Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Midwest Win U19 iNASC




FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Midwest U-19 team captured a 22-14 victory over the NortheastU19’s to win the Women’s U-19 Invitational National All-Star Championships. 

This was the sixth annual U-19 iNASC tournament, with the previous events being held in Nashville TN, Fort Lauderdale FL and Las Flores, CA. The 2011 competition featured teams representing five of the USA Rugby Territorial Unions, as well as a developmental squad comprised of a handful of players selected from the current U-20 Women’s National Team pool and younger players recommended by the TU-19, college and high school coaches. This was a slightly different format to previous years due to the Pacific and West territories being unable to field U-19 sides.

The six team tournament kicked off on Saturday, with very good matches in both pools. 


Saturday Results

Pool 1
MARFU def. South, 26-7
Northeast def South, 33-0
Northeast def MARFU, 12-0

Pool 2
U20 Dev def SoCal, 15-11
Midwest def SoCal, 54-0
Midwest def U20 Dev, 5-0

The outcome of day one set the stage for a set of Sunday match-ups with the winners of each pool facing each other for the Championship title. Sunday kicked off with a very well contested game between SoCal and the South. With both sides greatly improved from previous years the quality of play was high and the game was played end to end. SoCal won out 17-7.

The second game of the day saw a good MARFU side unfortunately depleted by injury, run into a U20 Developmental Side smarting from a first day loss. The U20‘s scored several early tries and continued to pull away to a 69-8 win. 

The final pitted a strong and disciplined Midwest U-19 team against a Northeast U19 squad who were growing in confidence with very game. 
The Midwest got on the board early with a couple of tries and looked to have the game in hand until a comeback by the Northeast made for a very exciting second half. The score at the final whistle was 22-14 in favor of the Midwest who took home their second U19 iNASC Title. 

Sunday Results
SoCal def South, 17-7
U20 Dev def MARFU, 69-8
Midwest def Northeast, 22-14

“The quality of play continues to improve, especially at the breakdown. SoCal completely out rucked the U20 Dev Side on Saturday and came so close to a memorable win.” USA Under-20 Women’s Head Coach Bryn Chivers said. 
“The Fort Lauderdale men and Fort Lauderdale/Miami women did an incredible job in hosting another great U19 iNASC, Holding the event in conjunction with the girls sevens tournament created a wonderful day of rugby.”

For more information on the Under-19 Invitational National All-Star Championship or to recommend prospective players for the Under-20 WNT, please contact U-20 Head Coach Bryn Chivers.
bryn.chivers@gmail.com

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Northeast U19 Select Side Open Camps




Dartmouth College 
Sunday, September 18, 9am-3pm

Albany NY

Sunday September 25,  9am-3pm

The camps are open to all NRU (NERFU, NYSRC, METNY) female players born on or after September 1st 1991. The camps will lead to the selection of a U19 Select Side that will represent the Northeast at the U19 Invitational National All Star Championships to be held November 19/20 in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. 


Players must make at least one camp to be eligible for selection. 

The NRU U19 Program provides players with the opportunity to play representative level rugby in a national tournament format. Coaches from the USA  Rugby U20 Women's National Team will attend the NRU tryouts and the U19 iNASC tournament.

Registration: Please click the link below to register for one or both cams.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dDAxN2pOYkEycjFLQy1weXJSdnVXcXc6MQ

Level of Commitment: If selected for the NRU U19 team, players must  be available for at least 1 training session/matche before the tournament.

U19 iNASC: November 19th and 20th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Players must  arrive on Friday by 2pm

Additional Information:
At this time we are trying to secure funding and  sponsorship for players but players must be able to provide their own transportation to and from practices, games, camps and the tournament.

Questions: Contact Northeast U19 Head Coach Tiffany Renaud tiff64@earthlink.net

Sunday, September 4, 2011

South U19 Camp Announced

2011 South U19 All-Star Tryout and Camp 


Who: Female rugby players born on after September 1, 1991. This includes members of high-school, college, and club teams that meet the age requirement. We HIGHLY encourage college and club teams to recommend this program to their high-performing players. All players must be CIPP and have health insurance to participate. 


What: Tryout and camp. Open to all high-performing athletes. In addition, we are interested in development of those athletes who are within a year of being your high-performing athletes. 

