USA Rugby U20 WNT

2012 U20 Women's National Team Camp

2012-01-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

The 2012 U20 Women's National Team Camp will be held on March 8th - 11th in Atlanta. GA. The U20 WNT coaching staff will use the event as the primary selection venue for the 2012 U20 WNT that will compete in a series of international matches this summer including a tour to Scotland and England.

Coaches who would like to recommend a player for the camp can do so until Jan 23rd by contacting Bryn Chivers directly at bryn.chivers@gmail.com or by using the online U20 WNT New Player Recommendation Form.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dHVYUFA1NXpNSUQ0MHFHNzJvR2dRUFE6MQ#gid=0

Bryn Chivers
Head Coach, USA U20 Women's National Team

Cell: 773 308 4540
Email: bryn.chivers@gmail.com

Midwest Win U19 iNASC

2011-11-23T14:16:00.001-08:00

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

Northeast U19 Select Side Open Camps

2011-09-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

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

South U19 Camp Announced

2011-09-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

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 GAWhen: 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 CampbellTeam
Trainer: Lisa O’Donnell

For more information contact Nancy Campbell
nancyrugby@gmail.com

U20 WNT Flight Camp

2011-08-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

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.

U20 Nations Cup Round Up

2011-08-11T16:28:00.001-07:00

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.

U20 WNT Squad for U20 Nations Cup Final

2011-07-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

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

USA U20 WNT beat Canada 15-5

2011-07-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

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

All Fall Down

2011-07-20T01:27:00.000-07:00

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

Pictures from the Game against South Africa.

2011-07-20T00:29:00.000-07:00

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/2011NationsCup/USA-v-South-Africa-7142011/18110008_8BnrFs#1389581924_RD8FLhz

U20 Nations Cup Day 8

2011-07-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

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.

U20 WNT Lose to England

2011-07-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

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

U20 Nations Cup - Day 6

2011-07-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

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

Chloe Harper fishing

2011-07-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

U20 WNT flanker Chloe Harper goes fishing in Santa Barbara.

U20 Nations Cup. Day 5

2011-07-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-07-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

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

U20 Nations Cup Day 1-2

2011-07-14T01:23:00.001-07:00

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.

U20 WNT Video

2011-07-13T23:36:00.000-07:00

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

Posters for the U20 Nations Cup

2011-07-08T18:32:00.001-07:00

USA Squad for Women's U20 Nations Cup Announced

2011-06-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

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)

U20 WNT Open Camp Aug 4th –7th, 2011

2011-06-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

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.

U20 WNT Wants Player Recommendations

2010-12-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

By RUGBYMag.com Staff

USA U20 Women's Head Coach Bryn Chivers is looking for new candidates for his team going into the 2011 season.

The U20 WNT will hold a camp March 3-6 in Cocoa, Fla., and he's looking for recommendations from smaller schools and programs.

In July 2011 USA Rugby will host the Women’s U20 Nations Cup, the premier international competition at the U20 level. England, Canada and South Africa are expected to participate, as well as others. This is the fourth time the event has been held, with the USA finishing fourth in 2007 and second in 2009.

In order to continue to build on the success of 2009 the U20 WNT is seeking assistance from coaches of women's college teams in identifying potential players for March camp.

"If coaches have an exceptional player on their squad, or know of a player on another team, then this is their opportunity to recommend her to the team," Chivers told RUGBYMag.com.

Players need to be born on or after September 1, 1990 to be eligible for the 2011 squad. Chivers said he would especially like to hear from coaches of smaller schools who may not have players on the territorial U19 sides.

“We get a lot of recommendations from the teams that consistently compete in the DI or DII National Championships, but we would like to hear about players on the smaller schools," Chivers explained. "There are a lot of exceptional players who are playing for teams that are not competing on the national stage.”

