Andrew's activity

Hi AnnecRugby Union is one of the fastest growing sports in the Marche, thanks to the higher profile via 6 Nations; International Rugby on Sky Sports etc. The sponsorship investment in the past few years has meant an increase in the profile of Rugby and of the National squad, unfortunately not accompanied by particularly good results.Following the frequent situations wherein players etc have found dis-satisfaction with the way dirigenti etc run their clubs, in a number of cases there has been new clubs created by breakaway groups of players, as is the case in San Benedetto, Senigallia, Jesi and others. This situation, although creating new clubs can often dilute the strength of clubs, and they tend to scrape together a playing situation rather than have good consolidated organisational structures. That's then a bit of background to Marche rugby. Quite a few clubs, but no real strength in depth.The hightened profile of rugby therefore inevitably creates interest in participation, but not everyone is able or even willing to join a local rugby club that offers only 'contact' rugby. The aternative; Touch Rugby (or Tag Rugby / Flag Football to the Americans) is a way of playing a team game with an oval ball that has some of the rules / Laws and above all comportmental values of Rugby Union, but without the bumps and bruises. The profile of Touch was also hightened recently at a National level when; during a National 'Ritiro' in Valle D'Aosta the current national coach - Nick Mallett - allowed his players to join in with local rugby teams to play in a Touch Rugby Tournament.In our particular area there has been a recruitment campaign for new referees, and one such guy came forward to take the refereeing course and begin his ref's career. Together with a young man who; although having never played rugby in his life; had a passion for the game; they created the project to involve 4 local comunes in Touch Rugby, aimed at holding a small tournament to complement the Sagras in their villages. Often Sagras will include a few sports events, but only really ever the inevitable soccer, sometimes Tug of War, Volleyball or similar. E.g. In our village the basketball court behind the church is transformed into a beach soccer and volleyball area with the ensuing tournaments during sagra week.Domenico the ref and Marco made posters, distributed flyers etc, and training occasions were offered. Thankfully herd instinct kicked in, and good numbers are now participating in this fun and informal occasion to run with the ball, players including male, female, young and old. In some cases a complete lack of things to do brought people along, in others bravado, curiosity, bar challenges or 'never quite made it as a soccer player'.The plan is to continue offering Touch Rugby to the masses in the small communities, to maybe progress to 7-a-side Rugby, then to 10-a-side, friendly matches with local clubs, and then....Sky's the limit!Needles to say when Italy play Samoa in Ascoli Piceno on 28th November 2009 a certain section of the crowd will be the Touch players!

An excellent evening of Touch Rugby at Carassai was followed by a visit to the traditional Sagra della Salsiccia in Carassai; now in it's 37th year.Touch Rugby; the non contact version of Rugby played together by mixed teams of all ages, has found a curious host in the small towns and villages of Ascoli Piceno, particularly near Carassai; Montalto, Ortezzano and Monte Vidon. Running alongside the ever present soccer tournaments, groups of young and less young alike have turned out to enjoy a beginner's guide to Touch Rugby, during which errors are forgiven; friendships created, and children of 8/9 years of age play in the same team as more 'mature' adult players!With the emphasis strictly on fun, fun and more fun yesterday evening more then 40 players - (the youngest Luca - captain of Ortezzano - aged 8 - the oldest Sergio who would prefer me not to state his age)  represented their respective villages hoping to win a place in the final to be held next Sunday (23/08/09) at 7;00 p.m. at Ortezzano.The players then were hosted at the Sagra della Salsiccia in Carassai, where to the players' surprise the organisers had dedicated an entire section of tables to Rugby; complete with waiter service! Together with over 400 local people the 'Third Half' proved to be a great success; in true Rugby tradition with everyone paying their way; and can only bode well for the Ortezzano finals.

Unless you are already qualified, can I suggest you consider obtaining a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate?Have a look at http://icalweb.com/cms/index.php?gclid=CN2D_5uumZwCFQcTzAodCQKQhQ for some ideas.