Where: Cedar Grove Elementary School, Atlanta GA When: October 8/9, 2011


How: Start communicating about this program with your parents, administrators, coaches, and players so they can begin making plans to attend. 


Cost $50. Pay ahead of time via PayPal and be on my 'good' list. Send to nancyrugby@gmail.com. You can also bring the money to camp. Cash or check, but rubber checks not appreciated. Lunches, snacks, and beverages are provided. There may be a social event Saturday evening (dinner, movie, ?) so plan accordingly


You must be CIPP registered to participate. Renew your membership atwww.usarugby.org. Click on Membership. 


Bring to camp: Liability Waiver: Player Profile Form: USARS 2011 Player Profile Form Dark jersey Light jersey Personal water bottle Running shoes Mouthguard, scrum cap, boots, and any other rugby specific gear Rugby shorts 

Do NOT forget to bring your paperwork. It must must must be signed by a parent/guardian if you are under 18!!! If you want to scan and send to nancyrugby@gmail.com ahead of time that is wonderful.

1. Liability Waiver: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcs5tt6q_22hd25qqcn

2. Profile Form: http://www.usarugbysouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/USARS-2011-Player-Profile-Form.pdf



The USA South U19 Select Side will participate in the 2011 Women’s U19 Invitational National All-Star Championships to be held in Forth Lauderdale on November 19th/20th 2011


South U19 Program Staff 
Head Coach: Eric Keys 
Assistant Coaches: Kris Graziano and Jay Hawkins 
Team Manager: Nancy Campbell Team 
Trainer: Lisa O’Donnell


For more information contact Nancy Campbell 
nancyrugby@gmail.com

Saturday, August 13, 2011

U20 WNT Flight Camp

August 4th - 7th, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.



Nearly sixty players from fifteen states attended the U20 WNT Flight camp. This was an open camp for any players born on or after September 1st 1991 and for most of the players this was their first camp of this level. With six field sessions and two classroom sessions the players were immersed in rugby for three days and this resulted in a great improvement in individual and team skills over the course of the camp.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

U20 Nations Cup Round Up



Sorry it took three weeks to get this done. The U20 Nations Cup ended in a loss for the USA U20 WNT but they left with heads held high. Down 0-31 to England and with the loss of their Captain, Katie Johnson, the U20 rallied in the second half to score a try and two penalties to make the final 11-48. Still not pretty but the 11-17 second half was the best performance we've had against England. Small steps.

We took twenty Six players to Santa Barbara and amazingly we had all twenty six available for the final. This was the first tour that we had every player healthy at the end of the assembly and this was due to the incredible work of our team Physio, Carmela deLuna, She worked long hours keeping the players held together with anything at hand.

Food - Let's say that the cafeteria didn't serve up the food of champions. Every team had to subsidize their meals with trips to the grocery store.

Off Days - Watching sea lions in Santa Barbara, time with parents and friends, visiting the wheelchair rugby players, petting baby sharks, going to the Harry Potter movie and any meal that wasn't in the cafeteria.

Kit swap - It's a tradition that the players bring all their extra kit and after the last game the players swap kit with the other teams. This was one of the best. England had great rain gear and fleeces, the South Africans had backpacks that became the most sought after item. We had the least amount of kit as we didn't get much for the event but everyone was able to haggle and got some good stuff.




Saturday, July 23, 2011

U20 WNT Squad for U20 Nations Cup Final


The coaches made three changes to the starting team that beat Canada. Coco Carey and Alycia Washington come into the forwards and Kiki McKnight comes into the backs. Five players will start their fourth game of the tour, Jen Sandifer, Amee Svatos, Katie Johnson, Bui Baravilala and Meya Bizer.

USA U20 WNT v England U20’s.

