Our city’s very own team traveled to Nashville to compete in the international Bingham Cup tournament and finished in first place in their division, earning the Hoagland Plate. The three-day event, held over Memorial Day weekend, featured 46 teams with 1,500 players from 27 countries.
The Armada came out on top during the first round of competition by beating each of the three opponents in their pool before winning five out of six games in the second round to clinch the trophy.
“Being at the Bingham Cup is the pinnacle for an inclusive rugby team,” said James Ellis, secretary of the San Diego Armada. “The challenge posed, the intensity of competing in so many games over just a few days and the fierce competition makes our success all the better.”
The Bingham Cup is recognized as the international world cup of gay and gay-inclusive rugby, according to Ellis. The inaugural tournament took place in 2002, just a year after its namesake, Mark Bingham, died in the 9/11 attacks. Bingham was an openly gay player on the San Francisco Fog rugby team and was aboard Flight 93, where he was one of the people who helped prevent the terrorists from inflicting further damage.
The competition, which has grown to become the second largest Rugby Union tournament in the world, is held every two years and alternates between locations in North America, Europe and Australia.
This year marked the first time that the Armada sent a full team to the competition. In 2014, five members of the team, including Ellis and team president, Sunny Joat, traveled to the Sydney-based tournament with the Toronto Muddy York team.
“The experience made a powerful impact on us,” said Ellis. “We made it our mission to take a full Armada team to Nashville, knowing that it would be a great milestone in the development of the club.”
Ellis joined the Armada in 2012, following suit of his husband, Joat, who had joined the previous year as a way to meet people after moving to San Diego.
“Neither of us had ever played rugby before but the idea of playing a full contact sport and being open and fully comfortable being known as a gay couple in a sports team was a big draw,” Ellis said. “Personally, not only have I gained skills in a sport I never played before joining the team, I have also made so many friendships.”
Since forming in 2005, the San Diego Armada has brought members of the gay community and its allies together to play rugby as a “purposely-inclusive club”. The team welcomes players of all ages, sexual orientation and playing ability.
“Our aim is to create a harassment-free sporting environment that is both welcoming and respectful,” said Ellis.
“We have both gay and straight people on our team,” continued Ellis. “That ratio varies year-to-year but we actively encourage members of the gay community to challenge internalized preconceptions of being able to play and enjoy a full contact sport, such as rugby, while enjoying the camaraderie, brotherhood and striving for personal excellence that comes from team sports.”
In order to help spread the word about the team, the Armada actively seeks new members at community events, such as Pride and CityFest.
The team currently plays in the Southern California Rugby Union Division 3 level and travels throughout the region during the January to April season.
During the summer, they combine forces with the UCSD rugby team to create the Armada Fleet 7s and participate in local 7s rugby tournaments. This variation of the sport features teams of seven instead of the regular 14 players on the field.
Interested in learning more about rugby? Contact the Armada at info@sdarmada.com or visit their Web site at sdarmada.com or their Facebook page.
