Rohde plays it well, too. He’s a member of the Dallas Magpies, an Australian Rules Football team. Rohde helped the Magpies win the Division III Grand Final of the United States Australian Football League on Sunday in Mason, Ohio, which is near Cincinnati. The Magpies crushed the Austin Crows 51-8 in the final.

KILGORE, TEXAS — What is old?

It’s a question Rhett Rohde asks, but the example he sets can’t exactly answer the question. He’s 61 years old, yet continues to play a physically-demanding sport against opponents half, and sometimes a third, his age.

Rohde — who is 5-6 and weighs approximately 125 pounds — plays forward-pocket, which puts him on the frontline of a sport which has elements of rugby and American football, where making tackles and getting bumped in mid-flight is common, and without pads. Steve Cassity, a Magpie teammate of Rohde’s, said Rohde will go up against opponents who are in their 20s and can be as tall as 6-8.

“I know I’m sore all over after playing, and that’s just after a practice. It’s Aleve and an ice-water bath for me,” said Cassity, another forward-pocket and a 41-year-old construction worker from Coppell. “It’s amazing he is still out there.

“He has all the odds against him, but he comes out a winner.”

Rohde downplays his age, saying how he feels is more a factor than time.

“When you start doing something, there’s a goal to keep doing it,” Rohde said. “I have never felt old. What is old?”

Playing Australian Rules Football, more commonly known as footy for those who participate, is somewhat natural for Rohde. He is from Adelaide, Australia, which is in the southern part of the country approximately 450 miles northwest of the football capitol, Melbourne.

Rohde said he grew up following an Adelaide club, West Torrens, and some of his favorite players were Lindsay Head and Fred Bills. However, Rohde didn’t start playing until he joined his high-school team in 1965 at age 16.

“Footy is not set up like American football,” Rohde said. “You don’t really play until you’re in high school.”

Rohde played for suburban Adelaide teams from 1965 to 1972. He was named the most-consistent player for the Camden Football Club in 1970.

In the early ’70s, Rohde met his first wife Betty. They married in 1972 and they moved to Houston. They divorced in 1981.

Rohde has been married to his second wife, Anna, for 26 years. An oil-field worker, Rohde has lived in Kilgore since 1986.

When he moved to America, Rohde (pronounced “roadie”) stopped playing footy completely. He remained in good shape through running and bicycling, and he credits oil-field work with maintaining his strength.

Rohde stayed an avid follower of the Australian Football League (AFL), especially the Adelaide Crows, which began play in 1991. Rohde said his mother, Barbara Ruth, would send him newspaper clippings in the 70’s. Australian Rules Football was a staple of ESPN programming in the 1980s, including televising the championships of the AFL — the Grand Final — live.

In the ’90s, the Internet expanded information for Rohde, who started following American teams as well.

“I wasn’t playing, but the sport never left me,” Rohde said.

Rohde said a competitive fire may have started in the ’90s while following the Adelaide Crows. He said he admired the fierce playing style Crows star Mark Bickley.

Rohde ended his inactivity from footy in 1995, when he found out about a group of about 10 people in the Dallas area who played footy through the Internet, including six or seven Australians. This core group would form a club, the Dallas Outlaws in 1998 and became the Magpies the following year. The club practices in Allen and its season runs from March to October, although it is scaled back in June and July because of summer heat.

The club currently has about 30 members, including seven Australians. Scott Hunt, a 41-year-old marketer from Grapevine who has played with Rohde for 10 years, said just about every American on the team has picked up pointers from Rohde on how to play the game. Rohde was named the Magpies’ most courageous player in 2001.

Hunt said while he is amazed that Rohde continues to play at 61 years old, age never crosses his mind in the middle of games. Cassity said Rohde’s conditioning is extraordinary.

“He runs around with the 21-year-old kids,” Cassity said. “There are guys who sit on the bench who are behind him on the depth chart.”

