On USA Sevens Rugby & "Marketing" Women's Rugby

It has been quite some time since I've had the chance to sit and write. In running Stars Rugby 7s with 10 tours in 2016, in adding fifteens tours to our schedule, in upping our recruiting, in growing our network, in getting into rugby commentary, in traveling with other teams to experience their operations, in negotiating new sponsorship details, and in the never-ending role as rugby accountant there simply hasn't been time to write the kind of composed pieces I prefer. In 2016 I had the fortune to travel to 8 different countries and within the USA and Canada I've ventured to many states/provinces -- just last weekend I was on a 10 state recruiting/kit distributing/networking rugby road trip over 3 days. All this coupled with being a single mom, with gym time and additional rehab from a calf strain in Spain that became a tear at Cape Fear, and with my other business ventures.... time has become the mortal enemy of meaningful blog content.

At some point soon I'll write recaps of our Lindenwood  Women's 15s match, our spectacular 2 week tour in Australia, our Life Men's & Women's 15s matches, of the successes of our players in year 2 from the Olympics, Rugby 15s, PRO Rugby, Collegiate National Championships, All American camps/honors and more. But for today my focus is on the recent USA Sevens marketing of one of our #starsfamily of players in Georgia Page, on Her Rugby Counts and their vital ongoing conversation surrounding their reaction and positive steps forward.

I am still pressed for time - yes you can "do it all" but it takes efficiency and brevity - so this will largely be a stream of consciousness post relying on my facebook comments to the matter. I first saw the post by another #starsfamily player - Josie Ziluca - and at first thought, "Meh, I don't have the time for this, Georgia posted that photo on her own social media, I liked her photos from her downtime as well as her rugby accomplishments and I have to get my son from school to religion class to therapy and it's below zero, why do I live in the Midwest, I want to  be back in Australia."

And then I sat on it all day, I thought about my stance, thought about the voice I do have. And I recalled my outrage at the treatment of women's players by the CRC and my outrage at other times I've taken a stand for players rights and the formulas of rugby marketing and growth. I thought about the times I have been marginalized as a player and a coach from being told "You're too pretty to play rugby" while in Scotland and when I had high school boys players I was coaching against tell me to "Shut your mouth you fat dyke". And then the amount of times I've been the head coach of men's teams and been dismissed by those assuming I was the trainer/wife/girlfriend. I also thought of the pride I felt in coaching collegiate men to a national ranking and in the playoffs while 8 months pregnant, and of how one of my son's first babysitters is one of our Team USA Rugby Olympians (I paid her extra to help support her rugby endeavors) and how much she rocks.

I had a few conversations about this with Coach Rebecca Carlson who runs Her Rugby Counts - an engaging and through provoking page/movement that acknowledges the other side of any dialog and invites conversations on the growth & promotion of women's rugby for youth/college/senior players/fans/coaches/parents alike. I thought about my past phone calls with representatives from USA Sevens, United World Sports, and Penn Mutual. I thought about the epic phone calls and online conversations and tweets by women's rugby advocates like Julie McCoy, Lisa Rosen, Wendy Young (Your Scrumhalf Connection), Jackie Finlan (The Rugby Breakdown) and Ali Donnelly (Scrum Queens) and on the work a lot of Rugby Canada Women -- Jen Kish, Maria Samson, Brittany Waters, and Barbara Mevin come to mind -- have done to have a voice and in working with ChampionHer. I thought about our USA Women's Soccer team and their fight for merit-based pay, for better playing fields, for being more than Brandi Chastain ripping off her shirt to celebrate the 1999 World Cup. I thought of the WNBA players that have taken political stances, I thought of Elena Della Donne leaving UCONN for Delaware to be closer to her disabled sister. There's more to every story.

So here are my reactions with a few minor grammatical edits,  to the recent USA Sevens post in which they lifted an image of Georgia Page from her personal social media account, changed the caption, and allowed a storm of typical internet commentariat to run rampant without moderation or guidance. This is in a comment thread on Her Rugby Counts where in addition to points/counterpoints about the image and the perceived/assigned sexuality, there was a bit of confusion between USA Sevens who runs the Las Vegas tournament and USA Rugby the National Governing Body:

Please note there is a HUGE difference between USA Sevens/United World Sport and USA Rugby. They are NOT one in the same.

Other issues here - USA Sevens has benefited greatly from the marketing of Georgia, but what consent did they ask before sharing her photos and images? What compensation have they given her to be their clickbait over the past year and a half? Why are they the only ones marketing in this way - Wellington 7s, Sydney 7s, Canada 7s, Hong Kong 7s, Dubai 7s, Singapore 7s, Langford 7s etc do not operate this way with their media and marketing. This is not consistent with how World Rugby presents itself and USA Sevens is a World Rugby Sevens Series stop (it's also inconsistent with how the NCAA, WNBA, USATF, and other women's sports organizations/teams/entities market).

Further, while I know and love Georgia, why isn't USA Sevens marketing a USA player? Two sides could apply to those like Shaina Turley who is a military helicopter pilot or Carmen Farmer as a lawyer or Nicole Heavirland in her uniform from West Point or Jillion Potter survivor cancer or Joanne Fa'avesi dressed up for church or honoring her Tongan roots or Kelly Griffin as as a mom. Where is the two sides of the Davenport women's player also dressed up receiving her rings? Why not post Georgia with her lab coat on in her osteopath program? And as stated before, where is the two sides of the men?

Contrast all of this to England Rugby's Wear The Rose campaign or how Australia is treating their Golden Girls, and you can see what a strong marketing campaign not based on lifting others' social media posts looks like. USA Sevens has long been tacky with what they share and they don't produce/provide their own professional content.

Continued when I couldn't edit and add to the post:
  
When a paid, professional soccer player like Mia Hamm is in a Head & Shoulders commercial showing her working hard & sweating on field and then with her "cleaned up" outfit and luxurious locks, she is choosing how her image is used, is consenting to the endorsement, and is being paid for her time and appeal. When Mia Hamm is in a Gatorade commercial to "Be Like Mike" she is controlling her own narrative.

