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| Union | USA Rugby Pacific Northwest Geographical Union | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Geoducks | |
| Founded | 1973 | |
| Ground(s) | Bellingham Polo Club | |
| President |  Todd Vasey | |
| Coach(es) | Joel Weisser | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
The Chuckanut Bay Geoducks is a member of the Pacific Northwest Rugby Football Union and the Fraser Valley Rugby Union located in Bellingham, Washington.
The Chuckanut Bay Rugby Club was founded in 1973. Many of the founding fathers were former Western Washington University players. Due to graduation, and a variety of other factors, the majority of the membership of the Western club had become "non-students". Thus, the need arose for a club outside the university. Former students called a meeting and the group assembled at a small college house on Jersey Street in Bellingham, Washington. After a discussion, two names were suggested for the new club: the High-Street Commandos and the Chuckanut Bay Geoducks. Since the Geoduck is known as one of the most dangerous bivalves native to the Pacific Northwest waters, the choice was obvious. The founders thought it was also important to keep team colors that represented the Pacific Northwest. So, the colors Columbia Blue (a traditional hue from WWU) and orange, for the sunsets over Chuckanut Bay, were selected.
After formation of the club, the Geoducks became members of the Fraser Valley Rugby Union in British Columbia. In the second year of existence, the new team earned first division Union Champions and went all the way to the British Columbia first division semi finals. The Geoducks were also runner- up in the second division. The Club remained in the Union another year and finished close to the top but did not repeat as champions.
In the fall of 1976, the American and Canadian teams went their separate ways. The Canadians maintained the Fraser Valley Union and the American members formed the Western Washington Rugby Union, which is now part of the Pacific Northwest Rugby Football Union. In the second year of the new union, the Geoducks won the title for first division and won it again in 1984. The club achieved National recognition by winning the consolation championship at the 1980 Monterey National Tournament in Carmel, California. Over the years, the team has won tournament titles in Idaho, Oregon, California and Washington.
In the spring of 1977, Chuckanut hosted its first touring team when National Westminster Bank of London, England arrived. Through contacts made with Nat West, the club hosted the Pilgrim Fathers RFC of Torquay, England in the spring of 1979. With this foundation of tour-related friendships, Chuckanut undertook its first overseas tour to the British Isles in September 1980, winning three games and losing two. Again, in 1984, the Geoducks returned to England, Wales and Ireland, winning four games and losing two.
A group of high school students took the initiative in 2001 to re start the U19 Steamers program. In the spring of 2001 this group of young athletes played in the Washington High School league. In September 2003, after a ten-year absence from league competition, the Men's team entered the Fraser Valley Rugby Union. The Geoducks experienced a winning season making it all the way to the British Columbia Rugby Union 3rd Division Championships. Under the guidance of coach Corky Foster, the club entered two men's teams, first and seconds, for the 2004 fall competition. Reorganization of the league structure for the spring 2005 season put the Geoducks back into Third Division and in the hunt for a championship. The 2006 season saw the club compete in the BCRU First and Second Division narrowly missing the provincial playoffs. The 2007 season will again see the Geoducks playing in the BCRU 1st and 2nd Divisions.
The club continues to grow in all areas. The U19 girls completed their 2nd season. The youth program has become the envy of all clubs in the Pacific Northwest. The U19 Boy's continue to dominate High School competition and again represented themselves well at the National Invitational tournament at Stanford. Three members of the U19's were selected to the US National U19 squad in the 2006/07 year. Two others were invited to the U17 National camp and the U16's went all the way to the BCRU final. The U14's finished in the BC final four in what was a very competitive division. The Mini rugby program offered boys and girls ages 5–12 the opportunity to play and continues to grow.
The U17's completed a very successful Tour to Ireland in 2005. Fund raising and plans are already under way for the Youth Tour to Scotland in the Spring of 2008. test
There are 11 different teams that make up the Chuckanut Bay RFC catering to a broad range of ages.
|
| No. | Name | Position | Date of debut | Opposition | Competition | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Lombard | Flanker | May 21, 1977 |  Canada | Test match | Sports Complex; Burnaby | [1] |
| 2 | Shawn Pittman | (Prop) | Nov 8, 2008 |  Uruguay | Test match | Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy | [2] |
| 3 | Nick Wallace | (Prop) | Jun 14, 2013 |  Tonga | 2013 Pacific Nations Cup | Home Depot Center; Carson, California | [3] |
| 4 | Titi Lamositele | (Prop) | Aug 17, 2013 | Canada | 2015 Rugby World Cup Qualifier | Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston | [4] |
| 5 | Ben Broselle | (Wing 7s) | Mar 3, 2019 |  New Zealand | 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens Series | Sam Boyd Stadium; Las Vegas | [5] |
Chuckanut's home field, the Bellingham Polo Club, provides three full size pitches, and a club room, which is soon to be finished. The Club was successful in gaining a Conditional Use Permit from Whatcom County to continue to play rugby at this great venue.
