Where do they all come from?

It shouldn't surprise anyone that the single biggest “recruitment” tool for our team has been the Internet. Since the advent of the web (by Angelica’s account, sometime around 1998), we have used it to provide information to players and potential players to great success. Our first web design was completed on May 20th, 1999 by Boris Kogan. The reigns were then given to Mike Aston who served as webmaster until Tim Reisen, a former player and past MVP, took over. After an unfortunate “server” problem a few years ago, it became necessary for us to rebuild. At that time Graeme Fordyce took charge and built the page that we use today. However, many do not know of our second most effective recruitment tool…Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. So how did CHLA become the Mecca of PRFC recruiting? I think it is safe to say…it is all Angelicas fault.

In 1996 I got a job working at CHLA. This was about the time Doc was finishing his MbA at UCLA and Smookler was cursing rehab looking for the future ex-Mrs. Smookler. I had a friend (Terry McLean, a past player) and he wanted to play in college…but that is a different story. In 1998 CHLA hired Kristen Russell. I don’t know what possessed her one-day, sitting in our office, to tell me “you should play rugby on my boyfriends team.” With Terry in tow, we watched our first game…against Kern. The game was awesome, complete with a fight, and we knew this was the team for us. At the end of the game, Kristen introduced us to her boyfriend…Mr. Christopher Angelica.

In 2001, I was accosted by a nurse while working on the rehab unit. She claimed that her boyfriend played rugby and wanted to know what he had to do to make the team. I listed an incredible litany of tasks that would need to be completed (later to made into the movie Da Vinci Code) and we now had Doc Smookler on board.

Doc Smookler spent the next year bragging to his boss and co-workers how great our team was and generally annoying any male between the age of 20 and 55 within in earshot in an attempt to get them to come out and play. He was successful in finally wearing down Coach (and Ara Balkian) and they joined our team.

Once Doc Bryant joined the team, he in turn began the onslaught of “Pasadena blah blah blah rugby rugby blah greatest team ever blah blah” to anyone that would listen. Apparently one nurse listened (or was forced to listen) and she decided to send a friends son, John John, to practice.

So what is the point of this… well, for one, I am trying to keep up with Angelica’s postings, but really…just a reminder. Get your friends to come out and play…one of them may end up being the next John John…or coach. Next week maybe I’ll tell the story of my first bus trip.

Oops,
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