Teams from 5 countries have already registered for the 2012 World Vintage Rugby Carnival to be staged in Hawaii from September 23-30, 2012.
In this fifth newsletter you will read about new teams coming to Hawaii and other Vintage Rugby news; you will meet one of the teams, learn who were the lucky winners of the early bird entry prize, discover that Vintage Rugby is now on Facebook, view the third in the series of Hawaii videos and catch-up on a familiar face from the Buenos Aires Carnival ... and there is also something special for the ladies.
Read on, and welcome to Newsletter No 5 - Take a wander ... everything is just a click of the mouse away
HAWAII ENTRIES & VINTAGE RUGBY NEWS
• Teams from South Africa, Australia, Switzerland, USA, Argentina and Norfolk Island have registered for the 2012 Carnival. New entries received since our last newsletter include 3 Australian teams - the Endeavour Hills Ratbags (Victoria) and the Toothless Gators and Sunnybank Old Boys (a 2nd Sunnybank team) both from Queensland. They are joined by the Union Bulldogs from South Africa and a second Hawaii based team the HOBOS (Hawaii Harlequins Olde Boys Overseas).
• Our story in newsletter 4 about fundraising created interest and some excellent feedback.... here is what the Condamine Codgers told us. 'As you already know the Condamine Codgers have been trading in Cattle for a number of years (that's where the XXXX blokes got the idea), we are also being employed by committees holding events in the area such as Rodeos and Sports days. The Codgers go along and run the bar and BBQ's for these events. We are also available if someone needs help to serve refreshments at weddings, funerals etc. We were thinking about branching out into crowd control but found that we are too out of control ourselves.'
• Why not share details about how your team is fundraising. Use the email below to give Vintage Rugby the details.
• We were delighted with the interest from teams about the idea of hosting a future Vintage Rugby Carnival.
Hosting a Carnival is not as difficult as it looks and can be a lot of fun. All the details will be available soon in a bid document that explains everything you need to know to evaluate if your city has the resources and local support required to host the carnival in 2014.
If you are interested send an email to paul@vintagerugby.com.
• The Codgers have had a real mixed start to the season. The two homes games they were supposed to have at the start were cancelled (unfortunately the other teams failed to show). It's a cruel fact of life - if they want a game they are the ones who have to travel. This month they are going to Rockhampton (about five hours drive) to play against a relatively new team called the Central Queensland Buckless Bulls.
The Codgers found them on the internet when they were looking to see if they could find any teams that might be willing to give them a game. One call to the organiser which included a background about Vintage Rugby and the rest is history. They are newcomers to vets rugby and have played one game so far, so being the ambassadors they are for the sport the Codgers took up the opportunity to travel to Rockhampton to help these blokes get established.
MEET THE OLD ORCAS
Silva Alejandro the team manager of the Old Orcas from Buenos Aires (Argentina) told us how his team started ... 'It was 1998 and my old rugby friends and I were watching our kids training, chasing after the rugby ball and we began to remember when years before our team was doing the same. So we decided to pull our jerseys on and lace up our boots for a quick game of touch rugby. What first started as a bit of fun played by very 'tough guys' quickly became a session of running plays, development of old moves with passes - some great and some useless. But we did feel incredibly happy about experiencing the emotion and adrenaline of being on the pitch again, united with old friends and making new ones.
In time more parents and ex-players joined us until we became the veterans of ORC, or known as ORCas. Gradually we started to play against local vet teams in Argentina and Uruguay and to host visiting teams from places like Ireland, England, Hong Kong and France. Then in 2006 we were fortunate to be able to play in the BA Vintage Rugby Carnival and enjoyed that so much that we made the trip to Cape Town last year to enjoy everyone's company again. We are registered and really looking forward to 2012 in Hawaii.
VINTAGE RUGBY UNDERSTANDS WHAT YOU WANT ...
We know that Vintage Rugby players and their partners have simple needs - attractive carnival destinations, good value packages, good weather, no sophisticated facilities just nice soft grounds, good refs, suitable opposition and hot showers followed by well organised post match hospitality facilities with lots of reasonably priced cold beer - natural ingredients for anyone to have a good time (especially rugby players) and the reason that our 4 previous carnivals have been so successful.
We know to be successful and to guarantee your total enjoyment we must keep our eye on the ball on three vital factors: -
- good, well priced accommodation.
- well organised social functions with plenty of good food and drinks with just the right mix of music that older players love
- a draw where finding the right level of play is critically important
With 10 years planning under our belts Vintage Rugby has the knowledge and experience to deliver real value on all the above - on Waikiki Beach no less.
DON'T MISS THE HAWAII CARNIVAL - REGISTER NOW !
The 7-day Hawaii Carnival will include 3 playing days, two huge social functions, an exciting optional midweek trip and a comprehensive sightseeing and activity programme. Full details about the 2012 Hawaii Carnival can be found on this website. Details include information about the Carnival Programmeand Package Costs.
BE PART OF THE 5TH WORLD VINTAGE RUGBY CARNIVAL BY REGISTERING NOW - Enter on-line here
VINTAGE RUGBY IS NOW ON FACEBOOK
There really is no better way to be kept up to speed with the latest news and photo's from Vintage Rugby than browsing our Facebook page. Better still if you click the "like" button you will instantly become a fan of the Vintage Rugby page and will receive news feeds in real time. To do this you need to register for Facebook in order to receive these updates. Registering your Facebook page is very simple. All you need to do is log on to World Vintage Rugby Facebook, fill in the "Sign Up" form (First Name, Last Name, Your E-mail, Password and Birthday), Facebook will send you a confirmation e-mail and that's it!
