International Touch Rugby Tournament


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September 4th 2010
Published: November 25th 2010
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1: Touch Rugby 17 secs
Crab on BuildingCrab on BuildingCrab on Building

Leaving the Hobo Hotel heading for Hapjeong Station
"Brrrring, Brrrrring, duuuu ta duuuu, duuuu ta duuuu, brrrring, brrrring..." the stuffy morning air in the bed room came to life as the alarm clock sitting on the headboard began to buzz. As the sleepy daze in my brain began to adjust to what it was hearing another sound from on the floor began to erupt in the haze which were my brains at 6:15 in the morning! Four hours of sleep! What were we thinking? Oh yea... If we sleep closer to the subway then we will get to the field on time and if we stay in the city then we should get a better nights rest! Toss that idea out the freaking window! The city at night it's not a freaking countryside nap, it was hysterics all night long. Between the people in the next room of the "love" hotel, to the people downstairs blasting music all night, to the police sirens going off and the car horns beeping, its no wonder any of us slept at all?

Thankfully, I had once gone to a bar with a guy in Calgary where the music was blasting at such a high volume that he tucked a few pieces
Hapjeong StationHapjeong StationHapjeong Station

Tim, Hans and David
of paper into his head to use as ear plugs! Ever since this evening, I have always kept a spare set of Ear Plugs in my messenger bag, just in case of emergency break glass or in this case, open the little container!

David, was up off the floor as soon as the alarm clocks were buzzing around inside the room. He headed for the shower as I tried to remember where the hell we were? And what we had been drinking last night? I dug into the fridge to find a couple bottles of water, a can of tea and a can of pineapple juice. Pulling out the first bottle of water, I drank all 500ml of water in one sip! Thirsty? I guess so... Last night's whale of a bar hopping party was surely to set this day off in the strangest of directions. After David, emerged from the bathroom, it was my turn to expose myself to the delights of the shower massage and the love hotel showering experience. It was a delight to have water spraying at me in about seven different directions and in seven different areas of my body! I truly needed this
Subway Line #6Subway Line #6Subway Line #6

Nielen reading tournament information packet
kind of treatment. Eventually, I emerged from the shower into the bathroom ready to snap dry and get changed. Searching for a towel all I could find were hand-towels, I cracked open the bathroom door, "Hey David, are there any full length towels in this place?" "Sorry mate, you'll have to make due just like I did." "Greeeeeat! This is ridiculous! At least they gave us that feminine gift toiletries set!" Laughing I proceeded back into the bathroom trying to dry myself with a hand towel and a face cloth, that took ten minutes!

Emerging from the bathroom with my shorts and t-shirt on I was ready to pack up my bag however the thirst monster continued to be a problem. Asking David "are you interested in the water or juice in the fridge?" He simply replied "no." Opening up the fridge I cracked open the pineapple juice can, swallowing all 330ml in one gulp as I placed the empty can into the waste bin I stuffed the remaining drinks into my bag for future drinking during the day.

With his bag packed David went next door to see when the other guys would be ready to head for the subway? Three minutes later I had five minutes until we were all heading out. Since both of us were ready and our room was stuffier then a twenty year old storage facility, we went into the cool confines of the hallways to await the other two. While standing outside their door, I took the liberty of checking out the open door at the end of the hallway looking out into the miniscule alley below. Then I wandered back over to David who was talking to Hans about the air conditioner in the room. "Oh man, you should have grabbed the shadow rat last night to turn the thing on!" I overheard Tim stating to David about the non functioning a/c in our room. Full of curiosity I stepped through the threshold of their first door and stepped into the 4-foot by 4-foot entrance room where you leave your outdoor shoes, to check out their room. Without all the pink flowers as ours had their room had a nice wood paneling scheme around the entertainment unit then next to the bed was a wonderful schematic of nature! Plus their room wasn't a scorching stuffy rats nest but a favorable
The TunnelThe TunnelThe Tunnel

Searching for the exit out of Hwarangdae Station
twenty-two degrees* Celsius!

* Seventy degrees Fahrenheit

With their bags all packed we crammed back into the three by three foot elevator for the ride down to the main floor returning our keys we stepped out into the morning breeze around the hotel turning left we headed back towards Hapjeong Station to begin our hour and a half ride on the number six brown line to
Hwarangdae Station, in Nowon-gu. As we wandered up the street talking idly about the day in front of us, I spotted a gigantic plastic rock crab attached to the side of a building. Pulling out my camera I tried to capture this gigantic building crawler and his mates in the tanks below. Glancing back over his shoulder obviously after asking me a question I spotted Tim waving at me from up the street! I waved him to continue onward and eventually caught up to them at the Hapjeong Station entrance as I snapped a couple of quick picks of everyone in the morning. "Hey! Where are you guys going? You guys play a sport?" some random guy asked Tim just before heading down the stairs. "We are in a touch rugby tournament
KMA Main GateKMA Main GateKMA Main Gate

Harry, Hans, Tim and Keith
today." "Oh you guys like to touch yourselves?" grinning with a mouth full of dirty teeth. "Ye bobber go piss yer self!" Tim replied adding a bit of Afrikanes at the end which none of us understood. "Blah blah blah" the guy responded back in our direction as we went down the stairs into the station.

The four of us stepped into the station went around the corner to the right then through a short hallway turning left into a longer hallway smells from the early morning food businesses hitting our nostrils and filling the air with delicious aromas our stomachs churned for food but we had a subway to catch first. Stepping in front of the subway entrance stall we all pulled out our t-money cards placing them on the scanner and going through the turnstile turning right going down another set of stairs landing us on the platform for line #6. As we rounded the corner the silence on the platform dissipated as laughter came roaring past us in English as we spotted the rest of our teammates; Nielen, Corey, Alex, Keith, Tom and Harry, idly chatting away.

