The West Potomac Rugby Football Club Coat of Arms is one of our cherished team symbols. And often, as well, misunderstood. We would like to take this opportunity to explain the beloved logo of West Potomac.
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The crest - Exceedium Universum. The crest is not pictured here - I do not yet have a good copy of the entire Coat of Arms. However, if you ever saw it, you would see that phrase "Exceedium Universum". It means "Everything in Excess". Some take this as a sign that we drink too much. That is blantantly untrue. We believe that we do not drink enough. We are working on this and are seeking a coach to assist us. Although some Old Boys have it down.
Next comes the actual Coat of Arms. It is in the shape of a shield, with red and white quadrants. According to the ancient art of heraldry - the red represents military fortitude (strength, courage, determination) and magnanimity (a.k.a. fairness). The white represents peace and sincerety. We use black trim - representing loyalty.
In the upper left hand corner is the name of our club - West Potomac Rugby Football Club. Below in the lower left is "XV" representing that we have 15 players....sometimes all of them show up too.
In the upper right hand corner is a chalice - a goblet - a cup. This could represent many things. The history is uncertain as to the exact representation. At one point in heraldry it represented the eucharist. The offering (you know - communion). And so it would be a sign of devotion to the Christian faith. It is also possible thatit may represent a beer mug. We are not certain. And if we ever left the bar we could research this issue. Oh well. Another Guiness please.
There is one last element of the logo which often causes confusion. The small but ferocious mammal in the lower right hand corner. Some say it is an otter - married team members often say it is a poorly drawn squirrel. After much research and deliberation it has been discovered - the animal in question is a beaver.
Some people - who are crass and cynical of mankind - believe it is a reference to a popular American slang term. According to heraldry the beaver represents industry and perseverance.
We are quite willing to say that is what it represents. At least in writing and all court proceedings.
Thus you have the West Potomac Rugby Football Club Coat of Arms
Stories about beaver's that we have known:
For more information on the team please contact us:
webmaster@westpotomacrugby.org
Rugby Hot line: 301-946-5607
