From Men's Club Representative Erik Geib:

Hi all,

As the Spring season kicks back off over the next week, I wanted to wish everyone good luck and thank them for their efforts at the halfway point of the year.

Items to note:

1.) Everyone should have received an email from Charlie with friendly reminders about entering items into the CMS (usarugbystats.com) and the Frontier Conference's determination for playoffs (Columbia, MO on May 4). The Frontier Conference chair noted that USA Rugby will be locking matches on Monday but RMR will still be doing quality-control checks and emailing teams about match data before anything is locked. So, continue to expect reminders from me about entering your rosters, substitutions, cards, and individual scoring info.

2.) The AGM is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, June 9, to be held in the greater Denver area. The union has taken feedback about last year's date into consideration and will no longer hold an AGM in May (free weekends are Mother's Day and Memorial Day). The agenda for that event, including proposed bylaw changes and topics, should be set by the RMR executive group sometime around Easter. We'll also begin circulation of a nomination form and a competition survey form for 2019-2020 around that time. Teams must be in good standing (all fines paid, no active disciplinary rulings against the club specifically, etc.) to vote and make motions at the meeting, but all elected officers and coaches of clubs are welcome to attend.

3.) Queen City and Glendale have both expressed a desire to pick up additional friendlies for their second teams. If you have openings in your schedule, or want to pick up an extra match when you're nearby, please email Charlie Haupt (Queen City; qcrfccoach@gmail.com) or Luke Gross (Glendale; LGross@glendale.co.us). RMR is going to try and get a 'Clubs seeking games' board going, or a Facebook message group, to help facilitate more extra matches in the future.

4.) A friendly reminder that teams are expected to follow all procedures outlined in the Club Competition Manual (http://www.rockymountainrugby.org/club-competition-manual.html), including but not limited to:
-contacting your opponents and match official(s) at least 3 days prior to your match with the field location, time of match, and kit colors
-entering rosters at usarugbystats.com and printing them for your opponent and the ref(s); if you have matchday changes, you may make them in pen and correct usarugbystats.com before its locked
-scoreboards at each match for spectators and participants to see the score at all times
-use of USA Rugby technical zones during matches
-use of the Men's D4 additional roster form if you're using guest players in Men's D4 games; remember, guest players must be registered members of USA Rugby and you must email this form to me after your match if you use guest players

5.) Just like at the Eastern Rockies Cup finals, I will be doing periodic spot checks this Spring, including roster ID checks and adherence to required procedures (particularly technical zones). I always enjoy interacting with y'all when I'm at your matches, so please feel free to say hello and provide feedback if you see me.

6.) Per USA Rugby's eligibility regulations, college players whose XVs season has ended (completion of schedule and not in playoffs) may transfer to senior club teams for the Spring. For those of you near college teams who are done with their XVs season, I suggest you build a relationship with the local coach and take advantage of this regulation. Please read the USA Rugby Eligibility Regulations before using transferred college players, as there are restrictions in doing so (roster size cap, etc.). IF A TEAM IS STILL IN SEASON, YOU CANNOT USE THEIR PLAYERS. This includes NSCRO teams still in season. All players must transfer using proper rules/protocols and be eligible to compete under RMR and USA Rugby rules.

7.) If your club has made changes to its leadership, please notify me immediately so we can ensure the Senior Club Contacts page (http://www.rockymountainrugby.org/senior-club-contacts.html) is accurate and up to date.

8.) Don't forget to try and attend some Glendale Raptors matches this Spring. It's awesome to have professional rugby in Colorado, which isn't a luxury every market gets, and all of the matches aren't scheduled to interfere with any RMR matches. Glendale's home Major League Rugby schedule for the rest of the Spring goes:

-Saturday, March 16th @ 7:00 pm vs. San Diego Legion
-Saturday, March 30th @ 7:00 pm vs. NOLA Gold
-Saturday, April 6th @ 7:00 pm vs. Houston SaberCats
-Friday, April 26th @ 7:30 pm vs. Rugby United New York
-Saturday, May 4th @ 7:00 pm vs. Utah Warriors
-Saturday, May 18th @ 4:00 pm vs. Seattle Seawolves

Tickets here: https://www.glendaleraptors.com/schedule/

Cheers,

Erik

**UPDATED MAY 9, 2019**

Rocky Mountain Rugby's 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been scheduled for Sunday, June 9, at the Radisson Hotel Denver-Aurora, located across from Cherry Creek State Park at 3155 S Vaughn Way, Aurora, CO 80014.