Thirty-two seconds later the train arrived climbing onto
GuardGuardGuard

Hans receiving directions to the fields
the early morning stale air inside the car we all strolled carrying our day bags as Nielen inquired about our pooling and match times for the day with Tim. "We are in for a tough go today fellas. We've been shafted into the worst possible pool. We are in the same pool as last years winner and runner-up. Plus we have to play an older more experienced team and a younger university team. Basically we are shark-bait. So, all we can do is try our honest best and work together as much as possible." "Shiztr Akraf Blah Ger Kaf Krat," Nielen responded back to Tim in Afrikans. What the heck did he just say? Was all I wondered sitting back. Although I had a fair idea of what the words meant! We were screwed and all we could do was enjoy the sure to come beatings being in this pool.

The train ride lasted just under an hour and twenty-five minutes. I took the liberty to eat the snack I had packed last night into my duffel before leaving the apartment. I then took a nice nap. And when the guys began shuffling about, I knew we were close
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The landscape around KMA
to the end of the train line. Grabbing all our bags, we jumped from the train car ready to begin the search for the playing field. We all knew it was a ten minute walk or so that's the lie they told everyone? Unsure of what direction we began out the station heading in any direction which made sense. Walking past the closed doors to 7-11 half of us wanted to stop for something to eat but we didn't want to be late and were in search of the field first. Chalk it up to bad timing or a bad decision but stopping would have been a smart choice, we all realized once we reached the playing fields.

Six guys headed for the closest escalator until someone pointed out that we needed exit number nine which lead us through a six-hundred foot tunnel to the left. Everyone gathered inside the tunnel heading for the end of the hallways when David, pointed out that exit nine was just on our right. We hung a right in unison, climbing the forty-four steps to street level. Exiting the tunnel we all started crowding around Hans, some of us pointing to the right
Tree DownTree DownTree Down

Mangled tree debris
or the left stating the obvious without really having a clue as to which direction to walk. Once Hans, figured out our location the journey to the field began. The tournament pages stated it was a brisk ten minute walk down the street to the rear gate entrance at the Korean Military Academy.

Walking through the mid-morning humidity made us all realize just how much water we were going to need to consume throughout the day as the temperature rose up over 29-degrees Celsius* before eight o'clock in the morning. Stumbling up to the light in the humid morning, I pulled out the second bottle of water I had confiscated from the Bobo Hotel downing all 750 ml in two big gulps! My thirst was only followed by the grumbling in my stomach, so I pulled out my stash of digest chocolate cookies and stuffed a few in my mouth as we proceeded down the street stepping over tree branches which must have fallen over in the following days wind storm. Tree trunks lay across the street, snarling up morning traffic but not hindering the approaching drivers getting to their destinations. We were amazed at the destruction around the
Paju PiratesPaju PiratesPaju Pirates

Left to Right; Corey, David, Nielen, Harry, Keith, Me, Hans, Tim and Alex
city and not one person in sight preparing to clean up the debris.

* Eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit

After eleven minutes of walking Hans pointed us across the street to the front gate of the Military Academy although none of us knew this standing on the street corner. As we crossed the street on the pedestrian signal a small dump truck went screaming past us only a few feet in an obvious hurry not stopping for the red light! What the heck? I thought, as I heard a few obscenities from the others around me.

Walking through a slippery path towards the gate, I nearly bailed in a muddy puddle of slush as my Teva's went out from under me. With an acrobatic arm flailing assembly I managed to maintain my upright balance landing upon a dry bit of sidewalk! David, Corey and Tim burst out laughing at the sight of my fatal attempt at pre-tournament injury! I blamed my misguidedness on the lack of sleep and indulgence in late night activities the previous evening in Hongdae! Smiling I noticed too guards dead ahead on the other side of a century old gate! Walking across the short bridge, through the gate approaching the guards and their machine guns we went. Stopping up short to try a couple of quick pictures, Hans began speaking in Korean to the guards about the tournament and where we were suppose to be? The guard replied the appropriate instructions as Hans spun around telling us it was another few minutes down the road on this side of the street. Stopping briefly I nabbed a quick shot of Hans walking away from the guards and their guns! I then stopped to take a couple more pics as the guys hung a right just after the bridge onto another pathway.

Catching up to the stragglers at the back of our pack Corey, Harry and Alex where making their way around a gigantic tree trunk blocking the pathway. The remainder of the tree trunk still stuck in the ground about twelve feet away! The limb which had snapped was about twenty-three feet in length. We piled one after the other over parts of the tree trunk sticking to the pathway and the barrage of leaves and trees strewn all across this part of the walking path. Incredible, doesn't describe the amazement of trees on the
SwitchSwitchSwitch

During game 1
other side of this one which were split in two, laying this way and that!

Approaching the entrance to the field we could hear someone on a loud speaker speaking to the various groups already around the pitches. From a few distinct words, I could tell the guy was Aussie (Australian) in the early morning air. His "G'day mates, tis mornin' we are gonna get 'er started up real soon. Jus' be needin' thos' captains of the followin' teams; Singapore Sling, Hong Kong Thunder, and Yongsan Tigers. Also, 'cross the pitch the Seoul Survivors Women's club is handlin' mornin' egg an' cheese breakkie sands' for 2,000 won! We'll let yea kno' when we plan on gettin' things goin' tis mornin'!" A huge smile broke out across my face as it always does when Aussie's are around.

