CHULA VISTA, CA. - The first event of a newly introduced Women's Hawk Eye Training Program began this week in conjunction with the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 preparation camp. Allowing Women's High Performance staff to develop a pool of 10 U20 athletes, the event supports the Hawk Eye program's mission of expanding the senior women's player pool and tracking athletes for the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Held at the U.S. Olympic Training Site in Chula Vista, athletes will spend the next several days training alongside the senior Women's 7s players; after which both age-grade and senior women's athletes will compete against one another in trial matches. The full camp runs from July 2-6 focused primarily on 7s with an opportunity for athletes to cross over to the Women's 15s program in the future.

"As our core group becomes more clear for the 2020 Olympics, it is critical to leverage opportunities and resources to appropriately succession plan with young players that project to the 2024 and 2028 Games," says Emilie Bydwell, General Manager for Women's High Performance. "The goal of the Hawk Eye program is to appropriately invest in the next generation of players, especially those key playmaking positions."

The Hawk Eye program itself was designed to encompass all of Women's High Performance with various assemblies held through the year to develop and test the nation's top up-and-coming athletes. Focused on exposing a new generation of players to increased levels of training, the program seeks to use its respective assemblies to accelerate the growth of athletes who can contribute to depth charts building towards upcoming Olympic and World Cup events.

With its first assembly taking place alongside the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 preparation camp, young athletes receive a taste of what it's like to prepare for a pinnacle event at the senior level. And, with nine of the 10 age-grade athletes coming from the recent Women's Junior All-American camp, the assembly will offer players the opportunity to showcase skills they grew last week.

"Long Term Player Development programs, like Hawk Eye, paired with our growing Club and Academy competition, as well as a robust talent crossover and recruitment strategy will help us ensure we are building Gold Medal teams beyond the Tokyo 2020 Olympics," says General Manager Bydwell.

In order for Women's athletes to continue their journey and contribute to the growth of women's rugby as a whole, monetary support is critical. To support All-American athletes, click here.

WOMEN'S HAWK EYE CAMP ROSTER | JULY 2-6