Home Sweet Home No More

In two local papers(atleast that I know) in my area. I'm on the front cover of the sports section running in the ball, however in this online-article it shows some girls game. Also quoted below.

http://www.kccommunitynews.com/artic...b483361426.txt

For the past decade, high school rugby players from the Northland have made the accustomed drive to Gerard Seymour Rugby Park in Kansas City. They may have made that trip as a team for the final time. The Kansas City Dragons girls program and Kansas City Titans boys program — each based out of the Park Hill School District — played their first games of the spring season Saturday, March 29, at their longtime home field. However, the rugby park may have seen its last days because of preparations for the anticipated Interstate 29/35 connections project, which includes construction of a replacement for the Paseo Bridge that will feature a new off-ramp cutting through the property. Use of the park was expected to be limited through the end of March. “Saturdays are big rugby days,” Park Hill High senior Maddie Pollard said. “This is what we look forward to every week. This is just what we do on Saturdays. We always come down here. “It’s like a big family. I’ve tried softball, soccer, all those other sports, but rugby’s the only one that ever stuck. It’s just sad because this was our first home game this season, first and last as it turns out.” It was not supposed to happen this way. The rugby park, located across the street from Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park on the south side of the Missouri River, is on a piece of land that had been secured from the Kansas City Port Authority. The 10-year lease expires later this year, but the rugby park has been closed ahead of schedule. “We knew this day was coming, but we expected a six-month warning. We got two,” said Tracey Davies, head coach of both programs and founder of the Dragons. “They’re taking the field away in the middle of our season. All we want is another two months.” Davies, an employee of the Park Hill School District, has secured a field for practices at Congress Middle School. That field may have to be used as the gameday facility as well in order for the rugby programs to complete their schedules, which run through May. Although the rugby program is based out of Park Hill, many of the schools from the Northland area are represented on the team, including Oak Park, North Kansas City, Winnetonka and Liberty. Adam Parker of Houston Lake has had four kids — two current students and two former graduates at Park Hill South — participate in the rugby program over the years. “This program brings these kids together,” Parker said. “You’ve got kids from five or six different schools out here, and in some cases schools that have big rivalries with each other. You have different races, ethnicities, cultural beliefs and religions. But this is rugby. None of that matters when you get out here. They’re all playing on the same team, and they will back each other up.” Now it appears they will have to find a new home to continue that. “It’s tough, because we just got this season kicking off, and we all love the sport and we’re all really excited to play,” Liberty sophomore Nick Mahoney said. “It really amazes me to see how people from different areas and schools can come together, hit it off and become like brothers. That’s the beauty of it, and we all get to play a great sport. There’s nothing better than this. “If we don’t have anywhere to play, it will be a big disappointment to everybody, but I think everyone’s trying to stay as optimistic as we can. It’s just a big letdown for everyone on the team, but if this is all we have to look forward to, we’re trying to treat it right.” Davies still hopes the rugby program can receive an extension on the lease to complete their home games as scheduled, but as of earlier this week, there had been no word from the port authority. If Davies’ phone doesn’t ring soon, it appears as if Kansas City rugby will lose its longstanding home. “This place brings people together. It’s not just a field,” Parker said. “It’s a place where you can play a game, play a sport that advocates teamwork. It’s not just a field. It’s a gathering place for a brotherhood and sisterhood, where you can hit your fellow man and then help them up and shake hands afterward. “It’s a place where you find people like Tracey Davies, who give and give, and she’s doing it for the welfare of these kids. It’s a place where these kids build camaraderie with each other, where they can learn about self-worth, drive and dedication. It’s not just a field.” Sports writer Chris Geinosky can be reached at 389-6654 or cgeinosky@npgco.com.

They're cutting through a park to build a ramp for a motorway?! WTF type of stupid idea is that?

The person/people/committee/board who decided that need to be taken outside and shot.

Parks are places for recreation and activities. Take them away and, well, you've got something wrong with you if you decide to do that.

This also happened to a soccer complex in my town. Took out 4 fields. Bastards.

That's some horseshit, dude.

Sucks for you, but it'll probably save time off many peoples' trips. Apparently that's worth more than your community's rugby :P.

How funny. But yeah its alright. They decided to let us play our season. We'll have a new park by next season I'm sure.