Stopping briefly to check out the egg and cheese sandwiches we made our away across two fields heading for the crazy Aussie with the microphone. Tim waved a hello and asked "Where do we set up for the day? Are there assigned tents?" "Nope just grab an empty area under one of the tents and claim your spot for the day. There
DebriefingDebriefingDebriefing

After match
are a few tents around back mates. Get stretching, grab some food, get your stub tickets and we'll get going in about thirty minutes or so. Any further questions you can direct towards us here in the middle of just ask me; the names Randy." "Great, thanks." Tim replied pointing us behind the set up tent we all went to grab a spot on the other side of the shrubs.

"Well, lets get some water boys, get changed, and get ready for a bit of running. Make sure to drink plenty of water out here today its going to be a hot one. Stay hydrated and lets make the most of this tournament. Remember we all came here to enjoy the day, get a bit of exercise in and learn to play with each other as teammates. We shouldn't expect to pull off a miracle but lets just go game to game with our heads held high," Tim rambled off and then we were off to get our game faces on! I immediately grabbed up my wallet and headed for the water tent near the entrance plus I had my hungry eyes on one of those breakfast sandwiches! Even
Game 2Game 2Game 2

Yongsan v. Paju Pirates
if it had to come with ham, I was going to eat one! My dried up stomach needed food. Any food would do at this point! I knew I should have stopped at 7-11 when I saw it at the station. Go figure... oh well, live and learn. Next time we have a tournament, stop at the bloody store before reaching the field for fruit, snacks, water and food!

Of the eleven of us, six of us bought an egg, ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast, drank three bottles of water and then strapped on our boots (cleats) to start warming up. Running around the outside fields, I nearly put that egg sandwich into the bushes! Shouldn't eat and warm up within the same fifteen minutes, even if one is hungover from the prior nights debauchery! We flipped the rugby ball back and forth, sprinting up the sidelines in order to stretch out our cooled off muscles. Our first match was to begin in fifteen minutes. Tim and Nielen called us all into the tent area for a quick overview of rules and what to expect in the first match.

Tim: There will be seven of us on the field, we can rotate on and off the field as we feel winded or need a breather.
Nielen: You don't have to wait for the Ref to sub. You just have to be off the field before the other guy comes on.
Tim: We should try to get fresh legs on the field after every try.
Nielen: Doesn't matter who scores. Let's switch out for new, fresh legs because its going to be hot out here!
Tim: Make sure that you are passing behind you, try running the gaps and calling out.
Nielen: Be talkative out their to the guys around you on both sides of the ball.
Tim: Yea. Especially on defense. Call out which guy you have and remember to switch up.
Nielen: On defense stay strong with a solid line and get back when a touch has been made.
Tim: Don't give the Ref too much slack. Let's keep ourselves in check. Try not to argue.
Nielen: Of course, there is a fine line between everything you say to the guy since his English might not be superb but don't push the Ref. He's here to do a job. Let him do his job even if
Juke StepJuke StepJuke Step

Harry slipping through
he's wrong
Tim: Other than that let's have a good match and try to work out the kinks early today!

Just before the guys started heading out to the field, Tim said "Hey Aaron, do you think we can get a group shot of us before we get on with this first match?" "Yep. No problem. I'll ask this guy here to take a couple pics for us." I walked over a few yards, asked a guy from another team if he'd take a couple quick pics of us with my camera. He agreed. Walked over with me taking my camera shooting the couple of pics and handed me the camera. We thanked him for taking the pics, then the guys grabbed a few water bottles and a rugby ball heading for the far playing field. I stashed my camera into my shoes inside my messenger bag.

Mostly to himself but loud enough for me to overhear him Tim said, "I wish we had someone to take a few pictures of us during our games, today? Too bad you couldn't do that and play, hey Aaron?" "Not a problem" I replied. "I just saw Shauna arriving a few
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Scoring in game 2
minutes ago with her camera bag. She said she went to grab a water and she'll be here for at least two games. She'll be able to get a few shots but nothing to superb because she has a pretty short lens. But it'll be better than nothing." "Excellent." The two of us crossed the playing field as I began to drip sweat down my back as the wet humidity hit me directly in the face. Looking around I couldn't figure out the temperature with the interruption of the dark clouds above us. I swore at any moment it could just start pouring rain and everyone would enjoy this day even more.

Our first match began at 9:30 am against the Tokyo Old Bulls and lasted twenty minutes which felt more like fifteen. Within the first three minutes Tokyo had scored its first try (points) against us. The game went by quicker then expected. Mistakes where made. Bad passes occurred. The Ref, blew his whistle and we were just not in as good a shape as these guys where. They were constantly pulling off trick passes and knew the lines they should go forward with. We were slack on
three yardsthree yardsthree yards

In action...
our feet. We constantly misjudged the person in front of us. And then the Old Bulls scored again eight minutes later. We ran on and off the field. We dragged ourselves through the morning heat trying to make headway into this first match. The Tokyo team looked like they were going for the jugular early on but then Tim grabbed a superb pass from Corey and he sprinted off into open space as a Tokyo player gained on him from behind, Corey pitched the ball back to Harry who jettisoned himself across the try line for our first points of the match. After fourteen minutes we were down by a single point with six minutes to play. We switched up new fresh legs for old tired ones. The match started again. The ball went forward twelve feet until a Tokyo player tried tossing the ball through a short space and Alex nabbed the pass out of the air but was touched instantly. Our team surged forward on three attempts by didn't get past the halfway mark when we turned over the ball. As we switched out some tired legs for a few fresh ones the Old Bulls, pulled the ball
Resting Resting Resting

Between games; eat, drink, nap or watch touch games
to the left, swung it back to the right and found open space between Tom and David, diving for the try line! As the Old Bull stretched out across the try line for their third point, the Ref's whistle blew. Our first game of the day went down in the loss column, three to one. We grouped together. Shook each other's hands, and went to congratulate the Tokyo Club for their early morning victory.

