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
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
|
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