Serevi Rugby August Camp Summary

from my inbox:

I had the pleasure of observing two days of the Serevi Rugby camp, Fri and Sat in Seattle the previous weekend. Followed by watching the Vikings beat the Seahawks at the stadium with my son Blake myself.

Gordon Tietjens, the All Blacks greatest 7s coach in history, Coach Al Caravelli USA 7s coach, and Waisale Serevi the greatest 7s rugby player of all time from Fiji put on the clinic. What a pleasure and rare opportunity for American rugby players in attendance. Military 7s is about to explode in the future and more info to follow.

Thanks,
Dominic

Serevi Camp Wraps, Visits Seahawks

Serevi Rugby put a wrap on its first-ever Serevi Rugby Academy on Saturday, August 20th with a scrimmage at Seattle’s Magnuson Park. On the sideline providing running feedback and commentary were two of the game’s legends: Fijian great and Serevi Rugby co-founder Waisale Serevi and New Zealand All Blacks’ Coach Gordon Tietjens.
Tietjens had arrived from New Zealand on Thursday, just in time to join all 30 Academy participants at a Seattle Seahawks practice, after which Seahawks’ Coach Pete Carroll addressed the Serevi Rugby players. Carroll also took time to compare notes on high performance with Serevi, Tietjens and U.S. National Coach Al Caravelli, who was at the Academy Thursday and Friday to assess talent. Carroll arranged for Serevi Rugby participants to sit in the team section for Saturday’s exhibition game against Minnesota.
After talking to the players about intensity, nutrition and attention to detail, Tietjens put the group of elite players through two grueling workouts on Friday, driving home points from his morning lecture. Tietjens and Caravelli then joined Serevi on the shores of Lake Washington Friday evening for a Serevi Rugby-hosted event to benefit Washington State rugby.

Several camp participants, including Rocco Mauer, Tim Stanfill and Peter Tiberio, left the Academy Friday night to head to San Diego with Caravelli and the Collegiate All Stars.

After the Academy, Serevi noted “We couldn’t have asked for a better week. I ran the Academy as I would for a national team and players responded. They brought their A games and showed great passion and camaraderie. Gordon Tietjens was magic on Friday. Having Al in the house added to the sense of urgency we feel around growing this game in North America. I can hardly wait for the next Academy.”

Serevi Academy Kicks Off

Seattle- Serevi Rugby(tm) has officially kicked off the first-ever Serevi Rugby(tm) Academy for promising rugby athletes with Olympic aspirations. The Academy is organized like a national team camp to help better prepare 18- to 24-year-old athletes for the demands of international competition. The camp features New Zealand All Blacks’ coach Gordon Tietjens, winner of nine of the 12 World Rugby Sevens Championships, as well as Al Caravelli, the head coach of the U.S. national rugby team, who is planning on attending to evaluate prospective players.

“This is the largest group of elite rugby athletes ever gathered outside of a national team setting,” said Waisale Serevi, co-founder of Serevi Rugby(tm). “It is a testament to the quality of coaches and other players, the intensity of interest in the 2016 Olympics, and the fact that Seattle is becoming known as a hotbed of rugby in the United States.”

Players attending the camp include athletes from the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Notre Dame, the University of Minnesota and the University of Nebraska, among others. It also includes two current U.S. Eagles players, several former NFL players and a cluster of players from Bermuda. The camp features conditioning, strategy and game management “chalk talks” as well as drills. The camp will wrap up with a mini-tournament at Magnuson Park on August 20st from 9:00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. The tournament is free and open to the public.

Several partners joined Serevi Rugby(tm) to sponsor the camp, including World Rugby Shop, United Health Care, Sports Reaction Center, Gametapes, Garvey Schubert Barer, Kibble & Prentice and T3 Recovery Mattress. Full details on the Serevi Rugby(tm) Academy may be found at www.serevirugby.com. Serevi Rugby(tm) apparel may be found at www.worldrugbyshop.com.