Lions Combine Focus, Fun to Win

Wednesday Aug 5, 2009 in Sevens Club Competitions

The run for the Chicago Lions 7s team started so quietly in 2007. The club, after all, had taken 7s seriously but never truly challenged at the national level.

That all changed under coach Aaron Manheimer as the Lions, led by Austin Britts and Eddie Bluemel, shocked pretty much everyone in winning the national title. A year later they were back at nationals, although less successful, losing in the Plate Final.

This year, early in, you had to wonder if the bloom was completely off the rose. They struggled to unseat Milwaukee in early tournaments, and looked set for a second-place (if that) Midwest finish.

But of course it didn’t end up that way, as Manheimer calmly pieced his cogs together and secured yet another Midwest title. The coach was looking to peak for the final two tournament if the year, not earlier, he said. We’ll see.

“We’ve just spent the last couple of weeks improving our overall fitness,” said Manheimer, who is a fitness trainer by profession, a former USA Maccabiah star and former professional player in Spain. “We’re spending a lot of time on the track getting in game shape.”

The team is also coming together.

“We have a good team with a lot of the same guys we’ve had the last two years. We’ve brought in some college players as well and it will be interesting to see how they do,” Manheimer added.

Those guys include Bluemel, who played his way onto the USA 7s team in 2007, and Britts, who was the 2007 championship MVP despite doing in his ankle in the process.

Add to that Scott Peterson, who spent the XVs season with Indianapolis but is a longtime Lion, and Jeremy Nash, capped by the USA XVs team in 2006. Nash had been out of the loop for part of the summer, but the snappy-running outside back is on track again.

Among the younger players, Mark Roberts has been very strong, earning several tournament MVP awards and showing the consistency he lacked in his first elite-level efforts. It all could point to another strong showing by the Chicago team.

“The key for us is we take it very serious and have a serious approach, but at the same time we try to stay relaxed and enjoy ourselves,” said Manheimer. “People play 7s to start with because it’s fun. A big thing for us is maintaining the excitement of 7s. It helps us get focused.”

The Lions are in Pool C with SFGG, NOVA and Glendale.

- Alex Goff