RugbyPickEmBio - 017 - Jordan "Flash" Gunderson

Rugby PickEm · RugbyPickEmBio - 017 - Jordan 'Flash' Gunderson

The OG Florida Man, Jordan "Flash" Gunderson stopped by the new studio (shed) to share his rugby story with the boys. He's lived the American dream, floating from state to state, playing the sport he loves and meeting lifelong friends along the way. 

First off, let's just paint you a picture. Imagine every bit of 6'4, but as lean as you'd expect a long-distance runner to be. Flash made his money in the flankers (poach fiend ... couldn't keep him out of rucks), while also possessing the athletic ability (silky pass) to fill in among the back 3. He'd also occasionally suit up at fly-half, as I'm sure most Americans end up doing once or twice in their early career. If you're the best all-around rugby player on your team, you tend to end up at fly-half (regardless of size and body type).

Head on a Swivel. Ready to make the right Rugby Play #playmaker

His old coach Dave Sellepack once told him:

"You'll never get rich playing this sport, but you'll travel the world and make friends for life."

Also, he has insanely amazing hair. Take a gander ... 

Flashy J-Raps is known for his fend, step, or chicken-wing offload.... and his fiery hair.

Flash has a team and teammate oriented attitude when he takes the field. He's willing to get over rucks and do the grunt work, and just as willing to run the length of the field to support a break away run (and potentially bag meat ;))

He's had a crazy rugby journey. He's only 26 but has already seemed to live multiple lives.

He started in Florida, where Dave Sellepack drove him 40 minutes each way to get to training. He first played under Chris Oosthuzien for the Jupiter Warriors / Palm Beach Panthers. Chris came through the Stellenbosch Rugby Academy, and was instrumental to making Jordan the player that he is today.

After tearing it up in his home state of Florida (made the "Juice" touring side), he landed a rugby scholarship to Wheeling Jesuit. Unfortunately, due to a broken collar bone, Flash never played a game for Wheeling, but learned a ton under his coach Eric Jerpe.

Flash hitch-hiked from Wheeling to Columbus for his next rugby chapter.

He then headed to Columbus Ohio where he played and lived with a collection of talented players who came up through Scioto Valley RFC and Tiger Rugby. 3 of them made Flash's #Top3 ...

Top 3: 

Chris Schade (Ohio Aviator, Austin Gilgronis, current free agent!?) aka Shade O Rade

Joe Tauafete'e (Lyon, World Rugby leading try scorer [Hooker]) aka Big Joe

Perry Baker (USA 7's, changed the game) aka Speed Stick

Flash, his teammates (spot the #Top3), and USA Rugby Hall of Fame coach Steve Finkel

Just Missed:

Shawn Riley (NOLA Gold) aka Flash's dude

Mullet Vibez

After Columbus, Flash spent his next few seasons with Southern Pines R.F.C. (where he met Rugby PickEm's favorite, lovable co-host, Tommy No Piks). He talked about the small town vibe, and how his connections with the club led to his selection for USA South Panthers.

Flash met the Rugby PickEm crew during his days as a Denver Barbarian. Always competing on the field, he also dazzled off the field, pursuing his love of music in a city full of art, culture, and unique perspectives. He said he'll always cherish the time he had with his Denver teammates, and for know, it's just "see ya later", not "Goodbye".

Breaking News 😱:

Flash will be moving to Pittsburgh PA to coach the Pittsburgh Panthers College Rugby team with Allen Hanson and Eric Jerpe. Always doing his best to pass on his experience, Jordan embodies the Rugby PickEm mentality of growing the game. We wish him the best in Pittsburgh!

Kid loves a good off-load

RugbyPickEmBio - 016 - Lin Hill

Lin Hill (player, coach, admin, part time team trainer) played her first game in at 13, following the 12 around the pitch and doing her best to manage on the fly. After dabbling in some summer 7's (working at sweeper), she eventually transitioned to the play-making roles of the 15's game, the halfback options.

The Facilitator at Work ... (also, credit to Susi Seitz on all these great photos)

From her experience as a coxswain, she fit right in at scrumhalf. The 9 jersey will always have her heart, and the work she put into her scrummy pass will always stick with her. But the fly-half has so many creative options (the pin and pass) and marching the team across the pitch and facilitating strike runners is always enjoyable.

