Meet The Team CC7s Edition: Chris Milledge

One of the most popular questions I get is "How do I get on the Stars?" and the basic answer is, "In any way you can, just make the effort and be responsible" as there are numerous pathways. It's been somewhat of a long running joke that I know everyone in rugby but the fact is I do a fair amount of scouting work attending regional 7s tournaments, high performance camps, the USA Rugby Club and Collegiate 7s Championships, high level competitions like Serevi Rugbytown 7s and by observing more players at the Las Vegas Invitational, CRCs, ACRA 7s, Lakefront 7s, the American Pro Rugby Training Center and more. Some players make our side via submitting playing film or through coaches recommendations.

More come to us from current Stars players that recognize talent on their club teams, their college sides, and in their opposition. I've had quite a few college coaches tell me about amazing players in their own programs and that they've seen on other teams; we do outreach to college clubs to visit campuses and watch their teams in action. I've even asked referee friends for recommendations (yes, the "dark side" is good for something)!

Our primary mission is to develop players through combining emerging talent with experienced veterans so that every player returns to their club/college a stronger rugby 7s athlete. Building our rosters is about striking the proper balance with our teams and therefore the tournaments we attend offer a mix of elite and developmental opportunities with high level competition for all involved. The secondary mission is to ensure that players that stand our in their programs but happen to live in geographic regions without access to D1, WPL, PRP or ARP programs have the chance to play, and be challenged at, a higher level. We also want our athletes to experience the amazing camaraderie of the sport of rugby - hence touring to other countries and seeking out opportunities beyond what is offered in a given region of the United States.

Cape Fear 7s Championship Game

So the nomination process is fairly open and any player interested in Stars Rugby 7s is directed to fill out our player information surveys when it comes time to build our tournament teams. Chris came to us via friends that have been a part of/seen the program at various tournaments and followed our updates via social media (click for our follow and facebook and twitter). When it came time for player nominations for our Canada, Australia and Tobago tours he submitted his information. Some follow-up with respected rugby folks from Charlotte, the South, conversations with Chris's club coach, and with those that played for and against Chris yielded high praise for his abilities and his fitness. His rugby credentials from numerous all-star sides and time spent at the Serevi Rugby developmental camp and High Performance Training Camp also boded well.

Here's his story:

"My rugby career started at the age of 17 after my family and I moved to a new neighborhood in Charlotte, NC. My neighbor across the street, PJ Anderson, was from South Africa and he knew that I had played sports all my life including football and baseball. He told me that he was starting a team at Providence Senior High School. One day he invited my family over to his house and he showed me a video clip of a rugby match he recorded to explain to me what rugby was and why I should play. At the time I had no idea what rugby was or that it was even a sport but I sat down with him and watched it trying to decipher this strange, interesting game.

#TBT

After it was over, he invited me to a rugby practice at my high school. It was the first time my school had a rugby team and he knew with my sporting background that I should at least give it a try. A few days later I went out to my first ever rugby practice with him and the team. I had no idea why I needed to wear such short shorts, or why the ball was missing laces, or why I had to keep going backwards in order to go forward but after a long two hour mud filled practice I fell in love with rugby.


That same year I started at inside center and played every game for my high school. During that same year I played 7s for a U19 team PJ started up that included players from some other local high schools in the area. I was really hooked to this seven a side game and 7s actually ignited a passion within me to play this great sport long term.

Charlotte Rugby Club 15s

After my first year of playing rugby I went to a local college and played for the Charlotte Men’s Rugby Club starting in August of 2009; at the time they were still members of the Super League and had a great coaching staff and experienced players with valuable mentoring. Transitioning from high school games to men’s rugby was an adjustment, but I learned so much in my time there and the experience was valuable to my progression as an athlete.


After the 15s season ended I returned to the U19 program to play 15s select side rugby while captaining the U19s 7s squad. We finished the 7s season undefeated against all U19 teams, had 5 trophies to our name, and competed in a men’s 7s tournament where we finished runners-up.

South Panther All-Stars with some other Stars

Since my U19 days I have been blessed to be a part of some great teams and organizations. I was accepted to Life University, I was named a Southern Rugby Conference 15s All Star, I played alongside the Charlotte 7s Elite Side that went to USA Rugby Club 7s Nationals, I was selected to the USA South U22 All Star team as well as the USA South Men’s All Star team that won the NACRA title in 2013. I was a Serevi Rugby Scholarship athlete to both the Atlanta camp and the Men’s Residency High Performance Camp. Most recently I have been honored with being selected to tour with Stars 7s Rugby.