"Alright chaps. Let's debrief under the tents and then our next game is scheduled just before noon," Tim said, looking at Hans for confirmation on the time of our second match. "Your correct. The next game is scheduled for 11:25 am. It'll give us a chance to scope out the remaining teams in our pool and come up with a few strategies to try out on them during the next games." Once we had gathered up all our water bottles and rugby balls we strolled over to the tent.

Shauna approached from behind me, "you did a good job." "Thanks. How did the pictures turn out?" "I think I got a few but I need some advice from you. And I definitely need a
Coach HansCoach HansCoach Hans

Giving instructions to Me, David & Tom
longer lens." "That's expected shooting with your wide angle on a sports field. But you just need to show patience and wait for the action to get closer to you than try to chase it up and down the field. Pick a location and wait for five minutes. Then change your location. It's the best way to do it with a shorter lens," I explained smiling at her. "Thanks. I got a couple nice ones of Harry. A few of Corey and a couple of you, too." "You can show me later, okay." "Sure."

As we all gathered around inside our tent, I heard a couple people asking Shauna if she got any good pictures. She responded she needed a longer lens but she felt she was able to get a few decent images. Then I heard Neieln begin speaking frankly about our performance on the field, "from what I saw we need to stop bunching up and spread out more. You cannot guard two guys and a gap, you need to call out the guy you are on and talk when the guy moves out of your area. Keith what did you see?" "Well, we need to definitely
Game 3Game 3Game 3

Moving forward
talk more. We have to go forward with the ball. And don't worry so much about being touched. We have six touches to work with. Move the ball up the field and get it out of our end. Tim?" "Try to keep the passes behind us. Try to make smart decisions with the ball. Look for the open man. And try to spread them out. We have a few really quick guys whose speed we need to utilize on the outside edges; Alex, Corey, David and Harry. Tom?" "Just keep up the good work. This is our first time really playing together. Keep your wits about you. And try to break the gaps. Remember to listen to the guys on both sides of you. This is a team sport and to win, we need to keep passing to the open guys. David?"
"We had a lot of open space to work with on the outsides. We just have to get the ball out wide. And pay attention to what the Ref is telling us. Anyone else?" "Guys, remember what KJ and Dain were telling us these past few weeks about moving the ball forward. About playing off the touch, getting
DefendersDefendersDefenders

Chasing Warriors in game 3
the ball through your legs and up the field as quickly as possible catching them off guard," Keith added. "Alright then guys. Stretch out, make yourselves comfortable and try to stay hydrated. Try to catch a glimpse at one of the other teams we play later on today and let's enjoy this Saturday."

Then we split up... Shauna and I headed to the far side of the field to grab some snacks and water. We started talking about the night before and what we got up to, how the bed arrangements went and who I shared a room with? After the discussion, we spotted another GEV teacher arriving at the gate; Monica. We officially had two supporters at the tournament before our second match was to start. We greeted Monica and explained our close game from earlier with the Tokyo Old Bulls. Next we grabbed some food and wandered over to join the other guys camped out under some trees watching a touch game in progress. "What teams are we watching?" I inquired sitting down next to Harry. "I don't really know," he replied. "Hey David, what teams are these?" "Aren't these the Seoul Survivors and ummm. Well, I
SportsmanshipSportsmanshipSportsmanship

Losing 3-2 to last years champions!
know at least I think one of these teams we are suppose to play later." "Tom, do you know who these teams are?" Then Tim walked over stating the obvious, "Guys why are you watching these teams? Seoul Survivors is playing the Tokyo Warriors over there." He stated pointing to the next game over. Everyone shuffled there things picking up whatever they were engaged with and walked away from the game we were just watching to watch the team we would eventually have to play.

Time ticked by ever so slowly until 11:05 in the morning came upon all of us. We had been on break for just under two hours and the day was wearing onwards with all of us lounging about in our tent area by this point. Three people were listening to MP3 players, two were napping, one was eating and the others were off doing anything to keep themselves busy. Hans and Tim approached us with news from the organizers tents that our second game at 11:30 was being pushed back to 12:15 pm, to allow a few teams a little more rest between their second and third games. By the time our second game
Results BoardResults BoardResults Board

Teams advancing into the quarter finals
began we had been at rest for nearly three-hours! Not only this but our 2nd, 3rd and 4th games would only give us less than thirty minutes between them for resting. The good was we might be able to surpass a few teams who had been playing all day. However due to the length of rest on our side lethargic might not help us win!

By noon, every one of us was running about getting warmed up in the hot humid sunshine. It must have been thirty-five degrees Celsius* out plus ten percent humidity or more because I was pounding back the water every twelve minutes filling myself up but didn't need to use the restroom from the sweat pouring back out of me! With the ridiculously hot conditions, we leapt back out onto the field with our boots tied up and our spirits in high hopes. Eyeing up the competition we went about warming up, running quick sprints, passing around the ball and talking each other up about what needed to be done to win this one. "Okay guys, bring it in!" Hans bellowed out. "Let's get on top of this one quickly, these guys just got done
AdvancingAdvancingAdvancing

Teams hearing information about playoff rounds
with a match less than thirty minutes ago. They look tired and their is only two subs over on their side. Hit 'em hard."

* Ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit

Alex, Corey, David, Keith, Tom and I headed out onto the field as we watched the coin toss at center field between Tim, the Ref and the Yongsan player. Retreating without the ball, Tim had loss. As the announcement came over the loud speakers... "On pitch four, we have the battle of Paju with the Paju Pirates taking on the Yongsan University WildCats. And on pitch two, we have the battle of Tokyo with the Tokyo Old Bulls taking on the Tokyo Young Bulls." With that the starting whistle blew and the Yongsan team charged forward. Spreading out we started calling out the players across from us, sizing up their movements quicker then the first match. After two touches heading in my direction the Yongsan players tried to switch fields but Alex stepped into the picture nabbing the ball and sprinting off down the field in the other direction eventually being stopped by the player who was in front of me. Two passes to our right spread out the Yongsan players as we charged the try line scoring on an open gap back towards center between Keith and Corey. Proud of ourselves Keith and myself quickly switched off for Nielen and Harry's fresh legs.