Coaches should contact Bryn Chivers by January 7th 2011 to recommend players for the camp.
Bryn Chivers
Head Coach U20 Women’s National Team
bryn.chivers@gmail.com
773 308 4540

MARFU U19 Program News

2010-09-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

The MARFU U19 Program will hold an initial tryout match on Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 in Westminster, Maryland at 1pm. This match will be all Northern based teams (any teams based in the EPRU Union, including West Carroll and North Bay) against all Southern based teams (teams in Potomac and Virginia Unions). The North team will be coached by West Carroll coach Brad Rockwood. All North players must contact Brad if they are interested in playing. Brad’s email is rockhead01@verizon.net The South team will be coached by Maryland Exiles coach Matthew Dyer. All South players must contact Matthew if they are interested in playing. Matthew’s email is matthewd@crcc.org Please include Name, Date of Birth, age, team affiliated with, position/s played, and number of years playing rugby. The coaches will compile team lists and notify players of meeting time, meeting location, game field location, and any other items that they deem necessary. Please contact these coaches for any questions about the North/South match.

Selections will be made from the North/South match and players will then be invited to future MARFU events leading up to the INASC in November. Here are dates, times and location of the future MARFU events.

October 3, 2010: North/South selection match in Westminster, MD 1pm kickoff. 1-4pm
New Windsor Middle School
1000 Green Valley Road
New Windsor, MD

October 17, 2010: Selected team camp, location in Virginia Union, time TBA October 24, 2010: MARFU team match vs ???, location TBA Nov 13 or 14, 2010: MARFU vs. PRU or VRU, or EPRU, TBA Nov 18-21: INASC All Star Championships in Southern California

We ask that players have a good knowledge of the game of rugby, however the North/South match is an open tryout. The MARFU coaching staff is looking for players that are interested in playing at the higher levels of rugby, and have the potential and drive to do so. Again, please note the birthdate cutoff of being born on or after September 1st, 1990. All players who meet that criteria are eligible. Please make sure that all players are CIPP certified.

This will be the only MARFU open tryout for the season. If you are interested in playing for the MARFU team, and you cannot make the tryout, please contact Tony or Kevin directly.

MARFU U19 FACEBOOK PAGE AT http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=152099817250&ref=ts PLEASE HAVE PLAYERS JOIN THE PAGE AND LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON THE PAGE CONCERNING TRYOUTS, MATCHES AND SELECTIONS.

Please notify the specific team coaches immediately concerning your interest to play in the North/South match. Please bring all necessary items to play in a match on game day. If you need taped, please bring taping supplies with you. We will have a trainer present, but they will not have tape available. Also, please bring a bag lunch and water for the tryout.

Directions and all other info will be provided by the specific team coaches.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you on Sunday, October 3, 2010.

Kevin Castner, Head Coach castner@live.com Tony DeRemer, Asst Coach aderemer@wcupa.edu

2010 South U19 All-Star Tryout and Camp

2010-09-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Who: Female rugby players born on after September 1, 1990. 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: Avondale Middle School, 3131 Old Rockbridge Rd, Avondale Estates GA 30002

When: October 9/10, 2010, Saturday 9-5, Sunday 9-4

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

Cost: $50 (Cash or Check. Can do PayPal on request.)

Lunches, snacks, and beverages are provided.

Hotel: To Be Announced Soon!

Bring to camp:

* Liability Waiver: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcs5tt6q_22hd25qqcn
* Player Profile Form: USARS 2010 Player Profile Form
* Dark jersey
* Light jersey
* Personal water bottle
* Running shoes
* Mouthguard, scrumcamp, boots, and any other rugby specific gear
* Rugby shorts

2010 Women’s U19 Invitational National All-Star Championships
Location and Date: To Be Announced
Details to be posted at: http://womeneaglesu20s.blogspot.com/

Program Staff
Head Coach:
Eric Keys

Assistant Coaches:
Kris Graziano
Jay Hawkins

Team Manager:
Nancy Campbell
ndenni01@bellsouth.net

Team Trainer:
Lisa O’Donnell

Random Leftover Stuff From NACRA Tour

2010-08-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Kurt likes to sneak up on players just when they are at their silliest. Here Rachel Ryan is the victim of of another edition of "Kurt's Kandid Kamera".

It’s hot. Temps have been in the mid 90’s and it’s tolerable when there are clouds but it’s incredibly hot when the sun is out. Humidity is high so you are soaked in sweat on the short walk to practice.

Jeff is having to do way more laundry than normal as there is no wearing the practice jerseys, t shirts, polos, etc for a second day.