The meeting will be held from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm, with breakout sessions for individual competitions from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm. Complimentary continental breakfast items and coffee will be provided to registered/designated club representatives, and the meeting is only open to 2 designated representatives per club. Only 1 registered/designated club representative may participate in voting, however ("Each full member has one vote at any Union meeting and shall be represented at any meeting by no more than two persons that must be registered to USAR for the club they represent."). Please see the AGM Rules & Code of Conduct for more information.

The meeting will be operated by RMR Vice-President Erik Geib, with RMR President Rich Cortez presiding.

Agenda items for the meeting include*:
1. Roll Call  |  8:30 - 8:40
  -Call of Clubs
  -Determination of Proxies
2. Good Standing Notice and Quorum Status  |  8:40 - 8:45
  -Termination of Rights to Clubs in Bad Standing
  -Membership Vote for Probationary Clubs & Housecleaning of Club Statuses
3. Officer/director/representative reports, including:  |  8:45 - 11:30
  -Union President's address: Rich Cortez  |  8:45 - 9:00
  -Operations: Erik Geib  |  9:00 - 9:10
  -Finance: Bob Lesnansky & Steve Swartz  |  9:10 - 9:40
  -Referees: Brian Zapp (or delegate)  |  9:40 - 9:50
  -USA Congress: John Barkmeier  |  9:50 - 10:10
  -Disciplinary: Martin Brown (or delegate)  |  10:10 - 10:20
  -Men's Senior Clubs: Erik Geib  |  10:20 - 10:30
  -Women's Senior Clubs: Jeanna Beard (or delegate)  |  10:30 - 10:40
  -Men's 7s: Howard Kent (or delegate)  |  10:40 - 10:50
  -Women's 7s: Allison Hale (or delegate)  |  10:40 - 10:50
  -Men's D1A College Programs: Chris Hanson (or delegate)  |  10:50 - 11:00
  -Women's Colleges & Men's D2 College Programs: Amy Rusert; Ed McKenna (or delegate)  |  11:00 - 11:10
  -Men's NSCRO College Programs: Allan Wilson (or delegate)  |  11:10 - 11:20
  -Men's Mountain Teams: Chris Chantler  |  11:20 - 11:30
4. Proposed union policies & operations amendments: Erik Geib  |  11:30 - 11:40
​5. Bylaws review & proposals: Erik Geib  |  11:40 - 12:00
6. Summer Wednesday 7s league: TBD  |  12:00 - 12:05
7. RMR issues with the Frontier CR committee and/or Frontier CR committee elections [senior clubs only; may also go into breakout session(s)]   |  12:05 - 12:15
8. Union officer & Congress elections  |  12:15 - 12:30
9. (Updated May 24): New club application(s)  |  12:30-12:35
10. General Meeting Adjournment  |  12:35
11. Breakout sessions for 2019-2020 planning  |  12:35 - 1:30

New business not related to reports and planned discussion items will be at the end of the meeting (before the breakout sessions) as time permits.

*If you would like to propose an agenda item, please contact Erik Geib or Rich Cortez. Items for the Annual General Meeting agenda submitted by members must be submitted by members in writing to the Executive Committee no later than 30 days immediately before the subject Annual General Meeting. The agenda for the meeting will be final as of May 11, 2019. Full members may nominate candidates for any Office by written notice to the Executive Committee no later than the 30 days immediately before the subject Annual General Meeting and any such nominations shall be listed in the agenda published for the Annual General Meeting. If there is no candidate for an Office, as reflected in the agenda for the Annual General Meeting, nominations for such Office may be made at the meeting.

Time slots are approximate and subject to change.