USA Sevens has repeatedly taken advantage of Georgia (and many other athletes) in an unprofessional way that is inconsistent with sport. And then that brings us to the fact that the last time Georgia played at USA 7s she was relegated to a side field with no streaming, no grass, no lines. Our Women's Elite teams were on fields without assistant referees, sometimes without game balls, and old, faded lines. The Old Boys divisions, College, Grad Schools and Men's Elite all got to play on real grass fields with lines, where there were more food tents, support tents, water, and the games were streamed.

Further, when you look at the current marketing for USA 7s and their website, cover photos and the like, the women's game isn't present -- there is one image of women's rugby compared to 3 of men in the lead photos. There are recaps of Dubai 7s & Cape Town 7s with only the men featured despite Dubai being a Women's Sevens World Series stop. It's Carlin Isles used to sell tickets despite the fact that USA Sevens is justifying raising ticket prices this year because the women will be playing in the stadium too (per a phone call I had with the LVI directors). There is an article on Fiji winning gold but not the same for Australia women. There are writeups of the USA men's Olympic performances and a guide to pool play, but not the women (and THIS despite our USA women finishing higher than the men as they also have in every Rugby World Cup 7s or 15s). The Dubai 7s recap has details of each USA men's match and a photo to match and not one mention of the USA women. All the "Latest News" is about men's rugby.

This despite the fact that USA 7s is a Women's Sevens World Series stop yet again -- it sends the message that all USA Sevens cares about when it comes to the women is using them to raise their follows/likes/shares when a convenient enough photo/video comes along that the can lift, re-caption, and re-purpose for their own benefit. They do little to nothing to promote/grow/fund the women's game -- they take and take and take from the female athletes to grow their social media presence and ticket sales without offering anything in return. In the past the women's games haven't streamed, these games haven't had the jumbotron on during their matches, and with the CRC it's even worse, but that is a whole other post. I'd write in/have calls again with United World Sports, with Rhino, with Penn Mutual but everyone I know that was working on their women's rugby initiatives have left the companies or have been fired. 

Someone else commented about Sonny Bill Williams being objectified having his shirt off... the difference here (and in most cases of sports marketing) is the All Blacks, NZ 7s, Wellington 7s, and World Rugby are not the ones pimping out said image. Those organizations are not actively encouraging internet trolls to make mysoginist, vulgar, objectifying remarks. This is a matter of taste, and it is extremely poor.


In response to Georgia's rights being "signed away" to United World Sports based on a potential media waiver at the CRC and USA Sevens not "being able" to promote one of the other athletes I referenced above as they haven't played in a UWS property:

Shaina did play for USA 7s and 15s both so could easily be promoted by USA Sevens ... just like USA Sevens promoted that recent video clip of Japanese players and their unique training methods or the clip of the DU prop or of that 9 year old kid "beasting" everyone. I am fairly certain sure none of them have played in a UWS property!

I also don't think that Georgia signed away all her images from all her personal social media accounts in all perpetuity to UWS and she certainly hasn't given them the license to change captions or change the narrative. I reckon they only hold the "rights" to those in her in LU/Rhino uniform at 2015 CRC (remember that one that UWS/USA Sevens didn't see fit to televise and women's matches, didn't stream, didn't tweet women's results, didn't post the women's results or game times on facebook, didn't list results/show women/didn't profile the women's teams? The same CRC that was the entire impetus for #HerRugbyCounts?).

(note -- upon hyperlinking sites for this post I visited the CRC website. It persists with extremely poor content in regards to women's rugby. It skews heavily towards the men -- to wit there is an article on Kevon Williams of New Mexico Highlands on USA 7s and it contains a list of CRC players that are playing for USA 7s. The article doesn't mention Life U Women's Champion Nicole Strasko debuting for USA Women's 7s in Dubai, or the whole host Penn State women like Hope Rogers, Meya Bitzer, and Tess Feury playing for USA Women's 7s and 15s, or Richelle Stephens of Lindenwood playing in the Olympics. There are no women included in their list. "Forgetting" the women's players, not including them more prominently in features, in articles, as teams entered in the tournament is a glaring and willful oversight -- this aside is not about equal coverage, it is about ANY coverage. Women's Rugby is an afterthought in their article on 2017 teams and all the game results/pool standings shown on the landing page are from the men's competition, the photo used for the Olympics tv schedule piece is an outdated USA 7s photo that doesn't have the actual women's Olympic team pictured....yet the CRC still relegates the women to side fields and maintains their ticket sales quotas to be the same as men..... I could go on but dissecting the continual failure of the CRC in regards to the women's game - despite lengthy phone calls with ideas/improvements/contributions I have had with their staff to try and offer solutions - but I won't.)

I see this a bit like the lawsuit filed by NCAA athletes as to the rights of their own images and likenesses.... the NCAA was profiting from them being in video games while the athletes received nothing in compensation. Those athletes would have faced sanctions had they sold their images on their own - that would fall under the clauses of improper benefits. Georgia hasn't had any significant contributions to her rugby career or to her bank account from USA Sevens - I say this with a dose of healthy speculation as she is paying for her Stars Rugby 7s tours on her own dime and is managing her time/money as a student and rugby player. She has declined trips due to costs in the past and I have engineered a way for her to play in Vegas and Vancouver this year.

I have engaged in fundraising to help her (and all our players) make it on tours. With her permission and approvals we made tshirts with her famous broken nose image and #bloodygoodrugby as the statement. Half of the proceeds from those shirts went to her specific tour fees, and the other half to help our entire women's team for Australia 2015 tour. I have been helping her raise funds/create ideas for the 2017 USA Sevens... because while she's being exploited by USA Sevens to promote their platforms, they have yet to fund her travels to be at said event and be an actual spokesperson.

The way I see it there is one side to USA Sevens story -- in using women's rugby as a media spectacle when it is convenient for their purposes. 

And in further conversations with Rebecca Carlson/Her Rugby Counts we came up with a solution, a way to spin this into a positive, inclusive campaign. 