Cassity, who has played footy for eight years, said he has had torn anterior cruciate ligaments in both knees and serious ankle injuries in both feet.

Rohde said he has been fortunate when it comes to injuries in a sport where dislocated fingers are common and rare injuries such as split eyelids happen. Anna Rohde said she is not worried about her husband suffering a serious injury.

“I don’t worry him. I really don’t,” Anna Rohde said. “He has played in church softball leagues, too. Softball and footy are similar in that Rhett always seems to know exactly where he needed to be on the field.”

Positioning comes into play in another way Rohde participates in footy. He frequently officiates games as one of two officials that work the heart of the field. Rohde said he runs more as an official than as a player, as his playing position is limited to one end of the field.

“I run about five miles a game officiating,” Rohde said. “You get a different view of the game officiating. You get thick skin, too, in dealing with players disagreeing.”

In addition to the team honor, Rohde was also inducted into the Magpies’ Hall of Fame. He is the third person to receive that honor.

Rohde said when he received the honor, he was asked by club members if he will return next season. Rohde said he will, a decision he made without too much thought.

The time when Rohde hangs up his jumper — slang for the uniform footy players wear — doesn’t appear to be any time soon. Rohde said he is inspired by his father Bryce, an 86-year-old jazz pianist who plays regular gigs in the San Francisco area.

Rohde said he would like peers his age to be as active in life as possible in order to avoid one particular emotion. Regret.

“When I get older, I don’t want to say, ‘I wish I had done that,’” Rohde said. “I would tell people my age, ‘Life … be in it. Get up and do it.’”

* * *

RHETT ROHDE

- Age: 61

- Family life: Married to Anna for 26 years. Four daughters: Shana (35, a daughter from his first marriage), Erin (25), Alyssa (23), Sarah (20). Lives in Kilgore.

- Current job: Oil-field worker.

- Athletic career: Rohde has played with the Dallas Magpies, a club with the United States Australian Rules Football League, since 1995. Rohde plays front-pocket. The Magpies won the league’s Division III championship on Sunday.

* * *

BASICS OF AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

- The field: Australian Rules Football, also known as footy, is played on an oval field 135 to 185 meters (147 to 202 yards) long and 110 to 155 meters (120 to 169 yards) wide. At the ends of field are four posts, two taller inner posts and two shorter outer posts. The inner posts are called goal posts, the outer posts are called behind posts.

- Players: There are 18 players per side, although the number is sometimes reduced to 16 for American play.

- Time: The games are divided into four 20-minute quarters for Australian play, with additional time added after scores or because of injuries. Similar to soccer, time is kept on the field by an official. In the recent American national championships however, the games were reduced to two 20-minute halves because the teams played as many as four games in a three-day span.

- The ball: The ball has an oval shape. It is larger and rounder than an American football. The ball is easier to punt than an American football, but more difficult to pass.

- Advancing the ball: A player may not advance a ball more than 15 meters without either bouncing it (like a basketball), passing it or kicking it. If a player is brought is brought to the ground with the ball, possession immediately goes to the other team.

- Scoring: If a ball is kicked between the goal posts, it is called a goal and six points are awarded. If a ball is passed or carried between the goal posts, or passes through the behind posts by any means, it is called a behind and one point is awarded. The score is given in three numbers, goals, behinds and total points. For example, eight goals and nine behinds would equal 57 points and would reported as 8.9 (57).

The Dallas Magpies Australian Rules Football Club won its first national championship, beating the Austin Crows 51-8 in the United States Australian Football League Division III Grand Final on Sunday.

“We’ve worked for this all year. Before the season, we set our goal to win the USAFL tournament,” coach Stu Rackham said. “I was pleased to see how we lifted our game and played our best footy when it mattered most.”

 The Magpies’ Ryan Shaughnessy received the Geoff Cann Medal as the final’s most valuable player. Shaughnessy dominated from his center half forward position taking several key marks that set up multiple scoring opportunities for the Magpies.