The buses here are a hoot. They are tiny but hold 30 people. We charter one to get back and forth to the Winton Rugby Center that is about fifteen miles away on the other side of the island. The bus looks like crap on the outside and the inside is almost third world with these strange fold down seats that fill the aisle.......but the sound system is amazing. It's like owning a $1,000 Yugo with a $2,000 sound system. The driver plugs in his ipod and will let the players choose songs. The sound is crisp and the bass is deep, deep, dadada, deep. Makes for fun trips as the players sing to everything.

Chelsea Garber Try V Cayman Women

2010-08-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

Really nice moves from the U20 WNT backs resulting in a try for Chelsea Garber.

U20 WNT Drop NACRA Final 3-6

2010-08-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

The U20 WNT lost a fiercely contested NACRA final to the Canada U20's by a score of 3-6. It was a great game and both sides had good chances to score throughout the game.

The first half saw play go back and forth with both sides having opportunity to take the lead. Both defenses came out aggressively and It was clear early on that the Canada centers were going to have to move the ball quickly to avoid the big hitting Bui Baravilala. Canada had a chance to open the scoring on the 9th minute when they were awarded a penalty on the USA 22 but the kick sailed wide. The U20‘s had two first half shots at the post but the first of Bui Baravilala’s kicks went slightly wide and the second came back into play off the inside of the post. The USA also had the best try scoring opportunities as the speed of Bex Seibach caused problems for the Canada backs and only a last ditch Canadian tackle saved a certain try.

The second half looked the same as the first with both teams playing aggressive defense and making the most of the offensive opportunities. The USA took the lead 3-0 on a penalty by Chelsea Garber after a long passage of possession.

Canada countered with an attack that looked to have finally broken the USA defense as they created the only overload of the afternoon. Faced with a two on one situation Holly Zoeller put in a fine tackle that forced the final pass to be forward in the contact and the USA escaped with a scrum at the twenty two.

Canada tied the game with a penalty but the momentum seemed to be with the USA U20’s. Sloppy play resulted in a turnover in the Canada half and a series of penalties pushed the U20’s back towards their own twenty - two. Another misdemeanor gave the Canadians a shot at the posts, the kick was good and the score stood at 3-6 with nine minutes to play.

The USA finished the stronger and in the dying minutes drove into the Canadian 22 forcing Canada into giving up a penalty. Unfortunately Chelsea Garber's kick slid wide of the far post and the ref blew the whistle for the end of the game.

Head Coach Bryn Chivers was disappointed with the result “We lost another close one that we deserved to win and it seems we have a problem closing these games out. We’ve played Canada twice this year and lost by a total of four points.”. Asked about positives from the trip Chivers pointed to the overall development of the U20 program “The upside is that gone are the days when we would enter these games as the clear underdog. The development of the SBRO’s is producing players with the same amount of experience as their Canadian counterparts and if you look at the players that stood out at this event several of them came through the youth rugby programs”. Asked to name individual players that stood out Chivers pointed to players like Hawaii’s Bui Baravilala, Summit’s Haley Anderson, BYU’s Bex Siebach and the long time starting back row of Jozy Gessner, Katie Johnson and Candace Barley.

Jozy Gessner was awarded the USA MVP trophy.

USA U20 WNT 3 Canada U20’s 6
Pen: Garber

U20 WNT v Canada U20's
1 Wendy Sherman Colorado State
2 Rachel Ryan U of Wyoming
3 Brittany Rose Unattached (Replaced by Hathaway)
4 Katie Humphreys Kent, WA
5 Alycia Washington U Conn
6 Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN
7 Jozy Gessner Colorado State
8 Candace Barley Lee University (Replaced by Lewis)
9 Hailey Anderson Summit, CO
10 Hannah Lockwood Oregon State
11 Rebecca Siebach Women’s Cougar Rugby
12 Bui Baravilala Aliamanu Blues
13 Star Bollinger Women’s Cougar Rugby
14 Holly Zoeller U of North Carolina (Replaced by McKnight)
15 Chelsea Garber Brown

Reserves From:
16 Mileka Grager Western Washington
17 Andee Samborski Livingstone, MI
18 Katie Hathaway Norwich
19 Kiki McKnight U of Centaral Florida
20 McKenzie Lewis Mesa State
21 Amee Svatos Canby, OR
22 Kelly Sager Penn State
23 Anne Marie Bowlus U of California - Santa Cruz
24 Brittany O’Brien U of Rhode Island

