Thanks to Ashley for covering the upcoming City Based 7s this weekend!

The unique aspect of the league, which is made up of four teams: Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, is it is not intended to be a league of All-Star teams, rather they have encouraged players of all skill levels to participate..

Staff: Peter Baggetta, Dana Creager, Kellie Cavalier

7/30: Update from YSC Intern Ashley regarding the CBL Tournament:

The first City Based 7’s tournament was held this past Sunday in Phoenixville, Pa. Play kicked off at 11 am and even by then everyone involved knew the sun and heat would be undoubtedly be a factor with temperatures reaching the mid to high 80’s.

While all four teams played with both experienced and developmental sides, everyone had patches of brilliant play no matter how many years they had under their belts. The first game of the day between Philly and DC showcased just that. Both teams played very hard, and were able to string together series’ of good play, though it was obvious the little amount of time spent together as a team would affect the continuity of play. DC won the match scoring three quick tries, most of which came from them spreading the ball and beating the Philly defenders out wide.

There were equal moments of great defensive play and defensive breakdowns during the course of the day and every team saw their fair share of both. The veterans and experienced players definitely made their presence felt while they were on the pitch, but lack of team cohesion and the heat no doubt contributed to the spurts in which the teams’ succeeded.

Boston struggled and was the only team who that didn’t win any of their games despite the valiant effort put forth by their team. When stacked up against the other teams with more experience, their weakness on defense was exposed.

When advertising and recruiting for this pilot league, it was billed as a chance for players of all skill levels to play as well as a tourney in which the wins and losses didn’t matter as much as the effort put forth.

That supposed lack of pressure seemingly was enjoyed by both the players and coaches.

Despite every team having suffered losses, none of them seemed to ever let that get them down at all. The mood of both the players and coaches alike was very jovial and
even carried onto the pitch where players (Read: Jen Sinkler and Phaidra Knight) were laughing and tackling each other at the same time!

DC emerged as the tournament winner, beating NY in the final 17-10. Philly won the semi-final match against Boston 43-5.

The next plan of action is to add more divisions to the league as well as games. With the success of this year, it’s very possible Sue Parker’s dream of expanding this league and adding a pathway to the national team will be a reality very soon.

From YSC: Thank you for the comments and I appreciate the tone of respect that I do see in the comments. Keep the good dialogue coming!