The Magpies also received strong performances from David Wilson, who helped thwart multiple Crow advances from his defensive center half back position, and Craig Storer, who played a strong game all over the field.

The Magpies advanced to the Grand Final by winning Pool A with a 3-0 record. On Saturday, the Magpies defeated the Arizona Hawks 54-25 and the Florida Redbacks 57-8. On Sunday, Dallas beat the Columbus Jackaroos 31-21 to advance to the final against arch-rival Austin.

During the regular season, the Magpies fell twice to the Crows by a single point, but turned the tables with a dominant performance in the championship game.

The game was tied 8-8 after the first half, but the Magpies scored two quick goals to begin the second half. Winning the ball in the middle, the Magpies kept applying pressure and cashed in on its scoring opportunities while holding Austin scoreless.

A victorious Dallas Magpie team returned home after a solid weekend of football in Louisiana this past weekend.  Heading into the Nationals preparation month this was the last main hit out before heading to Mason, Ohio for the USFooty Championship.

Dallas made the road trip to Baton Rouge in very wet conditions from Friday night until early Saturday morning.  Fortunately the rain stopped just before their first game.  The ground was wet and slippery but held up the entire day quite surprisingly.  Dallas first took on home team the Baton Rouge Tigers and from the very first bounce the Magpies too charge.  It was a text book play out of the center when Storer delivered the ball to the forward line finding Rackham leading out strong.  The conversion was made and in less than 10 seconds the pies were on the board.  The 20 minutes saw numerous advances into the Dallas forward line and capitilizing on many of those attempts.  While the pies forwards and on ballers managed to get off to a great start there were chances that went begging as inaccuracy accounted for about 8 behinds.  The second half was much the same as the first half with the Dallas on-ballers maintaining control, the forwards putting the team further ahead and the rock solid defense not letting the Baton Rouge players anywhere near the goal line.  At the end of the 40 minutes it was a victorious visiting team who were too good on the day piling on 11 goals 17 points for a total of 83 points to a scoreless Baton Rouge.  While ;difficult to select best players in such a team effort Dallas team selectors and coaching team acknowledged 5 players : Craig Storer 5, Stuart Rackham 4, Stephen Moore 3, Brandon Peek 2, Duncan Relf 1.

Heading into the second game the Dallas players were confident but wary of Florida.  Being the first time these two teams had met there was a degree of the unknown.  Play kicked off and for the first 5 minutes the competition was intense but it was again the Dallas mid fielders who began to break up the game and start to prove their worth.  Through ruckman Rob Kliefgen and on ballers Duncan Relf, Stephen Moore, Craig Storer, Adam Frizel and Brandon Peek the Pies moved the ball preciesly to the forward line.  If it wasn’t the forwards kicking goals it was the evasive and lightning fast mid field running through and scoring.  Full backman Chris Olles even got a piece of the action booting his first major of the day.  He was well supported by rookie Rhett Rhode and veteran Jim Rhodes.  There was never any doubt in the game heading into the half time break and Dallas had asserted their dominance on the Florida redbacks.  As the final siren sounded to end the days football it was Dallas Magpies 9.3.57 to Florida 0.1.1.  Dallas best in the game: Duncan Relf 5, Rex Moxley 4, Rob Klifgen 3,  Jim Rhodes 2 , Jess Wortman 1.

Dallas now set their focus for the next three weeks on Nationals preparation and hope to play the same style of football there as was played in the wet conditions in Baton Rouge.

AFL Grand Final - LIVE from Australia

The biggest day in Australian Football is just 4 weeks away.  And the only place you can watch it LIVE in Dallas is at Victoria Hall.  The Dallas Magpies are once again hosting a club fundraiser on Friday night in an effort to raise funds to compete in their very own National Championship on October 10-12. The event is open to everyone, football lovers and fans, players, wives, football rookies and will sure to be a great night out.