She screamed her voice box out ... as a coxswain and a scrummy

Shoutouts:
Jon Mooney - Black Ice Coach
Leann Lam, Jenny Lui - Scrummies playing for Glendale. Taught her skills and game-play flow.
Nichole Wanamaker, Alli Hale - Rocky Mountain 7's
Alice Plant - put her on the board (match sec)

Sarah Hirini
Kelly Brazier

SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

Worked with Jillion Potter, Sarah Chobot and some NFL brahs ... nbd.


Injuries Recovered From:
dislocated shoulder, chronic subluxation
dislocated patella, tearing ACL/MCL/LCL ... step on your teammates folks!
re-torn labrum

Nice little chop tackle!

Top 3:

Molly Quinn (Mouth) - Black Ice - "All-around incredible player .... she's got it all"

Blaine Martin - Tacoma - "Incredible utility player, can kick, jump in the line out and is fast as shit"

Leanne Lamb - Glendale "I attribute a lot of my skill to her .... really fun to play with, and is just so nice"

Lin Hill, .... Off to the Races!

X-Factor Teamate:

Julia Gatten - "Goes out of her way to make the newbies feel welcome"

Amelia Lee Kucic - "Can always bank on her"

PICKEM!

(Shoutout to Matt Clement, playing his rendition of The Dendrites' hit song "So Were You".)

RugbyPickEmBio - 015 - Adam Drury

Rugby PickEm · RugbyPickEmBio - 015 - Adam Drury

Ladies and Gentleman, we have ourselves a time capsule pod. Rugby PickEm sat down with Adam Drury the night before he moved from Fort Collins, CO to Blacksburg, VA to pursue a career as a veterinarian. It was a beautiful summer night in June 2018, and the birds were a chirpin'. Adam talked about his amazing rugby career and the experiences that came with it. It can be summed up in one of his final lines ... 

"I can't thank everybody enough who have been part of my "rugby life. I hope that anyone out there who is considering rugby will give it a shot ... because it's a friendship and family like no other"

The "Well Hungarians" (Denver Barbos 7's social side) take home some hardware. Any hardware is good hardware.

Stop 1: Passion For The Game - Greenville, SC

Furman Paladins (college)
Greenville Griffins (men's club)
Tried soccer (thank god that didn't play out)
Argies recruited him  ... coached by John Roberts aka "The Brainchild"

Pushed back Wildlife photography for rugby (saving it for his late 70's)

Stop 2: A Never Ending Craft, New Zealand

Showed up on Mark Mackey's door.
Senior 1's (one under Prems)
Knows to stay out of the 9-10 channel
All Blacks vs. Italy in Hamilton
Christian Cullen ... "had a few runs ehhh?"

Bloodied and Beautiful

Back home, one more cathartic season with the Greenville Griffons

Stop 3: The Boy Becomes a Man, Denver, CO

Cold email to the Aspen Gentleman and the Denver Barbarians yielded differing results.

Adam Drury (in white) tracking down KC 7s Legend Kevin "Chicken Man" Schwartze 

Top 3 - Denver Barbarians (15's)

Mike Mangan - "sweetheart of a guy", "hands like a bunch of bananas", "faster than he looks"


Jone Naqica "put me through more gaps than I deserved", "really SHARP guy on the field", "99% sure he's a 7's Eagle".


Jason Kelly "there was nothing he couldn't do with the ball", "kicking was stellar, defense was solid", "great leader on the team"

Honorable Mention
Taylor Howden

Putting the Body on the Line

Shoutout to Kevin Fitzgerald (the vet veteran) for putting him on the career path.

Shoutout to Paul "BW" Caron for coaching grassroots rugby at Virginia Tech.

Rugby PickEm Haiku

Pain is For Pleasure

The Scars are for the Ladies

Liquid Pain Killers

Bonus Content: Canada

Last "Big Effort" season. Lived in Victoria and played for James Bay Athletic Club (JBAA)

Played for Prems .... "An Unbelievable Level of Rugby", "Every Game Was a Tough Game"

Pete Rushdon - one of Adam Drury's favorite coaches.