1. Colleen Carey U of Colorado
2. Jennifer Sandifer Navy
3. Dorothy Mittow Princeton
4. Kathryn Humphreys Central Washington
5. Alycia Washington U of Connecticut
6. Mackenzie Lewis Mesa State College
7. Amee Svatos Canby, OR
8. Kathryn Johnson U of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
9. Haley Anderson Summit, CO
10. Allyson Day Portland, ME
11. Kyandrea Mcknight U of Central Florida
12. Akalaini Baravilala Aliamanu Blues
13. Amelia Bizer Woodlands, TX
14. Jacie Vonada South Dakota State
15. Alexandra Brown Radcliffe

16. Monica Jackson Cougar Women’s Rugby
17. Grace Hovde U of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
18. Kimberly La Mons Fallbrook, CA
19. Chloe Harper U of North Georgia
20. Joanne Fa'avesi Sacramento Amazons, CA
21. Amy Naber U of Arizona
22. Ashley Okonta Notre Dame

Thursday, July 21, 2011

USA U20 WNT beat Canada 15-5

Hard to explain what this result meant to the team. Losing twice to Canada last year by a total of four points was such a disappointment after the solid win against Canada in the 2009 Nations Cup. We made a lot of mistakes but still came way with a win that earns us a second consecutive trip to the final of the U20 Nations Cup.

Here is the game report from USA Rugby.

Canada vs. USA
The USA was able to defeat Canada 15-5 and earn a spot in the final on Saturday July 23. The victory was a big one for the U.S. team who is making big strides in reaching the U20 Women’s Nations Cup Final.
The first half of play was characterized by solid defensive play from both teams. It wasn’t until the 30th minute when Amelia Bizer was able to make a penalty kick to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead in a tight match.
The first score of the match didn’t necessarily open the floodgates, but it did provide a spark for Canada, who played the ball nicely to loose forward, Cindy Nelles in the 34th minute for a try. The failed conversion attempt made the score 5-3 in favor of Canada at half time.
The two teams match up very will against each other, proven in the minimal scoring throughout the second half as well.
Neither team was able to make gains significant enough to cross the try line until Amelia Bizer did so in the 62nd minute after great ball movement that set her up for the strong run and score. Bizer, who will be playing football on scholarship at the University of St. Mary’s, Leavenworth, Kansas in the fall, made the conversion to give the U.S. a one try cushion heading into the crucial final 15 minutes of play.
The young women from the U.S. showed strong poise in the waning minutes of the match when the inside center, Akalaini Baravilala, touched down for a try and sealed the U.S.’s fate.
The hard-fought match was a valuable learning experience for the U.S. team who is facing and England team that beat them 37-0 just a few days ago. If England is to be defeated, the U.S. must play extremely physical and good fundamental rugby while limiting mistakes that will be capitalized on by England.
That match will be webcast live on USA Rugby’s UStream channel on Saturday July 23 at 4 P.M. PDT.
USA - 15
Tries: Bizer, Baravilala
Conversions: Bizer
Penalty Kicks: Bizer

Canada - 5
Tries: Nelles

USA U20 WNT v Canada U20’s.

1. Dorothy Mittow Princeton
2. Jennifer Sandifer Navy
3. Monica Jackson Cougar Women’s Rugby
4. Kathryn Humphreys Central Washington
5. Grace Hovde U of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
6. Mackenzie Lewis Mesa State College
7. Amee Svatos Canby, OR
8. Kathryn Johnson U of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
9. Haley Anderson Summit, CO
10. Allyson Day Portland, ME
11. Jacie Vonada South Dakota State
12. Akalaini Baravilala Aliamanu Blues
13. Amelia Bizer Woodlands, TX
14. Ashley Okonta Notre Dame
15. Alexandra Brown Radcliffe

16. Alycia Washington U of Connecticut
17. Colleen Carey U of Colorado
18. Kimberly La Mons Fallbrook, CA
19. Chloe Harper U of North Georgia
20. Miranda Wakimoto Boston University
21. Kayla Vlachos Jupiter, FL
22. Joanne Fa'avesi Sacramento Amazons, CA

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

All Fall Down

A snippet of video of the U20 WNT having fun before practice.

Pictures from the Game against South Africa.


Here is a link to some pictures of the U20 WNT game against South Africa that were taken by Xanni Brown's mom.

http://ls3.smugmug.com/2011Nat​ionsCup/USA-v-South-Africa-714​2011/18110008_8BnrFs#138958192​4_RD8FLhz

U20 Nations Cup Day 8


Free day #2.

Post game day recovery and free time. Day started with breakfast and a pool session with Mel and a yoga session with Miller. The players then split into two groups for the rest of the day.

Group #1 was made up of players who were going to spend the afternoon and evening with family. This group spent the morning teaching Rookie Rugby at a United Way day camp. Around 3 pm they left to spend the afternoon and evening with family.