The Yongsan players began moving the ball quickly between the center and left side of the field when they found a weak spot between Alex and the outside edge because he was bunching to the inside thinking his speed would help him out if anyone went for the sideline. With a couple of quick passes the Yongsan guys scrambled into position heading directly at the sideline then down the edge towards the far corner goal line when the Ref blew his whistle as the player stepped out of bounds a mere three meters (9-feet) away from the goal turning over the ball. Quickly picking up the ball and tapping it to life Keith dashed forward four meters then flung the ball to his left to Nielen who sprinted twelve steps to his right squeezing inside two opponents flicking a quick under handed pass to Tim who broke through behind Nielen to his left bursting through a seam in the line gaining a clear passage across
Mixed Championship Mixed Championship Mixed Championship

Teams gathering around the pitch to watch the mixed championship game
midfield.

As soon as Tim crossed midfield into the Yongsan side he decided to transfer the ball from his left arm into his dominant right arm but forgot to concentrate on the exchange but turned his head to check for the closest opponent as his fingers babbled, juggled and lost the ball to the ground causing a turnover instead of our second try! All around him the laughter erupted out of everyone because he was clearly going to score had he just ran with the ball. He was easily three-meters (nine feet) away from the nearest player! Even the Ref, got a kick out of his mistake, After all the laughter died down he said, "I just didn't think I was that far from anyone? Go figure I get an opportunity for a clear try and I screw it up!"

Before Yongsan could fire back up Alex and David came off the field as Tom and myself entered. Valiantly the ball went up and down the field both sides getting close to the try line but never scoring. Within the final three minutes of the game, Tom busted out of the pack with the "Mandeno Shuffle" heading for
Mens FinalMens FinalMens Final

Tokyo Warriors (red) v Hong Kong Thunder (blue)
the right sidelines as I came up on his left he slipped the ball past the defender into my awaiting hands which I then flicked a quick backwards side pass to Corey who came flying up on my left scrambling past my defender and turning on the afterburners to dive into the goal, giving us our second try of the game. As soon as the Yongsan players began to start after the try, the Ref blew his whistle. We had won! 2 to 0. Our first victory of the day came after waiting to play for three hours. We were confident heading into the third match, which would begin in thirty minutes, against last year's runner's up from Tokyo.

Sitting around for the next fifteen minutes I asked Tim what he was thinking when he fumbled the ball on the for certain clear break away in the last match? Laughing he replied, "I thought it would be safer to continue sprinting with the ball in my right arm. It was a dumb mistake to switch it over like that especially since I had just broke through their defenders. I should have been concentrating on making it to the try-line
Carrot CakeCarrot CakeCarrot Cake

Harry and Corey
instead of worrying which arm I was carrying the ball with!"

Shaking my head I excused myself and ran to the bushes for a quick bathroom break as I heard the voice on the megaphone calling us out to the third pitch for our third game against the Tokyo Warriors. Prepared for everything they were going to fling at us we started our strongest members first; Tom, Tim, Nielen, Keith, David, Corey and Alex. We figured it would be best to start with all the fastest members on the field and try to pick up a quick try. Then rotate us all in accordingly as fatigue set into our legs and lungs. This time it was Nielen who went to the middle of the field of the coin toss. Winning the ball, our team stepped back onto the field with a "Go Pirates!" And spread out. Tapping the ball Tim took off in a dead sprint towards the Warriors receiving the first touch, he dropped the ball rolling it between his legs as Keith picked it up flicked it into David's hands who sprinted to his right another six meters/yards, getting the second touch. Again Keith was there picking
ChampionsChampionsChampions

Mixed Club Champions; Singapore Seven
up the ball, this time he flipped it to Alex on the outside who sprinted past two defenders along the side lines finally being caught from a streaking defender eight meters/yards from the goal line. This time Nielen scooped up the ball from the ground, shuffled it to Tim on his left, who flicked it to Tom squeezing between two defenders with a bit of quick foot work but being touched three meters/yards from the try line.
Again Nielen came charging up the field from behind nabbing the ball, he passed it hard and fast to his right reaching Keith second from the end who passed a quick flip to Tim criss-crossing in behind him heading for the middle of the field. Tim stretched out laying himself out for the try-line as he was touched; fourth. Getting up off the ground Tim, adjusted the ball back from the try-line rolling it between his legs to Nielen who tossed a nifty pass behind his back into David's hands who began to flip it to Corey when the Tokyo player bought the fake pass and David scored giving us the one, nil lead we were hoping for.

Both sides changed out
Mens ChampionsMens ChampionsMens Champions

Winning in overtime on a golden goal try; Hong Kong Thunder
players after our first try. Harry and I took up positions on opposite sides of the field. I stayed on the far left outside because the Warriors where running a lot down the middle. And I felt comfortable having the sideline to pin them against or push them back inside towards Keith. As they tapped the ball to restart play immediately they charged towards my side of the field but realizing I was much more talented as a defender they quickly backed off and sent the ball back into the middle of the field. We retreated long enough until one of their guys broke free on the inside slipping past Keith and Tom. But not escaping Harry's touch as he came charging across the field at full speed saving a try by the Warriors. They backed up the ball and began spreading it around left and right finally receiving another five touches and turning over the ball.

Picking up the ball Keith settled on passing the ball out to our right side trying to get a bit of open field with Corey and Harry playing between each other with their speed and agility. The ball eventually came back to
At the end...At the end...At the end...

