Sorry for the late post. I wrote an update last night but forgot to hit the submit button.

We’re definitely playing Saturday, the question is where. No chance of rain, but it will feel pretty warm and muggy because of the 70+% humidity. Should be a little cloud cover and breeze to keep things nice.

With these heavy afternoon showers, the tidal basin pitch may be pretty saturated and I don’t want us ripping all the top turf right off. The Mall has much better drainage and thicker grass cover. That will probably be the better place to play..

My proposal is that I’ll get downtown early to check out the conditions. If the tidal basin is firm we’ll play there. If it looks waterlogged, I’ll put up another post and we’ll play by the Smithsonian metro (which is more likely). Either way, 9:30, there will be rugby!

TL:DR If we aren’t on the tidal basin we’ll be on the Mall

We’ll play on the Mall Wednesday at 5:30pm, next to Smithsonian metro. Bring plenty of water/electrolytes. With 50% humidity, not much cloud cover, minimal breeze, and no rain, it will be pushing 90 degrees with a real feel of about 95. On the bright side there’s plenty of shade trees, fun rugby, and good company.

We’ll play on the Tidal Basin pitch this evening 5:30pm. With last week’s rain behind us, it will be hot and moderately humid.

Thanks for the overwhelmingly positive response to donating! It means a lot to me that people see the value of touch at “our” great little field, and the small cost to keep it going there. I’ve already booked the next few Saturdays and will continue to book as NPS releases dates. Having said that, the Exiles have a game on Sept 18th, and they chose to play on the Tidal basin. Aside from that day, the donations will allow us to keep securing Saturdays through at least October.

First item of business: We’ll play at the Tidal basin Saturday at 9:30am. High 70s, high humidity, partly cloudy, almost no chance of rain. A great day to play rugby. And we’ve got permits for tomorrow so we won’t be chased of by any other sports teams.

Second item of business: Permits cost money. I think we all take pride that this is a pick up group where anyone can come play, any time, at no cost. The National Park Service moved into the 21st century and added the fields around the mall to their recreation.gov website. This makes it much easier to see availability and reserve permits. Unfortunately that means it’s easier for EVERYONE, meaning there is now always a chance that someone will reserve the field out from under us (even though it’s well known that we are there every weekend). We probably only have to worry about competition during the nice summer months, and for that reason we should get permits roughly roughly April-October to ensure that we always have the field for our Saturday morning game.

I don’t want to start dues, a costly sign up, or per game fees. I’m suggesting a quarterly donation of $10 from everyone that plays regularly. This will allow us to pay permitting fees, replace destroyed cones, buy a ball when necessary, and have a general rainy day fund. I’m not going to hunt people down or keep a tally on who is or isn’t donating, but if you value Saturdays on the Tidal Basin pitch this gives back to the National Park to maintain it, and ensures that we keep it as our regular spot. I would say this is the first month to start donating, and then I’ll pass the collection basket around again in October. I don’t think I’ll post the Venmo on this site, so see me on the field for details to donate.

*Side note: If you are new or play infrequently, please don’t feel guilty about not donating. Keep coming out to play or feel free to come see what DC Touch is all about.

It looks like this storm will mostly pass us by. Some rain (and a tornado?) in the next few hours. But it should be clear, warm, and a little breezy while we play. See you all out there

Deja Vu. Tomorrow will be wet again. We’ll get the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred, and right now it look like it will be similar to Monday. Warm, moderate rain and a little wind. Not enough to deter us. If the forecast holds or lightens up we’ll play. 5:30, Smithsonian, next to the metro.

Congratulations Scion Rugby, your new 2021 USA National Rugby 7s champions!!! We love to see our friends succeed. We’re lucky they come play touch with us, and if you’ve had the pleasure you know how hard they train and play. A well deserved championship! They outscored their opponents a staggering 247-19, shutting teams out for 4 out of 6 games!

But on to more important things. Rain is in the forecast. In an effort not to tear up the Tidal Basin pitch, we’ll play on the thick grass and good drainage on the mall, by the Smithsonian metro. Some of the sections have been roped off, but we had a decent area Saturday that should still be available tomorrow.

The rain is going to be scattered and light. I guarantee you will get wet, but it will be warm and pleasant. Umbrella and a dry pair of socks recommended. And sneak preview, Wednesday is going to be almost the same with the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred. So you’re just gonna have to get wet to get your rugby in this week.

We’ll play on the mall by the Smithsonian metro at 9:30a. The Gaelic football club ousted us from the Tidal Basin last week by sneakily getting permits for two weekends in a row. We’ve already secured permits for next Saturday so we’ll be back to our favorite pitch next week. In the meantime the mall has had some sections roped off, so we’ll have to see where there is space tomorrow, but as of Wednesday there was enough open space for 2 fields.

It will be warm and extremely humid, with a little cloud cover. Any rain tomorrow shouldn’t come until we’re wrapping up for the day. But summer storms are unpredictable so we might get a few drops during play. Nothing that should scare anyone away.

Good luck to our friends with Scion and Beltway rugby clubs!! We’re all rooting for you and can’t wait for the tales of glory. Tune in to The Rugby Network to cheer for the home team.

Touch is on for Wednesday on the Mall by Smithsonian metro at 5:30pm. It looks like another scorcher with 50% humidity. If we’re lucky it could lead to cloud cover and late afternoon rain, but not likely.

Like Thanos, Monday seems to always loom up at the end of a beautiful weekend. But don’t despair with all the work deadlines. Touch awaits a the end of the day. 5:30pm at the Tidal basin pitch this evening. Generally speaking it’s going to be very hot with humidity approaching 60%, but thankfully overcast. There is an outside chance the clouds could bring a few raindrops. Hydration and electrolytes will be your salvation.

For anyone stumbling onto this page anew, welcome! So you don’t have to scroll too far back, here’s some quick info about DC touch. This is a pick up group for all skill levels, and ages (within reason). There is no cost to play. Our focus is to have fun and get fit. We build friendships and networking within the rugby community. Many people coming from a contact background come to work on other skills, or just to get away from the regular punishment of contact, and have fun. Other people with no rugby experience have come out and learned the game on the fly. Don’t be fooled by the casual attitude, because there is definitely a competitive air and intense level of play, but it’s all about having fun. If you’re new to the area or just want to see what touch rugby is all about, feel free to stop by. Just bring a positive attitude. Oh, and cleats or turf shoes. Lots of people show up in sneakers the first time and the grass is slippery.

Mondays and Saturdays we play behind the Holocaust museum at Raoul Wallenberg field. There is a link on the right and image below where it says Tidal Basin. For any questions feel free to send a message