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One of the biggest tournaments in the country kicks off today as the Can-Am Rugby Tournament in Saranac Lake, NY begins its 36th year.

Exactly 100 teams are slated to participate, and with 98 percent all paid up, tournament organisers are not expecting too many last-minute no-shows.

All the brackets are strong, with the women’s and men’s social brackets being the areas with the biggest growth, said tournament committee member John Burns.

“We have 24 teams in the women’s competition, and they will all play in pool, then be seeded out depending on their pool finish. There’s definitely a lot of interest.”

The Men’s Premier Division is competitive, but small at six teams. Old Blue leads the field with the tournament giving them more game time and preparation ahead of Nationals. With Brockport, Penn State, Amoskeag, Mystic River and the KC Rogues adding fuel to the fire.

The Over-50 division brings seven teams to the North Country, including Blackthorn who are unbeaten in three years. Blackthorn remains the favored in a division that continues to be popular among players.

In the Over-45 division Myths and Legends will look to make it two in a row and defend their 2008 Championship. White Plains and Albany will challenge them as will home team Mountaineer Old Boys.

The over-35 division features a six-team field that includes 2008 champs Schenectady Reds. White Plains will look to disrupt their progress though.

Meanwhile the Men’s Club Division is huge, at 16 teams. Buffalo are the defending champions but there’s lots of talk about the East Side Hyenas. And fans should watch out for Canadians Balmy Beach as well.

Bigger still is the Men’s Social Division, with 32 teams involved. It’s tough to pick who will take this one, but organizers like the Mountaineers.

In the 24-team women’s bracket, Beantown, New York, Toronto Nomads should all challenge.

The games will be held at Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, and will finish up at North Country Community College.

On Friday the Old Boys get started at Saranac Lake, and then both venues will feature all divisions on Saturday. Sunday’s semis and finals will be at NCCC.

During the Premier Final halftime, there will be an exhibition 7s game of players from the USA and Canada. The teams will have been put together by selectors from the participating clubs.