... of a great day!
the middle when I took off on a wide arc around Keith and Tom sending the Warriors into a fit because I was bunching our right side of the field. As they staggered to recover from my movements Nielen snuck around behind Tom, who received a pass from Corey, then flicked it to Keith and out to Nielen who scooted through two defenders and was off to the races! The pony-tailed Warrior catching him a few meters/yards shy of the try line. Backing off the ball, we all charged up the field as Keith picked up the ball, flipping it to his right into my hands I pretended to skip the ball out to Corey on the wing as the guy took the bait, I dove for the try line but his back up wasn't fooled touching me before I set the ball down. Getting up I retreated with the ball rolling it between my legs. Tom picked up the ball flipped it to Keith, who sent a long pass to Harry cutting between Corey and Tim sliding in between two Warriors missing the try-line by a few inches. We tried two more fatale attempts without scoring.

By this point my lungs were bursting and I went jogging off the field as did Tom. Alex and David came on to relieve the two of us. As the Warriors found a second wind, they broke through our strong defensive stance around the nine-minute mark to give them their first try and tie up the score. Because the points came directly after we left the field Tom and I opted to stay off the field for a few more minutes. On the next possession Tim tapped the ball running straight up the field being touched, he dropped the ball rolled it between his legs Nielen picked it up flipping it to his right to Keith who charged up the field being touched, dropping the ball Corey picked it up tossing it back down the line towards Alex on the outside who snuck past the defender running up the sideline. As his pursuer began to reach out for the touch Alex daringly paused long enough to pull of a quick spin move back into the inside while flipping the ball to Harry who was rushing up from behind on his left just beyond Alex's reach. Receiving the ball Harry turned on his supercharge shoes and skipped single handedly into the goal setting down the ball for our second try putting us back on top with eight minutes remaining.

With Harry and Alex hooped with their cleverness on the outside Tom and I came back on to the field. Again I set up shop on the outside left wing. The ball moved towards us at a frantic pace as the Warriors could see the game slipping past them. Their energy began to mount the more the time ticked onward as our own began to run out of juice. The ball went back and forth exchanging several times with turnovers due to six and out touches. Eventually, we had the ball and were mounting another strong charge up the field when Nielen flicked a pass to his right outside shoulder just as a Warrior made a quick jump between the receiver intercepting the ball he sprinted beyond everyone near him and lead a three person foot race to the try line, eventually diving into the goal for their second try. With the score locked at two apiece we new we had a shot at a second win but only had four minutes remaining. Stepping off the field we called time-out, surprising everyone involved. We were allotted a forty-second time out to gather our wits. We discussed putting on ALL the speedsters but Tim suggested we go with defenders first and as soon as the ball changes hands that we put in fresh legs as quickly as possible. Then get them the ball.

Since Harry and Alex had the sideline shuffle already in their playbook they stepped off the field to strategize, stretch and get ready to jump on the field of play as soon as the ball was turned over. Taking up my position on the left outside of the field, we positioned ourselves; Keith, Tom, Nielen, Tim, David and Corey. The plan was once we had the ball back that Tom and I, would jump off the field as quickly as possible and get the other two sprinters on the field.

The Warriors tapped the ball into play rushing forward for their first touch. Rolling between their legs they pushed forward towards Tom but he didn't give them any room and they received their second touch. The ball went to the ground rolled backwards into the "dummies" hands when Nielen charged from his left catching him off guard the warrior spun on his heels spotting his guy towards the right open he chucked a looping ball out his direction which I spotted clearly marking my man with a fair distance sprinting forward my right hand misdirecting the ball upward forward bobbling between my hands as the Warrior behind me gasped with displeasure as my fingers finally laced around the ball instantly he darted to me touching my arm. Quickly I set the ball down on the ground releasing it between my legs, as Keith came up from behind me picking it up and sprinting to his right towards Nielen he passed the ball behind him to Tim who ran forward eight meters. As the ball passed Nielen, Tom and I safely made it off the field of play when Harry and Alex came sprinting onto the left side of the field. Criss-crossing behind each other the ball quickly went into David's hands who ran left dodging people getting the second touch. Nielen scooping up the ball flicked it off kilter to his left landing it into Harry's outstretched hands gently pulling it into his body he bound left and changed directions to his right speeding past a defenders outstretched hand but not surpassing his back up. Advancing the ball forward the Pirates marched down the field with three more touches before a turnover. David picked up the ball, flipped it to Alex who scrambled to the middle of the field, tossing it gently to Nielen who criss-crossed with Tim then distributed it back into David's gap breaking move as he blew past a defender on his left surprising two Warriors he approached the fifteen meter mark before the try line as a diving defender touched the back leg of David's. Our fourth touch but we were less than fifteen meters to the try line with two touches remaining.

Keith sprinted up behind David who rolled it between his legs checking left he dodged to his right, flipping the ball to Corey on the outside, who worked the ball back to his left, tossing it to Tim, then to Keith then around to Alex who had a clear shot at setting up Harry on his left but at the last moment decided to streak right between Keith and Tim which pulled three defenders towards him but blocked his view of the outside Warrior camping out just to Corey's left. Just before the fifth touch on Alex's arm, he flipped the ball with a little less effort in Corey's direction. Immediately the Warrior adjusted himself between Corey and Alex intercepting the ball and immediately turning on the afterburners! Corey gave haste chasing the warrior for thirty-five meters as Harry came into view from the far side of the field... Each sprinter in succession was following the dashing adrenaline charged warrior thief with the ball across midfield down the center of field stretching his limber legs as he bound down to the try line diving head first into the goal for the winning try! The Warriors pulled off a miraculous comeback. And we were all so close to pulling off one of the greatest upsets of the day! The ref blew his whistle after our first touch. We had put up a grand old dog-fight for our third match but in the end lost 3-2.

