Sevens weekend 2010

In case you're unfamiliar with the Sevens, in particular the Wellington Sevens, here's a brief description. Two days, 16 teams, a boatload of matches because each one only lasts 20 minutes, seven guys on each team. This town dresses up in costume and parties for 48 hours. It's a blast.

Day 1

This year Jake and I went with our friends Archie and Maggie along with Archie's sister and cousin. The four of them are from Virginia, so the guys dressed up as Virginia Beach life guards, and the girls were tourists. I think Erin and Courtney are doing the tourist thing pretty well actually.

On our walk to the stadium, we came across a couple vans like this sitting at a red light -- it's the US team! We wished them luck, and they actually did fairly well.

This is the US team warming up on the sidelines as the day began.

The Sevens involves packing 16 teams and a lot of 20-minute games into two days. So the games start around 1 pm each day. We got there pretty early on Friday and the stadium was still fairly empty.

But it didn't take long for the stadium to get packed and crazy.

Not sure who this guy was but we were happy to see someone waving our flag.

We saw a streaker run out across the field and get so close to the teams that they had to stop the play. The crowd's cheers turned to boos when he was tackled by security.

For modesty, I've only included a photo of him after he was covered by security.

We were surrounded by some interesting characters. I think my favourites were these "nerds" (below) who were impressed to learn that our group is from "vagina beach." So impressed that they yelled the name over and over for 30 minutes.

Day 2

Jake and the guys decided to check out the second and final day of the Sevens. (One day was plenty for me.) After a bit of planning and preparation, they were transformed into hillbillies.

Doesn't look like it took much effort. I'd say they're naturals, eh? From left, this is Greg and Ed above, and Andy, Mike and Jas below.

No sporting event is complete without some barbecue, so they grilled out at Ed's place before heading to the game.

I'll let Jake fill you in on the details after that. All I know is what the photos tell me. The next 75 shots on the camera were of rugby, the guys cheering in the stands, and a few strange blurry photos. Looks like a great time! Here are some highlights.

Congratulations to Fiji, who came out on top at the 2010 Sevens.