USA U20's drop NACRA Final 3-6

2010-08-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

The U20 WNT lost a fiercely contested NACRA final to the Canada U20's by a score of 3-6. It was a great game and both sides had good chances to score throughout the game. The USA took the lead 3-0 on a penalty by Chelsea Garber but Canada came back with two penalties of their own. The USA finished the stronger and in the dying minutes drove into the Canadian 22 forcing Canada into giving up a penalty. Chelsea Garber's kick slid by the far post and the ref blew the whistle for the end of the game.

Jozy Gessner was awarded the USA MVP trophy.

Really was a great game and everyone back at home should be proud of the team. We're off to dinner. I will write a full report later tonight.

USA U20 WNT Selects For NACRA Final

2010-08-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

The U20 Women’s National Team announced the selections for the final of the 2010 NACRA Women’s Championships. The team takes on the Canada U20‘s at 5:00 PM on Friday at the Winton Rugby Complex in Nassau, Bahamas.

There are a few changes to the team that beat the Caribbean Select Side on Tuesday. Haley Anderson and Holly Zoeller return to the starting XV, Jozy Gessner moves back to her normal position of open side flanker with Katie Johnson moving over to the #6 jersey.

U20 Women's National Team v Canada U20's

1 Wendy Sherman Colorado State
2 Rachel Ryan U of Wyoming
3 Brittany Rose Unnatached
4 Katie Humphreys Kent, WA
5 Alycia Washington U Conn
6 Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN
7 Jozy Gesssner Colorado State
8 Candace Barley Lee Univeristy
9 Hailey Anderson Summit, CO
10 Hannah Lockwood Oregon State
11 Rebecca Seibach Women’s Cougar Rugby
12 Bui Baravilala Aliamanu Blues
13 Star Bolinger Women’s Cougar Rugby
14 Holly Zoeller U of North Carolina
15 Chelsea Garber Brown

Reserves From:
16 Mileka Grager Western Washington
17 Andee Samborski Livingstone, MI
18 Katie Hathaway Norwich
19 Kiki McKnight U of Centaral Florida
20 McKenzie Lewis Mesa State
21 Amee Svatos Canby, OR
22 Kelly Sager Penn State
23 Anne Marie Bowlus U of California - Santa Cruz
24 Brittany O’Brien U of Rhode Island

NACRA Championships Day 5

2010-08-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a free day for the players. A large group opted to spend the day on a trip out to a reef for some snorkeling and came back with reports of seeing stingray and barracuda. A smaller group went shopping in downtown Nassau and bought some small items while avoiding the Gucci/Coach/Louis Vuitton knockoffs. Market was incredibly tight with just a few feet between the rows of stalls. Lot’s of venders with great patter to get you to stop and shop and one tried to lure Kurt in by asking if he would like to “take something home to the wifey”.

Several players went to the beach across from the hotel. K.J.‘s second sport is diving so she took the opportunity to teach the local boys how to do inward dives off a cement pier (coach’s note: Aarrrggghhhh!) .......and I’m glad to report that there were no injuries.

Dinner tonight was at the Hard Rock Cafe and fajitas were the most popular choice on the menu. Rachel Ryan did a little dance for everyone and the video should be posted tomorrow. We had a video session tonight followed by cake and ice cream to celebrate Brit O’Brien’s 20th birthday. Overall it was a really fun day that I made sound boring as I’m incredibly tired and unable to string two sentences together.

Before I go to bed here is a message to our Women Eagles who kick off their World Cup on Friday against Kazakhstan.

Alycia Washington Try v Caribbean Select Side

2010-08-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

UConn's Alycia Washington scores for the U20 Women's National Team against the Caribbean Select Side.

USA U20 Women Win Second NACRA Game

2010-08-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Jozy Gessner scores for the U20 WNT

Nssau, Bahamas. The U20 Women’s National Team beat the Caribbean Select Side 30-7 on six tries from Jozy Gessner (2), Bex Seibach (2), Katie Humphreys and Alycia Washington.