I have also done my part to give back to the community that supported me through so many years. After I graduated high school, I registered to become a certified referee and certified USA Rugby coach. I have really enjoyed being a part of the Charlotte Junior Rugby Association the past 5 years or so. The CJRA started off as an idea from Matt Henry, a transplant from New Zealand, to improve grassroots and youth rugby here in the Charlotte area. I was one of the first coaches picked to help out and go to local elementary schools and middle schools to start before and after school programs for boys and girls rugby teams of all ages. Coaching these teams was one of the most satisfying things I have ever done; the smile and excitement the kids had about the game I love was truly inspiring and I really hope to continue coaching the youth and grassroots level. Needless to say I have been blessed to be playing a sport I love at a variety of different levels and different aspects from playing to refereeing to coaching.

Coaching with the CJRA

I am looking forward to playing in Australia with the phenomenal players and staff at Stars 7s Rugby. I have been lucky enough to play rugby across the US and the Caribbean but to play in Australia is something that I could have never imagined and a dream I have had for myself for a long time. The opportunity to play teams from the top rugby nations in the world is an exciting test I am truly looking forward to. Playing rugby in another country is one thing but experiencing a rugby culture in a different environment and making new friends and connections along the way is what I am truly looking forward to.

I started playing rugby back in 2008 and I have learned a lot since then. The biggest thing that I learned is how accepting and tight knit the rugby community and family is across the globe. No matter where you go or what your background is your rugby brothers and sisters will welcome you with open arms. I hope that I continue to be blessed with these great opportunities and improve as a rugby player. I owe a great debt to rugby and all that it has done for me and I cannot be more excited for what the future holds"

Brief Update and Coaching Announcement

It has been a huge month (and summer really) for Stars Rugby 7s. I apologize for the lack of posting, but when summer 7s comes nearly all attention turns to the pitch, to training, and to rugby travel.  There will be a big recap of all the action as we traveled between regional qualifying 7s action, the USA Rugby National Club 7s Championships in Seattle, Serevi Rugbytown 7s in Denver, and the Women's High Performance 7s Camp hosted at the American Pro Rugby Training Center in Little Rock, AR.

These past 3 months have been a whirlwind of 7s activity for many of players as well with several athletes attending Serevi residency camps, the HP7s camp in Arkansas, and others invited to week-long stints at the Olympic Training Center with the Eagles. Nearly every player competed at the club and representational levels at tournaments across the US - as well as a few abroad. And we're honored that Canada Star Nia Williams was named Women's MVP of the Club 7s National Championships, on her 21st birthday no less!

With all this action and travel, scouting and recruiting, our rosters are nearly set for Central Coast 7s in October and the reveal will include several names familiar to rugby fans in America. Our Tobago 7s invites were also released last week and I'm thrilled that nearly half the spots for 2 men's and 2 women's teams have already been taken. The growth and future of our program is bright.

And now the big news: Stars Rugby 7s has been working hard over the last few months in also developing coaches that can guide our athletes to the next level. We are thrilled to introduce Andy Katoa and Orene Ai'i as coaches for the Stars program:


 Andy Katoa

Andy Coaching in Aspen

Andy  Katoa  has  been  an  indispensable  resource  for  the  USA  Men’s  Rugby  7s  program  since  2007. Katoa  served  as  an  assistant  to  Al  Caravelli  from  2008–2011,  and  as team manager with  Alex  Magleby  from  2012–2013.  Katoa’s  other  responsibilities  included player  identification  and  development.

On tour with Atlantis 7s (and a few rugby legends), Argentina 1997

 As  the  Gentlemen  of  Aspen  7s  head  coach  from  1999 –2011  Katoa  dedicated  himself  to creating a strong and competitive  team. His  Aspen  7s  team   qualified  for  the  National  Championship  competition  every  year  under  Katoa’s  direction  and  in   2008  they  won  the  National Championship.

The  team  played  in  the  final  in  2009  and  lost  in  the   semi-­‐final  game  in  2010.     

With Ata Malifa and Dallen Stanford at the 'Play On' premier

Today Katoa  continues  to  build  USA  Rugby  by  coaching, recruiting  and  developing  players  for USA U-18's All American program. He is also involved with Eagle Impact Academy and coaches 7s with University of Arizona Men's Rugby.

