After Can-Am:The Depression Sets In

There is not much more I can ask for in a weekend than a lakeside house with a view filled with friends, some rugby matches, great food and fun bars. It was my third trip to Lake Placid, NY for the annual Can-Am Rugby Tournament, but this Tuesday back at work is more depressing than previous years.

I went up to Cam-Am to watch a Club Division team, Caves and Ditches - a Temple University alumni team with some current students and Media RFC players mixed in. After two solid wins against Union County 16 to 6 and against Albany Knicks 27 t0 7, Caves and Ditches lost a tough battle with Buffalo in the quarter finals only scoring 5 points to Buffalo's 29.

Buffalo went on to play The Lost Boys in the semi-final, and ended the game with 42 unanswered points. In the Championship round Buffalo was matched up against Bell High, and secured the Club Division trophy with a final score of 17 t0 8.

On Saturday night, the Caves and Ditches crew headed to Station Street Bar and Grill, located slightly off the main drag in Lake Placid. The restaurant was extremely accommodating to a horde of rugby players with a bar, dining area and an upstairs deck, complete with a wood-burning potbelly heater. The food was decent, but more importantly the beer kept flowing. Although there were a few issues with kegs being kicked, the overall service was good and they were tremendously adaptive to our needs.

Late night, the team headed to Charlie's, which was a bit too swanky for a group of ruggers ready to party. When we saw the line for Roomers, the DJ and dancing spot in Lake Placid, the logical choice was Zig Zags -- crowded and loud with pool tables, darts and is the kind of place you don't feel bad if you spill beer on the floor.

Another common rugger hang out throughout the weekend was an outdoor venue en route to Saranac Lake from Lake Placid, Tail of the Pup. In between matches or after a full day of playing, it was the perfect spot for some beer and barbeque (not to mention a significant portion of the waitresses were pretty good-looking).

Although the weather wasn't conducive to swimming or kayaking, we spent much of our free time sitting on the large, covered back porch at the house we rented for the weekend. It over-looked the lake, and was great spot to cook-out and play wiffleball in the backyard.

Overall I would call the weekend a success: fresh air, good times and lots of rugby.




For a complete list of tournament results in all divisions check out CanAmRugby.com.


Can-Am footage to be posted shortly!