Details:

Location: Victoria Hall (3113 Ross Ave. Dallas TX, 75204)

Date: Friday, September 25th, 2009

Time: Doors open at 8:30pm (game starts around 11pm LIVE telecast)

Admission: $20 donation to the Dallas Magpies ARFC

Drinks and Food will be available for purchase.

Put the date in your calendar and check back in a couple of weeks for on line ticket purchases to secure your place for the biggest night of footy here in Dallas!

 Dallas Magpies Crawfish Boil.  Saturday April 18th.  2pm - 6pm. Barley House

Prepayment for the Crawfish Boil 2009 Boil can be made right here

Following the game with Baton Rouge on April 18 from 2pm-6pm at the Barley House, we will be serving up Beer, Crawfish, Good Times, and Beer. $30 at the door or $25 in advance at www.dallasmagpies.com gets you in the door, a cup, a plate, and a fun time. The Barley House is located at 5612 Yale Blvd., Dallas, TX.

This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Magpies, so bring your friends, family and  neighbors for the biggest and best Crawfish boil of the year! 

Prior to the game, the Magpies will be kicking their season off against their long time rivals, The Baton Rouge Tigers. The game will kick off at 10am @ Lookout Park in Richardson, TX. (See Locations tab for map).

Look forward to seeing you there!

In a strong showing of force this past weekend the Dallas Magpies have pulled of their biggest win of the season - but this time the victory was off the field.  The big winner on Saturday May 2nd was also the community of Happy Trails who got more than they bargained for when the Senior Dallas Magpies Australian Football team showed up armed with an arsenal to take on any home renovation project. 

Not known as being the the tallest guy on the footy field, centerman Charlie Richardson, made up for his lack in inches andput his brain to work.  ”Finally” said Richardson, ”I can put this great big head I have to some good use.”  Quickly assessing the situation, Richardson realized that trying to shovel 10 tones of soil with a spade you’d find at the beach would just simply take too long.  He went back to his former career when he was a community recycle center trash manager and drove a bob cat. 

Arriving back to a thundering cheer from other Habitat helpers, Charlie had pulled of the impossible and was seated in what seemed to be a monster of a machine, that would prove invaluable in moving the earth.  Like he had never left the recycling center, Richardson became the town hero and effortlessly moved the turf from the road to the footpath.  Onlookers were so taken aback by this unusual feat that they too requested the assistance of Charlie.  Before long the entire neighborhood was chanting for Chalie and no doubt about it, Charles was in charge in a superb best on field performance.

Following the excavating work the entire team rose to the occasion, somewhat inspired by the bobcat man and set about painting the town red - but this time it wasn’t red it was eggshell white and it wasn’t a town it was a house.  The Dallas defensive and offensive lines, paintbrushes in hand, stroked up and down for what seemed like hours to produce what could only be described as the Leonardo di Vinci of Happy Trails.  Passers by stopped to amaze at the brilliance and use of color, texture and light.  At the end of the long day the scoreboard read Dallas Magpies 1 house painted, 10 tones of dirt moved, 20 happy neighbors and1 satisfied community and football team.

It was a touching end to a memorable day as organizer and senior executive charitable spokesman for the club, Jess Wortman, broke down in tears with an emotional speech, recognizing the countless hours of work put in by his fellow team mates and for the great cause that was Habitat for Humanity.  As the sun set in the west the Dallas players led by Steven Moore and Jim Rhodes hoisted Charlie Richardson’s head above their shoulders and carried him off the playing field.

Stay tuned for Dallas’ next Charitable event.  But until then be sure to look out for the Moustache Mayhem and the return of the cookie duster 09 - coming to a thrift store near you.  Saturday May 9th.

The talons will be out this Saturday May 16th, in Austin as the undefeated Dallas Magpies take their first road trip to the season.  The “Battle of the Birds” is expected to be an intense affair with the Crows looking to make amends for a narrow loss to close neighbour and foe, the Baton Rouge Tigers.  Dallas will be looking to maintain a strong start to the season and come away with the points.  The feathers are sure to fly!

