Rugby!

If there's a passion that I have, it's for the sport of rugby.  In case you don't know, rugby is much like American football (in fact, it's where gridiron came from), but no forward passes are allowed, only laterals.  Also, play never stops after a tackle, instead, the ball is released, and either picked up (hopefully by a teammate) or contested by opposing team members trying to push each other off the ball (called a ruck).

The sport is named after the school that it came from in England.  One day, during a soccer match, the ball was kicked in the air.  One student, William Webb Ellis, caught the ball in his hands ("in fine disregard for the rules") and started running.  Thus the sport was born.  On a side note, he grew up to become a priest in the Anglican Church.

The picture that you see is of what is called a lineout (I took this picture).  This is what happens after the ball or ball carrier has been put out of bounds.  Lines of players are formed perpendicular to the sideline.  Then, a player from the non-offending side throws it between the lines, where jumpers are hoisted (ouch) to catch the ball.

The sport is played world-wide, especially in the UK, Ireland, France, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia.  In NZ it's the national sport, an obsession beyond any southern college football fans imagination.  Speaking of the south, it's now finding it's way down here.  In New Orleans, all of the Catholic League schools have teams. 

Is it rough?  Absolutely?  Is it easy to get injured?  Minor injuries, but the serious stuff can be prevented with the right conditioning and coaching.  Is it for everyone?  I've seen guys who are 5-foot-nothing and weigh 100-nothing perform exceptionally well on the field.  And if you are over 35, no problem they have old boys teams.  And they usually play better than your typical college team; the sport is more mental than it would appear.

So, if you are looking for a fun contact sport with lots of cameraderie, do a search for your local rugby club or contact the US Rugby Union for starting one.  One caveat:  get in shape before you play, b/c matches are made of 40 minute halves.