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Whistler rugby season ready to ruck and roll

After a long hibernation the Whistler Hoary Marmots Rugby Football Club...

After a long hibernation the Whistler Hoary Marmots Rugby Football Club is getting set to kick off their season this week. Practices start on Tuesday, May 18 and run every Tuesday and Thursday through the summer, starting at 6 p.m. on the Whistler Secondary fields.

Men and women new to the sport or a little rusty are welcome to come out and get a little bit of exercise, with fun non-contact drills and touch games. The Marmots RFC also field competitive men’s and women’s teams that enter various tournaments around B.C., and hosts some friendly matches against teams from the Lower Mainland. The main event of the season is Whistler’s annual Cheap and Easy 7’s Tournament in the middle of the summer.

The big news for this year is the planned visit by New Zealand’s Maori All Blacks to Whistler on June 6. They will spend a morning training on our field for their North American tour before joining the Marmots at their clubhouse – Tapley’s Pub. The public is welcome to come out and watch their practice and to join the team afterwards for refreshments.

Following that visit the club will put together a full 15’s team for the annual two-day tournament at the Williams Lake Rodeo. This is the third year that the Marmots will attend that tournament, and Whistler always goes in style by camping on the pitch, playing in ski gear, and bringing their own team DJ along.

John Gideon, the president of the club, is hoping to have another strong turnout this year. Men and women of all ages and abilities are welcome, so too is anyone who is interested in coaching. You don’t have to commit to playing in any full-contact games, just come prepared with your cleats to do a lot of running.

The club is putting together a Web page and will have a club phone line set up in the next few weeks. In the meantime notices will be posted at Tapley’s Pub.

Some dates to remember include:

May 18 – First practice of the season.

May 22 – Super 12 Cup Final at Tapley’s

June 6 – NZ Maori All Black’s training in Whistler.