This is an exciting and busy summer for Women’s High Performance rugby in the USA! The Women’s National Team will compete in the CanAm inVictoria, Canada in June and the Women’s Rugby World Cup in London in August and September.
The Women’s 7s Team will hold tryout camps in Californiain July. The athletes who represented the USA in the Women’s International Invitational 7s in Las Vegas in February will return to camp, along with a broad cross-section of athletes new to the 7s program.
The Women’s Collegiate All-American Touring Side, selected from schools across the country, will compete in the Women’s National All-Star Championship in Blaine,MN, on May 28-30. Finally, the Women’s Under 20 Team will compete in the U23 National All-Star Championship at UCSB on June 11-13, will hold an Open Tryout Camp at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, on July 29 – Aug 1, and will compete in the IRB’s NACRA Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, from August 14-23.
“We’ve been working hard for a year now to align all the Women’s National Team programs, as a major step toward re-defining the High Performance athlete identification and development pathway. The number of venues this summer offers significant opportunities for athletes to participate in HP camps and competitions at all levels. The Head Coaches of all the WHP programs are working together to identify talent and the doors are wide open for new faces to been seen and prospective athletes to make positive impressions.” Alex Williams, Women’s High Performance Manager
7s Tryout Camps
Whether you are already a rugby player or are a crossover athlete interested in rugby, now is your chance to try out for the Women’s National Sevens Team!
Hosted by the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Women’s National Sevens Team will hold a series of tryout camps this summer. Head Coach Ric Suggitt will hold three sessions in July:
Session 1- July 8-11
Session 2 – July 11-14
Session 3 – July 15-18
Each camp will serve three main goals: the development of key sevens skills and knowledge, an understanding of the fitness requirements for success in international sevens, and the assessment of each athlete’s potential to compete for the WNT Sevens program.
Each session will include approximately 30 athletes. The majority of the spots will be filled by invitation; however, Coach Suggitt has left a number of spots in each session open to interested athletes.
“We have observed National Championships and video to identify a large list of athletes in establishing a player base and depth chart. Combined with the initial group inLas Vegas, the Women’s Seven pool appears very promising moving forward to Rio 2016.” Suggitt says.
The open spots in each camp will be filled through an application process. Athletes may nominate themselves or be nominated by their coach. To apply, please email Coach Ric Suggitt at rsuggitt@usarugby.org and include ALL of the following information:
(A) Player name
(B) Player age & birthdate
(C) Player email address
(D) Player phone number
(E) Player school or club
(F) Name of school or club coach
(G) Coach contact numbers
(H) What specific strengths qualify you/your athlete for attendance at the WNT Sevens Tryout Camps?
U20 Tryout Camp
Coach Bryn Chivers will once again hold an open tryout camp for the U20 Women’s National Team. The camp will be hosted by Marquette University, in Milwaukee, Wis. from July 29 through August 1, 2010.
Any interested female athlete between the ages of 13 and 19 is encouraged to attend the camp, which will include instruction by Coach Chivers, Assistant Coach and former Eagle Danielle Miller, Assistant Coach Kurt Weaver, and a number of additional territorial, collegiate and high school coaches.
All athletes attending the camp will receive field and classroom sessions, position-specific coaching, individual feedback and evaluation, and the opportunity to interact with National team coaches and athletes.
“We want to provide players with as many pathways to the U20 WNT as possible,” said Chivers. “Not every player is going to get viewed through the National Championships or representative level play and this open camp will give a lot more players the opportunity to work with the U20 WNT Coaches. “The previous camps have yielded some great U20 WNT players and I am looking forward to another crop of young and talented athletes attending the camp this year.”
For more information, including registration instructions, please download the brochure and registration form, or contact U-20 WNT Manager Jeff Noe atJeff.Noe@constellation.com
U20 National Team FLIGHT Camp Details
Who: Female athletes age 13-19
What: The USA Rugby U20 WNT player development open camp.
Why: This is an open camp designed to give young players of all skill levels an opportunity to receive coaching from the USA Rugby U20 Women’s National Team Coaching Staff. Campers will receive;
- Six field sessions and two classroom sessions
- Position specific coaching
- Individual player evaluation and feedback
- Opportunity to interact with USA National team players and coaches
When: July 29-Aug 1, 2010 (Athletes should arrive by 4 PM July 29 and may depart after 1 PM on the 1st.)
Where: Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI …more
In collaboration with the University of Minnesota Women’s Rugby Club, the Valkyries held an impressive clinic for local high school girls on Saturday April 17th, 2010. The all-day event, which began with an exciting scrimmage vs. the U of M, was attended by over 70 local high school rugby women and culminated with a BBQ and time to relax in the sunshine.