With our third game over we had about an hour until our fourth and final game of the day. By this point the wear and tear of the day had everyone feeling like we just needed a couple of beers and some dinner. We discussed options for after the last game, since we were unlikely to be advancing into the playoff rounds. Just then the announcer pipped up about two games on pitch number one between two of the mixed-club teams and on the other pitch the Japanese Dreamers versus the Seoul Survivors. Knowing we were going to be playing the Survivors for our last game we picked a bit of grass to watch the game unfold and see if we couldn't find a bit of strategy in watching the two teams doing battle on the field. The Tokyo team, although a bit older seemed to rely on wisdom and quick movements to put the ball across the try line. As we took notes of the Survivors strategy a few guys went off in search of beer.

Tired and in need of rest, I walked back over to our tent and laid down on my bag to grab a few zzz's before the next match. Twenty minutes later we heard the whistles on the pitches behind us signaling we had another fifteen minutes before we needed to be warming up.

Slowly our team met under our tent to talk strategy but their were two guys whose hamstrings were bugging them so, the remaining guys would have to try and pull up the slack. Nielen and Corey, who were both athletes in college were harboring pulled muscles and opted for everyone else to play as much as possible. As we trickled out onto the field the first thing I noticed was that everyone of these guys was muscle bound. One after the other it was just ripped muscle standing in front of us. It was thoroughbred versus Clydesdales. If a miracle were to happen today it wasn't going to be in this game. We were outsized, outmanned, outmaneuvered and outmatched. The game started off quickly with the Survivors squeezing between David and Keith on the far side of the field. No one was even close to touching him as they went up 1-0. On our first possession the ball went to the opposite side of the field to Alex who seemed to try and make up for his mistake in the last game but found the Survivors in every direction. Eventually, we turned the ball over in six touches. The Survivors charged down the field of play. Racking up touches but gaining valuable meters/yards as they went. On their fourth touch they suckered me into the middle leaving the outside wide open. Knowing I had been sucked too far forward I charged enthusiastically at the offensive guy with the ball leaping up barley missing his pass to the outside has his guy scored without any pressure and we went down 2-0.

Knowing I needed a breather I opted off the field, as Nielen came onto the field. Tim tapped the ball, ran forward ten meters was touched, rolled the ball between his legs, Nielen scooped it up passing it to Tom on his right who scooted between two defenders and ran up the field but was caught from behind. Rolling the ball between his legs Tim picked up the ball flipping it to Alex who put on a juke move to the inside and went towards the sideline only to run out of room and ended up turning over the ball. Tom came jogging over to the sidelines, "Corey, do you want to go in?" I asked. "Nah, its all you," his reply came. Jumping back onto the field we shift down to the right leaving me on the left outside once again.

The Survivors picking up where they left off charged up the field but this time we were able to stop them in six touches before they reached the try-line. Advancing the ball forward we tried a new strategy of just going straight up the field. The problem was they were in far better shape then we were and our charge only lasted until we reached the midfield. As we turned the ball over Nielen went off the field as Corey came on. The ball went left through a couple of us and zipping past the Survivors scored again, 3-0. Tapping the ball Keith set us in motion heading towards the Survivors try-line. The ball went to the right over to David, who scampered up the sidelines being touched he set the ball down, Harry picked up the ball sending it left to Alex, who shuffled it to Keith and eventually it landed in my hands after another tipped ball. I didn't make it very far but I still had the ball in my hands not realizing the Survivor had missed me with his swipe I slowed up as another defender approached touching my arm. Smiling at the fact that I had a clear shot at a try, I shook my head and laughed. "It's okay buddy. Anybody could have made that mistake. Nice grab though!" Came the defender's remarks. Rolling the ball between my legs, Keith picked up the ball flipped it out towards David but the ball skipped off his hands landing on the ground behind him.

Quick to the ball the Survivors caught half of us offsides and sprinted up the field flying past us on their way to the 4th try! At this point there was seven minutes left and we were down 4-0. The only hopes we had at this point was to beat the shut out. At midfield we clustered together, had a quick discussion about getting the ball out to the right then trying out Dain's secret play which we hadn't tried using yet in any of the previous matches but we had been practicing for the last three weeks at home. Tapping the ball Nielen went forward fifteen meters being touched he set the ball down as Keith picked it up charging forward Nielen following on his left David on his right. He flips the ball to David who scrambles to his right being pursued by defenders. As soon as he's touched Nielen grabs the ball pushing us forward with Harry on his right and Keith on his left. Once the defender commits to him he flips the ball back to his right into Harry's awaiting arms who then quickly sends the ball to the outside person Tim, who is criss-crossing back inside with Harry unintentionally blocking the defender and leaving a clear path to the try-line. Everything went smoothly as planned except Tim forgot to keep the ball and head for the try-line in all the quick movements surrounding the ball. This is when the defender to be picked wasn't fooled by our intentions but stepped out between where Tim decided to flip the ball across himself back in the direction of Nielen. The surprise on everyone's face was that Tim missed his second clear break away score but this time passed the ball into the defender's outstretched hands. The Survivor sprinted off in the final minute in the opposing direction, scoring with ease an easy hat-trick* during the match. Simply put we didn't stand a chance of beating these guys. We were demolished, hammered, torn apart from limb to limb and the final score showed just that 5-0, damn!