If you decide to spend any time on the beach today, look out for 'Gavettone' - it's 'open house' for youngsters to throw water filled balloons etc at anyone and everyone! This doesn't stop here, and buckets, plastic bottles etc will also be filled and the contents flung indescriminately! I even saw once some youngsters sneak up behind an elderly lady - they were equiped with a small baby bath full of water - and tip it's contents over her! Particularly irresponsible behaviour in this case, however bear in mind that you may be considered legitimate targets on the beach and lungomare etc. I also once saw a middle aged lady hit by a water bomb; obviously not appreciated, as she grabbed the teenager by the hair and gave out a good cuffing! If you can however grin and bear it; it's been a long standing tradition that; as often happens; got a bit out of hand.Buon Ferragosto!

Hi Antonietta;I've not had much experience in the North West of Italy except for travelling through, but generally have found that the areas around Torino and Milan are based on their industrial capacity, therefore are serviced by good roads; often dual carriageways; but then with the road situations that they bring and the sprawling factory areas etc.Obviously the area around Valle d'Aosta; Asti and Alessandria are very beautiful, but again that depends on what you're looking for, or what your background is. Jean and I both come originally from hilly - almost mountainous - regions of England, and we're not attracted to the flat plains of Lombardy and Emilia, rather the hills and mountains 'from whence cometh my strength'.We've also found that the more south you go generally the lifestyle is more laid back. That suits us as we've lived in Italy for some years now and adapted, but however have met people who have been determined to go back to UK as they can't cope with the way things work / don't work here. I don't know if you read on the forum that someone was quite disappointed as no-one at the electricity offices spoke English, and I also imagine no-one spoke Dutch, German or French!Wherever you go you'll need to either be flexible in your approach to local beaurocrats and officials, unless you do as some have and basically involve yourself in an English based community where there's a 'comfort zone'. Problems tend to be solved within this 'peer group', and eventually there's a group generated sort of solution, generally accompanied by 'group indignation'. Personally although we have some really nice English friends here, we also try and integrate, and have some very aimiable Italian neighbours and friends.We've settled in Le Marche as it suits us both from the point of view of lifestyle and surroundings. Having travelled in Tuscany and the North East, we have been able to select objectively.Hope this helps;

I know a couple of young and dynamic Geometra's who share a studio with an architect based in Fermo, one of these guys is actually from the Montegiorgio area and knows how things work over there. If you would like to contact them PM me.

I'll get the first ones; and you're all welcome at our local; 'The Jean's Arms'... darts, dominoes, nice snacks; crisps; a few bevvies, some jokes; and no loud music! Doesn't get much better than that... We may even have an improvised sing song if I can find my guitar...."I went to an alehouse I used to frequent"....

No no, Adriatica; Gromit, I'll get these, you get the next round (s)...

Hey Gromit; no problems; I appreciate your concern regards the sample and the monitor, and agree with you regards the amount of water drunk during the day, although I personally would up it to 2 litres. Added to that the amount of water taken in with the salads / tomatoes / fruit that you may well be eating in these hot days; you're probably getting a good quota of water.I'm of course occasionally adding 'luppolo + malto + lievito' to the water for the feel good effect, and as you may imagine it can sometimes accompany a good curry or Indian dish... but then that's history...

Hi GalaDefinitely a practice that stopped way before you were born, however;Jean (ex-nurse) remembers when pregnant and nursing mothers in hospitals in the U.K. were often given stout (beer); generally Guinness or Mackeson; to boost their iron intake.Should any of our readers require a simple colour chart to evaluate their hydration levels by simply comparing urine colour to the chart, then please PM me and I'll send by e-mail attachment. I have it both in English and Italian.I think it fair also to point out that often I deal with Italian sports performers who prefer not to drink water during pauses in excercise. They are quoted as saying that they "are not thirsty". I then have to point out to them that thirst is a late indicator of dehydration, and that by feeling thirsty they are already beginning to dehydrate. Fair also to say that plain water is the best method of rehydration, although specific mineral salt additives can be beneficial. We use a simple powder from Decathlon - Hydra Energy; about 6 euros for 500 grams. This contains Vitamin B1, Dextrose-maltodextrins and a couple of other minerals. Works for me and Jean.Just a thought or two;