The USA Rugby Boys High School All Americans (BHSAA) 2014 Winter Camp commences this week with 130 players assembling in Casa Grande, Arizona under the direction of Head Coach Salty Thompson. This year’s camp is running from December 26 to December 31, with Thompson and the staff eager to commence the 2014-2015 BHSAA cycle with events in Las Vegas, England, France and Belgium, and Argentina on the schedule.

 

This year’s camp sees 130 players from 25 states invited to participate, along with Americans in from Australia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The camp roster includes 24 that represented the BHSAAs in 2014, along with 39 returners from the 2013 Winter Camp. The vast majority of players invited to this year’s camp earned their selection through performances in the June Regional All Star Tournament (RAST) throughout the country, the main vehicle for BHSAA player identification.

 

Eagle Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA) continues to assist in player development and identification as it expands its network, with 30 camp invitees currently enrolled in EIRA in Southern California, Indiana, Washington State, Texas and the Carolinas. With Thompson and the BHSAA staff focused on developing for 2015 and beyond, the spread of invited players includes 21 current freshmen or sophomores, a signal of the game’s growth across the country particularly in states such as California, Washington, and Indiana. Many of these younger players will make up the Junior Varsity segment of the camp, with Under-17 athletes being those born in 1998.

 

The goals of the camp are to determine the best players on show while developing their technical and tactical skills. The rigorous schedule will create a challenging environment where the players can grow, deepen their game understanding, and improve overall skills. For Thompson, this camp helps prepare players for life both on and off the field in a high performance environment. In addition to on field sessions twice daily, the camp will offer players daily evaluation meetings with their position coaches to discuss how they progress, what's been going well, and improvements. Their education will also involve sessions on strength and conditioning and the mental aspects to performance.

 

Karen Fong Donoghue of Rugger’s Edge will be on hand as well to provide college prep advice specific for Rugby players in the ever-evolving American landscape. In addition, Fong Donoghue’s expert advice will be available to parents of invited players.

 

The Casa Grande Academy, a full time Major League Soccer academy features world-class facilities including pro style locker rooms, 10,000 square feet of indoor strength and skills area, 8 outstanding fields, swimming pool, golf course and hotel. The fantastic Arizona winter climate also makes this an ideal setting for a quality camp, and Thompson is looking forward to getting an up-close look at this year’s player pool that will represent the United States.

 

 

CAMP INVITE STATISTICS

30 of 130 are in Eagle Impact Rugby Academies

14 Under-16s born in 1999

43 Under-17s born in 1998

62 Under-18s born in 1997

9 Under-19s born in 1996

 

3 Freshmen

18 Sophomores

61 Juniors

46 Seniors

 

24 Returning High School All Americans from 2014

39 Returning from 2013 Winter Camp

 

STATES REPRESENTED (25)

 

35- California

12- Utah

10- Texas

9- Indiana

9- Washington

8- Connecticut

6- Virginia

5- Maryland

4- Illinois

3- Colorado

3- New York

3- Florida

3- Oklahoma

2- Ohio

2- Georgia

2- Kansas

2- New Jersey

2- Wisconsin

1- Arkansas

1- Arizona

1- Massachusetts

1- Minnesota

1- North Carolina

Overseas

1- Australia

1- England

1- Spain