With Stars Rugby 7s we have athletes of all genders, races, sizes, shapes, religions and socioeconomic statuses each with unique and multifaceted stories to tell. We have had athletes represent their nations on the world stage from the USA, Canada, Australia, Samoa, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji ,Denmark, Brazil, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, England and more and we appreciate what each of them brings to the team. The diversity in cultures, in playing styles, and in beliefs makes Stars Rugby 7s a more brilliant and vibrant community with talents on and off the rugby field. We have students, coaches, physicists, lawyers, Olympians, PROs, mothers, fathers, military service members, geologists, nurses and more in our midst.... we have many stories with many chapters.

We support Her Rugby Counts in a new campaign to show #TheWholePicture:

Hello HERRUGBYCOUNTS supporters and fans! 

We wanted to reach out to you and thank you for supporting our page but also to ask for your assistance. As we believe we have opened up dialogue to encourage entities like USA Sevens to represent and market the women's game to its fullest potential, the notion of two sides of the story is more for us about #thewholepicture. 

We want to start an online ask of the athletes in our HERRUGBYCOUNTS community demonstrating "the whole picture" of both them on the pitch but also in their everyday lives of being successful and contributors to the workforce, at their institutions of learning or in society. 

We already know YOU are our key advocates in the community for the women's game that are connected to countless successful and accomplished rugby athletes who may be interested in supporting this campaign. 

WHAT WE NEED: We are asking for brief captions and side by side photos showing our players on the pitch and off demonstrating their value and contribution as athletes, professionals in the workforce etc. We want you to accompany these photos with #THEWHOLEPICTURE. 

We want this campaign to be successful in bringing awareness but we need to gather some initial interest from our rugby community and players willing to post their pictures of "the whole picture". We want to show the marketers of our games that there IS a way to positively create awareness, respect and interest in our sport outside of traditional click bait tactics driven by physical appearance. 

Please send this to any of your contacts who are interested in elevating the awareness

- Our very best, 
HERRUGBYCOUNTS 

Stars Women: Las Vegas Invitational Roster Release

Jackie Finlan of The Breakdown provided a preview of the Stars Rugby 7s Las Vegas Invitational Women's teams. Her coverage of and dedication to the women's game is unparalleled in the USA and we strongly recommend following her online, on Facebook and on Twitter!

Stars Aiming for New Heights

February 25, 2016

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Jackie Finlan

7s Eagle Dana Meschisi is one player upping the international experience of Stars' player pool. /// Photo: Ian Muir (Goff Rugby Report)

Stars Rugby 7s celebrates its second anniversary at the Las Vegas Invitational, and the women’s side of the program will mark the occasion with two teams in the elite division. Stars director Liz Entwhistle indicated that this year’s player pool is the most talented to date, and the selectees hail from Australia, Canada and the USA.

Homegrown leaders include 7s Eagle Dana Meschisi and capped 7s player Ida Bernstein, who has recently been working with USA Wrestling. Eagle pool player Frieda Fetu’u joins from Berkeley, while ARPTC vets Lizzy Bristow and Mickey Ghannam inject more high-level skill. The college contingent is led by Stars returner Ashlee Byrge, an All American who was named to the U20 player pool. Notre Dame College’s Emilia Ferrara played with the Stars at New York 7s, as did Emily Speyer, who will join the team at the Vancouver 7s Festival. The majority of players are Stars rookies, as detailed in the roster below.

“For a lot of the younger players, it’ll be their first big taste of international rugby, but they’re fully capable of playing a structured 7s game,” Entwhistle said.

Australia has once again come through with solid talent. 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup member Nita Maynard (Parramatta Two Blues) is on the hook, as is Erica Fowler (Queensland Reds), who plays for the Australian Universities team. Fiji’s Josephine Maejiirs, who is currently playing in Sydney, has returned from injury and looking to make her case for inclusion on her nation's 7s team. Both Maynard and Maejiirs played on the Sydney Rams team that beat the Stars in the Central Coast 7s’ Plate round.

“The Australia connections came courtesy of my friend, Nathan McMahon, who coaches the Australia Developmental 7s Women,” Entwhistle explained. “He’s set up some pathways for player and coach exchanges as Stars continues to grow.

“Going to all of these tournaments has allowed us to absorb players from teams we’ve played against,” the director added. “We played Rugby Quebec at New York 7s and Tobago, and now we have some of those players with us in Vancouver. Same with the Sydney Rams from Central Coast 7s. It’s one of those cool rugby culture things: We beat you, you beat us. We both travel a lot – let’s exchange!”

Embracing the sport’s culture is important to Entwhistle, but this year has seen an intensified focus on the program’s professional side. Stars has employed a player tracking system that aims to mimic the national team’s standards. Games are filmed, 45 different categories of play are coded, and athletes are educated on their performances.

“We’ve sent players to [academies], the ARPTC, National All Star Competitions, and we want to be able to provide data and more metrics for their evaluations,” Entwhistle said. “Instead of having profiles that are based on their peers back home, after Las Vegas, we’ll know how a certain player competes against national teams and whether they can project to the next level.

“You’re not just paying to be on rugby vacation,” Entwhistle added. “You’re working toward the All Americans, the academies, NASC, etc. We need this information so players can develop.”

Liam Hutchison is coaching the women’s first side, which is grouped in a North American pool with the Maple Leafs, Atlantis and the Northeast Academy. Marcus Hurley coaches the Stars’ second side, which is in Pool C with the USA, South Africa and Brazil. Erica Black will handle health and wellness

“There are seven national teams in the elite division, which is the biggest it’s ever been,” Entwhistle said. “It’s great to play teams we know [speaking to Stars 1’s lineup], but it would’ve been nice to play some other countries.”

After Vegas, the Stars head to the Vancouver 7s Festival (not to be confused with the HSBC Women’s Sevens Series stop), where Canadians Karina Stevenson and Ruby Kinsella will replace U20 center Missy Bass from Vegas. Eight additional players will play at both the LVI and Vancouver tournaments, and Brazil 7s international Manuela Abreu Santos will also join the team. The Stars will not compete at the Atlanta 7s Festival, as many players are committed to their home sides, but Entwhistle will be in attendance scouting. The rest of the year includes a repeat summer tour to Calgary, Labor Day Weekend trip to ORSU for a 15s match, potentially the Magnificent 7s, Australia in October (Byron Bay 7s as warm-up, then Central Coast 7s), New York 7s, Tobago 7s, and then a Hawaiian tour in December.

