Trip to Las Vegas Invitationals!
Donation protected
The University of Houston Men’s Rugby Club is proud to announce that several of our players have been selected for the opportunity to play 15s with the Misfits at the 2018 USA Sevens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their hard work and dedication to the Club has provided them with an incredible opportunity that we hope will help them grow as rugby players. In order to assist them in attending this event, we are asking for donations to cover the fees and dues associated. They have the opportunity to play with a reputable touring side that will undoubtedly present them with future playing opportunities.
The players include:
Dominic van der Walt: Dominic is a Junior Mechanical Engineering major from Johannesburg, South Africa. He has been playing rugby for a total of nine years. His favorite position is scrumhalf and secondly, flyhalf.
Abraham Blanco: Abe is a Graduate Student studying Mechanical Engineering. He is from Galveston, Texas and has been playing rugby for seven years. His favorite position to play is hooker.
Dawson Gaudette: Dawson is a Freshman Supply Chain Management major from Reno, Nevada. He has been playing rugby since the beginning of the school year but shows a ton of potential. His favorite position to play is fullback.
Austin Puckett: Austin is our Captain, President, and a Junior Economics major from Houston, Texas. He is also pursuing a minor in Computer Science. He has been playing rugby for three years and his favorite position to play in 15s is flyhalf, but prefers centre for 7s.
Oliver Young: Oli is a Freshman Supply Chain and Logistics Technology major from Stafford, England. He is also studying to get his minor in German. He has been playing rugby for four years and his favorite position is flyhalf.
Joseph Barron: Joe is a Junior Mechanical Engineering student from Houston, Texas. He is also minoring in Math. He has been playing rugby for two years. His favorite position to play is inside centre or wing.
Andy Cortez: Andy is a Senior Liberal Studies major from Edinburg, Texas whom is also working toward three minors: Medicine and Society, Psychology, and Biology. He has been playing rugby for three years. His favorite positions to play are lock and flanker.
Matt Torres: Matt is a Freshman Human Health & Nutrition major from Chicago, Illinois. He’s been playing rugby for three years and would be happy to play anywhere other than lock.
Syed Rizvi: Syed is a Junior Finance major from Houston, Texas. He has been playing rugby for two years and his favorite position to play is open side flanker.
The Misfits are considered a family first club valuing their players over all else. The club upholds a well-developed code of ethics that still ensures a good time, typically through winning. The Misfits will have several teams at Vegas this year: Men’s Open 15s, Men’s Over 40 15s, Men’s Open 7s, Women’s Open 15s, and Women’s Elite 7s. Many international players have worn the Misfits kit over the last 10 years and will be playing with each of the teams in Vegas. The boys will have a unique opportunity to get to learn from them and watch them play. Some of those players include Todd Clever, Jason Raven, and Orene Aii, among others, providing the Misfits with over 700 international caps from all over the world.
More information on the Misfits can be found here: http://www.misfitsrugby.com/about.html
This is an incredible chance for the boys to learn from players with years of high level experience. Going on tours with high level teams can grow their game and give them an opportunity to be ‘noticed’ by larger organizations or national teams. They also allow for networking and understanding the meaning of rugby brotherhood. In the spirit of brotherhood, we ask that you donate, however much you can, in order to help send our boys to Las Vegas.
The money will go directly into the team account and be used to cover the following:
$113- IRB Tickets (USA 7s)
$100- Tour Fee
$300- Flight Estimates via Southwest Airlines
IRB Tickets- These are the tickets for the USA Sevens event. This is where all the international men’s 7s teams come together to play. $113 covers two days of entrance into the stadium with the player’s discount for the Misfits. Please see the links below for more information.
· https://www.usasevens.com/las-vegas/
· https://www.fevo.com/edp/Las-Vegas-Sevens--Misfits-y6zurcBL?referrer_hash=vmBwDEed
Tour Fee- This $100 fee is to cover costs associated with the tour itself. This fee includes BBQ for two nights, a t-shirt, a hat, transportation to and from the stadium, and hotel expenses.
Flights- We estimate that to send the boys to Vegas on such short notice, that flights will be around $300 on Southwest.
All in all, we are looking at an estimated cost of a little over $500 per player. With nine players going, as two are unavailable, we need to raise around $4,200 to ensure that each player gets to go. This is a valuable and special opportunity for the boys that will help develop them as rugby players. Your donations will be met with a thank you card signed by each of those invited. Larger donations will be rewarded.
Individuals who donate $150 or more will receive a team t-shirt, card, and photos from the trip.
Individuals who donate $300 or more will receive a retired jersey, shirt, card, and photos from the trip.