RugbyPickEmBio - 014 - Kim Jordan

Kim Jordan (aka KayJay, Jimberly Korden) walks the Rugby PickEm guys through her illustrious career player Rugby in the Colorado area. She started by joining the new HS team S.W.A.R.M. Eventually her path led her to winning big games at Colorado State University.

Her club career saw her play with the Steamboat Charging Heffers, Jackson Hole Lady Moose, and eventually coaching and playing for the Men's club Marauders R.F.C.

She's one of the good eggs, and we can't thank her enough for coming on Rugby PickEm as our first female guest. Enjoy!

 Kim Jordan leaves her blood and guts on the pitch.

 KJ going in for a tackle a tad high ...

 She shouts out the legends she played alongside and against (Tina Nesberg, Sarah Rossi, Tash Dale, and other "good humans" (Kim's (often repeated) words). 

Kim with her Cougars N Kittenz

 Kevin Mealamu (AB's 132 cap legend) grabbing a picture with the famous Tina Nesberg and Kim Jordan.

Favorite Tournament:

Teton 10s

(honorable mentions)

Aspen Ruggerfest

Vegas 7s

Cowpie (Steamboat)

Maggotfest (Missoula)

 Puffy Cat Fur in the Aspen Sun ...

Kim is a Jetsetter her favorite rugby country is: New Zealand

Attended the second Bledisloe cup and may have potentially been an extra in Amazon's All Or Nothing (2018)

Kim occasionally trains and plays with mens' club nbd

Award Winning Picture 

RugbyPickEmBio - 013 - Taylor Howden

We caught up with Taylor Howden at Rugbytown 7s earlier this summer, but since then, Taylz has recently inked a deal with the Houston SaberCats for the 2020 season. Talyor has had a massive playing career, from Auckland to Denver, Ohio, New Orleans and everywhere in between, he’s truly put a massive effort in growing the game here in the US. He is one among few that has the ability to coach and play simultaneously, and continues to do so on the grassroots level no matter what city he’s currently residing in. … Uncle Johnny and Logan brought the spice as usual, but Taylor was great and we wish him the best in 2020 with Houston … ENJOY!

Spin Pass or Flatty?

Not a bad ball rotation .... (Ke'Von Williams watches in awe)

Taylor played his high school rugby in Auckland, "doing the dirty" and transferring from Mount Albert Grammar School (MAGS) to Auckland Grammar. Auckland Grammar has a long history of All Blacks...

Auckland Grammar All Black List:

Ben Atiga
Ces Badeley
Vic Badeley
John Drake
Grant Fox
Graham Henry (AB coach)
Doug Howlett
Akira Ioane
Rieko Ionae
Benson Stanley
Jeremy Stanlet
Kel Tremain
Wilson Whineray (former AB captain and prominent businessman)

 What a collection of Denver Barbarians (former , current and FUTURE, lookin' at you Willy-Wolf) at the inaugural (and final) PRO Rugby Season. Ohio Aviators won at the death 35-27, but the Denver Stampede won the PRO rugby title on points. Pictured left to right: Mikey Garrity, Soane Leger, Logan Collins, Taylor Howden, William Wolfgang Howden, Maximo DeAchaval, Kyle Hitt, Bobby Impson, Pete Borlase.

Taylor would eventually move from Auckland, to Texas, to Denver CO (where he would spend many years with the Denver Barbarians) to Columbus OH. He led the Ohio Aviators in a memorable PRO Rugby season (which ended ... well, how it ended). He was heavily involved with Tiger Rugby and ran their youth academy while living in Columbus, and continues to pay it forward each day and grow the game.

 Taylz loves a good FEND! Pictured: Mikey Garrity, and Tyson Meek in support.

Top 3 Kiwi’s you’ve played with (XV’s)

Jaime MaCintosh - Ohio Aviators
Dan Pryor - Auckland Blues
Za Lawrence - AB 7s

Grayson Hart - Bedford Blues (just missed)

 Denver sunsets 😍 (also ... Taylor wearing his classic #17 jersey)

Top 3 Americans you’ve played with (XV’s)

Ata and Nese Malifa
Perry Baker
Peter Tiberio

Taylor playing against his future team, New Orleans RFC. Tyson Meek in support, and another Denver Barbarian player off in the clouds.... 💭

Culture:

Intro - Calvin Harris - Funk Wade Bounce - Slide

Outtro - Rollin - Calvin Harris

RugbyPickEmBio - 012 - Ben Pinkelman

Ladies and Gentleman, we got him. Ben Pinkelman, a dear friend of Logan Collins and I came by Logan’s house (studio) in between his intense training sessions with Gary Gold’s world cup squad. Although he’ll be resting this weekend against Canada, we expect him to see action and potentially his first cap in the following week’s of the PNC.