Orene Ai'i

Name: Orene Ai'i
Nickname: Renz

Playing History:

Hurricanes - 1999
Auckland Blues - 2000,2001,2003,2004,2005,2012
Crusaders - 2002
Auckland NPC - 1998 - 2005 - 2013
Auckland 7s - 1996 - 2005
Toulon (France) 2007-2009
Toyota Rugby Club ( Japan) 2005 - 2007 - 2009 - 2012

 

International Teams:

Samoa - 1998

New Zealand 'A' - 2001
New Zealand 7s - 1999 - 2005

Achievements:

IRB 7s Player Of The Year - 2005
ProD2 Player Of The Year - 2009 (France)

American Pro Rugby Training Center Post Camp Press Release

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New American Rugby Pro Training Center Hosts Successful High Performance Women’s Rugby 7s Camp in Little Rock, Arkansas

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Little Rock, AR: Under brutal 100-degree August heat last weekend, former USA Rugby National 7s Team Head Coach, Jules McCoy, successfully launched American Rugby Pro Training Center with an inaugural high performance camp for Women’s Rugby 7s Olympic hopefuls in training.

“My 4 days at the ARPTC in Little Rock was the best rugby training experience I've had in all of my 5 years as a player. The coaches were so knowledgeable and broke even the most complex ideas down into simple drills that built on each other…Not to mention meeting and instantly connecting with 32 other elite athletes who all share the same dreams as I do. The camp was nothing short of amazing,” said University of California-Berkeley Women’s Rugby Team Captain, Lauren Butler.

Camp attendee Abby Gustaitis shared, “We trained in 100-degree weather from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and I would do it all over again. This was an incredible camp that emphasized the general principles of offense and defense in rugby sevens then allowed us to build on the basics and unite as teams in scrimmages. This 4-day camp allowed us to be in the high performance environment and live as elite athletes including training, eating and playing as such. The camp elevated my game in this short period of time and I'm excited to work with ARPTC in the future to continue to be the best rugby player I can be.”

With a rap sheet of impressive staff and support, including current Women’s National 7s Team Head Coach Ric Suggitt and the “Grandfather of Women’s Rugby 7s” himself, Emil Signes, the ARPTC created an ideal learning environment focused on elite performance and improvement. Highlights of the camp included wrestling matches to teach leverage and leg power in the tackle, “rugby basketball” to reinforce offensive and defensive principles, and a Fantasy Rugby Team Coaches Draft that resulted in a day-long tournament and all close scores.

“The intensity and improvement over the 4 days was brilliant,” remarked Coach McCoy. “And wow, was I impressed by some of the youngsters out there. Grace Flowers from Broken Arrow, OK, at just 16 years of age, showed adult-level, textbook tackling just 3-4 months after collarbone surgery! And 20 year-old Lauren Butler, of ICEF Rugby used impressive running, support and finishing lines, while Cynthia Wright (Furies) and Jessica Turner (Berkeley) were able to role model what hard work in the gym can do for passing, tackling and change of direction.”

With several rugby pitches on site, local government and business support and a fully equipped gym, the ARPTC training center (also a designated Tiger and Atlantis Rugby facility) located at the Greater Little Rock Rugby Complex is perfect for hosting elite level men’s and women’s rugby players and tournaments.

The ARPTC environment energized even the guest coaching staff. "The atmosphere at the ARPTC was electric. You had high-level players working with other high-level players and top coaches learning from one another to produce nothing short of a rugby euphoria. The chance to work alongside such great coaches was an invaluable learning experience,” said guest coach and observer, Billy Nicholas.

Moving forward, Coach McCoy and her staff plan to negotiate contracts for part-time and full-time residencies, including several scholarships, with target number of 15-20 contracted adult players by January 2015. They will likely hold another camp in December with a similar format for women, and then begin a series of men's camps starting in early 2015. The target audience for summer contracts will include high school and college players, both male and female.

All rugby coaches are asked to contact Coach McCoy directly should they identify promising young rugby talent they feel should be included in future camps. Select elite athletes will be given opportunities to try out and become a part of the development program, as well as become eligible for Atlantis and Tiger tours going forward.

For more information on American Rugby Pro Training Center, contact Head Coach, Jules McCoy at julesmccoy@sbcglobal.net. 

Camp Staff:
Head Coach/Director: Julie McCoy

Camp Director/Asst Coach: Ellie Karvoski

Team Manager(s): Breean Walas/Jen Shields

Strength/Conditioning Coach: Sean Ross

Atlantis Staff Coaches: Emil Signes, Dana Creager

Apex/Tiger/Atlantis Staff Coach: Karl Barth

Guest Coach/Observers: Billy Nicholas/Liz Entwhistle

In Attendance: Coach Ric Suggitt and Leah Berard, Referee

Camp Participants:

