The largest rugby 7s tournament on the West Coast kicked off Saturday in San Luis Obispo.
At the 39th annual TriTip 7s rugby tournament, the heat hit rugby players hard.
“This is the hottest we’ve seen at this tournament,” one rugby player said.
“It’s a little more difficult than usual to play this heat,” Max Monange, a rugby player from San Francisco said.
Spectators in the crowd were also sweltering in the intense heat.
“I don't remember it being this hot in this area for a long long time,” said Keith Powell, a Santa Barbara resident.
Players and fans tried to stay cool as best as they could.
To beat the heat, staff provided a truck filled with ice, multiple water filling stations, and liquid IVs.
“It's very important to stay hydrated all day. drink water and electrolytes and make sure you don't stay in the sun. We have tents set up,” Momange said.
Nearly 50 teams competed. There were 18 women's teams which is the most the tournament has ever had.
After a legendary rugby performance by the women's team in the 2024 Olympics, Graf tells me Saturday was one of the largest amounts of people attending.
“My friend's daughter got interested in rugby after the women's team did so well in the Olympics,” Powell said.
“It was phenomenal to see women take home the bronze medal,” Mads Dulisse a Slo, a women's rugby player said.
“We are riding the wave of women's teams winning bronze in the Olympics. There are a lot of women’s teams growing in California and it is traditionally a more difficult sport to get women to come out to, but now some of these teams are bringing two women's teams per club,” Lindsey Graf tournament director for Slo Rugby Football Club said.
It’s about friendship and camaraderie.
What I found in the rugby community is that you can put it all out there on the field but afterward, we're all friends,” Dulisse said.
Next year will be the 40th anniversary of the tournament taking place on September 6, 2025.
For more information on how to sign up and join, click here.