Pinky started by telling us the only reason he came out to play rugby was because he was annoying his mom as a high schooler and she wanted him out of the house. He took up rugby with his cousin Ryan McManus and began playing for Cherry Creek HS. In a short few years he would have HSAA selectors “eating their tongues” as he developed into a high level 7s rugby player by the young age of 18.

Pink went straight to playing high level men’s club rugby with the Denver Barbarians and was an intricate part of many Barbo 7s teams that went onto the national tournament (except for his first, where he rode the pine). Pinky would soon be recognized by coaches/selectors Mike Friday and Chris Brown and found himself out in Chula Vista vying for a full-time contract.

Long story short, he’s now one of the best international 7s players in the world. He talked about this amazing year and how finishing 2nd in the world has cued them up well for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Oh yeah, and did we mentioned he’s ALSO competing for a spot on the 2019 world cup roster as an uncapped 7s player? The kid can do it all, Ben Pinkelman, king of the 1v1 breakdown.

Enjoy, and be sure to PICKEM!

Top 3 – Any Players Pinkelman has played 7’s with
1) Perry Baker
2) Folau Niua
3) Stephen Tomasin
(Hard No – Logan Collins)

Culture:
Intro – Born For This – The Score
Outro – Middle Child – J.Cole

Best Player Logan has played with: Timana Tahu

Evan Geist scouting report:
- has a motor in the breakdown work
- dominant in contact
- soft hands
- decent set piece (lifter)

PickEm!
Pacific Nations Cup
Tonga (-5) vs. Samoa (+5)
Japan (+12) vs. Fiji (-12)
USA (-14) vs. Canada (+14)

Who ya got!?

RugbyPickEmBio - 011 - Lenny Martling

In our most recent RugbyPickEmBio we have Lenny Martling, father of Rugby PickEm producer Devin Martling (aka FloridaMan Dev).

He is the first rugby "Old Boy" that we interviewed with the sole purpose of hearing some great stories. Lenny didn't let us down as we rolled through his entire 15 year rugby career.

Lenny began playing the beautiful game of rugby at Kent State (kan't read, kan't write, Kent State) where a season was cut short due to the clashes between activist students and the National Guard.

Lenny got lucky when a separated shoulder on the rugby field kept him from getting drafted in Vietnam. He got luckier when he spent a semester gallivanting in Mexico with cousin Bobby and Michael Douglas (soon to be Michael Keaton) before he settled in Denver Colorado and began playing with the green and white, our favorite rugby club, the mighty Denver Barbarians.

His old boy stories with the Denver Barbarians go on for days. From playing with Milt Bennett (the conscientious objector), to singing in the barbershop quartet "The Jolly Bachelors" at O'Rourkes Cantina in Glendale CO, to going on his final tour (the Pink Cadillac Tour) with his newborn son Devin.

Lenny's rugby career opened up his professional career and set the course for the rest of his life.

Thanks to Uncle Johnny and Logan Collins (who graced us with their presence after 2 hours of waiting on them for the interview), FloridaMan Dev for convincing his father to tell his stories, and lastly thanks to Lenny for a great interview.

The Jolly Bachelors:
Lenny Martling
Joe Garrity (aka Chicago Louie)
Glen Ottofy
Matt McConville

Enjoy!

RugbyPickEmBio - 010 - Barry Herbert

Barry Herbert is a Cape Town native who grew up playing rugby at the historic Wynberg boys high, Stellenbosch University, and Villagers Rugby Club.

He transitioned into coaching in Cape Town with the University of Cape Town, 7s rugby in Cancun Mexico, and in Denver with the Colorado School of Mines.

Growing up in Cape Town, Barry touched on the rugby history of the city, and what the 1995 RWC mean to the country given the apartheid history.