Grace Hovde - In the morning, half our team went to a United Way day camp called Fun in the Sun and spent time playing games and teaching the campers a little something about the wonderful game of rugby! We demonstrated line-outs, scrums, and tackles. The line-out with our new friend Benito was a crowd favorite. We ate lunch with the kids and got to learn a little about their activities and interest. This also gave the campers a chance to ask us some questions about ourselves and about rugby. After lunch, we went over to the field and spent some time passing, scrumming, drop-kicking, and lifting the kids in line-outs, which they particularly enjoyed. There are definitely some budding rugby stars among them! Then, Kurt handed out posters to the campers for us to autograph and we took some individual and group pictures. We all had a great time and agreed that it was an extremely rewarding and really fun experience! We were able to spend some free time that afternoon with our families, which was nice and relaxing. We had a great day!"

Group #2 had free time in the morning and used it to go shopping and get some lunch that was not cafeteria food. In the afternoon they attend a sports camp on the UCSB Campus and taught some basic rugby skills to eighty young children.

Alycia Washington. - About half of the team that did not have family in the area got a chance to teach rookie rugby to a camp in Santa Barbara. When we arrived at the camp, some of the campers looked bewildered at the look of the larger, oblong football. But, soon they were passing in small groups and getting a feel for the ball. We informally taught them how to catch and pass backwards; a few of them even learned how to stiff arm. Next, we had them get in lines behind an Eagle for relay races. These races taught them how to run and pass at the same time. The campers were also taught how to do a very enthusiastic “Try Dance” by Captain Jennifer Sandifer. Once the kids were warmed up, they were awed by a lineout jump. To give them a more hands on feel for the game, they were lifted by Eagles and had a chance to throw the ball into a lineout.. Every child was invited to the Nations Cup Championship and got a Nations Cup poster that was later signed by the
Eagles. We had a great time teaching the campers about rugby. All the girls felt good about having a chance to give back the sport that has given us all so much. The session was topped off by a few campers promising that they would play rugby when they were old enough.

This group spent the evening at the movies with Harry Potter 7.2 and Horrible Bosses being the choices. It was a 75/25 split in favor of the young wizard. Afterwards they ate dinner at Chili’s and this was chance for everyone to get some red meat (see note below about the cafeteria) and sing happy birthday to Katie Humphreys.

Cafeteria - The food in the cafeteria was fine for the first couple of days but it feels like it’s been the same menu every day for a week. The lack of meat that is not in a sauce has left the players needing a change. We’ve had to start making runs to the grocery store for things like cold cuts, cheese, peanut butter, etc, for lunch.

Back to practice tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

U20 WNT Lose to England

The USA U20 WNT played England today and lost 37-0. It was a bit of a one sided battering with the U20's getting very little opportunity to play offense. Despite the lop sided nature of the game there were players who had solid performances. Kayla Vlachos and Jacie Vonada both played well in their first intentional starts and both made some try saving tackles.

A full report of the game can be found on the USA Rugby Website.

http://www.usarugby.org/#cc%3D%5BApplication%5D%5C%5CStructure%5C%5CContent%5C%5CBrand%20Resource%20Center%5C%5CContent%5C%5CHome%5C%5CNewsArchive%5C%5C21125036-1296-B9B4-9772-0A9E51660CED%5C%5C23181D59-12DD-E426-75C6-A4229374EBEF%5C%5C23181D59-1313-E6DA-7B51-6FBAFF508738%7B%7BTab%3AView%7D%7D

Sunday, July 17, 2011

U20 Nations Cup - Day 6

The team had a good morning practice as we worked through some issues from Thursday’s game. The afternoon session seemed to get bogged down for both the forwards and the backs as some new combinations and ideas seemed to slow the process. The coaches felt better at the end of the session and I think we’ve selected a very good side for the game against England.

Coaches had some talks with players ahead of the team meeting and Jersey Ceremony. It’s a tough situation when you have twenty-six talented players and only twenty-two jerseys. It’s hard to tell four players that they won’t play in an international against England. Only six players retain their starting spot from the game against South Africa as the coaches try some new combinations.

USA U20 WNT v England U20’s.

