When the call went out for players to apply for the Youth Olympics team going to Nanjing, China, Becca Rosko was all over it, and so were her parents, at first.

 

“When I first got the heads up about it, I thought, ‘why not try?’” said the speedy back out of Summit HS in Colorado. “And my parents were saying, ‘yeah, do it.’ But the I got on the team, and they were like ‘Oooh!’ Not so sure.”

 

The Rosko family jumped behind Becca’s plans soon thereafter, but it’s perfectly natural to have a little trepidation about a rugby trip to China. Not that traveling for rugby is new to Rosko. She played with a Tiger Rugby 7s team in Mexico, and just got back from California where the USA 7s Youth Olympics team held their first camp.

 

“I know it will be an amazing experience, and my parents are stoked,” she said. “Now I just can’t believe it’s really happening. As far as the rugby goes, there’s definitely a lot I need to work on. They’ve got me playing scrumhalf and I’ve only played scrumhalf once before, in Mexico. So I will be focusing on that for the next few weeks.”

 

Back home in Colorado, Rosko plays for the state champs Summit, but had to miss the championship game due to injury. Still, said her coach, Karl Barth, she is a key part of the team.

 

“Becca has worked hard all year,” said Barth. “She has her eyes on a higher prize, and you can see that.”

 

Barth added that Rosko is a quick back and smart player, but it’s other attributes that set her apart.

 

“She is a really balanced runner,” he said. “Her lateral movement is really good. There are a lot of small, quick players, but often they don’t welcome contact, which Becca does well in, and they don’t have really good balance or lateral movement, and I think that’s what she brings to the table.”

 

While Rosko is working on using her speed and balance to become a scrumhalf - getting to the breakdown quickly and improving her pass - Head Coach Richie Walker is looking for ways to get the whole team working as one, even before they re-assemble.

 

Rosko, who was with the Stripes team at the Stars & Stripes game, and knows a thing or two about being on a team of relative strangers, said team unity is on everyone’s mind.

 

“It’s difficult to establish team trust, but once you allow yourself to so it, it just clicks,” she said. “Some of us on the 7s team have played together already and that helps. In California we worked well together, and while we need more work on connecting, I am confident it will be there.”

 

Becca Rosko, our Aircraft Charter Solutions Girls Player of the Week, will be in Seattle in August for the last team camp before going to China for the Youth Olympic Games August 17-20.