This article is part of the USA Women's Eagles blog. All entries are written exclusively by the members of the women's national team.
In the last blog post I discussed the challenges of developing international rugby players within the US game. There were major challenges:
- Elite level coaching
- 15-20 competitive matches a year
- Athlete high performance lifestyle development
USA Rugby is working to provide athletes the opportunity to enhance each of these areas if that is their choice. Of course these choices come with some sacrifice and potential costs, however if a player wants to be USA sevens or 15s players there are more opportunities to develop than ever before.
Elite-Level Coaching
Increasing not only the number of coaching sessions a year, but also the quality of those sessions is critical. The formation of the National Development Academies has been a good step forward in that area and for the women the formation of the American Rugby Pro Training Center in Little Rock and the Northeast ODA in Boston and New York have offered athletes both more and better coaching. While primarily focused on sevens, the ARPTC has offered a number of 15s athletes the opportunity to develop and their programming also incorporates 15s-position-specific work. There were two athletes that were capped this year in 15s who have come through the ARPTC, including Jess Wooden, who was part of the pool in the last cycle but broke out as one of the best Eagle players at the Super Series. Northeast Academy has only launched this summer, but have already had a number of players selected to the National All-Star Competition that the Eagles are holding in August.
ATAVUS is demonstrating a commitment to the women’s game by launching ATAVUS Academies this fall. These academies will be staffed with USA national team staff and will provide players the additional sessions and the elite coaching that future Eagle players need. Unlike the ARPTC and Northeast, ATAVUS Academies are focused on the development of 15s players, although players with sevens aspirations would still benefit. ATAVUS has already had success with Kelsi Stockert getting capped after participating with an early model of an academy in Seattle.
The Women’s National Team pathway has also invested in developing better coaching within our community with the launch of the Elite Coach Development Program. Twenty-four coaches have gone through a series of webinars and coaching within an elite environment, with coach advisors to support them, to help them improve. The Elite Coach Development Program is the pool of coaches that have filled our national team assistant positions this summer and we have made a push, with ATAVUS support, to encourage recently retired women’s Eagles to become coaches.
High-Level Competitive Matches
Skill development is a long-term investment that has to be made by the players. The Eagles recognized this in the last cycle and only ran one development camp in the last cycle. The expectation that a player will change their skills with an extra 30 minutes session once a year is not a realistic expectation. Therefore Eagle assemblies are focused on either a preparation for competition or to provide more elite-level competition. The more a player plays in a competitive, high-level game, the more their skills will be enhanced and most importantly hold up under pressure.
In this cycle the Women’s National Team pathway has created the National All-Star Competition series. In June we had 200 athletes come and compete in a two-match series with 100 competing with the seniors, 50 with the college players, and 50 with the U20 players. This August we will have another 120 players competing, including a college sevens competition. In 2016 it is hoped that we can provide the top players nine elite games through the National All-Star Competition.
There are other opportunities to compete in club-plus competitions. In sevens there are a number of all-star programs that have followed Atlantis into providing players a chance to play high-level competitive rugby. There has been less in the 15s environment so far, although there are a number of 15s programs popping up like the Midwest U25 team’s tour to Wales and the formation of a Capital All-Star Women’s team. The WNT Pathway partnered with ATAVUS to launch a College All-Star program, which competed against Ontario last month. Coached by Sue Whitwell, head coach of the AIG Women’s Collegiate All-Americans, it was another chance for players to experience a high-level competitive game.
Seeing high-level competition as part of their development is new for many players in our community. When we sent a player an invite to the August NASC their question was what squads would be selected from the event. The player did not see the competition as a chance to grow and enhance their skills – just as a selection vehicle. The more a player competes at the highest level she can, the better the player she will be.
High Performance Athlete Lifestyle
This is the one that is always surprising to me. There is a not a country in the world that has the strength and conditioning resources that we have in America. When a player makes the Eagles and tells us that she has never lifted before, it is a question of who is responsible. Obviously there are responsibilities with their coaches and the clubs they come from, but if you want to be an Eagle you need to always take responsibility for your own development. There is no excuse for an athlete that wants to be a USA player not to find a local resource that can help them make that goal.
In the last cycle we launched Eagle 365, a website where we shared information to help athletes live like an Eagle 365 days a year. We plan to launch something similar this fall so we can share what we have learned at the international level.
"What can I do to become an Eagle?'
When it comes down to it, athletes that want to become Eagles need to make the choices that help them reach their goals. I often get asked about which club a player should play for, and I always say go where the best coaching exists. Do not worry about the level or play because that can be provided through the NASCs, but getting great coaching is rare.
Another choice players can make is around enhancing their game understanding: choosing to become a fan of rugby, watching lots of rugby, and becoming a student of the game. I often ask a player who their favorite pro player is and why. Or I will ask them what they thought about our game against New Zealand in the World Cup. It is sad to say that more often than not the player does not watch international pro rugby and does not even watch the Eagles, the team they want to make.
So the choices an aspiring Eagle should make are:
- Seek out the best coaching you can find at club, college, and high school level and through academies
- Play as much high-level rugby as you can afford above your club team
- Use local resources to become a more elite athlete