1. Colleen Carey U of Colorado
2. Jennifer Sandifer Navy
3. Kimberly La Mons Fallbrook, CA
4. Grace Hovde U of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
5. Kiana Saluni Oregon State
6. Chloe Harper U of North Georgia
7. Amee Svatos Canby, OR
8. Kathryn Johnson U of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
9. Joanne Fa'avesi Sacramento Amazons, CA
10. Allyson Day Portland, ME
11. Kayla Vlachos Jupiter, FL
12. Akalaini Baravilala Aliamanu Blues
13. Kyandrea Mcknight U of Central Florida
14. Jacie Vonada South Dakota State
15. Amelia Bizer Woodlands, TX

16. Dorothy Mittow Princeton
17. Alycia Washington U of Connecticut
18. Brittany Larson Kent, WA
19. Kathryn Humphreys Central Washington
20. Haley Anderson Summit, CO
21. Amy Naber U of Arizona
22. Alexandra Brown Radcliffe

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Chloe Harper fishing

U20 WNT flanker Chloe Harper goes fishing in Santa Barbara.

U20 Nations Cup. Day 5


This was the first free day for the players. The players got an extra hour and a half before wake up call and then it was off to breakfast. The morning activity was a pool recovery session with Mel and a yoga session with Miller. Players from last years Bahamas tour warned the new players about Millers “gentle workouts” so they were prepared for the yoga session only a boot camp drill sergeant would enjoy. All reports were that Miller is getting soft in her old age as the session was very enjoyable.

Afternoon was spent in different ways. Miller took a small group to the beach while all the other players caught the bus into Santa Barbara. Jeff, Austin, Mel and myself all chaperoned small groups of players and player’s families as we wandered around downtown Santa Barbara. Here are some reports from the players.

Jacie Vonada – “Day after our victorious game against South Africa we got to venture out and explore Santa Barbara, CA. Jen, Alycia, Kiana, Monica, Dot, Amee and I led by Jeff Noe decided to go to the Ty Warner Sea Center. We took the bus to State Street and walked up the board walk to the Sea Center where we were able to pet small sharks, rays, starfish and sea cucumbers. Watching Jeff puppeteer a shark puppet and eating some great frozen yogurt at Pinkberry topped off our excellent day”.

Xanni Brown – “Today a group of us went with Coach Bryn and Mel to downtown Santa Barbara to explore and check out Stearns Wharf. After a long wait at the bus stop, we finally got on the 24x bus. It was a little crowded because the whole England team was on there too, but we all fit without incident. When we got downtown we walked along State Street for a few blocks, window shopping at all the cool stores until we got to the wharf. We saw a couple seals and some pelicans and even got ice cream, so it was a really fun day!”

Quote of the day came from Dot Mitow. “I was tasered once. They really shouldn’t do that to 6th graders”.

This evening the South African women were dancing and singing in one of their rooms and some of the U20’s joined in around the edge. Was an interesting sight to see Grace Hovde, our big Scandinavian lock from Wisconsin, in a group of much smaller South African women. The evening ended with a video session where we watched the first half of yesterday’s game. All agred that there is a lot we need to tighten up before the game against England on Sunday.

Back to practice tomorrow.

USA U20 WNT Wins U20 Nations Cup Opener.



Nations Cup day 4, game day 1.

First game and we started with s solid 27 – 3 win against the South Africa U20’s.

We had a gentle run through this morning and while there were some problems still to resolve the team looked ready for this evenings game. The great upside to a half pace, non-contact run through was that the couple of players with injuries were able to rejoin their teammates in practice. It was good to have all twenty-six back on the field together.

Middle of the day involved lunch, nap, taping, snack and pre game ritual.

Game – We knew that the South Africans would contest the breakdown in a way that was unfamiliar to most American players and this difference turned out to be a contributing factor in the outcome of the game. Early in the first half South Africa gave away penalties for hands in the ruck and were let off as Meya Bizer pushed both just wide. South Africa got on the score sheet first with a penalty by their very talented fullback Marithy Pienaar but this would be their only score of the day. Meya Bizer kicked a penalty to tie the game at 3-3 after repeated infractions at the break down by South Africa resulted in one of many yellow cards on the day. The USA forwards began to dominate all phases of play and this resulted in tries for Haley Anderson and Alycia Washington. Half time score USA 13 South Africa 3.
Early in the second half a South African player picked up a second yellow card that then brought out a red card from the referee. The USA got two tries from Amy Naber and Brittany Larson with both converted by Meya Bizer. Final score USA 27 South Africa 3.

