U.S. Women’s Sevens Team Camp Coincides with Olympic Vote

BOULDER, Colo. – The USA Women’s National Sevens Team is set to assemble at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla., on Friday, October 9, in an effort to develop the players into world class competitors. Coincidently, that is the same day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on whether to include Rugby Sevens as an Olympic sport in 2016.

“A positive vote will be a monumental development for all of rugby, especially Sevens,” said Sue Parker, Head Coach of the Women’s National Sevens Team.

As the rugby world waits for the IOC’s final approval, Parker is eager to continue the U.S. Women’s Sevens progress. Under previous Head Coach Julie McCoy, the Women’s National Sevens Team recently finished third in the inaugural Women’s Sevens World Cup behind Australia and New Zealand and Parker has no doubt that with proper program development and adequate support, the program could challenge for a gold medal in 2016.

The primary purpose of this upcoming training camp is to teach players how to develop in each of the five areas: mental, physical, technical, tactical, and team. The developmental process will begin at camp with player assessments in each of the five areas. Over the course of the camp, the players will be given tools to be implemented on a daily basis to maximize their development in each area.

“It is the staff’s hope that each player will leave camp with a greater understanding of the game of sevens rugby, of their strengths and weaknesses as players, and an individualized developmental program in each of the key areas,” Parker said.

Unlike men’s international rugby, which started 138 years ago when England first played Scotland, women’s international rugby is still a relatively new phenomenon. Since their first match in 1987, the Women’s National Team has seen success from its very onset. Being one of the first nations to play women’s rugby, the U.S. has been able to compete at the highest level from the beginning and continues to be one of the world’s top teams.

Head Coach Parker hopes to push the U.S. Women’s reputation for excellence to new heights with a medal in the 2016 Olympic Games. And the best way to do that is to promote and expand participation in the sport, and to develop potential players into world class athletes.

Women’s rugby is among the fastest growing segments of the game in the United States. From 1993 to 2003, women’s rugby exploded across the U.S., starting first on college campuses and moving to senior club sides. In the past 10 years, women’s rugby has grown by 235 percent, increasing from 6,104 players in 1999 to 20,430 by the end of 2008.

This unprecedented increase is due in part because it’s one of the few full-contact sports where women play by the same rules as men. Not to mention that rugby has a core set of values that promotes fair play, friendship, respect and excellence.

Rugby sevens is a version of the 15s game that features only seven players per team, playing seven minute halves on the same size pitch as a 15s match. Rugby sevens offers a spectacle of non-stop action where speed, skills, and athleticism rule the day. Worldwide, the sport has 87 men’s and women’s international teams competing.

The sevens game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Notable international competitions include the IRB Sevens World Series and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Rugby sevens is also played at some multi-sport events such as the Commonwealth Games, the World Games and was recently adopted into the Pan American Games.

The next event for the Women’s Sevens Team is the Dubai International Sevens Tournament on December 4-5, 2009.

Women’s National Sevens Camp attendees include:
Sadie Anderson (Penn State WRFC)
Annie Antar (Atlanta Harlequins Women’s Rugby Club)
Jeanna Beard (Severn River Rugby Women)
Ida Bernstein (Keystone Rugby Club)
Beth Black (Northern Virginia WRFC)
Brenna Costello (Washington WRFC)
Katie Dowty (Beantown WRFC)
Jenna Flateman (New York Rugby Club)
Kelly Griffin (Berkeley All Blues Rugby Club)
Allyson Hemstreet (Berkeley All Blues Rugby Club)
Lisa Henneman (Penn State WRFC)
CJ Hildreth (Northern Virginia WRFC)
Lauren Hoeck (Northern Virginia WRFC)
Tess Kohanski (Syracuse University Women’s Rugby Club)
Jenny Lui (Chicago North Shore WRFC)
Jen Nelson (Kansas City Jazz Rugby Football Club)
Christiane Pheil (University of Colorado Women’s Rugby Club)
Alison Price (Brandywine Women’s Rugby Club)
Emily Record (Philadelphia WRFC)
Lauren Rosso (Keystone Rugby Club)
Kelly Seary (Beantown WRFC)
Lauren Shaughnessy (Emerald City Mudhens Women’s Rugby Club)
Lindsey Stephenson (Buffalo Women’s Rugby Club)
Jossy Tseng (Berkeley All Blues Rugby Club)
JoAnne Ward (Albany Knickerbocker Women’s Rugby Club)
Alison Worman (Keystone Rugby Club)
Dianna Zempel (MARFU 15’s)

Sevens Coaching Staff Includes:
Suzanne Parker (Head Coach)
Peter Baggetta (Assistant Coach)
Jonathan Griffin (Assistant Coach)
Peter Steinberg (Assistant Coach)
Kellie Cavalier (Manager)