RFC
Sunday March 30th, 2008 saw the holding of the first annual Awards Presentation Event at the 'Hutchings' home in New Tampa;
We were very grateful to Gunnery Sergeant Villar, USMC who was our guest and presented the 'General Robert Barrow -Spirit of the Barbarians' Award
There were Three awards;
Player of the Year - this was awarded to who, in the opinion of the team and the coaches, made the largest contribution to the Team on and off the field. In 2008 it was awarded to Ricky 'Sunshine' Tennant. Ricky has a trophy to keep and the Club Trophy has been engraved with his name
'Spirit of the Barbarians Award' This is presented to the player who shows the most commitment and dedication to the club and best represents the ethos of the club and the best traditions of The Barbarians. This trophy is called the 'General Robert Barrow, USMC - Spirit of the Barbarians' award. This year it was awarded to Gino Fitzgerald. Gino broke his ankle in a pre-season scrimmage and wasn't able to play again until the last game of the season. Throughout this time he continued to attend practice as best he could and attended all the games. Even those the one in Tallahassee!! To the Team, Gino showed what true 'Spirit' is and for this reason he received this award. Gino has a trophy to keep and the Club Plaque has been engraved with his name.
Most Improved Player This was the most difficult award to make. Apart from 2 of our current players, no-one had ever played Rugby before, so the improvement all the team players have made is outstounding. Even those who had played before improved their own game skills. However, we had to make a decision and in the end we decided to award it to two players. Stefhan Cage and Matt Nakamura. Both of these two players dramatically improved their game since the start of the season and fully deserve this recognition.
12/5/07
Nigel Melville - CEO & President USA Rugby
We are proud to have received this message of support for the formation of the Tampa Barbarians from the CEO & President of USA Rugby Operations;
"I am delighted to hear about your action - and wish you every success with the Tampa Barbarians.
If there is anything I can do to help you, or you need more information or support, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best Wishes and Good Luck"
Nigel
Nigel Melville has captained the England team and won 13 caps. He has also Managed the England U21 team and been Director of Rugby at the English Rugby Premiership teams of Wasps and Gloucester before becoming CEO and President of Rugby Operations for USA Rugby
12/02/07
We are very proud to announce that HP Interiors on Bruce B Downs Bld, New Tampa has kindly offered to sponsor our 'Man-of-the-Match' trophy. This trophy is to be awarded to the player who, in the coaches opinion, makes the most positive contribution to the game. This is not only a recognition of how the player plays the game but also on his commitment, effort, attitude and contribution to the whole team.
This award will be awarded at the end of each match and will be held by the receiving player until the next game and it goes to a another deserving recipient.
