October 7, 2016
Nashville Grizzlies Win Queen City Crown
Logo: Queen City Crown
Doug Coil
The 2016 Queen City Crown was held September 30- October 2nd at the Rugby Athletic Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Eight teams went head to head in a full-on round robin with admission free to all spectators. The following teams contended for the crown:
- Charlotte Royals
- Nashville Grizzlies
- Charleston Blockade
- Atlanta Bucks
- DC Scandals
- Columbus Kodiaks
- Dallas Lost Souls
- Baltimore Flamingos
There were over 200 players and team supporters in attendance, which represents an increase over the inaugural tournament in 2015. This supports that rugby is a sport that continues to grow.
The weekend included meet and greets, match play, and socials, giving participants the opportunity to mingle with like minded ruggers who are all committed to growing the sport of Rugby in the United States.
“Saturday started early with an introduction and tournament opening ceremony with special guest Senator Jeff Jackson who is actively fighting against HB2 and reiterated his commitment to each player in attendance.”
The Queen City Crown tournament featured a round robin scoring system. This allowed every team to have the opportunity to take on each opponent and picked the winners based on points awarded for wins, loss and ties.
The tournament also featured our first ladies match between the Charlotte Women’s Club and the Nashville Stone Lions. Congrats to the Charlotte Women’s Club for their victory.
In the end, the Nashville Grizzlies walked away with their very first ever tournament win and took the crown home. The Charlotte Royals placed second and Atlanta Bucks brought home third place.
The other teams also performed well and added to the tournament’s success. The Dallas Lost Souls, Charleston Blockade, Washington Scandals and our two newest additions to the IGR family, the Columbus Kodiaks and Baltimore Flamingos deserve praise,
The Charlotte Royals appreciate all who truly helped to make this a special weekend for all. They also want to thank the Sidelines Bar and Billiards and the Rugby Athletic Center for the amazing venue.