  

A busy year ahead, and it all starts in Vegas.

STARS PLAYER POOL

Dana Alimena -  fly/center/prop - Claremont Foxes, Claremont, USA

Missy Bass - center- University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada

Ida Bernstein - prop/center/wing - At Large, Colorado Springs, USA

*Lizzy Bristow - scrumhalf/flyhalf/hooker -  Chicago Lions/ARPTC, Chicago, USA

Tahlia Brody - prop/center - SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, USA

*Ashlee Byrge - hooker/scrumhalf.wing - Davenport University, Grand Rapids, USA

Kelly Dean - center/scrumhalf - San Diego Surfers, San Diego, USA

*Emilia Ferrara - prop/center - Notre Dame College, Cleveland, USA

Frieda Fetu'u - prop - Berkeley All Blues, Berkeley, USA

Erica Fowler - flyhalf/center/prop - Queensland University, Brisbane, Australia

Autumn Garibay -center/prop - Wichita Valkyries, Wichita, USA

Mickey Ghannam - prop - ARPTC/Little Rock Stormers, Little Rock, USA

Jacque Harrell - wing - HARC, Houston, USA

Tee Kawaihoa-Marquez - prop - Lady Harlequins, Honolulu, USA

Gianna Khoudary - scrumhalf - Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, USA

Erica Legaspi - wing - Budd Bay Bandits, Olympia, USA

Josephine Maejiirs (Bavatu) - wing/prop - Sydney Rams, Sydney, Australia

Melanie Marotta - wing/center - NJ Blaze, Rockaway, USA

Nita Maynard - scrumhalf/wing - Sydney Rams, Sydney, Australia

Dana Meschisi - scrumhalf/prop/center - At Large, San Diego, USA

Madeline Midas - wing - Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, USA

Tina Tela - flyhalf/center - Utah Vipers, Salt Lake City, USA

*Sarah Thomas - prop - Wisconsin Women, Madison, USA

*Amy Verdonik - scrumhalf - University of Scranton/Northeast Academy, Scranton, USA

Angelina White - prop - Buffalo Women, Buffalo, USA

*Justine Wypych - wing - Wisconsin Women, Madison, USA

COACH: Liam Hutchinson, St Albert, Canada

COACH: Marcus Hurley, Indianapolis, USA

PHYSIO: Kemba Noel-London, Trinidad and Tobago

HEALTH & WELLNESS: Erica Black, Seattle, USA

DIRECTOR: Liz Entwhistle, Chicago, USA

* Played on previous Stars tours

Stars Rugby 7s Seeking Sponsors for Las Vegas Invitational And Beyond

As Stars Rugby 7s prepares for the biggest tour to date we are seeking sponsors for the Las Vegas Invitational and beyond. The program thrives as a result of the support from our sponsors and donors whom allow our players to play and focus on solely rugby while on tour. Stars Rugby 7s has over 80 participants spanning five teams for the LVI including the players for 2 men's and 3 women's teams, an internationally proven coaching staff, athletic trainers, a massage therapist, photographers and videographers. To better serve our athletes and allow them to focus on rugby, we are staying in houses away from the distractions of The Strip, provide all meals, all ground transportation, kit, and coordinate the staff involved in preventing/treating/recovering from injuries and the demands play. We feel it is best to mimic the experience of a professional tour in controlling the environment; the team is about development and wants to limit the outside distractions of being in Sin City.

Stars Rugby 7s is building success with each tour. What started with two women's teams at the 2014 Las Vegas Invitational has drastically grown and developed over the course of the past year. Most recently Stars competed at the Tobago International Rugby 7s Tournament with a women's elite team, women's developmental team, and a men's elite team. The women's elite won the championship over established USA touring side Atlantis 7s, the women's developmental side made the Plate final against Heidi's Heroes from the UK while the men took 2nd in the tournament to Esher, also from the UK. Stars was the highest placing USA program across the tournament. This is no small accomplishment as Stars won with committed players paying out of pocket as compared to programs that cover expenses and select the most elite rosters.

Other notable accomplishments from 2014 include traveling to the Stampede Sevens tournament in Calgary, Canada with 1 men's and 2 women's teams in the Premier bracket. The men's and women's first sides each made the finals in an hotly contested international bracket. The men lost only to the Hakwa Cannibals with a roster with Fijian National 7s caps; the women lost the final to an Aptoella team where 10 of the 12 players Team Canada experience across the 7s and 15s programs. Stars also ventured to Central Coast 7s in Australia in October; the women's pool featured the Australian National Team, Sydney Fiji Ranadi and the New Zealand Wasps - a team that featured 6 Black Ferns on their roster. The team soundly defeated Sydney Fiji Ranadi 43-0 in game won, lost the matches to the national sides, and rebounded to make the Bowl Final. The men drew a difficult pool of New Zealand 7s champions Wellington, Fijian powerhouse Red Rock, and Te Whanau from Australia. The Stars gained valuable international test opportunities in the toughest pools of the tournament - Australia and the Wasps reached the women's Cup semifinals while Red Rock and Wellington advanced to the men's Cup semifinals. Both Australia and Wellington advanced to the finals eventually falling to Canada and Daveta respectively.
  

In building touring rosters the Stars draw from across the US with a focus on balancing experienced 7s athletes - some current/former Eagles have shared time with Australia, Tonga and Team Canada representatives - with those that play for teams in areas that lack as much development or access to high level coaching as other regions. Our players come largely from the lower divisions of USA Rugby with concentrations of players from Florida, Connecticut, Sacramento, Buffalo, Tennessee, Columbus, Milwaukee, Dallas, and Charlotte playing with athletes from Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York. Stars also recruits players from numerous collegiate programs and travels to several high level 7s and 15s matches to scout talent. Despite the lack of rugby "pedigree" a culture of positivity, discipline & drive, and preparing to win has established us as champions and a true threat in the 2015 LVI.