With temperatures in the mid 90’s at game time the weather was always going to be a factor. In the same fashion as the first game, the USA came out of the gate fast and were prepared to play a creative, expansive game. Unfortunately a lack of composure and fatigue from the heat turned from creative to error strewn as the U20’s squandered several opportunities to get on the scoreboard early. Territorially the U20‘s dominated the first half but failed to convert pressure into points and were especially careless in the opposition twenty-two. With passes not going to hand, silly penalties and two players dropping the ball in the act of scoring they went into half time with a slim 10-7 lead on two well taken tries from Bex Seibach and Jozy Gessner,

The second half saw the U20’s come together as some personal changes created a different chemistry on the field. A shoulder high tackle from Rachel Ryan that was possibly more spectacular than dangerous brought out yellow card but the team was settled at that point and continues to dominate large passages of the game. Tries from Katie Humphreys and Alycia Washington were well deserved rewards for a pair of locks who had run hard all day. Bex Seibach and Jozy Gessner both notched up second scores as the U20’s calmed the nerves to run out 30-7 winners.

Head Coach Bryn Chivers was clearly disappointed with the quality of the game but not the outcome, “It was an ugly win but a win is a win. The team chemistry of Sunday was missing today and it turned into a game where you just grind out the win and move on.”
Chivers was happy with the play of some of the individuals and pointed out second rows Katie Humphreys of Kent, Washington and also to UConn’s Alycia Washington as players worth mentioning. “I thought both the locks did well today and they were still running hard at the end of the game. It’s rare for a big lock to put in an MVP like performance in ninety degree heat and yet both of them got out there and played eighty minutes of team rugby and both deserved a try apiece”.

The win puts the U20 WNT at the top of the NACRA standings at the end of pool play and they face the Canada U20’s in the final on Friday. The game kicks off at 5.00 PM at the Winton Rugby Center in Nassau, Bahamas

USA U20 WNT 30 Caribbean Select Side 7
Tries. Jozy Gessner (2), Bex Seibach (2), Katie Humphreys, Alycia Washington.

1 Wendy Sherman Colorado State (Replaced by Ryan) (Replaced by Sager)
2 Katie Hathaway Norwich
3 Brittany Rose Unnatached
4 Katie Humphreys Kent, WA
5 Alycia Washington U Conn
6 Amee Svatos Canby, OR
7 Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN (Replaced by Anderson)
8 Candace Barley Lee Univeristy (Replaced by Lewis)
9 Jozy Gesssner Colorado State.
10 Hannah Lockwood Oregon State
11 Rebecca Seibach Women’s Cougar Rugby
12 Bui Baravilala Aliamanu, Hawaii
13 Star Bolinger Women’s Cougar Rugby
14 Brittany O’Brien U of Rhode Island (Replaced by McKnight)
15 Chelsea Garber Brown

16 Rachel Ryan U of Wyoming
17 McKenzie Lewis Mesa State
18 Kelly Sager Penn State
19 Kiki McKnight U of Centaral Florida
20 Anne Marie Bowlus U of California - Santa Cruz
21 Holly Zoeller U of North Carolina
22 Hailey Anderson Summit, CO

U20 WNT Wins Again

2010-08-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

We beat the Caribbean Select Side 30-7 on six tries from Jozy Gessner (2), Bex Seibach (2), Katie Humphreys and Alycia Washington. It wasn't a pretty win but an ugly win is a win. The team was it's own worst enemy as we squandered chances against a very scrappy Caribbean Select Side.

I'm late for the dinner and hopefully I will have time to get a full report up later tonight.

Candace Barley try v Cayman

2010-08-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

NACRA Championships Day 5

2010-08-17T10:00:00.001-07:00

Had a good walk through this morning and everyone seems to be clicking. Barth ran the players through some defense, Kurt worked on some timing issues in the backs and Miller changed some foot positions with the lineout lifters. It's all minor stuff and everyone seems ready for this afternoons game against the Caribbean Select Side.

USA U20 WNT Selects For Second NACRA Game

2010-08-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

The U20 Women;s National Team announced the selections for their second game of the NACRA Championships.

