{"id":2448888,"date":"2019-09-18T22:24:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T04:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/ruggerfest-gets-underway-without-hatem\/"},"modified":"2019-09-18T22:24:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T04:24:00","slug":"ruggerfest-gets-underway-thursday-without-former-president-jerry-hatem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/ruggerfest-gets-underway-thursday-without-former-president-jerry-hatem\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruggerfest gets underway Thursday without former president Jerry Hatem"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8354430379747\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-313108-934\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Freddy Waititi paints the name of a Rugby team on a plank fo wood for Ruggerfest at Wagner Park on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. The panels will be added into the scoreboard to keep track of the teams during the event. Waititi is a member of Aspen\u2019s Rugby Club and was donating his time to set up for the tournament. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Freddy Waititi paints the name of a Rugby team on a plank fo wood for Ruggerfest at Wagner Park on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. The panels will be added into the scoreboard to keep track of the teams during the event. Waititi is a member of Aspen\u2019s Rugby Club and was donating his time to set up for the tournament. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1.jpg\" alt=\"Freddy Waititi paints the name of a Rugby team on a plank fo wood for Ruggerfest at Wagner Park on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. The panels will be added into the scoreboard to keep track of the teams during the event. Waititi is a member of Aspen\u2019s Rugby Club and was donating his time to set up for the tournament. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark 'n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark &#8216;n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark 'n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark 'n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark &#8216;n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark 'n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark 'n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark &#8216;n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/EDLrugger-atd-091919-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club beat the Dark 'n Stormy Misfits in the Aspen Ruggerfest final, 40-38, for their first Ruggerfest title since 2015. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times).\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/ruggerfest-gets-underway-without-hatem\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/ruggerfest-gets-underway-without-hatem\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">When the 52nd annual Ruggerfest tournament gets underway Thursday in Aspen, it won\u2019t look that different from recent iterations. There will be burly men going for glory on the pitch, a smorgasbord of onlookers who may or may not have ever seen the game of rugby played, and an unrivaled party scene when the sun goes down (and often well before).<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">What will be missing from recent years is Jerome \u201cJerry\u201d Hatem. Hatem, who had been the most recent Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club president and was a longtime Aspen fixture, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/led-by-rugby-community-jerome-hatem-remembered-at-monday-memorial\/\">died in a June snowmobiling accident on the backside of Aspen Mountain<\/a>, where he lived. This year\u2019s tournament will be as much about moving on as it is remembering one of the most selfless individuals in the rugby community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHis passing was as much a temporary glue as his presence was a permanent glue for the club,\u201d said longtime Aspen rugby coach and player Gary Williams. \u201cIt\u2019s pulled everyone together. There is no doubt about it. There was definitely a feeling of increased camaraderie that\u2019s not always been there with the club.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The local rugby club has been operating over the past few months without a real leader, coming together as a group to keep things moving forward. Hatem, who was originally from Ohio, moved to Colorado in the early 1980s and soon found a home with the Gents despite having never played rugby prior. Since then, he\u2019d been an integral part of the Aspen rugby community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A group of six, including two of Hatem\u2019s brothers, will be in Aspen this weekend to help celebrate and memorialize Jerry\u2019s love for Aspen and for rugby.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was a shock. It was pretty tough,\u201d said Jerry\u2019s younger brother, Tom Hatem. \u201cThe feeling is weird due to the fact that he lived in Aspen and we only saw him on occasion. So it\u2019s kind of like you are going to see him on that next visit. He\u2019ll be here at the next celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Part of the way Hatem will be remembered is through the creation of a new scholarship in his name. That scholarship will be for the Junior Gents \u2014 the de facto high school rugby team \u2014 to help send a member of the team to college who needs the financial support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to go away. Jerry will always be part of Ruggerfest,\u201d said Ed Cross, another longtime Aspen rugby fixture. \u201cHis memory will be enriched continuously going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">There will be an event Thursday evening at Mi Chola in Aspen to help launch the scholarship. Entry is $75 (or $100 with a commemorative T-shirt) and includes drinks and appetizers. All the money goes toward the Junior Gents. The event starts around 8:15 p.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe are headed out there because the community out there has been so supportive,\u201d Tom Hatem said, \u201cand I thought it was almost our duty to make sure we make an appearance on behalf of the Hatem side because of all the good this scholarship is trying to support.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The tournament itself gets underway Thursday morning with the men\u2019s 55s and 45s divisions. The 35s and 50s will compete on Friday, while the men\u2019s and women\u2019s open divisions get underway on Saturday. The finals for all divisions will be held on Sunday at Wagner Park in downtown Aspen. Some games also will be played at Rio Grande Park throughout the week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club is the defending Ruggerfest champion in the men\u2019s open division.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt will be poignant, but it will be fun,\u201d Williams said of Ruggerfest without Hatem. \u201cIt\u2019s right to not have this as a Jerry memorial, front and center. Because it\u2019s all pervasive amongst it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/ruggerfest-gets-underway-without-hatem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Freddy Waititi paints the name of a Rugby team on a plank fo wood for Ruggerfest at Wagner Park on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. The panels will be added into the scoreboard to keep track of the teams during the event. Waititi is a member of Aspen\u2019s Rugby Club and was donating his time to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2448888","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-26 22:23:20","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448888\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}