she will any time soon).

Since leaving her beloved Corps a few years ago and trying several other work environments, Lex has finally found a home in RU. There's nothing like being “balls deep” and having immediate understanding of what she is trying to convey as opposed to blank stares of disgust. Lex is known around the shop as the Mother Hen, making sure that everyone is sane and policing up those who fall behind during Whiskey Thursdays.

Lex is uber-excited about the new American Sin Bin brand and can’t wait to get from behind the computer to start planning its evil take over of the world…mu hahaha! She is particularly looking forward to the future design and release of rugby jerseys and shorts as ASB expands the products from just t-shirts to an all-encompassing rugby line. She is really looking forward to taking ASB to the 7’s tournament in Las Vegas early next year, getting the word out that there is a new kid in town and they are looking to kick some ass.

Expect to see more of Lex in the future, about the only thing that could stop her from her success are cliffs, dehydration, and hemmorhoids.

“Is it time for booze?”

Since most of us imbibe on a regular basis, this would normally fall into the “dumb question” category, but it wasn’t even noon yet and we were the biggest sponsor at the event. People who start drinking before noon get labeled as “high risk” and we’re a young brand trying to make a good first impression. Being drunk isn’t the way to do it, but it was also colder than a Nun at midnight mass and Wind God kept threatening to steal our tent. So our liver told our conscience it was time to shut the fuck up and drink.

Within twenty minutes Tommy Batboy, our ever-so-skilled Logistician, proved once again that he’s the best in the business and produced bottles of Kahlua, Bailey’s, and Maker’s Mark bourbon to “accentuate” our coffee. The day suddenly got marginally better, but marginally was good enough.

“Who’s playing over there?” I asked. “Memphis and Santa Monica,” someone answered. This was the National Women’s Rugby Championships in Virginia Beach where American Sin Bin made a splash with our big guns. And by big guns I mean our badass 20-foot by 10-foot tent. There was only one problem…it was acting more like a parachute than a tent. Seems no one coordinated for good weather and our iPhones all said “BLUSTERY” when we punched up our Weather Channel App. True story.

It wasn’t like we planned on selling loads of shirts to make the trip profitable. In fact, we knew that was an improbable outcome. We were there because we gave a crap about the biggest women’s rugby event in the country and wanted to show our support. We thought a butt load of vendors would think the same and made sure our tent had priority placement on the main footpath. Turned out it wasn’t necessary.

The crowds were sparse and the vendors even sparser…if that’s a word. When they watch the replays of the games they missed, they’ll regret it. While we're talking about that, where was the excitement that this event deserved? These awesome games, comparable in excitement to any sporting event, wasn't even streamed online. How are we going to make rugby competitive with other sports if we can't even get the highest level of women's rugby in the country streamed on the internet.

Aside from tham the whole weekend was awesome, though not without its frightful moments.

A Dip in the Ocean…What Could Go Wrong?

Two lessons we learned on this trip – fences are there for a reason and flip cameras are the greatest invention ever. Two of our guys decided midnight was the best time for a dip in the ocean and took the flip camera with them. After all, we were at Virginia Beach and what better way to experience the local culture than to test the local security force? What ensued was a hilarious account of two drunk dudes jumping fences, running into an ice cold ocean, and sneaking back into their hotel...through the main lobby...with no shirts...and no keys to their room.

The video mysteriously disappeared, but one phrase keeps getting echoed in the ASB camp - “There’s no going back now!”

The Vodka Tasting Challenge

Unless you’re a school-trained sommelier, don’t ever try to convince your friends that you can tell the difference between one brand of booze and the next. I drink a lot of bourbon, but I’m certain my tastebuds are defective and would never know the difference between Blanton’s and Shitbag Farms.

The man who designs most of our shirts, Luciano, knows this lesson now, but it was only through extreme personal embarrassment. Instead of telling you the story, watch the full video here.

We Showed Up

What surprised us the most about the National Championships was the lack of vendors at the events. This is the highest level of women’s rugby in the United States, yet all those brands that claim to love the sport stayed home. Where were they while we froze our asses off, supported the gals, and drank WAY too early in the day? Where was the “I play this game for free because I love it” pride that others use in their commercials? Who stuck their toe out the door and decided it was too cold to leave the confines of the couch and the Discovery Channel? We’re not ones to bash our competition, but damn folks…way to pussy out.

If rugby is going to grow, it’s going to take more people on the sidelines, more revenue for the athletes, more media coverage, more interest, and finally more…everything. The brands that sponsor the teams have no excuse for not being at the games. At least that’s the way we look at it, even if our view is a little skewed.

News

Meet Alexis

ASB at the Women's Rugby Nationals