There are eight changes to the team that won the tournament opener. Wendy Sherman, Katie Hathaway, Katie Humphreys, Amee Svatos, Jozy Gessner, Rebecca Seibach, Star Bollinger and Brittany O’Brien all earn their first start of the tour.

The team takes on the Caribbean Select Side at 3PM on Tuesday at the Winton Rugby Complex in Nassau, Bahamas.

U20 WNT v Caribbean Select Side
1 Wendy Sherman Colorado State
2 Katie Hathaway Norwich
3 Brittany Rose Unnatached
4 Katie Humphreys Kent, WA
5 Alycia Washington U Conn
6 Amee Svatos Canby, OR
7 Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN
8 Candace Barley Lee Univeristy
9 Jozy Gesssner Colorado State.
10 Hannah Lockwood Oregon State
11 Rebecca Seibach Women’s Cougar Rugby
12 Bui Baravilala Aliamanu, Hawaii
13 Star Bolinger Women’s Cougar Rugby
14 Brittany O’Brien U of Rhode Island
15 Chelsea Garber Brown

16 Rachel Ryan U of Wyoming
17 McKenzie Lewis Mesa State
18 Kelly Sager Penn State
19 Kiki McKnight U of Central Florida
20 Anne Marie Bowlus U of California - Santa Cruz
21 Holly Zoeller U of North Carolina
22 Hailey Anderson Summit, CO

U20’s Win NACRA Opener (Full report)

2010-08-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

NASSAU, Bahamas.
The U20 WNT won their opening game in the 2010 NACRA Championships as they defeated a spirited Cayman Islands Senior Women’s side by a score of 85-0. The start time of the game was pushed back by thirty minutes due to heavy rain and lightening but the U20’s were clearly unfazed by the delay. From the opening kick off they strung together a flowing multi-faze attack that saw ten different players touch the ball before a knock on in the Cayman twenty-two brought the play to a halt. Two plays later Bui Baravilala went on the first of many hard charging runs of the day and went in under the posts for the first try. Chelsea Garber kicked the conversion. The U20’s struck again right off the kick off as several the U20 forwards ran off each other before lock Alycia Washington offloaded to Kiki McKnight who beat a couple of defenders to touch down for the second try.

The Cayman team plays predominately sevens rugby and they had a difficult time adjusting to the hard running American forwards. This gave the U20 WNT backs plenty of space to launch their attacks and the U20’s scored six more tries in the half.

The U20 coaches used all the reserves in the second half as they took the opportunity to try some different combinations. The Junior Eagles scored another five tries in the second half and the five conversions apiece from Chelsea Garber and Bui Baravilala took the final score to 85-0.

Head Coach Bryn Chivers was pleased with the result but was cautiously optimistic about the teams upcoming games. “The team played well tonight but we saw the Canadians look equally impressive against the Caribbean Select Side. It’s easy for a young team to let down after a big win and the Caribbean women have the size and speed to cause us some problems if the players don’t stay focused”. Asked if anyone stood out in the game Chiver’s mentioned several players including Chelsea Garber from Brown and Bui Barivilala from Hawaii. “All the vets played well and several of the rookies stood out. Bui (Barivilala) was a force all game and scored a couple of nice tries but it was Chelsea Garber who was the revelation. She plays flyhalf on her own team so the move to fullback was a big experiment for us and she turned in a great all around performance”.

While Garber’s total of twenty-five points (3 tries, 5 conversions) in the game made her the top points scorer for a single U20 game and in total points for the U20 WNT program it was another milestone that made Chiver’s highlight of the game. “We were all excited for Peach (Haley Anderson) as her try tonight made her the youngest USA woman to score a try in an international game”.

The U20 WNT play their next game against the Caribbean Select Side who lost their opening game to the Canada U20’s.

Tries: Chelsea Garber (3), Bui Baravilala (2), Katie Johnson (2), Kiki McNight (2), Ann Marie Bowlus, Candace Barley, Haley Anderson, Wendy Sherman, Katie Hathaway.