Jaime	Albarelli
Stephanie "Parma"	Bowers
Bianca	Bradley-Rael
Lauren	Butler
Cynthia	Campbell
Chloe	Chiasson
Elena	Clark
Rhiannon	Clark
Elisabeth Grace	Flowers
Megan	Foster
Kaylan	Gambill
Hannah	Gauthreaux
Stephanie	Goetz
Hunter	Griendling
Abby	Gustaitis
Jennifer	Harig
Corinne	Heavner
Ariel	Johnson
Augusta	Maguire
Bulou	Mataitoga
Bulou	Mataitoga
Amy Talei	Naber
Maggie	Olney
Ashley	Perry
Neariah	Persinger
Tracy Kaleikehaulani	Poch
Jinnie	Pratt
Brie	Rahrig
Lauren	Rhode
Katy	Stewart
Jessica Anne	Turner
Lea	Walsh
Nia	Williams
Cynthia	Wright
Denisse	Zambon
Josie	Ziluca

Women's High Performance 7s Camp at the American Pro Rugby Training Center

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of 7s activities and I'll write plenty more on it in the coming weeks. At the moment several of our Stars players and staff are at the American Pro Rugby Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Here's a quick recap of the camp so far:

Today marked  Day Three of the Women’s High Performance 7s Camp hosted by former USA Women’s 7s Coach Julie McCoy at the American Pro Rugby Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. The camp partnered Atlantis, Stars Rugby 7s and Tiger Rugby to bring in 33 women’s players identified by their coaches and by camp staff.

Players convened in Little Rock on Wednesday for a team dinner and camp introductions to prepare for an early morning on Thursday. The first day opened with fitness testing where Josie Ziluca of the San Diego Surfers, Stephanie Parma of W1823 and Katy Stewart of the DC Furies took top honors. Focus then transitioned to offensive principles of play led by Coach Jules. A huge emphasis of the offensive cycle was on possession, stressing defenses, and identifying weaknesses – factors focused on during the drill portion of the day.  Players additionally worked on the differences between transfer and attack opportunities to create and attack space. The afternoon session emphasized core strength in passing with breaking down the anatomy of a pass and repeated drilling. The day concluded with revisiting a “rugby basketball” game from earlier  in the day. The evening meeting recapped the camp so far with feedback from players and staff alike.

Day two focused entirely on defense and contact – with defensive patterns and alignments, the different “shapes” on the pitch, about how to dis-possess the other team and regain possession to transition to the offensive cycle. Drills and skills broke down the footwork in contact (to step and pop and leg drive), how to use the core to initiate and finish the tackle.  A wrestling session helped players with body control, pinning opponents, using low body leverage, and generating and leveraging lower body power. Cynthia Wright and Katy Stewart of the DC Furies, Nene Persinger of Tulsa, and Abby Gustaitis of NOVA each shined in the head-to-head matchups.  Double-touch rugby put the drills to use in a practical, game situation setting.

A free evening allowed the players to rest prior to this morning’s tournament action. The staff once again reviewed player performance and conducted their player draft for Saturday’s games. Saturday morning saw the players take the pitch after an hour with their coaches to review set pieces, general game play, and lineups/subsitutions. Billy Nicholas of Old Blue Women’s led the Blackballerz side, assisted by Liz Entwhistle of Stars Rugby 7s, against Karl Barth’s (APEX Academy) White Lightning (aka Moonshinez). The Lightning took game one 10-0 with Rhiannon Clark of the DC Furies standing out as a game changer with her breakaway speed to open the try scoring. After a break for the heat (temperatures have been in the upper 90s for the duration of camp) the Lightning took on the Razorbacks led by Dana Creager (and draft advisor USA Rugby Women’s 7s Head Coach Ric Suggit). The Razorbacks won that match 26-10 behind tries from Nene Persinger, Jen Harig of Davenport University, and kicking from Jessica Turner of the Berkeley All Blues. Game three matched the Razorbacks against the Blackballerz with the Blackballerz finding their scoring form early and often; five different players from the Ballerz side dotted down tries and Maggie Olney of the DC Furies converted three of the five kicks. With each team finishing 1-1 the Blackballerz won the tournament pool play based on point differential.

A finals matchup pitted the Ballerz against the Lightning in a rematch of game one The Lightning took an early lead and went into halftime with a 3 try to 1 lead off of strong play from Ashley Perry of the Youngbloodz. The second half saw the Ballerz nearly battle back with tries from Josie Ziluca and Old Blue’s Hannah Gauthreaux, but ultimately the game was won by White Lightning by a score of 24-21.

The afternoon sessions started with film review of the pool play matches and later included a strength and conditioning talk hosted in the American Pro Rugby Training Center’s on campus gym from Sean Ross of Ross Strength and Speed.  The classroom time continued with a Q & A from international referee Leah Berard and was concluded with additional film review of the final match followed by team and individual goal-setting. Tonight’s team activities include a barbeque hosted by the Little Rock Rugby Club while the coaches meet to conduct another round of player evaluations and re-draft for tomorrow’s tournament play.