If you chose to donate a larger sum or sponsor an individual player, varying sponsorship packages are available.
Thank you for supporting your University of Houston Men’s Rugby Team we hope that the boys are able to take advantage of this opportunity to grow our club.
Go Coogs!
The players include:
Dominic van der Walt: Dominic is a Junior Mechanical Engineering major from Johannesburg, South Africa. He has been playing rugby for a total of nine years. His favorite position is scrumhalf and secondly, flyhalf.
Abraham Blanco: Abe is a Graduate Student studying Mechanical Engineering. He is from Galveston, Texas and has been playing rugby for seven years. His favorite position to play is hooker.
Dawson Gaudette: Dawson is a Freshman Supply Chain Management major from Reno, Nevada. He has been playing rugby since the beginning of the school year but shows a ton of potential. His favorite position to play is fullback.
Austin Puckett: Austin is our Captain, President, and a Junior Economics major from Houston, Texas. He is also pursuing a minor in Computer Science. He has been playing rugby for three years and his favorite position to play in 15s is flyhalf, but prefers centre for 7s.
Oliver Young: Oli is a Freshman Supply Chain and Logistics Technology major from Stafford, England. He is also studying to get his minor in German. He has been playing rugby for four years and his favorite position is flyhalf.
Joseph Barron: Joe is a Junior Mechanical Engineering student from Houston, Texas. He is also minoring in Math. He has been playing rugby for two years. His favorite position to play is inside centre or wing.
Andy Cortez: Andy is a Senior Liberal Studies major from Edinburg, Texas whom is also working toward three minors: Medicine and Society, Psychology, and Biology. He has been playing rugby for three years. His favorite positions to play are lock and flanker.
Matt Torres: Matt is a Freshman Human Health & Nutrition major from Chicago, Illinois. He’s been playing rugby for three years and would be happy to play anywhere other than lock.
Syed Rizvi: Syed is a Junior Finance major from Houston, Texas. He has been playing rugby for two years and his favorite position to play is open side flanker.
The Misfits are considered a family first club valuing their players over all else. The club upholds a well-developed code of ethics that still ensures a good time, typically through winning. The Misfits will have several teams at Vegas this year: Men’s Open 15s, Men’s Over 40 15s, Men’s Open 7s, Women’s Open 15s, and Women’s Elite 7s. Many international players have worn the Misfits kit over the last 10 years and will be playing with each of the teams in Vegas. The boys will have a unique opportunity to get to learn from them and watch them play. Some of those players include Todd Clever, Jason Raven, and Orene Aii, among others, providing the Misfits with over 700 international caps from all over the world.
More information on the Misfits can be found here: http://www.misfitsrugby.com/about.html
This is an incredible chance for the boys to learn from players with years of high level experience. Going on tours with high level teams can grow their game and give them an opportunity to be ‘noticed’ by larger organizations or national teams. They also allow for networking and understanding the meaning of rugby brotherhood. In the spirit of brotherhood, we ask that you donate, however much you can, in order to help send our boys to Las Vegas.
The money will go directly into the team account and be used to cover the following:
$113- IRB Tickets (USA 7s)
$100- Tour Fee
$300- Flight Estimates via Southwest Airlines
IRB Tickets- These are the tickets for the USA Sevens event. This is where all the international men’s 7s teams come together to play. $113 covers two days of entrance into the stadium with the player’s discount for the Misfits. Please see the links below for more information.
· https://www.usasevens.com/las-vegas/
· https://www.fevo.com/edp/Las-Vegas-Sevens--Misfits-y6zurcBL?referrer_hash=vmBwDEed
Tour Fee- This $100 fee is to cover costs associated with the tour itself. This fee includes BBQ for two nights, a t-shirt, a hat, transportation to and from the stadium, and hotel expenses.
Flights- We estimate that to send the boys to Vegas on such short notice, that flights will be around $300 on Southwest.
All in all, we are looking at an estimated cost of a little over $500 per player. With nine players going, as two are unavailable, we need to raise around $4,200 to ensure that each player gets to go. This is a valuable and special opportunity for the boys that will help develop them as rugby players. Your donations will be met with a thank you card signed by each of those invited. Larger donations will be rewarded.
Individuals who donate $150 or more will receive a team t-shirt, card, and photos from the trip.
Individuals who donate $300 or more will receive a retired jersey, shirt, card, and photos from the trip.
If you chose to donate a larger sum or sponsor an individual player, varying sponsorship packages are available.
Thank you for supporting your University of Houston Men’s Rugby Team we hope that the boys are able to take advantage of this opportunity to grow our club.
Go Coogs!
Organizer
Andy Cortez
Organizer
Houston, TX