Game time is 12pm (NOON) and tickets are avaialble at Ticketmaster.  Stay tuned to www.dallasmagpies.com for all the results and best players.

In a shocking development, injured Magpie Coach Stuart Rackham has taken a dramatic step to hasten his return to the field.  While team doctors assured him that he’d be back in playing shape by late summer, Coach Stu has instead opted to have his legs removed above the knees and have them replaced with carbon fiber.

Rackham grew agitated when questioned about the controversial procedure, as depicted here (right)  with an artists’ rendition of what the new legs will look like.  When asked if throwing away two functioning legs was a good idea, he responded “Listen, I saw some South African with these legs nearly make the real people Olympics.  Even with two good knees, my 40 can be timed with a sundial so hopefully these legs will make me a step quicker.”  When questioned how he would pay for the procedure, he smiled and replied that his HMO was actually supporting the move.  ”They’ve spent 93K on my 3 fake knees and all they’ve gotten is higher blood pressure and a dramatic increase in my body fat percentage.  They think this will save them money in the long run.” 

Not all of Rackham’s teammates were surprised to hear the news and greeted it with mixed responses.  Steve “Moorey” Moore said “It’s not surprising.  Stu has been fading with age and with the younger, more Australian, shaggy haired Duncan Relf joining the team; it was only a matter of time until Stu upgraded his parts.”  Jess Wortman added “I wouldn’t be surprised if he started wearing a shaggy toupee soon.” 

Rackham plans to have the operation in the next week.  He’s expected to complete his recovery over the next 6 to 8 weeks.  He’ll have to learn how to stand, walk, run, and kick again but that doesn’t seem to be phasing the coach.  “I feel this is going to put me in top form for the season and I think the ladies are really going to respond to my lighter physique. Besides, I need a new opening line.”

In what is gearing up to be some of the biggest clashes so far this year, Dallas club officials have secured one of the best playing grass surfaces in the state.   After long talks with groundsmen and club president Brenn Miller, the deal reached was  ”a win for the city of Allen, the Dallas Magpies and Australian Football as a whole” said Miller in a brief statement to media yesterday.  This will be the first time Allen, which is located just 30 minutes north of Dallas, will host such an event and already the town has a buzz of excitement building. 

Preparing to make the journey to Dallas are two old foes of the Magpies - the Austin Crows and the Atlanta Kookaburras.  Austin narrowly beat Dallas a couple of weeks ago in a mud bath and the last time Dallas met the Kookas was back in May 2006 when the pies proved to be too strong running out 54 point winners.  But this is a new season and all teams are out to prove themselves.

The tournament will be in round robin format with each of the teams playing each other in 2 x 20 minute game format.

Time: Tournament starts at 2:00pm and there will be 3 games played, one on each hour until 5pm when the day’s play will close. 

Location: Celebration Park, Allen, TX

http://maps.google.com/maps?rls=com.microsoft:*&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=celebration+park,+allen,+tx&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&view=text&latlng=216670580941861845

ENTRY IS FREE

All Dallas Magpies will be showcasing there skills this week as they skillfully navigate the world wide web to google spreadsheets! This is not just something anyone can do - the players have been training for weeks on desk tops, laptops and crackberries….James Rhodes has been seen early mornings at the 24 hour Starbucks practicing the skillful clicks and mouse movements - and he’s looking good.  In checking out the link you can see how Jims’ hard work and dedication has paid off and he has completed the form. 

But this isn’t to be attempted without the necessary mind-set as one un-named player will testify.  Sullivan, who was to be one of the upcoming talents of the team both on the field and websites, recklessly went into the website unprepared, fractured and tore 4 ligaments in his index finger, (pictured below) trying to work through it quickly.  Other players witnessing the injury also claim that Sullivan did not warm up his hands correctly or conduct any stretching of the fingers.  Its a slight set back for Sullivan but club doctors hope to get him back up and running by tomorrow.

