CHULA VISTA, Calif.—The USA Women's Sevens program will play an intrasquad game Friday, December 4 and the two teams‚the Stars and the Stripes— have been selected.

The game will kick off at 12:30 PM Pacific Time and will be shown live on USA Rugby's Facebook page.

The exhibition takes place within the team’s training bubble, which was established when the program re-assembled in mid-August. As such, fans will not be permitted to attend in-person at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista. 

Coverage will be part of the Golden Eagles Showdown Series.

“I love watching this group play," said USA Head Coach Chris Brown. "Without any series stops this side of the New Year, all we have is the opportunity to challenge each other in what has been a tumultuous year for all. Our sincerest thanks go to the USOPC and Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center  who have helped us plan and implement the necessary protocols to resume residency training.

“I’m grateful to have seen the in-house intensity increase significantly over the past couple of months. Our standard of in-house play has been pretty solid and where we need to be for the World Series. I expect nothing less on Friday and am grateful for the depth we can see come through.” 

COVID-19 Safety Procedures 

USA Women’s Sevens program reassembled in mid-August following rigorous entry testing and quarantine process in accordance with local mandates and stringent protocols from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. 

Programs utilize a robust contact tracing system to identify and minimize any exposure to the virus. All scrimmages are a part of a residency training program that falls within the Elite Athlete Training Center’s professional sport exemption. 

Protocols included: 

• COVID-19 testing before and after a mandatory 3-day quarantine 
• Antibody and echo cardiac testing 
• Periodic testing and mandatory ‘Bubble’ re-entry in the event of travel or uncontrolled community exposure
• Daily symptom and temperature checks as mandated by the USOPC and Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center 
• Additional internal daily wellness checks 
• Assigned training groups implemented to reduce unnecessary close contact and limit transmission risk
• Maintain more than 6 ft distance from all staff 
• Signed Training Agreement adhering to all safety rules 

The Teams

While both teams boast players we've seen before, there are a few who are less well-known to Sevens World Series fans. Ari Ramsey has been in the news for some time as a sparkling runner for the White Horse high school program in Pennsylvania and later Atlantis. She has gone on to star for Lindenwood. Nia Toliver broke through with ICEF in Southern California, got an award from Sports Illustrated, and then went on to AIC. Jaz Gray was a star for the Raleigh Venom and also played with ARPTC before getting to Chula Vista. None of those three have been seen on the World Series circuit.