The Can-Am 7's Tournament is North America's Elite seven-a-side rugby event.
In its 42nd consecutive year, the Can-Am 7's pits the top teams from Canada's strongest rugby province, British Columbia, with national championship caliber teams from the USA.
Chuckanut got the opportunity to host the 2006 & 2007 USA National Club 7s Tournament.
Bellingham is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies 21 miles (34 km) south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle. The city had a population of 92,314 as of 2019.
Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland to the north, Okanogan County to the east, Skagit County to the south, San Juan County across Rosario Strait to the southwest, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Its county seat and largest population center is the coastal city of Bellingham, comprising the Bellingham, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and as of the 2020 census, the county's population was 226,847.
The United States men's national rugby union team represents the United States in men's international rugby union. Nicknamed the Eagles, it is controlled by USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. USA Rugby is a member of Rugby Americas North, one of six regional governing bodies under World Rugby. Until rugby returned to Olympic competition, with sevens at the 2016 Rio Games, the United States was the reigning Olympic rugby champion, having defeated the one other competitor in 1920 and the two other competitors at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
State Route 11 (SR 11) is a 21.28-mile (34.25 km) long state highway that serves Skagit and Whatcom counties in the U.S. state of Washington. SR 11, known as Chuckanut Drive, begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) north of Burlington and continues northwest through several small towns and the Chuckanut Mountains to the Fairhaven district of Bellingham, where the highway turns east and ends again at I-5.
The British Columbia Rugby Union (BCRU) is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in British Columbia, Canada. The BCRU consists of nine sub-unions and 65 clubs. It was originally organized in New Westminster in 1889 where Alfred St. George Hamersley, the former England rugby union captain and recent immigrant to Vancouver, and member of Vancouver Football (Rugby) Club, became the first President. The same man is credited with founding the Amateur Athletic Club of British Columbia. and previously had introduced the game of rugby to the youth of South Canterbury, New Zealand. The current headquarters is on the west side of Vancouver.
Rugby union in the United States is a fast growing sport in the nation. Rugby union at the youth, high school, college, amateur club, professional, and international levels is governed by USA Rugby. There are over 125,000 players registered with USA Rugby as of 2016. Over 2,500 rugby union clubs exist around the country, including those of whom are part of college rugby. Professional club competition has existed as Major League Rugby since 2017.
The Seattle Rugby Club is a rugby union club based in Seattle. The club travels throughout the US and into Canada. In 2014 the club was ranked as the number one US club while also playing in a Canadian league based in British Columbia (BCRU). Old Puget Sound Beach was a charter member of the now defunct USA Super League in the Pacific Coast USA Rugby territory.
United Rugby is a Canadian rugby union club that is based in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, representing the cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, and New Westminster. It was formed in 2005 with the joining of the Pocomo RFC and the Douglas College RFC.
The Fraser Valley Rugby Union (FVRU) is the administrative body for rugby union in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. The FVRU currently consists of 10 rugby clubs.
Takudzwa Ngwenya is a former rugby union player who played on the wing for the United States national rugby union team and Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14. He made his mark in the 2007 Rugby World Cup with tries against South Africa and Samoa.
The T.G. Richards and Company Store, also known as Whatcom County Courthouse and James B. Steadman Post No. 24, is the first and oldest brick building in the state of Washington, United States, and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Chuckanut Formation in northwestern Washington, its extension in southwestern British Columbia, and various related formations in central Washington are fluvial sedimentary formations of Eocene age, deposited from about 54 million years ago to around 34 million years ago. The nature of the deposits and included plant fossils indicate a low-lying coastal plain with a subtropical climate; the nature of the sediments indicates metamorphic sources in northeastern Washington.
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Todd Stanger Clever is an American retired rugby union player who holds shares in Austin Elite Rugby. He became the first American to play Super Rugby. At the international level, he was a member of the United States national team, served as captain, and is the most capped player in United States rugby union history.
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Vaea Naufahu Anitoni is an American former rugby union footballer who played wing. Anitoni is the all-time leading try scorer for the U.S. national team. Anitoni played for the United States national team from 1992 to 2000. During that period, Anitoni played in 46 matches, starting 44, and scored 26 tries, a record which still stands today.
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