Is your team in good standing? Check the RMR Compliance page today.

Teams not in good standing will/should not receive match official assignments.

The Rocky Mountain Rugby Disciplinary Committee has suspended the Provo Steelers for the 2017-2018 competitive season. 

In May 2017, Provo was cited for fielding a player who was under disciplinary suspension in a match that took place in April 2017. 

A hearing was held in June to discuss the matter further. The Steelers ultimately failed to appear before their hearing despite multiple requests to appear.

Upon review of the evidence, the Disciplinary Committee ruled that Provo was aware that the player was suspended, played the suspended player anyway, and then falsified its match report in the USA Rugby Competition Management System that listed its roster. 

Provo may reapply for entry into Rocky Mountain Rugby competitions in May 2018. 

*UPDATED APRIL 2017*

​Registration Form: https://goo.gl/forms/WS4Stz40tjGRsyoe2

This year's AGM will be held Saturday, May 13, from 5-8 pm in the Cherry Creek Room of Glendale's Infinity Park Event Center, located at 4400 E Kentucky Ave, Glendale, CO 80246. The Cherry Creek Room is located on the upper concourse of the stadium's north stand, near the Try Club, and overlooks the stadium field at Infinity Park. Up to two (2) tickets for the Infinity Park stadium matches played that day will be provided to each valid RMR AGM attendee. The Glendale Raptors will be hosting the Life West women and men at 1:00 and 3:00 (respectively). Notably, the Rocky Mountain Rugby Men's Club Division IV Championship will be held at 1:00 PM on the Glendale Infinity Park South artificial turf pitch, and RMR encourages AGM attendees to watch this match.

RMR will close online registration for this event on Friday, May 12, at 11:00 AM Mountain Time. Club representatives may attempt to attend after registration is closed, but tickets to the stadium matches will not be provided to late attendees, and RMR reserves the right to deny entry to second/third attendees from clubs if the meeting room is at capacity. All clubs have the right to have at least 1 person present for this event.

Proposed agenda items for the meeting include:
-Officer/representative reports, including:
  -Union President's address: Rich Cortez
  -Finance: Bob Lesnansky
  -Referees: Tom Coburn (or delegate)
  -Disciplinary: Michael Tafel (or delegate)
  -Men's Clubs: Erik Geib
  -Women's Clubs: Jeanna Beard (or delegate)
  -Men's & Women's 7s: Howard Kent (or delegate)
  -Men's D1A Colleges: Rich Cortez
  -Women's Colleges & Men's D2 Colleges: Amy Rusert (or delegate)
  -Men's NSCRO Colleges: Allan Wilson (or delegate)
  -Men's Mountain Teams: Chris Chantler (or delegate)
-RMR 50th Anniversary Celebration date/location announcement
-RMR Hall of Fame revival: Larry Kobilca (or delegate)
-Proposed all-star team(s) revival
-Proposed union policies & operations amendments
-U20 competition discussion
​-Summer Wednesday 7s league: Denver Harlequins
-Bylaws review
-RMR issues with the Frontier CR committee and/or Frontier CR committee elections [senior clubs only]
-Union officer elections
-Breakout sessions for 2017-2018 planning

​If you would like to propose an agenda item, please contact Erik Geib or Rich Cortez.

Founded in 1967 as the Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union, Rocky Mountain Rugby (as it is known today) turns 50 in the year 2017. Please stay tuned to rockymountainrugby.org for details regarding the union's 50th anniversary celebration, which is expected to occur in November 2017.