USA U20 WNT v South Africa U20’s.

1. Dorothy Mittow Princeton
2. Jennifer Sandifer Navy
3. Monica Jackson Cougar Women’s Rugby
4. Alycia Washington U of Connecticut
5. Grace Hovde U of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
6. Mackenzie Lewis Mesa State College
7. Amee Svatos Canby, OR
8. Kathryn Johnson U of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (C)
9. Haley Anderson Summit, CO
10. Miranda Wakimoto Boston University
11. Alexandra Brown Radcliffe
12. Akalaini Baravilala Aliamanu Blues
13. Amy Naber U of Arizona
14. Ashley Okonta Notre Dame
15. Amelia Bizer Woodlands, TX

16. Colleen Carey U of Colorado
17. Brittany Larson Kent, WA
18. Kathryn Humphreys Central Washington
19. Kimberly La Mons Fallbrook, CA
20. Kyandrea Mcknight U of Central Florida
21. Joanne Fa'avesi Sacramento Amazons, CA
22. Jacie Vonada South Dakota State

Thursday, July 14, 2011

U20 Nations Cup Day 1-2

Sorry this is a recap of the first two days but there has been little time and I confess that I've chosen sleep over writing the blog. It's 1:30 am California time and this is the first chance I've had to get you all caught up.

Monday. Travel days are always tough. Kayla got bumped from her flight and instead of getting into LAX in the morning she didn't arrive until Midnight. This meant Jeff had to make another trip back to Los Angeles and they got back to SB around 2am. We had another wayward player who missed the evening practice because of bad planning and this resulted in a chat from the Captains. Evening practice was good. Shook off the cobwebs and worked on integrating the players who missed the Pittsburgh camp into the new players. Squad feels very cohesive.

Tuesday. Injury day. Lost three players to injury on the first day. One ankle sprain, one hand stepped on and a freak cut knee that needed stitches. Nothing that has ended anyone's tour and they should all be good to go by the game against England on Sunday.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

U20 WNT Video

Players from the U20 Women's National Team Player Pool in a promo video for the upcoming U20 Nations Cup.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

USA Squad for Women's U20 Nations Cup Announced



















USA Women’s Under-20 (U20) National Team Coach, Bryn Chivers, has officially announced the squad for the 2011 U20 Nations Cup to be held in Santa Barbara, Calif. from July 14-23 at the University of California – Santa Barbara (UCSB). The team will take on South Africa, Canada and England in that tournament.

The squad is comprised of 26 players from 26 different high school, college and club programs from all corners of the United States.

“This is a very different team for us,” said Chivers. “With only nine returning players from last year, this will be the least experienced squad we’ve had since the 2007 tour to England.”

While the squad may be a little green, they have already had success together. At the recent Collegiate National All-Star Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa., they beat the defending champions, the Northeast All-Stars, 24-5 in their opening game. The U20s staged a massive second half comeback in the final of that tournament, but narrowly lost to the Midwest with a final score 25-26.

“Holding the U20 Camp in conjunction with the gave us a great opportunity to work through combinations in practice and then challenge the players in high level competition,” said Chivers.

With so many new players, Chivers had some concerns about going into the All-Star event.

“We had some very good returning players like Katie Johnson (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee), Alycia Washington (University of Connecticut) and Akalaini Baravilala (At Large), but we were a little worried about having so many new players at camp.

It was clear after the first practice that the new players blended in seamlessly and the team chemistry improved with every practice.”

Chivers pointed out that some exciting new players factored into the team’s success like Jennifer Sandifer (Navy), Grace Hovde (University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh), and Meya Bizer (Woodlands H.S., Texas).

All of the U20s Nations Cup games will be webcast on USA Rugby’s UStream Channel, www.ustream.tv/usarugby. To follow the USA Women’s U20s, check out their blog: http://womeneaglesu20s.blogspot.com.

The U20 Nations Cup mirrors the Women’s Nations Cup which will be held from August 2 - 13 in Oakville, Ontario. The senior women’s national teams from England, Canada, South Africa and the United States will take part in that tournament.