We chatted on the World Rugby’s “World League” realignment. Looking at the pros and cons of a global rugby season we broke down the financial aspect, how a longer season affects player welfare and the impact on individual countries.

Looking ahead to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Barry breaks down the world’s top teams and talks about how coaches and teams prepare for the tournament.

In a mid season MLR report, we look at the jam packed top of the table, and how Texas teams may not be dead yet. Enjoy!

Top 3 - Springboks

Naas Botha
Danie Gerber
Gary Teichmann

Favorite guilty pleasure on the internet?
Instagram rugby vids

RugbyPickEmBio - 009 - Max Statler

Max Statler closes out "Raptor Week" with stories and tales from his decade long career with Glendale. He  went from playing soccer at Mesa State, to walking onto the football team and out-kicking the starting kicker (with a sports hernia?), to finding his place with Glendale Rugby after Ted "the spread" Browner told him to show up to training one day. He's played under 3 different Glendale coaches over his impressive career, and almost kicked the can after a 7's tournament ... (don't worry, he survived).

Max recently came back from the Classic Eagles tour in Bermuda, helping the squad hoist their first ever piece of hardware when they defeated France 19-0 in the plate final.

He's been a speed merchant for Glendale through out his career, and plays with a (self-admitted) chip on his shoulder.

Enjoy!

Top 3 Glendale:
(Lost the audio 😑)

Rugby PickEm Haiku:
(Completely Forgot 😑)

Potential RWC 2019 Raptors:
Shawn Davies
Bryce Campbell

RugbyPickEmBio - 008 - Casey Rock

We're ending 2018 with "Raptor Week" and we couldn't have thought of a better person to lead off than the living giant Casey Rock, all 6'9' of him.


With Logan Collins as a guest host, we talked about high school rugby in Colorado, transitioning from soccer to rugby, his playing time abroad in Australia and New Zealand, and lastly the genesis of Glendale Rugby to the professional side they are today. Casey has seen a bunch of rugby over the last 12 years, and is a true ambassador of the game.

Enjoy!

Top 3 Glendale Locks:
Alec Parker
Matt Te Pou Jr
Hayden Mexted

Honorable Mention:
Logan "Corndog" Collins


Top 3 Glendale:
Dustin Croy
Zach Fenoglio
Shae Tamati

Speed Round:
Best Pure Athlete - Christian "Scarly Hustle Chips" Sarmento
Best Club Guy - Mike Tafel
Biggest Attitude - Mike Graham
Funniest Teammate - Dustin Croy
Biggest Class Clown at Practice - Bradley "Butters" Winbush
Craftiest Vet - Pete Dahl
Most Improved - Kody O'Neil

Rugby PickEm Haiku:

East Angels Big Man
Ah shit, that's an old Glenny
War Horse Casey Rock

Favorite Thing on the Internet:
Kids running into each other with swiss balls
Cat and Dog videos

RugbyPickEmBio - 007 - Jeremy "Missile" Misailegalu

Jeremy “The Missile” Misailegalu plays rugby like his nickname. Fast, powerful and blissfully elegant. We sat down before Club 7’s Nationals and talked about his rugby career. Like a lot of American athletes, Missile switched from football, to wrestling, to finally getting the rugby ball in his hands at University of New Mexico Highlands … aka The Vatos. After getting noticed by world renown 7’s rugby scout Howard Kent, he began to refine his craft under Jason Kelly, Steve LaPorta, and Tyson Meek with the Denver Barbarians. Lastly we wrapped with his amazing season in Seattle and talked about the future of player representation during these early years of professionalism for rugby in the states.

Enjoy!

Top 3 - The inaugural MLR Champion Seattle Seawolves

Phil Mack
Mat Turner
Vili Toluta’u

Rugby PickEm Haiku:

Vato on my leg

Denver Barbo Seven’s Uce

Together We Hunt.

Ps. Ray Henley led the bonus segment in the outro and caught me a tad bit surprised as we talked about developing grassroots rugby.

RugbyPickEmBio - 006 - Ke'Von Williams

On the eve of the biggest tournament of his career, Ke’Von Williams sat down with Bt, Uncle Johnny and FloridaMan Dev. It was easily our most fun interview to date. For those that don’t know Ke’Von, you’ll quickly discover how humble, funny and competitive as a person.

