Listen Up Fellow Ruggers,
If you had the unique experience of reading my most recent rant, you know that I put a call to arms to all of the rugby community to assist our fallen comrades from the September 11 tragedy. Well, true to form, it's my turn to step to the plate (or pitch, as we should call it.) Last week, I got an e-mail from John "Montana" Thomas of PAC Rugby in Washington, D.C. In the e-mail he related a good idea for a fundraiser for the 17 Rugby Families that were tragically affected by the attacks. He also told me of the following experience that he recently had: "I was on a plane for Denver for susiness and I was wearing my PAC (Potomac Athletic Club) jersey. Someone referred to the rugby players on flight 93: 'Glad to see we have a rugby player on board.'"
Every single rugby player in the United States would give up rugby forever in return for this tragedy never to have happened, but it did and there's nothing that can undo it. I will freely admit that I'm honored and proud to be a rugby player, now more than ever, not only because of the heroic actions of Mark Bingham and Jeremy Glick on United Flight 93, but also the 15 other Rugby players, whether firemen or office workers, all were HEROES!
John's idea was for a bumper sticker that reads, "Terrorists beware, Rugby player on board." I took the idea and ran with it. Here's the deal. Each bumper sticker costs you $2.50. Of that, $1.50 will go (I hope) directly to the 17 families affected by this tragedy. At this time, I don't know if a fund has been set up specifically for these rugby players, and if one doesn't get started, the money will go to the Red Cross (which I hear is a pretty worthy cause.)
Most of my work is done. Now it's your turn. All you have to do is buy these stickers. This e-mail will not go to every rugby player in the U.S. but it does go to, at least, one player on each team in the U.S. So, when you buy, don't just buy one. Get them for the whole team - they'll pay you back, I promise. Let me give you a bit of advice though, don't give them the sticker until you have their money. I don't know how many times I've heard "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for that bumper sticker today." My goal, in the next couple of months, would be to sell 3,000 of these stickers. I'm starting with 1,000 - so let's see if you guys can get it done.
As always, thank you for your time. I am, honestly, blessed to call you my rugby brothers and sisters. All 17 of our brothers who died proved to the world that Rugby players are warriors to the core.
Cheers,
Pat Laczkowski
Hooker Rugby Supply
10/11/01
Dear Super-Ruggers,
WOW! I sent the Bumper Sticker e-mail out around 9am yesterday morning, and by Noon the first 1,000 Bumper Stickers were gone. We have since ordered 3,000 more that will be available Monday afternoon- hopefully to ship out later that day. The orders have been coming in so fast and furious that we can hardly keep up. As a side-bar, if you call and don't get through, PLEASE leave a message- we will call back as soon as we can. We probably have pre-orders for at least an additional thousand right now. I have received so many e-mails of thanks... stop thanking me and thank the rugby community at large. I wish that every one of you could see the outpouring of generosity that we, at Hooker Rugby, have witnessed in the last 24 hours.
I would like to apologize for the lack of information, regarding the ordering process, in yesterday's e-mail. I was so anxious to get this sticker out there that I simply overlooked this extremely important bit of information. I am, after all, in the center of the front row... although we have incredibly good looks, we're a bit short on the brains (it's a model thing.) Ordering with Hooker Rugby Supply could not be easier. Simply call our toll free number (877-YOU-HOOK) or outside of the US, call 817-419-6835. If you prefer to order by e-mail (hookrugby@home.com), send us shipping details and we'll get back to you with the pertinent information. I apologize, but we do not have online ordering. We do accept cash, money orders, checks, Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. At this time, the sticker is up and running on the main page of our web-site (www.hooker-rugby.com), for those that had trouble with the link yesterday.
Based on the number of e-mails from yesterday, Hooker Rugby Supply wants to do more. It was suggested, several times, that we should make a t-shirt to go along with this bumper sticker and that's what we plan to do. I do, however, need your help. On the back of the t-shirt, I've decided that we will put the text, "Terrorists Beware, I'm a Rugby Player". The front of the t-shirt is where you come in. I would like the front to have some sort of classy graphic that would also serve as a tribute to our fallen brothers and sisters- I believe that this list now stands at 18. I would like the front to have a breast print, so please keep the size in mind when making suggestions. I have an artist standing by to make all ideas happen, so you don't have to bother to do the art, just describe your idea and we'll get it done. Obviously, only one design will be chosen and we will do our best to pick the best of the best.
Finally, if you are interested in getting one of these t-shirts, please reply to us and let us know. This will not be a commitment on your part, but will give us a ballpark idea of how many t-shirts we need to order. We are planning on ordering both long and short sleeve t-shirts, so let us know which style you would want as well. Again, your reply is not a commitment to purchase, just an added help to us regarding quantities. When the t-shirt becomes available, we will send out another e-mail with a link so that you can view the design.
Cheers,
Pat Laczkowski
Hooker Rugby Supply