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Post by hawaii bill on Nov 5, 2011 8:09:23 GMT -5
Iona boys traveled to Rose hill & took on Fordham last fri 10/28. Iona 36- Rams 17. This is the third year in a row that Iona finished first in their conference. They tied with Stony Brk for the title. They will likely travel up to St. Bonaventure at a time yet to be announced & take on the Bonnies who looks like winners in the West conference. Great job @ D 1 level. Coach Fife ( Iona grad & N.Y Athletic club rugby standout ) & Coach Expo ( Philippines National rugby coach) did an outstanding job of working with the large number of new players, blending with the Iona seniors. Great work lads; way to represent |
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Post by gaelrugby on Nov 19, 2011 22:40:16 GMT -5
Iona ruggers particapated in the Empire 7's tournament on saturday,The winner would go to the 7's National tournament @ Texas A&M. 7's is a quick game that will also be an Olympic event in the 2012 summer games. Iona defeated StonyBrook & Albany, than went head to head with the favorite Navy squad. The score was tied at halftime, but the Mid Shipmen prevailed in the end. Iona gave Navy it's toughest game in the 4 they played. Nice work by the Iona Gaels. Good luck Navy @ the Nationals.
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Post by ramray2 on Dec 27, 2011 7:55:32 GMT -5
Hi all;
New to this board and as I have a nephew who plays for Iona Rugby, I support and follow Gaels now but have to ask: why all the hostility towards Fordham? OK, some local rivarly and banter expected but I have seen some pretty angry "Hate Fordham" stuff for years on this board and the only conference we have in common now is Rugby (and you guys are clearly stronger), so why all the hate?
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Post by hawaii bill on Dec 27, 2011 10:13:45 GMT -5
Hi all; New to this board and as I have a nephew who plays for Iona Rugby, I support and follow Gaels now but have to ask: why all the hostility towards Fordham? OK, some local rivarly and banter expected but I have seen some pretty angry "Hate Fordham" stuff for years on this board and the only conference we have in common now is Rugby (and you guys are clearly stronger), so why all the hate? You know its an interesting question RamRay and I think its manifested in the basketball milieu but there are deeper themes. And if you think its just Iona fans/alums who appear to be hostile toward Fordham, I'd suggest you check the MAAC board. Manhattan, Fairfield, and Siena fans all seem to share the same view. I can't speak for all Iona fans/alums, but I will share some of my thoughts. I was jealous when Fordham was asked to join the A-10, and not Iona. At the time I thought we had been the more successful basketball program over the previous decade and felt slighted. But then I realized that conference affililation is about more than basketball and I assumed the A-10 believed that Fordham as a university had more resources and more potential for growth in all sports. So I came to adopt a "good for Fordham" attitude. I don't see it as a threat to Iona basketball. Then after our disasterous 2-26 season in 2006-07, we heard that Fordham was dropping us from their schedule because our RPI was too low. I was incredulous, given Fordham's record of futility in the A-10 and my first reaction was "Man that's pretty weak, kicking us when we're down." But I came to realize while I'd like to see the local teams play every year, because I think its good for all of us, not being on Fordham's schedule isn't going to determine whether or not we have a successful program. In fact, in the last few years its been beneficial since Fordham's RPI has been woeful. I would still like to see us play, but I guess that stems from the rivalry we had during my era, which was quite good. But I think the deeper issue is the attitude of "superiority" demonstrated by some Fordham fans, alums, particularly on the Fordham board, due to the academic status of the school. Fordham is a great school, with a rich tradition, but a Fordham degree doesn't give one license to believe they are better than other people. Couple that with a strain of inferiority I've noticed from Iona fans/alums, which I never understood as Iona is a great school, and you get some resentment. This "superior" attitude on the part of some naturally spills over into the basketball milieu, which of course is absurd given the relative quality of the basketball programs (for example, right now according to Sagarin if we were to play Iona would be a 21 point favorite), and that's where the resentment finds a voice. In my opinion any feelings of superiority or inferiority based on where a person attended college are absurd to being with. I was always taught in the Christian tradition that my value as a human being stems from the fact that I was made in the image of, and that I am a child of God. I never believed that when I get to the pearly gates, St. Peter is going to ask me about my SAT scores or why I didn't get into Harvard. Nor is he going to be concerned about the size of the house I own, or the type of the car I drive. These external things aren't the measure of a person's worth. So, in my view its all a bunch of nonsense anyway. Let's hoop it UP!!! |
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Post by qs on Dec 27, 2011 13:14:46 GMT -5
It is tempting to go into essay mode re Fordham. To keep it simple, Iona was exactly right for me and it still is. I would not have had it any other way.
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Post by Cjb on Dec 27, 2011 19:32:51 GMT -5
Hi all; New to this board and as I have a nephew who plays for Iona Rugby, I support and follow Gaels now but have to ask: why all the hostility towards Fordham? OK, some local rivarly and banter expected but I have seen some pretty angry "Hate Fordham" stuff for years on this board and the only conference we have in common now is Rugby (and you guys are clearly stronger), so why all the hate? They left the MAAC because they thought they were better than everyone else. Now 16 years as A10 doormats and they continue to look down their noses at the MAAC teams. Arrogance. |
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Post by ramray2 on Dec 28, 2011 8:05:05 GMT -5
Wow. Well thank you for your honest answers, I have a better understanding now. I won't deny that some alums can be arrogant but I can assure you most are not (and they never go on forums). The fact is our program is pretty bad so we have little to be arrogant about. Some on our boards even wish Iona well for the coming year and note what a good coach you have. FWIW the move to the A-10 was an attempt to elevate athletics, but you know how poorly we have fared in BBall and a few fans have suggested we may have made a mistake in the move. Dropping some regular and traditional games was more a result of making room for the many A-10 teams than it was about anything else, I assure you. Hey, given the opportunity, I am sure Iona would jump at the chance to move up to, say, the Big East so it is about getting the most for your school. As to the Patriot League, most of the schools in the league look down upon Fordham as not being as selective as they are and some heated words have gone between some fans (I once had a 4 month hate-fest with a Holy Cross snob). The only other local program we can feel athletically "Superior" to is Columbia and they trash us academically all the time.  I now root for and follow Iona as I have family who go there. When you get past the local rivalries, local Catholic schools have more in common than other private or public schools. Go Gaels! |
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