We covered everything from his childhood in Houston, to first playing rugby with the
New Mexico Highlands Vatos, to his transition with the Denver Barbarians and lastly getting
a call up to represent the USA Eagles. Enjoy!

Top 3 - New Mexico Highlands Vatos
1) Jeremy "The Missile" Misailegalu
2) DiAmaal Holmes
3) Celester Asuega
(Just Missed - Erik Sykes Jr. 😂😂)

RugbyPickEmBio - 004 & 005 - Michael Pisney & Danny Bell

It’s our first RugbyPickemBio Threesome!

If you’ve ever played well into your 30’s, then this is an interview for you. Danny Bell’s career took an international route, from Kenya to the U.K. eventually landing himself in Arizona. Michael Pisney grew up corn-fed and started his own high school team in Iowa before moving to Denver to join the Barbos. Stories, jokes, voicemails, banter and more with these two rugby veterans. Enjoy!

Top 3 – Michael Pisney – Iowa Ruggers
1) Mike Kelly
2) Paul “The Cactus” Emerick
3) Steven Murra

 Top 3 – Danny Bell – Arizona Ruggers
1) Ryan Thompson
2) Michal Roble
3) Ally Miller

 Rugby PickEm Haikus:

Danny Bell - 
Kenya/England Youth
Hilton (Ritz) Bellman, Loves his Tips
Arizona Sunburnt Heart

 Michael Pisney -
Iowa Farm Boy
Barbo Nation, Here I Come
Won the Big One. AAAAAYYYYYEEEE!

RugbyPickEmBio - 003 - Logan Collins

Sitting down with Logan Collins after his first MLR cap was a treat. We started talking summer 7's, and proceeded to bounce off the walls covering everything from when he started playing rugby his senior year of high school with James Patterson in Colorado Springs, to learning from kiwis in Dunedin, to winning the one and only PRO Rugby Championship with the Denver Stampede, and his Super League days with the Denver Barbarians. Lots of culture in this week's bio with a guy who plays drums, professional rugby, and holds down a full-time job on the side. Enjoy this week's RugbyPickEmBio with Logan Collins and Rugby PickEm producer Florida Dev .... (and don't forget to listen all the way through the outro)!

Top 3 – Early Day Barbos
1) Justin Stencil
2) Maximo DeAchaval
3) Taylor Howden

Top 3 - CSU Social Squad
1) Tommy Staab
2) Danny Bolling
3) Nick the Brick

Top 5 Rappers (Brought to you by Elliot Dillon-Herzog’s favorite Chris Rock movie … “Top 5”)
1) Nas
2) NOTORIUS BIG
3) Lil Wayne (recently freed)
4) J-Cole
5) Jay-Z (Black Album)

Favorite thing on the internet these days - Dog Videos

Rugby PickEm Haiku:
Colorado Springs
Denver Barbarians Rugby
Good Conversation

RugbyPickEmBio - 002 - Charles Ajarrista

We sat down with Charles, a man still riding his championship high, and discussed his rugby journey from England, to France, to Little Rock Arkansas and eventually to Denver, Colorado. He talked about learning to tackle before he ever touched a rugby ball, how the French flair has influenced his game, and the challenges and rewards of coaching and developing grassroots rugby.

 Top 3 - Arkansas Razorbacks
1) Alex Carr
2) TJ Christensen
3) Tim Hanify

Rugby PickEm Haiku:
Jouer au rugby
French prince seduces Little Rock
Social peacock stud

RugbyPickEmBio - 001 - Zach Pangelinan

We sat down with Zach before his game against Glendale. We talked everything rugby, including his childhood in Guam, how he had to sneak onto the rugby pitch for his first practice and touring with the country's Soccer national side at age 16. Zach showed love for his old club Ombac as he recounts moving halfway across the world to pursue his rugby ambitions. We wrapped with some culture, and his current team the Houston SaberCats.

Top 3 - OMBAC
1) Tai Tuisamoa
2) Charlie Purdon
3) Jed Gillespie

Rugby PickEm Haiku:

Guam kid comes to states
Ombac stalwart loves the beach
HE LOVES THE HIGHBALL!