HS All Americans Wrap Winter Camp

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (USA Rugby Release) – The USA Rugby Boys High School All-Americans, supported by Aircraft Charter Solutions, completed a four-day Winter Camp at the tail end of the 2015 calendar year at Casa Grande Sports Academy.

Home to the renowned Real Salt Lake Academy and considered one of the best training venues in the country, the Academy hosted 111 high school players between the ages of 14 and 18 years old. More than 90 percent of the Camp attendees were recruited from last summer's Regional Cup Tournaments, as well as returning BHSAA selections from the 2015 Las Vegas Invitational and Stars and Stripes Camp.

Kicking off alongside the tail end of the USA Rugby AIG Men's Junior All-Americans' Winter Camp at the same complex, BHSAA Head Coach Salty Thompson's Camp began Sunday, Dec. 27, with fitness testing, and progressed to skill development, unit work, and team preparation.

Twenty-one members of staff, including counselors, trainers, managers, and coaches, provided a 5:1 player-to-staff ratio across the 58,000-square foot training center. Athletes received hands-on attention to detail from the staff in regards to performance, education, and recovery, with the latter buoyed by the therapy pools at the Academy.

The high school-aged players also took part in a seminar on preparing for college with the assistance of Karen Fong Donaghue, a current referee and former All-American. Adding to the educational portion of the Camp, the coaching staff also mentored and engaged players in the evaluation and performance review process.

"Players arrived fit and focused to perform," Thompson said. "Expectations and standards were set before Camp and the staff did an exceptional job providing a quality experience."

The BHSAAs will next take to the pitch in the sevens code of the game at the 2016 Las Vegas Invitational, where Thompson's charges won two Cups and a Plate across the 2013 and 2014 tournaments and finished runners-up last year. Additional competition opportunities include a sevens tournament north of the U.S.-Canada border and 15s matches in Canada, all scheduled throughout the summer.