USA Women’s U20 | 2011 Women’s U20s Nations Cup

Forwards
Colleen Carey (University of Colorado), Chloe Harper (University of North Georgia), Grace Hovde (University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh), Katie Humphreys (Central Washington University), Monica Jackson (Cougar Women’s Rugby), Katie Johnson (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee), Kim La Mons (Fallbrook H.S., Calif.), Brittany Larson (Kent, Wash.), Mackenzie Lewis (Mesa State College), Dorothy Mittow (Princeton), Kiana Saluni (Oregon State), Jennifer Sandifer (Navy), Amee Svatos (Rugby Oregon), Alycia Washington (University of Connecticut)

Backs
Haley Anderson (Summit County), Akalaini Baravilala (At Large), Amelia Bizer (Woodlands H.S., Texas), Xanni Brown (Radcliffe), Allyson Day (Portland H.S., Maine), Joanne Fa'avesi (Sacramento Amazons), Kyandrea McKnight (University of Central Florida), Amy Naber (University of Arizona), Ashley Okonta (Notre Dame), Kayla Vlachos (Jupiter Rugby), Jacie Vonada (South Dakota State), Miranda Wakimoto (Boston University)

Alternates in case of injury
Lauren Barber (Penn State), BrieAnna Barto (Penn State), Ann Marie Bowlus (University of California - Santa Cruz), Tara Burke (Fallbrook H.S., Calif.), Mariah Edmond (Arizona State), Laurel Oldershaw (Brown University), Jerilyn Peko (Kent, Wash.), Hannah Price (Summit County), Adrianne Rubiaco (Sacramento Amazons), Junelle Steward (University of Central Florida)

Considered but Unavailable Due to Injury
Holly Zoeller (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)

USA WOMEN’S UNDER 20s NATIONS CUP | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SANTA BARBARA
July 14: USA v. South Africa (Storke Field, UCSB)
July 17: USA v. England (Storke Field, UCSB)
July 20: USA v. Canada (Harder Stadium, UCSB)
July 23: U20 Women’s Nations Cup (Harder Stadium, UCSB)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

U20 WNT Open Camp Aug 4th –7th, 2011


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: Aug 4th –7th, 2011
(Athletes should arrive by 4 PM Aug 4th and may depart after 1 PM on the 7th.) Where: Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI

Camp Staff:
• U20 WNT Head Coach: Bryn Chivers
• U20 WNT Assistant Coaches: Danielle Miller, Austin Hall & Karl Barth
• Other Assistant Coaches TBA.
• U20 WNT Managers: Brittany Houston & Jeff Noe

Transportation:
Flight itineraries should be sent to Brittany Houston - houstonb@uwm.edu and transportation will be coordinated to/from General Mitchell airport (MKE). All camp activities will occur within walking distance of the residence halls.

FURTHER DETAILS:
Meals: All meals will be provided and costs for each meal are included in the camp fee. Residence: Campers will be housed in residence halls at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. A 10:00 PM curfew will be enforced and residence halls will be monitored after hours.

What to Pack: Bed linens are provided, but campers should bring soap, towels, swimsuits, and other personal items. Coin laundry facilities are available. Medical Fees and Insurance: USA Rugby will not provide medical insurance. USA Rugby urges participants to seek personal medical insurance coverage.

Cancellation: USA Rugby may cancel or postpone any activity because of insufficient enrollment or unforeseen circumstances. If a program is canceled, USA Rugby will refund registration fees, but cannot be held responsible for any other related expenses.

Rates (includes camp-related fees, meals, instruction, and a t-shirt):
• $250 - Campers who will be staying at the dorms
• $170 - Campers who will be commuting to camp daily and will not need to be accommodated in the dorms
For questions regarding camp contact: Brittany Houston - houstonb@uwm.edu

REGISTRATION FORM:
Complete the online registration form at:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGVvRVVna0VOZnRxdWdYbkg4VGtXWXc6MQ

Back Up and Running

We are back up and running, and just in time as the U20 Nations Cup is right around the corner.

Later today - Look for info on the upcoming U20 Flight Camp to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin August 4th-7th. This is an open camp for any player in the USA who was born on or after September 1st 1991.

Wednesday - We should be posting a recap of the first six months of the year with some pictures and video of the U20 Camps in March and June.

Thursday - We are announcing the 2011 U23 WNT Squad that will participate in the U20 Nations Cup to be held at UC - Santa Barbara, July 14th-23rd.