Help send Santa Monica 7’s team to Nationals
Help send Santa Monica 7’s team to Nationals
The Santa Monica Rugby Team has qualified for it’s third Nationals Championship in 3 years! This is a phenomenal success, as the club had never been represented before 2014. This year the Tournament is being held in Denver, CO, on 13-14 August. Once again, we need your help in getting us there!
The Road to here:
At a preseason meeting with the management and coaching staff of the Santa Monica Rugby Club (SMRC)Coach Marc Stcherbina – who once again helmed the team – immediately set his sights on competing with best: the top club tournament in the U.S. – 7s Nationals! Backed by returning powerhouses Rene Meredith and Myles Pritchard, the team had a solid foundation to take on the local 7s circuit!
Unfortunately, securing an early team sponsor evaded us, and once again the players self-funded their tournament efforts, along with very generous help from Myles and Rene. Finding a venue to practice at also proved elusive, as LAUSD decided their fields needed reseeding. The team therefore had to bounce around between 5 different locations (often secured mere hours before practice was to kick off, thanks to some great behind the scenes work from our club Chairman – Miles Cotton – and Marc, Rene and Myles).
However, no matter where the practice took place (sand, surf, turf or grass), we had a solid turnout of energized and hungry players! A great work ethic was established, both on and off the field by the team, with strong internal competition pushing players to raise their game. A good mix of youthful vigor with veteran levelheadedness set the tone for the season, allowing the team to come in second at their first tournament, third at their second, and second again at their third tournament.
Once again, Belmont lead the region in tournament points. For the third year in a row, the second qualifying seed came down to a deciding playoff between OMBAC and the Dolphins at the final tournament, which was hosted by SMRC. After getting a wake up call in our first game against Belmont, we went on to handily defeat OC Ravens before lining up opposite OMBAC for the showdown. The team had razor focus and was fully committed. Every player stepped up and played at 150%, totally believing in each other! This allowed us to shut the gates on OMBAC and secure our third Nationals berth.
Where to now?
With great power comes great responsibility. It’s our turn to represent the Santa Monica Rugby Club at a National level and we want to gain nationwide recognition through a successful performance. We will show other teams and spectators nationwide what Santa Monica is all about. This bid to Nationals is a massive opportunity for the players to be recognized in a higher level and rebuild the proud legacy of Santa Monica Rugby.
PHINS UP #cosmicdolphins