There is a huge emphasis on growing the Stars rugby community, in continuing to work with rugby players over the course of several tournaments a year as well as domestic camps and development opportunities. Stars has partnered on high performance 7s camps with former USA Women's 7s National Team Coach Julie McCoy at the American Rugby Pro Training Center and has sent many players to the center for development. Stars is also running a USA Rugby Collegiate 7s Qualifier with Julie in April while assisting with additional collegiate 7s tournaments in April and May. Stars own developmental camps in the works with partner colleges; we aim to bring the same to the clubs our senior players call home.

As such we have also seen significant changes with our coaching staff to better serve our players' development. The program is lead by former iRB 7s Player of the Year and New Zealand All Blacks  standout Orene Ai'i, Liam Hutchinson of Rugby Alberta & Wildrose Academy, former USA Eagle Vaha 'Esikia of the Las Vegas Rugby Academy & Rugby12, Sam Robinson of Youngbloodz 7s in Minneapolis, Josh Sutcliffe from the Glendale Raptors & USA Rugby, Joel Bonnaud with Tiger Youth Rugby and W1823, and other guest/apprentice coaches such as Talia Rottier of Fort Miami, Peter Sio from Belmont Shore, and Charlie Baleirara from Minneapolis.

Tours are player funded and our program is growing; to continue such growth requires greater financial backing. Stars went from 22 athletes in Las Vegas 2014 to a pool of nearly 300 players at present. A fair amount of sponsorship work and networking lowers player fees, yet the financial obligations can be prohibitive. It is worth nothing that Stars tours have produced and/or included two women playing for USA Women's Eagles 7s at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista (Nana Fa'Avesi and Phaidra Knight), 2 more players that have trained and/or scrimmaged for the Eagles (Josie Ziluca, Nia Williams), a player in residency at the American Pro Rugby Training Center in Little Rock (Ashley Perry), and one player training in Australia with the New South Wales Elite Women's 7s Program (Deven Owsiany). Stars has men training with the Life National Development Academy (Amro Gouda, Chris Milledge, Matt Hughston, Zach Blalock), Tiger Academy (Matt Ryan), the Florida's HPP 7s program (Matt Coore, Jeff Herron, Jonathan Halter) those invited to the Olympic Training Center Selection Camp (Matt Hughston) and USA 7s Open Trials (Jojo Tikoisuva), to Fiji 7s Selection Camp (Jojo Tokoisuva) and the NRFL Combine (Joseph Senteno, Garrett Jones). Men also have representation at Elite City 7s and Serevi Rugbytown 7s (Eric Duechle, Marcus Satavu, Matt Hughston, Cody Weber, Joseph Senteno).

Sponsorship levels start at $200 for a logo space on tour t-shirts along with a social media package - facebook.com/starsrugby7s, twitter @StarsRugby7s - mentions on the blog www.starsrugby7s.blogspot.com as well as links/posts on our email listserv and an eventual Stars Rugby 7s website. Sponsorships increase to $1500 for a logo on our tour shorts, $2000 for jersey sleeves, $3000 for the back of the jersey, or $5000 for the chest. We are open to far more - from naming rights, a commission/referral revenue stream, to having companies fund a scholarship for our players, donations of kit, equipment and more. Stars players have worked with one of our sponsor gyms to create a Stars Rugby 7s workout challenge to be undertaken with donations to the team; many of our players have hosted car washes, created Rugby 101 clinics for the parents and college/high school players they coach, created benefit dinners, sold Stars hats and t-shirts and more to fund their rugby development. Stars falls under the 501c3 of the United States Rugby Foundation - one can designate Stars Rugby 7s as a recipient for a tax deduction.

There are several blog posts with more information about the Stars program players at www.starsrugby7s.blogspot.com. This Is American Rugby has chronicled our efforts and named Star Rugby 7s the Women's Club of the Year stating, ". . . we've decided to reward the club that has done the most to improve the women's game over the last year.  Even though the Stars have no regular roster, they are at the forefront of advancing the women's game in America by providing an opportunity to women who want to make the Olympics and opportunity to showcase their skills." Stars has been featured in Rugby Magazine and Rugby Today and Goff Rugby Report. There is raw footage of our games in Canada available here and here:  Central Coast 7s games are available through UR7s. Tobago 7s film is on Vimeo courtesy of Atlantis 7s.

Please contact Stars Rugby 7s Director Liz Entwhistle for additional details.

Stars Rugby 7s Tobago 7s Roster

The rosters for our Tobago International Rugby Sevens Tournament tour run deep with experience with 35 players selected  for one men's and two women's teams. Five players have been capped at the International 7s level while several more have been selected to the regional USA Rugby National Development Academies. Alumni of the HSAA and U-20 Eagles teams pair with Serevi Athletes and Serevi Institute members, more that have attended the Serevi Residency Camps, players from USA South 7s and 15s, those from the Armed Forces, and women from the American Pro Rugby Training Center High Performance 7s Camps.

The tour features athletes ranging in ages from 18-40, from the D3 club level to the World Class Athlete Program, from D2 colleges to the WPL, and we bring in three members of the Old Blue Women's 7s side that made it to the USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship Game. While the roster is mostly US based we continue the Stars tradition of guest athletes with men from Australia and Canada on the roster. We boast an experienced international coaching staff with national team caps of their own to guide the teams.

The Tobago 7s roster features a mix of talent and experience that represents what I believe are our strongest Stars teams to date. Months of scouting at collegiate matches, USA Club 7s Nationals, Serevi Rugbytown 7s, Elite City 7s, the ARPTC, ACRA playoffs, during previous Stars tours, and game evaluations at last weekend's New York 7s will bring together a fantastic group of athletes Tobago. Our player pool is nearing 300 athletes interested in playing higher level 7s and in continuing their development.