And for those of you who have been with us since Limerick, you are in for a pleasant surprise. We have photos uploaded onto the Vintage Rugby Facebook page from the Limerick Carnival 2004, Buenos Aires Carnival 2006, Christchurch 2008 and Cape Town 2010. We even managed to post a great video clip of the Condamine Codgers in Cape Town.
If you have video or photo's you would like us to post to the Vintage Rugby Facebook page please e-mail them to usand we will upload them.
So don't be shy, check out the WORLD VINTAGE RUGBY FACEBOOK, have a look or drop us a line, we would love to hear from you.
The deadline for teams wishing to be in the draw for the Early Bird entry prize was April 30. Teams who had registered at that date went into a draw to win a 90 minute sunset cruise along Oahu's beautiful coastline with Outrigger Catamaran on their 45 foot Outrigger Catamaran.
The whole team goes and beverages will be complimentary! And the winners are all the way from Burleigh Waters in Queensland, Australia ... the Burleigh Bodgies ! Congratulations to Ian Davis and his team - we know they'll enjoy this great prize.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ...?
In this newsletter we start a new regular feature dedicated to catching up with people who have played a part in the development of Vintage Rugby.
Our first subject needs no introduction because he played a very public role in the promotion of the 2006 Vintage Rugby Carnival in Buenos Aires. Tony Winslade was the 'face' for the carnival with his photo (taken in Limerick in 2004) appearing on posters, advertisements, press releases and the cover of the official carnival program.
At the time of the 2006 Carnival we knew he was still playing rugby at 59 for Old Isleworthians RFC where he had been a member for over 35 years (apart from 3 years when he played with the NY Vintage Whines). He was an intrepid traveller with over 80 tours under his belt. He described his rugby position as anywhere in double figures - i.e. 10-18.
Five years later we caught up with him again and asked 'What ever happened to Tony Winslade ?' His response was ...
'It may come as some surprise, having just reached 64, that I continue to play Vets and occasional non Vets rugby for Old Isleworthians (near Twickenham), Marbella Veteranos and on tour with the Harlequin Gentlemen, and visit my other former club, New York. The last Vintage Rugby festival I played in was Buenos Aires. Since then I have been on a further ten tours as a player in England and to Singapore, Australia, Dubai, South Africa and Spain, bringing my total tours to over 90 (a record?). I also travel to watch the British Lions and Rugby World Cups, next one is New Zealand in October. I have yet again postponed my retirement as a player in anticipation of the World Vintage Rugby Carnival in Hawaii in 2012, see you there'.
WHAT CAN WIVES/PARTNERS EXPECT FROM A CARNIVAL?
The majority of teams attending Vintage Rugby Carnivals are accompanied by partners or spouses. We know from experience that the ladies traditionally play a big part in the decision making process to attend a specific carnival and then in the vital fundraising activity that follows along with the feminine perspective for the design of team gear (on and off the pitch). Many women have told us that they have had enormous satisfaction from their involvement with their partner's team. We asked one spouse who regularly attends Carnivals for her comments. She confirmed our own observations ...
'At first when it was suggested I attend a Vintage Carnival with my husband, I thought "oh joy - more sport" - however, I am now a convert and travel with him to all the Carnivals and tours the team can attend.
Other wives and partners travelling with the team are now firm friends and we make our own plans for the week. This includes everything from booking a cooking class; going to a spa; getting our hair cut; going to a make-over workshop; doing a garden tour; visiting a perfumery and of course shopping! Along the way we always manage to fit in a ladies lunch at an exotic venue and plan our day to get to the ground at the end of play for drinks with our boys !'
Here is another female perspective about Hawaii. 'As a destination Hawaii offers a range of activities for women like myself which can be booked by Vintage Rugby in advance. Water sports is obviously top of my list, but for those partners who like something more leisurely, cocktails at the Royal Hawaiian will be a must. The Ala Moana Shopping Centre will require more than one day and it is easy to get there by bus or cab - extended shopping hours will make it easy to wander at your own pace and enjoy the range of shops from family stores to designer boutiques.'
Finally we should remind women reading this newsletter that the main strip in Honolulu where restaurants and bars are located (all within an easy walk from the Carnival hotels), is also home to a lot of the international designer brands. In the fantastic climate that is Hawaii - it is great fun wandering along admiring the window displays at any time of the day or evening. Hawaii - bring it on !
TOURS WILL OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY
Our ground operator is finalising a series of official Carnival tours and excursions that will cater for every taste. Full details will be sent to teams who have registered but to whet your appetite we include basic details about some of the options being prepared:
- 11 Island Tourswill be available for partners on playing days and everybody else on non-playing days.
- Waikiki Catameran Sail & Snorkelcruises will be limited to 50 per boat
- Day on the Bay
- A full day of water sports- players and their partners can choose a leisurely snorkeling trip,or ramp it up with Jet ski's, parasail, scuba and the Banana Boat.
- The Diamond Head Crater Hike- a 2½ hour guided hike around Diamond Head.
- Pre and Post Tour Programswill include multiple options for neighbour island trips with accommodation arranged.
- Cruise optionswill be numerous and varied.
Then there are the top 15 things to do and see in O'ahu
Finally we strongly recommend a visit to the following web sites:
STORIES OF HAWAII
'The Stories of Hawaii' is a collection of 2 minute videos produced by Hawaii Tourism which features local personalities sharing their stories of what makes Hawaii so unique. The 3rd in this series is 'O'ahu Art & Nightlife'. We hope you enjoy this unique presentation.