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Burnaby Lake Lighthouse Claims BC Sevens Series Championship
from Andrew Smith - BCRU
posted Aug 31 2011
[ed. the 7s series seemed to lose a bit of momentum as it hit August. What are your views on the BC 7s series and how it should evolve.]
Vancouver, BC: The Burnaby Lake Lighthouse Sevens programs have repeated as BC Sevens Series champions with both their men's and women's teams laying claim to their second straight provincial titles.
BLRC Lighthouse take men's 2011 Sevens Series
Burnaby Lake Lighthouse finished on top of the BC Sevens Series standings with 46 points, 18 ahead of second place Bayside Selects. The Lighthouse squad competed in five of the six tournaments on the circuit, winning the Burnaby Lighthouse Sevens. The Lighthouse men's squad finished as runners-up at both the SFU Sevens as well as the James Bay Buccaneer Rugby Sevens in Esquimalt. The squad also advanced to the Plate Final of the largest stop on the BC Series, the Abbotsford International Rugby Sevens.
BLRC Lighthouse women capture all five Sevens titles
The Women's Burnaby Lake Lighthouse were unstoppable during the 2011 BC Sevens Series, winning each of the five women's tournaments. In June, the Lighthouse opened the season with a 12-5 Cup Final victory over Velox at the Buccaneer Sevens and then went on to defeat the Washington-based Emerald City Mudhens 27-10 in the Cup Final of the Vancouver Rugby Sevens. Up next was the SFU tournament where the Lighthouse defeated Meraloma 34-0 in the Cup Final. The Lighthouse were convincing winners on home soil during the 2011 Burnaby Lake Lighthouse Rugby Sevens tournament, again defeating the Meralomas, this time by a 36-7 victory. Their fifth and final victory saw the Lighthouse defeat Capilano 22-12 in the Cup Final of the Abbotsford International Rugby Sevens.
Bayside Summer Rugby Sevens Recap
Having already clinched the men's and women's provincial titles, neither of the Burnaby Lake squads were in action at Bayside Summer Rugby Sevens, the final stop of the 2011 BC Sevens Series. The Bayside Selects won the men's eight-team tournament, posting a 24-14 Cup Final victory over the Ocean Park Easy Breezers 24-14. With the win, the Selects added 16 points to their total point haul, finishing in second in the Series standings. The Bayside Tigersharks took home the Plate with a 28-5 victory over Abbotsford RFC. The Bayside tournament did not feature a women's division.
Rugby Sevens Hits Rider Nation as 30,000 Watch 7s During CFL Halftime
[ed. kudos to Karl Fix of the Dog River Howlers and Praire Fire for organizing this event. Possibly the largest crowd to watch a 7s game in Canada, perhaps North America? Also BCRN gets mentioned in the article. We're still looking for co-sponsors for our youth 7s team which will participate in the Abby 7s this year, contact editor@bcrugbynews.com]
By Josh Campbell
posted June 18 2010
It was not your typical half-time show.
Instead of acrobats, a minor league football game, or a flashy new style of martial arts, on Sunday, June 13th, the Saskatchewan Roughriders showcased a game to which it owes its origin — rugby.
But this was not the rugby that most Canadians are familiar with —long drawn out games where grown men form human battering rams and collide with each other to the tune of grunts and groans heard in cauliflowered ears. No. This was different.
“This isn’t the kind of rugby I’m used to,” said one of the near 30,000 fans in attendance at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. “This is more exciting than the football. It’s continuous action,” said another.
Born in Melrose, Scotland in 1883, Rugby Sevens is the younger brother of the traditional 15-player game with one big difference — there are only seven players per team. This alone, coupled with the fact that Sevens is played on the same size field as a regular 15s match (100metres long and 70metres wide) explains why the game’s demand for high-speed athleticism has captured the attention of fans the world over. Indeed, in 2016, Rugby Sevens will make its debut as an Olympic Sport.
“I think it will become a global game of sport,” said Karl Fix, long-time Regina rugby advocate and chief organizer of Sunday’s exhibition game at Mosaic Stadium. “Games like this can act as a spring board for smaller communities in Saskatchewan to get involved in Rugby Sevens. All you need is a ball, a field and seven players.”
Chase Sereda was one of the 14 Sevens players that kicked up Taylor Field rubber underneath sunny Saskatchewan skies before the Rider fans sea of green.
“This is a day I will never forget,” said Sereda, who played with the winning Dog River Howlers, a team composed of elite rugby players from across Western Canada. “I could hear the ooh’s and ahh’s from the crowd after big tackles. Playing rugby here in front of this many people was … epic.”
Sereda, who has been with the Howlers for eight months, including a Rugby Sevens tour to Cuba earlier this year, said, “Sevens is a great opportunity for athletes from all different sports to get involved without needing a whole lot of rugby experience. It’s the kind of sport where great athleticism is rewarded.”
Robin MacDowell, who played on the opposing Saskatchewan Prairie Fire, is no stranger to Rugby Sevens. His love for the game began near his home in Duncan, BC on Vancouver Island and has taken him to over 12 countries.
“Rugby Sevens is a cultural event. There are hundreds of tournaments all over the world. It’s a global game,” said MacDowell, who has represented the Canadian National Sevens squad in close to 100 matches.
One of MacDowell’s fondest rugby memories came during an International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens tournament in Wellington, New Zealand in 2006.
“Fiji beat the powerhouse South African team to win the tournament. Afterwards we (the Canadian team) sat with the whole Fijian team and traded stories about life and rugby. One week later, in a tournament in Los Angeles, we beat the same South African side,” recalled MacDowell with a grin.
MacDowell’s love for the game has propelled him into work as a rugby program developer for youth with BC Rugby News and Kukri, a sports retail company. His work takes him through different parts of Western Canada "spreading the gospel" of Rugby Sevens.
“Today was a great opportunity to showcase rugby,” said MacDowell. “We have the talent, speed and size to compete on the world stage. We just need to give people a taste of the game and today we did that.”
Final result -Dog River Howlers 15 , Prairie Fire 0
Location: Mosaic Stadium/Taylor Field,Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada - June 13,2010
Kelowna 7s Poster: Abby 7s Looking for MC
[ed. comments below]
posted May 24 2010
A couple of items and this is where we'll share tidbits of info on the 7s tournaments in BC this summer.
Abby 7s
Douglas Okero, the Abby 7s organizer, contacted me and asked if I could recommend a MC for the tournament. He said the job includes free beer and food for the two days. I said I couldn't imagine anyone in the rugby community who would be willing to work for free beer... eventually I stopped laughing. So I suggested he use two Announcer/MCs who could share duties over the two days. Basically duties would include operating the mic for two days, making announcements, entertaining the crowd, and providing commentary during the games such as announcing try scorers, etc. Not only do you get free beer and food during and after the event, you get ringside seats for some top level 7s. This is a multi-cultural festival as much as a rugby festival so commentary would be aimed at that level. If interested contact Douglas at dokerogroup@gmail.com or myself at editor@bcrugbynews.com.
Also apparently there is a tent shortage this summer at the rental companies so Doug has made an appeal for 20 x 20 tents to be donated. It can even be company tents so some free advertising for a little generosity. Contact Doug through the above email or phone 604-996-5482.
Kelowna 7s
Jeremy Harris passed this info on, it's the poster for the Kelowna 7s being held from July 31-Aug 1. There will be 16 teams and a top prize of $1000 for the winner. The contact for the tournament is Chris Ptak (250-718-6420 or email chrisptak@gmail.com).
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