You hear talk about "leading by example" but for different rugby players it means different things.

For Sam Slivers, our Aircraft Charter Solutions Player of the Week, it means working hard every day at practice. It means "don't take anything lightly." But for others who talk about Slivers, it might be that at 5-9, 160 he's not your prototypical inside center - especially in a big-boy state like Utah - and yet he fronts up against much larger opposition and wins, using his skill, bravery, and intelligence to lead Snow Canyon HS to the top of the state heap.

Slivers is part of the first generation of Snow Canyon players who started in 7th grade. He has been a starter on two straight state champions, and now captains the team in his senior year as they push for another. From a rugby family - his older brother played for Snow Canyon, and his younger brothers are striving to get that jersey, too - Slivers is a coach's dream.

"He’s a good boy," said coach Jay Day. "He's played for us since 7th grade and he's just a playmaker. He understands and creates space, and is a great leader - he's a quiet leader, but a great leader."

"I can be pretty intense," added Slivers. "But I learned that not all players respond to that."

Slivers is Native American - a Navajo - and that's still a rarity in a sport that welcomes all backgrounds. It's interesting that Snow Canyon presents a Haka before their matches - in the Maori tradition of coach Michael Puriri. It's a tribal rite from another culture on another country, and yet you have a Navajo high school kid captaining that team when they do that Haka. Slivers said there might not be many Native kids playing rugby, but there's no reason there can't be more.

"Rugby is universal," he said. "Everybody from any background will love this sport. It doesn't matter your background, just come out and play one time, and you'll love it."

After high school, Slivers will attend an LDS (Mormon) Mission. He is waiting for his assignment (or "Call") and while he could go anywhere, he does have a few hopes.

"I want to go somewhere where they have great rugby," he said. "Maybe somewhere overseas where I can come back with a sweet accent."

Something tells us he'll leave an impression, too. 

Sam Slivers of Snow Canyon HS in St. George, Utah is our Aircraft Charter Solutions Player of the Week.