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NOVA GOES CARIBBEAN – One Piranha’s Account of the NOVA Trinidad Tour by Liz King
On December 1 st , 2006, two teams from NOVA WRFC boarded flights bound for the island of Trinidad. Located
just 7 miles from the Venezuelan coast, the small island is host to one of the world’s hottest (no really it
was HOT) rugby events – the Caribbean International Rugby Sevens Tournament. The annual tournament is
hosted by the Trinidad Enthusiast Rugby Club and was sponsored by Carib Beer...which the NOVA ladies had
learned to love by the end of our five day stay on the island.
The NOVA Fairies
Traveling as the NOVA “Fairies” (the theme for the weekend), we were instructed to sprinkle home made fairy
dust (which consisted of everything from glitter to unidentifiable spices from 5-0’s kitchen) upon entering and
exiting all modes of transport, and we had to sport our fairy “bling” (Billy win’s the prize for best bling – her lightup
fairy wand) everywhere we went. Needless to say, everyone noticed when NOVA arrived...just about anywhere.
Win the Match...
Faced with two ACL tears in the month leading up the tournament, we ended up traveling with only 15 players
who could actually play. Despite our slight numbers, the NOVA Fairies played 12 matches and scored 136
points between the two teams. NOVA 2 lost only to NOVA
1 and Atlantis (why did we go all the way to Trinidad to
play Atlantis AGAIN?!?!), while NOVA 1 made it to the finals
and ultimately lost to an Atlantis team we had beat in
pool play and in the quarter finals.
...And the Party
Un-phased by our loss, the NOVA Fairies participated in a
Haka tournament directly following the days matches. It
was no surprise to any of the Fairies when we received the
judges’ highest marks and won the tournament hands
down. After moving on to the tournament party, we outdid
our performance at the field by joining the British Virgin
Island’s Men’s team in a rendition of the real Haka. We
were happy to discover on our return to the US that our
performance was recorded and posted on YouTube for all
the world to enjoy. If you look closely you might see a certain NOVA Fairy with her shirt up around her head...
The Beach
On our last day in Trinidad we were transported by sketchy bus ride to the beach for a tournament sponsored
beach party. The party featured free Carib beer and yummy Trini food for the whole day, not to mention tickets
for free shark sandwiches (YUM!). It was a great way to wrap up a fun-filled weekend...although some of us
may have had a little TOO much fun that afternoon (this is in no way a reference to our fearless leader Dana
passing out on the beach and allowing us to draw all over her).
The Perfect End to a Perfect Weekend...
All in all NOVA’s first Trinidad tour was a great success...especially for this NOVA Fairy. On our last night on
the island, Mark (the tour’s only male Fairy) popped the big question! So after a great rugby weekend, I got to
celebrate my engagement with my NOVA family. You better believe we’re already planning to attend the tournament
next year in Tobago. We might even bring some subs!
NOVA 1: Dana Creager (c); Stacy Bennett; Kathy Lett; Kristen Campbell; Liz King; Beth Black; Megan
Billingsly; Rebecca Kigin
NOVA 2: Katie Schein (c); Lauren Hoeck; Katie Miller; Kristen Stephens; TJ Hillinger; Monica Dvoranchik;
Megan Hanson