This tour will allow young players like Kaitlin (KB) Broughton of Oklahoma and Rontrice Thomas of Tennessee their first chances to challenge themselves at an elite level. Their impressive fitness scores and the recommendations of opposing coaches have provided them the opportunity to showcase their speed alongside the hard runs and bruising hits of current 7s Eagle Nana Fa'Avesi (who scored her first WSWS try in Dubai earlier today) and former 15s/7s Eagle Phaidra Knight. Tiara Littleton & Cara Thayer continue their development playing on their 3rd Stars tours; Tiara brings added experience from Fiji's Coral Coast 7s in November. Fehi Schaaf will bring her experiences from the USA U-20 level and debut for the Stars with fellow Californians Tee Stroughter and Angelina Lomu f San Francisco Golden Gate. Jen Harig of Davenport University, Corinne Heavner of Penn State, and Shamira Robles of AIC are a trio of Stars from elite collegiate programs that earned invites after the ARPTC HP7s camp while Amanda Divich brings scrumhalf/flyhalf experience from Lindenwood University.

The men have more experience, depth and positional skills than on any tour in the past. We return five players from the Australia Central Coast 7s tour including Jojo Tikoisuva who was invited to/ attended Fiji's Dubai 7s camp with Coach Ben Ryan. It is noteworthy that both Jojo and Cody Weber suffered injuries in Australia and were not available for the full set of tournament games. Australian Rugby League crossover Eddie Paea, formerly of the Rabbitohs, joins us once again fresh from Dubai 7s and will find hard running options in forwards Eric Duechle and Marcus Satavu - familiar names to anyone who has followed the Eagles men's 7s team. Kyle Granby of the Northeast ODA comes in as a speedy wing/flyhalf option while Joe Senteno adds another scrumhalf/sweeper option - anyone who saw him play for Air Force 7s at the the last two Serevi Rugbytown 7s will be familiar with his try-saving tackles.

Stars Rugby 7s Tobago 7s Rosters
Men
Zach Blalock - Birmingham Rugby Club/Atlanta Old White/Life ODA

Eric Duechle - WCAP/Serevi Institute
Amro Guda - Charlotte Rugby Club/Life ODA
Kyle Granby - NYAC/Northeast ODA
Jonathan Halter - Gainesville Hogs/Florida 7s
*Chris Milledge - Charlotte Rugby Club/Life ODA
Mitch Millett - St Albert RFC (Canada)
*Eddie Paea - Eastern Suburbs (Australia)/Tonga 7s
Marcus Satavu - OMBAC/Bulldog Rugby
Joe Senteno - Downtown Rugby Club (Las Vegas)/Air Force 7s
*Saula (Junior) Sucu - Washington Rugby Club (DC)
*Jojo Tikoisuva - Sacramento Lions
Antoine Turner - Life West Gladiators
*Cody Weber - Kansas City Blues

Women
Kaitlyn (KB) Broughton: Oklahoma Roses
Judy Dickson: Atlanta Harlequins
*Amanda Divich: Lindenwood University
*Liz Entwhistle: Fort Miami/W1823
*Joanne (Nana) Fa'Avesi: Sacramento Amazons/USA 7s
*Kat Gorham: North Shore (Boston)
*Jen Harig: Davenport University
Corinne Heavner: Penn State Univeristy/Old Blue Women
Courtney Jessamy: Charlotte Rugby Club
Phaidra Knight: Old Blue Women
*Tiara Littleton: Dallas Harlequins
Angelina Lomu: San Francisco Golden Gate
*Toni Lloyd: Allen Griffins
Michelle Perna: Seattle Saracens/Serevi Institute
Shamira Robles: American International College/Old Blue Women
Gardenia (Fehi) Schaaf: Sacramento Amazons
Tiana (Tee) Strougher: San Francisco Golden Gate
*Cara Thayer: South Buffalo Sinners
Rontrice Thomas: Knoxville Minx
Sarah Thomas: Wisconsin Rugby Club
Lauren (LT) Turner: Scioto Valley/W1823
Kassidi Wynter: Atlanta Harlequins

Coaches:
*Orene Ai'i - New Zealand
Vaha Esikia - Las Vegas Rugby Academy/UNLV/Rugby12
*Liam Hutchinson: Bow Valley Grizzlies/Wildrose Academy/Rugby Alberta (Canada)

Stars Director:
*Liz Entwhistle

*Members of Previous Stars Tours

Player Nominations Open for 2015 Las Vegas Invitational/USA 7s Tour!

A few updates will be coming soon including:

*Our Australia Central Coast 7s recap including articles from players involved
*Updates from Stars around the US on their college/club seasons
*Updates from our newest Star abroad, Deven Owsiany, who stayed on in Australia and is heading to Coral Coast 7s in Fiji next week
*Thoughts on the new NDA announcements
*Thoughts on Dubai 7s to come 
*New on our Tobago 7s tour in December
*More player & coaches profiles

But most importantly, player nominations are now open for the 2015 Las Vegas Invitational/USA 7s tour in February. Anyone interested in touring MUST fill our the player survey included in the body of the announcement BY NOVEMBER 20TH:

Stars Rugby 7s aims take 2 men's teams to compete in the Elite and Aces divisions. The Elite bracket includes national teams like Spain, Peru, Mexico, Germany, Romania and Russia as well as the USA Falcons and several of the ODAs. The Aces generally to include the most competitive club sides. The final decision for brackets will depend on the numbers, commitment and quality of players involved. If appropriate Stars will enter 2 Aces sides or an Aces & Kings side.

We aim to once again take 2 women's sides to compete in the Elite bracket  featuring several NACRA national teams (Mexico, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, the Canada MapleLeafs),the Japan Women's 7s team, as well as other touring teams like the Dog River Howlers, Aptoella, Les Bleues and Atlantis. The open bracket features a wide array of teams from club sides, social teams, U-23 All Stars, to the Japan B-side and other national teams like Chile, Costa Rica and Germany. There is a high level of competition in each bracket and we aim to approve on last year's finishes in the Cup rounds of each bracket. If there is enough interest we will take an additional open side.

Tour is slated for February 10th-16th. All players will be required to arrive by 2pm on February 10th so as to attend an evening training session, participate in team activities, and for trainings on February 11th. The Open/Aces/Men's Elite brackets play on Thursday, February 12th and Friday the 13th; the Men's Elite also playing on February 14th. The Elite Women play the 13th and 14th. Should the Aces or Elite sides make the finals an additional game would take place inside Sam Boyd Stadium on Sunday, February 15th between the USA 7s matches.