1 Kelly Sager Penn State (Replaced by Sherman)
2 Rachel Ryan U of Wyoming (Replaced by Hathaway)
3 Andee Samborski Livingstone, MI
4 Alycia Washington U Conn
5 Brittany Rose Unattached (Replaced by Humphreys)
6 McKenzie Lewis Mesa State
7 Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN (Replaced by Gessner)
8 Candace Barley Lee Univeristy (Replaced by Svatos)
9 Haley Anderson Summit, CO
10 Hannah Lockwood Oregon State
11 Holly Zoeller U of North Carolina (Replaced by O’Brien)
12 Bui Baravilala Aliamanu, Hawaii
13 Kiki McKnight U of Central Florida
14 Anne Marie Bowlus U of California - Santa Cruz
15 Chelsea Garber Brown

16 Mileka Grager (injured) Washington State
17 Wendy Sherman Colorado State
18 Katie Hathaway Norwich
19 Katie Humphreys Kent, WA
20 Amee Svatos Canby, OR
21 Brittany O’Brien U of Rhode Island
22 Jozy Gessner Colorado State.

Haley Anderson's Try Against Cayman Women

2010-08-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

U20 WNT Win NACRA Opener

2010-08-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick posting of the the score from today's game against the Cayman Islands.

USA U20’s 85 Cayman Senior Women 0

Team looked very crisp and the crowd were entertained by the quality of the play from the U20’s. Too many highlights..........but a nice try from sixteen year old scrumhalf Haley “Peach” Anderson got the most celebration from her teammates.

Tries: Chelsea Garber (3), Bui Baravilala (2), Katie Johnson (2), Kiki McNight (2), Ann Marie Bowlus, Candace Barley, Haley Anderson, Wendy Sherman, Katie Hathaway.

Conversions: Chelsea Garber (5), Bui Barivilala (5)

An update and some video to follow.

NACRA Championships Day 2

2010-08-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times........

Our practice field is a five minute walk from the hotel and is this big open space in front of Fort Charlotte and just across the road from the beach.

Morning practice was a challenge as the players struggled with some basic skills. Poor body position in contact, poor passing and so much spilled ball that the coaches were frustrated beyond words. The session ended on a good note as the players took to the new offensive pattern and started to put together some nice passages of play.

Second session was later than usual to avoid the heat in the middle of the day. Bui Baravilala’s arrival seemed to bring a new confidence to the backs and the dropped balls of the morning went away. The forwards looked good in their line out practice and the whole squad looked to be hitting stride when injury struck. In a routine contact situation Mileka Grager heard a snap in her hand, Nicole took a look at it and decided that a trip to the hospital was needed. X-rays confirmed Nicole’s fears of a broken bone (actually a spiral fracture) and Leka came back with the hand in a cast that will sadly reduce her role to water girl.

Dinner tonight was at the Twin Brothers Restaurant and the players were adventurous in their food selections. There was plenty of sharing of cracked conch, lobster, grouper, shrimp with sides of beans and rice, plantains, conch salad and baked macaroni. All the food was delicious and there was plenty of it. An enormous cockroach paid a visit through an open window and sidled up to Assistant Coach Danielle Miller. The sight of the ex World Cup front row player desperately trying to climb over anyone in her way provided the entertainment for the evening.

We ended the evening with the Jersey Ceremony

USA U20 Team for the game against Cayman

1 Kelly Sager Penn State
2 Rachel Ryan U of Wyoming
3 Andee Samborski Livingstone, MI
4 Alycia Washington U Conn
5 Brittany Rose Unattached
6 McKenzie Lewis Mesa State
7 Katie Johnson Hopkins, MN
8 Candace Barley Lee University
9 Hailey Anderson Summit, CO
10 Hannah Lockwood Oregon State
11 Holly Zoeller U of North Carolina
12 Bui Baravilala Aliamanu, Hawaii
13 Kiki McNight U of Central Florida
14 Anne Marie Bowlus U of California - Santa Cruz
15 Chelsea Garber Brown

16 Mileka Grager (injured) Washington State
17 Wendy Sherman Colorado State
18 Katie Hathaway Norwich
19 Katie Humphreys Kent, WA
20 Amee Svatos Canby, OR
21 Brittany O’Brien U of Rhode Island
22 Jozy Gesssner Colorado State.