“Its evident that there is a big commitment needed here from the players”, noted head coach Rackham, “I think with a little encouragment we’ll get most of the guys signed up and ready to play in as many games as possible.”

For those players who have not yet had a chance to fill out the form, don’t let the team down.  Get warmed up, practice the scrolling and clicking and let’s at least commit to something in our lives!

Here is the link - if it doesn’t work copy and paste it!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=rt4HOSL6oMWm51WXyHSkuxQ&hl=en

The city of Allen experienced their first major dose of Australian Football on June 6th as Atlanta and Austin came to town to battle the local Dallas Magpies.  The field was reminiscent of the MCG back in Melbourne Australia and close to the same in size.  Conditions were hot and humid but there was good footy all day round.  Don’t forget this week - Saturday the football tournament comes back to Allen, Celebtration Park, when Austin and Kansas City make the journey to town.  Play begins at 11am.

This Saturday, June 20th, the Dallas Magpies once again host an Australian Football tournament at Celebration Park in Allen.  Played on what might be the best playing surface outside of Australia the field allows teams to play a solid brand of footy.

Dallas will be looking to settle the score with fellow Texan team, Austin who have had the edge in the past 2 games, winning each by just 1 point.  This 3rd meeting will be a cracker-jack game and one not to miss!  Also making the road trip to Dallas is Kansas City.  It has been quite a few years since these teams have met and KC is coming off a Div 3 premiership win in 2009.  Its going to be a great clash.

After the days play from 7:30pm, at TABC, (located in Uptown) all teams and supporters are invited to celebrate the great game of footy over an ice cold Coopers beer and some pizza.  TABC is located at Thomas and State, just off 75 and Hall.

Play gets underway at 11am

11:00am - Dallas vs. Kansas City

12:00pm - Kansas City vs.  Austin

1:00pm - Austin vs. Dallas

Location: Celebration Park, Allen, TX - travel time from Dallas is about 35 mins

http://maps.google.com/maps?rls=com.microsoft:*&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=celebration+park,+allen,+tx&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&view=text&latlng=216670580941861845

AS ALWAYS ENTRY IS FREE

BRING A CHAIR, A HAT AND REFRESHING DRINKS

Dallas Magpies played a convincing weekend of football in the Texas heat defeating Austin Crows and Kansas City Power.  Celebration Park in Allen, just 30 minutes north of down town Dallas played host again on what has been noted “the best AFL playing surface in the USA”.

A huge crowd turned out to see the Nationals-style tournament which featured a round-robin format of 20 minute halves.  It was a hot but exciting day of football with some close results.

To see the full match reports, goal kickers, best players and final scores click on the right side of the page under recent entries for Austin and Kansas City.

Dallas now has a small break before beginning preparation to travel north to Kansas for a return match along with Denver on July 18th.

Dallas Destroys Atlanta

Dallas Magpies have begun the quest for a Nationals championship, beating home team Atlanta by 79 points.  In temperatures above 100F the visiting side was never in doubt kicking 14,12.96 to 2.5.17.  

Starting in the middle, the Pies drove the ball forward with Duncan Relf, Charlie Richardson and Craig Storer proving to be too fast,  fit and just too good.  Big men Rob Kleifgen and Tim Zorka were strong in the middle winning many ruck duals.  The solid defensive line up lead by Chris Olles rebounded several advances from the Kookaburras.  Olles was well supported by David Wilson and Jess Wortman.  With a fast and efficient running game the Pies were able to transfer the ball to forward Stuart Rackham who converted 5 majors, while elusive and persistent Richardson captured 3 for himself. 

The game was a must win for the team who now begin preparation for another travel game to Baton Rouge on September 12th.  The team is looking ahead to a successful Nationals Tournament on October 10-12.

Dallas Best: Chris Olles, Charlie Richardson, Craig Storer, Duncan Relf, David Wilson

Dallas Goals:     Stuart Rackham 5, Charlie Richardson 3, Duncan Relf 2, Craig Storer 2, Adam Frizzel 2