Atlantis: US Sevens Rugby
A Summary and History
MAY 21, 2013
A history and
description of the invitational sevens team Atlantis follows.
In addition, Atlantis data is given in tabular form in the
following locations:
List of Tournaments in which Atlantis
has participated
Regardless of whether we
entered one team or more, this list enumerates just
once each tournament in which we participated.
As of 5/18/13, we had entered 140
tournaments as Atlantis (plus
one unnamed team in 1985: the tournament
chose to call it "ERU" for
Eastern Rugby Union, but it really wasn't).
As of May 2013 I have begun
including links to articles written on each specific tournament,
where I'm able to find them.
List
of Atlantis Squads
When we entered more than one squad - whether 2
men's, one men's and one women's, etc, each squad gets a separate
listing. As of 5/18/13, 196 separate squads - plus the one
pre-Atlantis squad - had played as Atlantis. There have been
124 men's and 72 women's squads. This page also lists the W-L-T
results of each squad and their final outcome.
Results of Atlantis Games
Atlantis has played 988 games, 993 if you
include the pre-Atlantis team. Our combined record is
690-292-11. The men are 379-222-7 and the women 311-70-4.
Not all game results are known, but the overall W-L-T record at
each tournament is pretty well established.
List of Atlantis Players
This is a list of all players that have played
for Atlantis: 930 or 932, depending on whether I count the
pre-Atlantis team.
List of Atlantis Staff
This is a list of everyone that came along on
an Atlantis tour in a nonplaying role.
Atlantis is a
rugby invitational side whose specialty is sevens.
Begun in 1986 as an Eastern
US venture (short for "Atlantic
Sevens," Atlantis quickly became a nation-wide
enterprise. Our color (aquamarine), our logo, and the Roman
numerals on our jerseys were all inspired by the Atlantis legend.
(And, yes, we were playing sevens long before the Atlantis hotels
in Nassau and Dubai, etc. were
constructed.) The Atlantis women first played in 1992.
Atlantis has multifaceted goals.
At the domestic level, we are trying to improve the level
of sevens in the US
by mixing sides of experienced players and novices.
For top international tournaments, we are
able to assemble teams representing the best the US
has to offer. Occasionally we include
top players from other countries.
The 932 Atlantis
players since 1986 (577 men and 355 women)
represent all areas of the world.
Based on birth places and/or residences, they represent 42 states (all but
HI, KY, MS, NV, NH, NM, SD and VT), DC and American Samoa.
Likewise (birth or residence) they represent 25 foreign countries: Argentina,
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, England,
Fiji, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Northern Ireland,
Paraguay, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad
& Tobago, USSR, Wales, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe.
We are particularly proud of the many US national team players
(Eagles) that have played for us and of Atlanteans that have gone
on to represent the US: 185 Eagles (116 men and 69 women) have
played for Atlantis. 98 of these
represented Atlantis prior to the US.
Several
Atlantis players have represented 11 other countries' national
teams as well; specifically
Argentina, Canada, England, Fiji, Hong Kong,
Ireland, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, USSR, Uruguay, and
Yugoslavia.
Atlantis' "Emperor" Emil Signes was US
National Men’s Sevens Coach from 1987-90. During
this time the US
had a winning record, defeating Wales,
Canada,
and Argentina,
and won the Hong Kong Plate Championship. He
was US National Women's Sevens Coach from 1996-2005. During
this time the US had a record of 57-19-4 (4-time runners-up to New
Zealand in Hong
Kong).
Atlantis
has
competed
in 140 tournaments, 87 of them outside the
US. We have been on 77 distinct tours to 30 foreign
countries (where "country" is defined loosely), specifically
- in chronological order by first appearance - they are:
England, Scotland, Spain, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland,
Northern Ireland, Uruguay, Bulgaria, United Arab Emirates (Dubai),
Trinidad, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Argentina, Canada,
Holland, Portugal, Venezuela, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Brazil,
Singapore, Thailand, Paraguay, Malaysia (Borneo), Italy and French
Polynesia (Tahiti & Bora Bora), Mexico and
Laos.
Rev. 2013-05-21