Tour fee is estimated at $700 to include 6 hotel nights at The Rivieria (which is the official LVI hotel), 4 days
of buses to matches and Sam Boyd Stadium, tournament fees, food for game days, playing & training kit, trainers & coaches, transportation to trainings, and more. This tour fee is an estimate and is subject to change pending final numbers and arrangements as well as team sponsorships. Stars offer many fundraising and sponsorship opportunities to help offset costs. The tour fee will be lower for players that have participated in the Calgary, Australia and Tobago trips as they already have the main playing kit.

Stars Rugby 7s is committed to developing players, to expanding individual skills, while putting those that demonstrate top ability, fitness and dedication on the path to 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. The program features top international coaches, former iRB 7s players, and an elite training staff. We have the support of those involved with the National Development Academies and the opportunity to set up exchanges with clubs all over the world. Players that play for the Stars in Las Vegas will be given preference for remaining 2015 tours including Samoa in May, Canada in July, Canada in September, a return to Australia in October, and either Dubai or Tobago in December. We believe in continued development of a core group of players that regularly attend tournaments together and while identifying and adding new talent to the program. We believe every player involved should go home a stronger player with a bigger rugby network, a higher rugby education, the ability to make their home club better, and to grow the game of rugby 7s.

Interested players MUST fill out this survey by November 20th. Selections will be made by November 30th with a $100 deposit due no later than November 30th. Please note that selections are to be a part of the general tour and not a guaranteed placement in a certain division. Teams will be determined through performance at training sessions. A schedule of payments and deadlines will be included with the official invites. Any deposits made are non-refundable until a replacement player is found.

SURVEY: http://goo.gl/forms/b0YKrKS8zC

Responsibility, communication and dedication to the team all play a factor in selections and continued touring opportunities with the Stars Rugby 7s program. Rugby skills, fitness, and 7s experience are the other determining factors. You can never be too fit for this game. If there are any questions or concerns, please

contact Stars Director Liz Entwhistle.

Meet The Team CC7s Edition: Jessica (JT) Turner

When I first came across JT and her American flag scrum cap on the rugby field I HATED her. At the 2013 USA Rugby Club 7s Championships in Pittsburgh my Chicago Lions 7s team was in the same pool as her Berkeley All Blues side. We were both 2-0 heading into the final match of the day and both assured of making the Cup Quarterfinals, and winning that third match was crucial for seeding as whoever lost would come across the Pool B winners and 2012 Club 7s Champions, the San Diego Surfers.



My team lost that game 22-19 on a disputed call - what seemed to be a forward pass by Berkeley was also knocked-on and the referee said "forward", both teams stopped play because of the seemingly obvious infraction and we anticipated a scrum. However, the whistle was not blown and JT smartly picked up the ball and ran it in for a try. Their team went on to win the championship (adding to their collection as the most decorated women's rugby team in the Women's Premier League) and in the other 5 games only had 10 total points scored against them. DARN IT JT!

I came across her again this February in the Women's Elite bracket of the Las Vegas Invitational where she donned an Atlantis Rugby jersey. Once again her team got the best of us (and she may or may not have drop tackled me like no one else has) and we chatted after the match about Stars opportunities and keeping in touch. I extended her an invite to Calgary and to future tours and while Calgary didn't pan out due to club 7s scheduling, she did make our Central Coast 7s roster.

I got to see JT yet again at this year's Club 7s Championships in Seattle where her Berkeley team took 3rd place and saw her again 2 weeks later at the American Pro Rugby Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was a welcome veteran presence at the High Performance 7s Camp and made a difference on the pitch again with her hard running lines and ability to set her teammates into space. JT plays a unique role in the game of 7s - you'll see in Australia! Plus I'm glad I eventually got to know her off the pitch as a friend.

Here's more on JT in her words:

I started playing rugby in college at Humboldt State University after some rugby girls recruited me. Originally I was trying to play soccer but it didn't work out. Once I got started, I was hooked! It was so much fun and the girls were really cool, and I soon realized that this is the sport that I was born to play that I literally didn't know about until then. I played my couple years of college and then "retired" for a little bit.

Towards the end of graduate school I started to really miss rugby. I went to 2 Pacific Coast Grizzlies tryout camps to try and make the squad. I ended up making the first round of cuts (and I was ecstatic because I hadn't played rugby in 5 years), and I was able to travel to San Diego to scrimmage the SoCal Griffins. After meeting many All Blues and Coach Kathy Flores, I made the executive decision to move to the bay to play with Berkeley, and my goal was to be the best player I could possibly be so I could become an Eagle.

After playing with the All Blues for the past 2 years, I'm the proud owner of 2 gold medals from a WPL National Championship and a 7s Club National Championship, a silver from WPL, and a bronze from 7s this last summer. I've also been blessed to have toured with Atlantis 7s in Las Vegas last year and to Spain this past summer. I've also attended an ETC for 15s, trained at the American Pro Rugby Training Center in Little Rock, and am now on my first tour with the Stars 7s to Australia! 

 

 

I'm so happy to have learned and played for some spectacular rugby coaches throughout all my adventures as well as some amazing players and teammates. Rugby is awesome because it has taken me places I never thought I would go, I've met some of the best people I've ever known, and I've learned so much about myself as a person and an athlete through my career. I'm very grateful and blessed to have the love and support from people from all aspects of my life! Now I've got my eyes on USA 7s with my heart set on Rio. It's been a tough but amazing road, but I'm going forward as best I can and leaving the rest up to the universe to decide for me.

I'm super pumped for the Central Coast 7s because this will be my first time in Australia and will also be the best competition I will have faced in my career thus far. I'm ready to rip it up on the pitch as well as have a great time off it!! It's now time to show everyone that I am an awesome player and am ready for the next major step in my career!

Meet The Team CC7s Edition: Matt Hughston

Matt Hughston is a name that many following rugby 7s this summer will recognize . He was selected to the Washington DC Elite City 7s team and took home First Team All Tournament honors, captained the  Charlotte Rugby Club 7s side that made the Cape Fear 7s finals and placed 3rd at South regionals, playing alongside with CC7s Star Chris Milledge. Matt's relentless effort was rewarded as he was invited to the first of new Eagles Men's 7s Coach Mike Friday's High Performance Sevens camps at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. Matt additionally took the pitch for Azul y Negro at Serevi Rugbytown 7s and continued his try scoring ways.

