Can you tell which is which?

It's funny how time doesn't seem to change some things...such as how old I look. I am constantly confused for being one of my 12 year old students when parents walk in to the class, or am carded at R-rated movies, and even laughed at when I tell someone I'm married. So being that I work at a school, I get free pictures every year. And it just so happens that this year, 10 years later, my picture looks nearly identical to my high school senior picture. Can you tell which is which? Although it is sometimes frustrating to be considered 12, now that I am reaching 30, I am beginning to actually appreciate it.

Mike Plays Rugby...Survives

The first reaction most people have when I tell them that I am playing rugby is "are you crazy?" I think the answer to that question is clear (for many, many reasons), but it is, in fact, true that I am a rugby player. I just finished my first season as a member of the Cincinnati Kelts Rugby Football Club and I gotta tell ya, it was a blast.

The second most common question I get is "what exactly is rugby?", which is a tough one to answer, but I'll give it my best shot. Rugby is a lot like American Football with a few major differences. First, the similarities. The object is to get an oblong-shaped ball into the other team's goal-area (kinda like the end-zone) and touch it down, which is called a "try" (basically a touchdown) which is worth 5 points . You can also kick extra points after tries (2 points) and field goals during the match (3 points). Now the differences. In rugby, you cannot throw a forward pass, only lateral and backwards. Also, when you are tackled, possession is not guaranteed (there are no downs and first downs) so you have to try to make the ball available for your teammates, who try to pick it up and start playing again. Other than that and a bunch of smaller rules, the games are quite similar.

Our season just ended yesterday, so here is a quick recap. We finished with 3 wins and 2 losses, which I am told was one of our best seasons in recent years. I managed to get in 3 games, all of which were wins (no coincidence, they felt safe putting me in when we were comfortably ahead in the first 2) including one start in the last game of the season. I played the position of Wing, which means on offense I try to spread the defense by using speed to get around the outside. On defense my job is to make sure the other team's wing doesn't get past me and to watch for kicks over the top of our defense, which I should try to catch and return back up the field.

Overall, it was a great experience. The guys on the Kelts were really helpful in teaching me the game and putting up with my rookie mistakes. Rugby is a fun game and I am planning on continuing to play.

-Mike