The United States Coast Guard Rugby Sevens Teams

Celebrating the Proud Women and Men of the U.S. Coast Guard at the NY7s

by Warren Rosenberg, Clark Thompson, Keith Wilkins

On Saturday, November 26, 2022 over 130 teams competed on the waterfront at NYC’s Randall’s Island Park in the 63rd Annual New York Sevens Rugby Tournament (NY7s). Among these competitors were the United States Coast Guard Men’s and Women’s Rugby 7s teams, resplendent in their commemorative bright yellow uniforms, overlooking the New York City waterways they serve to protect. To join the Coast Guard visit www.gocoastguard.com

he team’s commemorative uniforms, first on dis play at the NY7s for both teams, prominently featured the letters SPARS across the front of the jersey and a picture of a female Guard member on the back, inspired by World War II recruiting material. They were specially designed to celebrate the 80th anniversary of SPARs (Semper Paratus Always Ready), the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve.

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The founding of the SPARs and integration of women into the military was vital to the US effort in World War II. During this time the Coast Guard and other U.S. Armed Services found themselves in great need of more sailors at sea and more troops on foreign soil. They acknowledged that filling U.S. shore jobs with women would allow more men to serve elsewhere and hasten the war effort. On Nov. 23, 1942, legislation was passed creating a new arm of the U.S. Coast Guard, one that would pave the way for Coast Guard women of today - The U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, better known as the SPARs. They joined the then recently formed Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC, formed in May 1941) and the Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES, formed in July 1942).

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Above: USCG Heritage Series Jersey-SPARs. Courtesy U.S.G.C Facing Page: Top. USCG Men’s and Women’s 7s Team Members posing under the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. Bottom left -photo by Clark Thompson. Bottom right - Photo by Warren Rosenberg

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Adding to the significance of the USCG teams competing in the NY7s on Randall’s Island is that SPARs trained at Hunter College Bronx campus, now Herbert H. Lehman College, and at the Coast Guard training station in Manhattan Beach Brooklyn, now Kingsborough Community College, both nearby from the site of the NY7s competition.

All members of the USCG’s teams competing at the NY7s had the honor of signing the back of the new uniform, carrying the number 27, which will be presented to USCG Admiral Linda Fagan at an upcoming ceremony. Admiral Fagan is the 27th Commandant of the USCG and the first woman to lead a branch of a United States military service.

The USCG fields a men’s and women’s rugby team at the United States Coast Guard Academy (https://uscga.edu), who compete in NCAA Division II, and there is the Coast Guard Service teams, who compete annually at the Armed Forces Rugby Championships. The Service teams are comprised of enlisted members and officers stationed around the world. Coast Guard Rugby (ie the Service team) was founded in 1983 which competed annually in the Armed Forces 15s Rugby Championships, winning the Championship in 1991 and taking 2nd in 2010 and 2011, before Armed Forces Sports (https://armedforcessports.defense.gov) shifted formats to align with Rugby 7s as an Olympic sport. The men’s 7s program was established in 2012 and the women’s 7s program was established in 2019. Both teams best finish has been 3rd at the annual tournament. To highlight other recent accomplishments, the Academy women’s team won the 2022 ACRA National 7s Championship and finished 2nd in the 2022 15s National Championships.

The NY7s team was comprised of cadets from the USCGA, a midshipmen from the Merchant Marine Academy (a hopeful future Coast Guard Officer from the Maritime Graduate (MARGRAD) commissioning program), along with enlisted members and officers from all over the country and Puerto

Above: U.S.C.G. Admiral Linda Fagan, 27th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Photo courtesy U.S.C.G.

Rico, one of the first times cadets and active duty members have competed together. Support for the teams was provided by USCG Sector New York and the non-profit Coast Guard Rugby Foundation (https://coastguardfoundation.org), which has provided support for several tournaments since its inception in 2018.

NY7s has a special place in Coast Guard Rugby history as the origins of the 7s team. From 20012003 a group of cadets from USCGA competed in the collegiate division, highlighted by the 1st ever 7s tournament championship at the 2002 NY7s. So 20 years later not only did members of the USCG Rugby 7s teams distinguish themselves through their play on the fields at Randall’s Island, in their respective communities, and the Armed Forces Rugby Championships but they brought with them a distinguished record of service to the USCG, their country, and those all across the

globe who’ve benefitted from their service. Here are a few highlights of these amazing individuals of Coast Guard Rugby:

Petty Officer 2nd Class, Meghan “Carrlisha” Carr (#12), Captain of the women’s side at NY7s was also the lead planner assisting with all of the logistics for NY7s. She is a Health Services Technician currently stationed at Maritime Safety and Security Team Cape Cod where she leads and manages the medical readiness and overall medical care for her deployable unit. A pharmacy school graduate, Meghan was deployed to southwest border in 2021 and provided direct medical care to the migrant families. A competitive field hockey and softball athlete growing up in Topsham, Maine, she enjoys doing CrossFit, hanging out with friends and family, and exploring the Cape with her dog Winnie. Ensign Jordan “JDay” Day, who just recently earned her commission as an officer, is stationed at Sector Jacksonville where she serves as an Enforcement Division Officer. Prior to earning her commission she was enlisted as an Operations Specialist. She graduated Norwich University in 2017, where she first discovered rugby. Jordan was captain of the 2022 Coast Guard Women’s Team at the Armed Forces Championships at the Cape Fear 7’s in Wilmington, N.C. She was selected to be 1 of 7 service members across all branches to be on the Armed Forces All-Tournament team. She is also pursuing a master’s degree in Securities at Troy University. When not working or playing rugby, Jordan enjoys staying active, finding a new beach, and hanging out with her wife and dog.

Below: Sean Johnson with what will turn out to be the

Above: There’s no escaping the grasp of Meghan Carr and the U.S.C.G. Women.

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Above: U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flyovers were part of the celebration of the U.S.C.G teams at the 2022 NY7s

Petty Officer 2nd Class, Savanna “Sonny” Brewer, enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2014, just a couple of months after graduating high school and is a qualified Flight Mechanic on the Coast Guard H60 helicopter (Jayhawk). In August 2021 when a major earthquake hit Haiti she was one of the first crews to fly into Haiti and start the around-the-clock disaster relief efforts and, more recently, was part of one of the first USCG crews to help with the rescues in Florida after Hurricane Ian. “Helping those people during that life-changing time is why I joined the Coast Guard. To serve others in need. I received a Commendation Medal for the work we did in Haiti, and was invited to have a seat at the State of the Coast Guard Address- where they highlighted the work we did in Haiti.”

Equally impressive on the Men’s side are LT Jacob Perkins, GM1 Carlton Marshall, AST2 James Chandler, and CAPT (retired) James Hubbard among others.

Lieutenant (LT/O3) Jacob “State Farm” Perkins (#10), Captain of the men’s side at NY7s, just graduated from the Coast Guard Civil Engineering postgraduate program at the University of Washington and was selected for promotion to LT (Lieutenant). He has played for the Norfolk Blues, Seattle Rugby Club, and the Washington Athletic Club. His next assignment will be at the USCG Civil Engineering Unit Oakland and is looking forward to joining one of the great teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.

12 | November-December 2022 Coast Guard Rugby is special to Jake because “the team transcends rank, unites us with a common goal, and I have a strong support system no matter the location of my next assignment. Rugby has taught me about leadership, thriving in chaos, supporting my team and trusting them to support me.”

Gunners Mate 1st Class (GM1/E6) Carlton “Cakes” Marshall is one of the original members of the USCG Rugby team starting with the 15s side. He started playing rugby in 2006 when first deployed to Bahrain and subsequently being stationed in Guam with stops in Southern California in between. On the rugby pitch, he represented the USCG in the 2007 and 2009 Armed Forces Championships 15 side where he made 2nd team All-Tournament, and with the USCG 7s since 2017. “Some of my best memories of playing rugby are experiencing the game internationally as well as scrimmaging with the USA Eagles as they played against Life University in a warm up game prior to playing against Canada.” Scheduled to retire from the service in 2023, he was unable to compete with his team in the 2022 NY7s due to a knee injury sustained while competing at the 2022 Armed Forces Rugby Championship in Glendale, CO (Rugbytown 7s).

Aviation Survival Technician 2nd Class (AST2/ E5), James Chandler, has played on the development team of Major League Rugby’s Houston Sabercats and has represented the USCG for 3 years at the

Armed Forces Rugby Championships. He was recognized by the Coast Guard Foundation in 2021 for his heroic lifesaving actions during Tropical Storm Imelda. He has been head coach for the St. Petersburg Pelicans and Houston United Rugby Teams. In addition to rugby, James also competes in Powerlifting where he finished in 2nd place at his first national competition, the Houston Summer Power Fest. About a month before the NY7s, his son was born.

Captain (CAPT.O6) James Hubbard, USCG retired and a Coast Guard Rugby old boy, was inducted into the ‘Hall of Heroes Wall of Gallantry’ memorial at the Coast Guard Academy on October 21st, 2022. Hubbard was formally recognized for his efforts during two helicopter rescues that he played an integral role in during his Coast Guard career. James was also on the 1991 Armed Forces Championship team. In this year’s New York Sevens Rugby Tournament, the USCG Women’s Team finished in 3rd place in the Women’s Club Division of nine teams, just ahead of the team from Canada’s Royal Military College. The USCG Men’s team claimed 6th place in the Men’s Club Division of fourteen teams, both respectable finishes for this proud group of U.S. service members.

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