RugbyBlog Intro

I am starting this blog as a means to keep track of my experiences during my first season playing Rugby. Playing rugby in and of itself is not a big deal- however, I am a 40 year old rookie. I guess I am trying to do the George Plimpton thing; but this is more than an experiement in whether the average guy can play professional sports-a la Paper Lion. Rather it is to see if the middle aged guy can delay old age one fixture at a time. Since I am starting this one game into my season I will break my blog down into the three weeks of training leading up to the first game and from then tothe end of the season. I hope to spread some knowledge about a great sport, learn something about myself, and encourage others to find adventure in their lives.
I believe that life is found in the journey. We live our lives in a series of phases that have a beginning and an end. Sometimes these phases have clear transistions and sometimes the phases overlap by years as we grow into our new roles as opposed to thrust into them. John Eldridge, author of Wild at Heart describes them very well. I am trying to define where I am in his hoerarchy. maybe I am in a few diferent levels and I am trying to bring myself together at one point. I can't guarantee that rugby or any sport will achieve that for me- maybe it is more complicated. Maybe it is as simple as a mid-life crisis. I mean what is better than getting a mistress or a sports car if it not throwing your body full speed at a developing ruck or half a ton maul? Maybe it is because I have finished my Master's Degree and my professional studies and I need a new challenge that is not so cerebral. Or maybe finding a few nuckle-dragging hombres to drink beer with and to cheer on (and that are removed from the cares of my daily work grind) will be a source of personal regeneration- like a perverbial fountain of youth. Then again it maybe my last grasp on my youth, my last opportunity to be young, feel young, and act young (maybe even a little immature). Or maybe it is just a reason to go out and hit someone and get hit. What was it that Tyler Durden said in Fight Club? "How much can you know about yourself if you have never been in a fight?" Just replace ruck, maul, or scrum with the word fight. What ever it is I hope to describe it here.