NACRA Championships Day 1

2010-08-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

NACRA Championships Day 1

Not the easiest first day with flight delays, tropical storms and stores that close at 6pm but we let it roll off us like the rain. Nicole (our physio) got stuck in Miami for the night and will be here bright and early in the morning. Most of the players made it in but Bui Baravilala couldn’t get on her flight in Hawaii and will be with us tomorrow and fingers crossed will make it for the afternoon practice. A huge rain storm resulted in a delay at the Nassau airport as none of the luggage could be unloaded off the planes for almost an hour. Coach Barth arrived with the Denver based players and 400 lbs of luggage containing the shirts, socks, shorts, bags, polos, training jerseys, gatorade, etc, etc, and they were allowed to walk through customs without a single question despite looking like pack mules. Try that at O’Hare or JFK.

We are staying at the El Greco Hotel. It’s not on the luxury resort end of the scale but it’s got character and the staff are friendly and very helpful. We have two practices tomorrow that will allow us to work though some combinations. First team for the first game will be announced tomorrow evening.

2010-08-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

U20 WNT Announces 2010 Squad

BOULDER, Colo. – Following the U20 Women’s National Team Camp held at the University of California - Santa Barbara the U20 WNT Head Coach Bryn Chivers has officially announced the 2010 squad. The squad is comprised of 24 players from 22 high school, college, and club programs from across the country including the program’s first ever player from Hawaii. With only ten returning players, the squad is very different from the one that lost 12-13 to the Canada U20s in January.

Chivers wasn’t happy with the team’s performance against the Canada U20s, feeling that squad had underperformed in the one point loss. “It was just a little lackluster. We had very good players but the chemistry of the squad was off and they didn’t play well together.” This prompted a shake up that saw a whole new group of players invited to the U20 Elite Camp and resulted in the U20’s going 2-0 against their opposition at the U23 National All-Star Championships.

The rebuilt squad has five new forwards including Western Washington’s Mileka Grager and UConn’s Alycia Washington. The nine new backs include All-American center Star Bolinger from BYU, Akalaini Baravilala from the Aliamanu Rugby Club in Hawaii, and wings Holly Zoeller and Bex Siebach from North Carolina and BYU respectively.

This new squad is very exciting to watch” said Chivers. “We have the experience of players like Jozy Gessner, Katie Johnson, and Candace Barley who are in their fourth and fifth years in the program, but we also have a large group of new players who bring a fierce energy to the squad”.

The U20s will represent the USA in the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Championships, August 15-21 in Nassau, Bahamas. The tournament will feature the senior women’s national teams from Cayman and Bahamas, a Caribbean Select Side and the U20 sides from the USA and Canada.

This will be the first time the U20 WNT has played any of the Caribbean sides and Chivers recognizes that the team is stepping into the unknown. “We have no idea what to expect from this tournament. A Caribbean Select Side of senior players presents a different challenge for this young squad and we could get beat by their size and experience or come away with a win. The thing we doknow is that the Caribbean senior sides will provide us with strong opposition in preparation for the game against the Canada U20s”. The Junior Eagles will open against Cayman on Sunday, August 15th.

USA U20 Schedule

Sun Aug 15th: USA U20 WNT v Cayman (5.00 p.m)

Tue Aug 17th: USA U20 WNT v Caribbean Select Side (3.00 p.m.)

Fri Aug 20th: USA U20 WNT v Canada U20’s (5.00 p.m.)

2010 USA U20 Women’s National Team

Hailey Anderson Summit, Colorado

Akalaini Baravilala Aliamanu, Hawaii

Candace Barley Lee University

Star Bollinger Women Cougar Rugby

Ann Marie Bowlus UC Santa Cruz

Chelsea Garber Brown

Jozy Gessner Colorado State

Mileka Grager Washington State

Katie Hathaway Norwich

Katie Humphreys Kent, Washington

Katie Johnson Hopkins, Minnesota

Mackenzie Lewis Mesa State

Hannah Lockwood Oregon State

Kyandrea McKnight U of Central Florida

Brittany O’Brien U of Rhode Island

Brittany Rose Unattached

Rachael Ryan U of Wyoming

Kelly Sager Penn State

Andee Samborski Livingston, Michigan

Wendy Sherman Colorado State

Rebekah Siebach Women Cougar Rugby

Amee Svatos Canby, Oregon

Alycia Washington U of Connecticut

Holly Zoeller U of North Carolina