It's easy to get hooked on rugby

Saturday afternoon, I watched my very first rugby game and I'm hooked.

The new North Idaho Highlanders Youth Rugby team played its first home match with the Bitterroot Warriors from Montana. The players are all from Post Falls High School, with the exceptions of one player from Lakeland High and a Liberty Lake teen.

Trojan football coach Jeff Hinz has given his blessing for some of his players to take part in this club sport, and was cheering them on from the sidelines.

I learned that the official/referee is the "Sir," and only team captains are allowed to talk to him during a game. Other new words: 'scrum' and 'line out,' which is like a jump ball with team members hoisting their player up in the air. It's an action-packed and fast-paced sport for sure, and what's not to love about a sport that begins with a color guard, National Anthem and bagpipers?

North Idaho College has a rugby club, founded in 2011, which is unaffiliated with any league or conference. The team plays other local colleges on off-weekends; these matches are called "friendlies." In 2015 the NIC Rugby Club will join the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference.

Joe Malloy coached the first four seasons of the NIC club (two seasons per year) and was doing announcing duties at Saturday's Highlanders match. He first discovered rugby while studying abroad in Beijing in 1999. Joe and his roommate were familiarizing themselves with their new campus when they came across a group of people playing rugby. The roommate was a rugby player, so the pair joined the game in progress and, as Joe tells the story, he has been hooked ever since.

This Saturday at 1 p.m., the NIC team will play Gonzaga at the Immaculate Conception Church field on Bodine Avenue, just off Chase Road north of Prairie Avenue. I dare you to watch a match and not get hooked yourself!

I attended the annual Hayden chamber's awards night celebration on Saturday, and mid-way through dinner there was a wonderful special effect, courtesy of Mother Nature.

As the sun was setting, the Resort Aviation hangar doors opened over the runway so everyone could enjoy the sight. Well played, Hayden Chamber of Commerce!

Places to go and things to do: Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., is a Community Celebration for families, with more 20 local agencies.

Free spaghetti dinner at Post Falls Head Start on west Ninth Avenue, across the parking lot the Community Library Network will feature activities and next door at the Boys and Girls Club are games for the whole family. Fire trucks, police cars and free dental screenings for parents and children.

On Friday at The Coeur d'Alene Resort, check out the Coeur d'Alene Rotary Club Get Out (as in the great outdoors) auction and dinner. Call Laurie for tickets, 659-4629.

On Saturday at Post Falls City Hall from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., there's a recycling event that includes e-recycling (computers/cell phones/printers etc.) and Drug Take Back Day for unused prescription medication with the PFPD. Lots of reasons to take part including meeting the guys from Urban Mining Depot.

Saturday is all about a real superhero, 4-year-old Davey Valentini, who's battling a brain tumor. The benefit auction/dinner is at Red Lion Templin's Resort from 6-10 p.m. Contact Polly, 659-5440 or www.annaschindlerfoundation.org.

It's that time of year - Spring Dash is on Sunday at 10 a.m., starting at Coeur d'Alene City Hall. Info: United Way of Kootenai County, 667-8112

Happy birthday today to Shelly Enderud, Troy Speziale, Malika Mills, Kevin Bennett, Charolette Brown, Tracey Singer, Don Kline, Kathleen Schmidt and Tracy Williams. The same tomorrow to Mary Watson, Dan Taylor, Pascale Cafferty, Hayley Gabriel, Lori Rogers, Mark McWhorter, Mike Regusa, Eric Haakenson, Jordan Ketzenberg and Tim Ketzenberg.

On Friday Cheryl Burchell, Lori Hess, Patricia Keller, Cathy Biby, Krystal Arthur and Joey Grunden will celebrate. Saturday, April 26, is the birthday of Sandy Landberg, Patrick Lippert, Marilyn Desjarlais, Tim Skelton and Doneda Allen.

There's a trio of birthdays on Sunday: Steve Kane, Frank Jackson and Brittney Blaski.

Starting the week with birthdays are Glorie Ward, Tootie Reynolds, Martin Teall, Linette Freeman, Sue Barnard, Beth Bollinger, Barb Forgacs (70!), Star Hart, Corinna Whiting, Jana Pool, Kristina Lallatin, Caitlin Rielly and Larry Locke on Monday.

Steve Wilson, Christy Caruso, Susan O'Neill and Janet Haakenson celebrate on Tuesday.

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. She was voted Best Local Writer for 2013 by the readers of the North Idaho Business Journal. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter #kerrithoreson.