They’Re Bruised, Battered, Aching - And All Smiles Hundreds Join In Rugby Fun

Sun., April 9, 2000

By Adam Lynn adaml@spokesman.com

Ice, it seems, is an essential ingredient at a rugby match. It keeps the beer cold and the injured joints from swelling.

It was in abundance Saturday as the Fools Fest International Rugby Tournament kicked off its annual stint at the Spokane Polo Grounds.

Nearly 500 players from the United States and Canada are taking part in the tournament.

Organizer Carlos Valero of Spokane calls the tournament a “weekend of competitive rugby and social interaction which is incomparable to any other sporting activity in the region.”

Judging from Saturday’s opening session, it’s part warfare and part party.

The scents of Ben Gay and grilling hamburgers mingled in the air with the sounds of cursing and laughter.

Men and women in short pants and long socks gouged, elbowed and tackled each other while in pursuit of a watermelon-shaped ball.

Dogs chased Frisbees across the close-cropped grass as an ambulance picked up an injured player one field over.

Teams with names like the Maggots and Black Widows went up against the Roughriders and Jesters.

A player who apparently had spent some time in the beer garden broke into song. “Why was I born so beautiful?” he crooned. “Why was I born at all?”

One spectator told another what it takes to be a rugby player. “My brother played it for Navy,” he said. “When he came home, `mean’ just oozed from his pores.”

Blood apparently oozes quite often as well.

The sidelines were littered with players with ice bags strapped to their ankles, knees, heads and elbows.

Funny thing was, they were all smiling.

Vince Cardillo, who drove up from Bend, Ore., to play in the tournament, said rugby is a great way to stay in shape and have a lot of fun.

“It’s a good team sport,” said Cardillo, a software engineer. “You get to be with everybody, and the road trips are fun.”

He pooh-poohed the sport’s reputation for injuries.

“There really aren’t that many,” Cardillo said. “You get a lot more in football and basketball.”

It was a little hard to take him seriously, though, what with the ice-pack taped to his ankle.

This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Matches continue

The Fools Fest International Rugby Tournament continues today at the Spokane Polo Grounds, on U.S. Highway 2 in Airway Heights. Matches run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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