* hat-trick means a person who scores at least three times in a single game

With the first round games completed we went down in the books with 1-win and 3-loses. A zero chance of advancing into the playoff rounds however one of the guys from the Tokyo Warriors was trying to azure us of the "losers pools" and that we should have a chance at playing in the "boobie prize" rounds or trying to win 3rd place overall. He said, "For a team that has played its first tournament together, you guys should all be really proud of yourselves. You did a heck of a job against us. You almost had us. Had you pulled that off you were certain to advance into the second round." That was enough "boobie prize" for most of us. And we all went in search of beer and brats instead! Eventually, the organizers explained to us that they wanted to set up a secondary pool for everyone who was out but they didn't have enough Ref's for this to take place.

Then another team from Seoul, a mixed team asked us if we wanted to play against them on the far fields. Five of us were up for playing a scrimage match but Nielen, Tom and Keith said they were done that their boots/cleats had come off. That it was time for the beers, smokes and watching the other teams play. Corey, too said he was done his muscles needed a break. Laughing I asked him where his beer was, this is when he told me he didn't like beer and that beer is bad for your body. Agreeing with him I swigged back a nice gulp of the beer in my hand. And started taking candid pics of the team sitting around chatting up others around us.
Eventually, the guy came back and we admitted it was time for Rest, Relaxation and Beer drinking but that we should all get together some other time around Seoul for a scrimmage.

Eventually, we drank a lot of beer, eating sausages, hamburgers, discussing random topics and watching the Mixed-division championship which was won by the Singapore Slingers 7's All Female team. Then everyone hunkered down to watch the reigning champions Tokyo Warriors play the Hong Kong Thunder. The match ended up going the full thirty minutes and ended in a tie. Neither the Warriors or the Thunder wanted to go home with a tied championship game but agreed upon a simple golden-goal solution. The first team to score would be declared the winner. They had five minutes to do so. And if it were still tied after five minutes they would play a second round. If no score after the second overtime period, they would just call it a tie.

The teams agreed then had a coin toss. Hong Kong Thunder lost the toss which left the ball in the hands of the Tokyo Warriors first. They pressed hard pushing the ball up the field when a quick pass out to the right was intercepted by a defender who came racing up the sideline directly in front of us. He was touched just before crossing the try-line. His team hurried up the field, started the ball, pushed it side to side before being stopped twice more. On their fourth attempt they found a very small whole between two defenders diving head first at knee height the Hong Kong player squeezed the ball down behind the try-line with the winning score! Hong Kong Thunder defeated the reigning champs, 3-2 in the first overtime in tournament history!

After the brief ceremony on the field with both winning teams, I took a couple of snapshots to commemorate the day. We congratulated all the teams we played against. Spoke briefly to a couple other teams then the organizers thank them for hosting the tournament. Then we exited the grounds discussing our options of return transportation to EV on the opposite side of town. At this point the team consensus was to take three taxi cabs back to Paju. It would be around 20,000 won ($20) per person for about a forty-five minute ride. In comparison to the three-plus hours it would take to walk back to the train station, await a train, get on the train, ride back to Hapjeong Station, exit the station, wait for the express bus and ride it back to EV. Although the cost would be a heck of a lot cheaper, you wouldn't be home until almost 10:30pm.

With the thought of returning home by 10:30pm, we all opted for the taxi ride. Standing on the sidewalk, we began flagging down taxi cabs. As soon as the taxi stopped Hans approached greeting him in Korean asking if he would drive three or four guys back to Yong-oh Ma-luh (English Village) in Paju City? The first driver literally laughed politely stating it was too far for him to drive and drove off without anyone getting into his cab. The second taxi we flagged down, the driver happily smiled accepting the 60,000 won offering as Alex, Harry, Tom and Corey piled into the cab. They sped off before a third cab arrived. After another five minutes we flagged down a taxi. Seeing us on the sidewalk idly chatting about the day and debating who should ride with whom? Hans stepped up expressing our desire to the cabbie, he told Hans he was okay with driving us to Paju. Instantly David climbed into the front seat as I climbed through sitting behind the driver. Outside the cab still on the sidewalk Tim, Nielen, Hans and Keith were in a mad scramble of Ro-Sham-Bo or Rock-Paper-Scissors about who the third person was going to be in the cab? At that moment the cabbie honked his horn with his annoyance at the four on the sidewalk. Without losing Tim, graciously climbed into the backseat of the cab shutting the door behind him.

Our taxi ride back into Paju took us to the northern most suburbs of Seoul, onto several major arteries between a couple of express tollways, through several five-plus kilometers of tunnel into a few beautiful valleys of mountains surrounding the city. After thirty-two minutes I began to recognize bits and pieces of where we were coming out onto. Surprised by what I was seeing the three of us chatted a bit about the last two days and our enjoyment of the tournament bringing us all together. I pondered about the possibilities of playing in future tournaments before departing South Korea? And with that rattling around in my head, I nodded off for the next fifteen minutes until I was jerked awake by the erratic driver braking abruptly outside
the main gate of English Village.

As I reached into my pocket searching for my two 10,000 won dollar bills and wiping the sleepies out of my eyes I heard David opening his door and stating "Gam-sum-nee-da." As we each handed over our portion of the 60,000 won cab ride, we climbed out into the early evening fresh air with the humidity subsiding back towards zero. Pulling our bags over our shoulders we walked back around the immigration building across the front steps and through the tall wooden gates back onto campus, smiling from ear to ear. Each of us with our own memories of the past two days.

Breaking off from each other at the clock-tower, I thanked both David and Tim, for the exciting past couple of days in Hongdae and playing in the touch-tournament. "Have a great Sunday and see you guys on Monday," I stated in a tired voice as the clock dipped past 9:25 pm. "Glad to have had you along. Enjoy your Sunday and ask Shauna when we can see those pictures she took? Thanks again, have a great Sunday. Cheers," Tim replied and wandered off towards his apartment. As I stepped past the clock tower the only thoughts left in my head were; 1) take a shower 2) kiss the wife 3) go to bed and sleep until Sunday afternoon!
















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