Matt is a standout athlete in a region of the United States that until recently was fairly under served when it comes to elite 7s opportunities (we touched a bit on that topic in this post). Fortunately, the much deserving Life University was just announced a new National Development Academy as a part of USA Rugby's Olympic Development Academy yesterday and additional opportunities a bit closer to home should arise.Without the same traditional Sevens Qualifier Circuit in the South the ability to play consistent, challenging competition lags - the South hosts a one-off tournament to qualify for nationals as compared to the 4 to 5 tournament series you find in the Northeast, Midwest, West and California - and this year only 6 teams traveled for the qualifier. This contrasts to the Midwest where as many as 16 men's teams play in each qualifier, and anywhere from 16 to 80+ additional teams play in competitive and social brackets. Some clubs fielded two sides in the qualifiers this year with a wealth of talent and competition for roster spots.

Increasing access to high level rugby 7s is one of the driving forces for our Stars program. It is worth noting that of our men's team traveling to Central Coast 7s, only one player plays for a team that made the Club 7s National Championships. It is a pleasure to be offer additional elite 7s opportunities to players like Matt. He came highly recommended to the Stars program by a few other players and coaches; there is little explanation needed as to why he made our Central Coast 7s side. He is an ambitious player with the right skills and credentials to make an impact on the international scene. Our side can provide him with the added opportunity to train and compete as other players on the iRB circuit do for a week and to compete directly against these players. Daveta, Yamacia, and Red Rock are each rumored to have members of the Fijian National Team that won Gold Coast 7s on their rosters. Middlesex will have at least one All Blacks player and it's certain that players from Australia's 7s pool will be in action.

Here's more on Matt:

Matt Hughston Profile:

25 years old

6’3

220lbs

Hometown – Charlotte NC

College - Eastern Carolina University

Notable Rugby Achievements: 

U19 Eastern Seaboard All-Stars MVP (beat out Cam Dolan, Colton Cariaga)

U20 Eagles 2009

Collegiate All-South XVs 2009

Twice named USA Rugby Collegiate Division II Rugby All American

Vice Captain USA South Panthers 2012-present

Atlantis 7s 2013-present

Named to First Tournament Team for Elite City 7s

Eagles Men’s 7s High Performance Camp Summer 2014

Named Rio 2016 hopeful

Aspirations: To achieve the honor of being named an Eagle for Sevens and eventually XVs. I am looking to elevate my game play in Australia against the world’s highest club competition and develop in an international setting. My main goal is to become an Olympian in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games.

 

A Word From Our Coach: More From Andy Katoa

Full disclosure: I met Coach Andy via Twitter. We were favoriting and retweeting all things rugby back and forth, then progressed to direct messages, then emails and actual phone calls to discuss the world of rugby 7s, of training, coaching and developing athletes, of observations of the iRB Sevens and more. Thank goodness for social media!

Andy has worked with several of the players you'll see on the pitch this weekend at Gold Coast 7s. He has spent significant time in player development and identifying talent as an assistant at the High School All American level with Salty Thompson, in coaching the highly regarded University of Arizona rugby 7s team that produced recent Eagles Peter Tiberio, Brett Thompson and Ryan Matyas, and as the manager for the USA 7s men's team.

 He was highly involved in getting Carlin Isles to crossover into rugby 7s - it's worth noting that Andy is somewhat of a crossover himself having played collegiate football and being drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 1991. Andy coached Isles at the club level to prepare him for his Eagles 7s contract, working on development when Isles first stepped on the pitch with the Gentlemen of Aspen. The likes of Mike Palefau, Maka Unufe, Leonard Peters and Pila Taufa are former/current Eagles whom have flourished under Andy's guidance. Andy is additionally veteran of a few rugby 7s touring sides and led the Gentlemen of Aspen to a USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship in 2008.

 Grantland's Video: The Fastest Man In Rugby Carlin Isles

 features Coach Andy and his role in developing Isles for the Eagles

This summer Andy recommended several athletes for our Stars program and assisted with some of our funding work for the Calgary Stampede 7s tour. As we spent more and more time discussing the direction and potential of the Stars program, I threw it out that he should join us on a tour as a guest coach. I was a little shocked and beyond thrilled that he said yes not just to our Australia tour but for Tobago 7s and beyond. "Liz, I want to be your Stars men's coach," still echoes in my mind; his commitment becomes even more meaningful given that he was recently named the  Head Coach for the Tonga 7s.

Andy led a the Tonga team into the Oceania 7s tournament last week where he debuted two 19 year olds in the flyhalf and center positions after only having two weeks to evaluate talent and make selections. The young team, which included Star player Eddie Paea, had its trials. Tonga drew a difficult pool of Australia, Samoa and New Caledonia yet still advanced to the Cup Quarterfinals and eventually place 6th. Their appearance in the Plate Final  earned Tonga a spot at Hong Kong 7s.

Eddie commented on Andy's amazing knowledge of the game and on how much the players appreciated his coaching. Andy reported, "It's been a great experience so far with these kids...loads of talent here and in Tonga. I've been given clearance to full access of kids in NZ and Australia. It will make Tonga that much better." 



Here's a quick message from Coach Andy:

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to say hello and that I'm really looking forward to spending time with the Stars 7s in Australia. We know that Liz has been working hard on putting together a mixture of young talent for CCS 7s, soI am really excited to see how we will be able to come together as team and focus on the task at hand.

The focus is for us to do the simple things real well. TACKLE, support, pass, catch, run. We will have about 5 solid days to work out our points of play. With everyone coming in well-conditioned we will be able to execute the basic things at an accelerated pace. This will make things a lot easier on all of us.

Coach Orene and I are really excited to be with the Stars and know the experience will benefit us all. Everyone keep up the hard work and keep the fitness up. We'll see you all soon.

Thank you,

Andy

Counting this as Drew Brees, Carlin Isles and Darren Sproles 

wishing Stars Rugby 7s good luck!