It’s important to classify certain awards into fall and spring categories to align with the rugby season, which straddles the New Year. But for categories like “best tournament,” there is no season, and so the North American Invitational (NAI) 7s is the Best Event of 2016. The Salt Lake City tournament revived this year and provided a quality, legitimate showcase for high school 7s players, especially the girls.
In order for a tournament to be successful, there are a few foundational requirements that must be met, including quality fields, good referees, transparent channels for disseminating information, etc. And the NAI 7s met all of those demands. The Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City is a well maintained, 16-field facility located 15 minutes from the international airport and nestled between the lake and the mountains. The hosting committee also maintained a frequently updated website that remained very useful (especially to off-site viewers) on game day, as results and fixtures were updated live, and listed in a logical format – curiously, a rare gem of a feature. The event site indicates that a phone app is being developed for easier navigation.
But the NAI 7s distinguished itself by hurtling past the basics and became the best 7s showcase for high school girls. First, the invitational went after the best talent, and academies and select side teams were the target. Local favorite Utah Lions Rugby Academy, which finished second, competed in elite bracket against all-star sides like Atavus Selects, Atlantis, Community Olympic Development Program, Rocky Mountain Rebels and Rhino Rugby Academy, as well as victors Upright Rugby Rogues of Ontario, Canada. There was also an open division (alongside boys’ elite and open divisions) and the diverse field saw coast-to-coast representation, as well as Girls’ High School All-Americans who would go on to help the USA to a runner-up finish at the European U18 7s Championship in France.
Excellent rugby ensued, and that fact can be affirmed by thousands of off-site viewers. The NAI 7s provided a free, high-definition live-stream from the main pitch, onto which boys’ and girls’ games from the elite and open divisions were rotated (the 2017 event will make more fields available). Narrating those games were knowledgeable, well prepared commentators. One is typically sated if an announcer pronounces a player’s name correctly (which isn’t a guarantee even at the international level for women), but commentator Liz Entwhistle of Stars Rugby injected a wealth of player background and personal research, and became a trustworthy resource for the girls’ high school landscape.
The aforementioned attributes are components of what truly elevates the NAI 7s: respect. The organizing committee asked teams and players from across the U.S. and Canada to support an elite competition, and participants were rewarded with a stellar venue, equal opportunity to be live-streamed into viewers’ homes, knowledgeable narration of their games and insight into players’ rugby lives, as well as the honor of an all-tournament team (read more) – which is also rare in the girls’ high school arena. It was a professional product on its own, but especially memorable when compared to the shortcomings of other high school events and/or the sometimes sub-standard manner in which girls’ competitions can be treated.
In 2017, the NAI 7s will return to the rugby calendar in August and continue to serve as an example to domestic tournaments that want to build and retain elite status.
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