The union would also like everyone to remember/celebrate the other celebrations of 50 years this season, including:
Denver 7s (Tournament) - 50th Tournament - celebrating June 24
Denver Barbarians (Club) - 50th Anniversary - celebrating September 9-10
Aspen Ruggerfest (Tournament) - 50th Tournament - celebrating September 14-17
Colorado Mines (College) - 50th Anniversary - celebration TBA

​There are several things to note when looking at the schedule:
-The union and the competitive region committee were not able to accommodate all requests for which level each club is to compete (see below); both the union men's club committee (myself, plus the two elected division representatives) and the Frontier Competitive Region (CR) group unanimously approved the attached structure, however;
-For those of you with multiple sides, we've constructed special tabs to examine your schedules next to each other. If you see a note that says "can be fixed with timing," that means the union has fixed the issue of multiple sides competing by setting kickoff times (next point). If you see a note that says "imperfect, but has to work," it means just that. RMR did the best it could to not put sides in conflict, but hopes that your depth will assist you those weekends. It's impossible to create perfect harmony for mulitple-side teams, but the union is confident it did the best it could.
-The union has set standardized kickoff times for all matches this year. You can see those set times on the 'Referees' tab portion of the schedule document. If you do not like your set time, or cannot accommodate it with your facility, you must get approval from the union to change the time at least 30 days before the match is played. Most of the times are set around the clubs competing with multiple sides, and schedule change requests affect those clubs accordingly
-RMR attempted to follow date requests as best as possible; if you didn't put in requests, RMR did not accommodate them
-As always, double-check for Sunday matches; if you see a match in a column with a date and the (II) indication, it means you're playing a late afternoon match. Provo requested that both of its 'away weekends' feature both matches on Saturday.
-Division 2 and Division 3 will both be double round-robin (home and away) with no RMR playoffs prior to the Frontier playoffs; each team will play 10 matches
-Division 4 will be single round-robin and all teams will play 8 matches; the top four will advance to the RMR Division 4 Playoffs; the bottom five may choose to compete for the Division 4 plate in 10s competition
-The Frontier Playoffs (Division 2 / Division 3) could be the weekend of April 29 or May 6, which is why both weekends are marked on all schedules; The National Playoffs are the weekends of May 20 and June 3
-With a cleaner league structure this year, the weekend of the High Desert Rugby Tournament was left open in addition to the traditional Aspen date, major rugby events, and all holidays

The following promotion/relegation items are included:
-Colorado Springs' request to self-relegate to Division 3 was approved; it is felt the Springs are best set to reorganize in Division 3, and build their club with D3 and D4 teams
-CSOB Stags' request to compete in Division 3 was denied; the Stags must complete an entire year under RMR before being eligible to compete in D3, and teams of a similar competition level are also going to be in Division 4
-Colorado Rush's request to be promoted to Division 3 was denied; it was felt that the Rush would be more competitive in a strengthened D4 than competing against the D3 league as it is to exist
-Littleton failed to play all of its matches in Division 3 in 2015-2016 and is denied the opportunity to compete in Division 3 in 2016-2017; the club had a strong Spring and is expected to be competitive in Division 4
-The Marauders were relegated to Division 4 after finishing last among non-forfeiting teams in Division 3 in 2015-2016; their PD was -34.66 against remaining D3 teams, and the D3 league will be stronger with Colorado Springs coming down

New items to note:
-The Laramie Lumberjacks are the union's newest men's club and will compete in Division 4 this year while playing their first entire year of competition
-The Division 4 competition is much more formalized, and no B/C sides that didn't request entry have been entered
-The fines for failure to appear for a non-weather-canceled match will increase this year (TBD)
-As noted at the AGM, teams who are not using scoreboards - as union rules require - will not only pay the fines this year, but will also be responsible for all reported failure to use a scoreboard last season. For some clubs, that could be a fine of up to $1050 after your first match ($150/match last year, plus $150/match for this year's first match). Please get in compliance with the scoreboard initiative. You should be able to build one from Home Depot fairly cheaply, and it raises the standard of each match for participants and spectators.

In general, the consensus in building the leagues for next year, and the accompanying schedule(s), was to create competitive competitions for all. It doesn't do anyone any favors if their matches aren't competitive. RMR understands that some teams may not like the division that they have been placed in, but all things are solved through competition, and teams may be promoted/relegated next year based on this year's results.

If you have comments on the schedule, you must present them prior to Wednesday at 6:00 PM Mountain Time. No changes to theschedule will be made after the Thursday confirmation email.

Schedules may be found on the RMR website, located here:
Men's Division 2
Men's Division 3
Men's Division 4