There’s always a call for more female coaches, but it's not a problem in the Wisconsin’s girls high school league. There are a slew of women who started their playing careers in Wisconsin and are returning the favor by helping the next generation of high schoolers fall in love with the sport.

Amanda Pohle is the head coach of Fond du Lac, but her rugby career began with Catholic Memorial and coach John “Wally” Waliszewski. She helped restart the Crusaders' program and earned the Kevin Higgins Scholarship back in 2008 for her efforts. During her junior year at Grand Valley State, she suffered her second major concussion and was advised to stop playing, so she picked up the clipboard when she transferred to Marquette University.

“It was actually kind of crazy how I became a coach here in Fond du Lac,” explained Pohle, a theology teacher at St. Mary’s Springs Academy. “I was in my first year of teaching and I got a random e-mail asking if I would be interested in coaching a high school girls’ team in the area. My initial reaction was, ‘Who the heck is this guy? How does he know that I played/coached rugby? And is this some kind of trick or prank?’ But I loved rugby so I decided to go with it anyway and that's how I ended up with seven crazy girls who desperately desired to learn the game.”

Numbers are a constant battle for the Sirens, but Wisconsin Women’s alumna Tonya Achter joined the coaching staff, and the team now hovers around 18 players.

“But we always come to play in spite of the fact that we never usually have subs,” Pohle added.

That attitude is something that was harnessed at Catholic Memorial, where she was named captain her sophomore year, her first year, and retained that post until she graduated. Pohle has to coach against her alma mater now, “which is fun and challenging,” she confessed. “I enjoy being around the old club because it is such a part of who I am as a person, but it is also challenging sometimes because I want for my girls so desperately what Wally helped to develop in me. Things like courage, strength, leadership, and above all a character that goes beyond the pitch. I have to constantly remind myself that it was a three-year process; it didn't happen overnight.”

Alex Glorioso can identify. She’s the assistant coach for the Catholic Memorial, also her alma mater, but actually started playing for Kettle Morraine back in 2003 under Jeff Noe. She went on to found and captain St. Norbert College’s (De Pere, Wisc.) first women’s team.

“I joined rugby in high school because I lacked structure and discipline,” Glorioso explained. “Rugby saved me. Now, my focus as a coach is to cultivate that same environment that Wally and other coaches created for me, so that other girls can experience what I have been blessed enough to experience. I've been lucky enough to coach with my former coaches and mentors from high school, so I wanted to be like them and become that for our current players.”

Pohle and Glorioso have more than Catholic Memorial in common; they’ve also been active – or in Pohle’s case, still active – in the Wisconsin U19s. The newly formed U19 All Star 7s has Linda Niemela as head coach. She’s a Marquette alumna and also leads DII Milwaukee Scylla. But there are many women in the girls high school league giving back:

• The Knightmares – formerly Kettle Morraine – have Megan Kilpatrick and Betsy Wendleberger as head and assistant coaches, respectively. Kilpatrick captained and was president of Northern Michigan, while Wendleberger began her playing career at Divine Savior Holy Angels. She’s also coached at Marquette.
• Emily Gzaella is the assistant coach for the Pulaski Flyers. The boys’ program is very successful, and 2015 marked the girls’ entry into the state league. Gzaella picked up her rugby at UW Eau Claire and represented the Wisconsin and Midwest U24 all-star teams.
• Vernon head coach Lindsey Fickau captained her alma mater during her high school playing days, and went on to represent the state all-star teams and Midwest U19s. Fickau continued playing at DI UW Milwaukee before returning to Vernon.
• UW Whitewater has invested in Muskego, which sports four alumnae on its coaching staff. Kristen Stevens is head coach and is supported by Angela Markwald, Beth Wiza, and Becky White. Wiza and White also play for the Milwaukee Scylla.
• A.J. Wieseler played for the Fox Cities Jesters in high school and then stayed active with UW Steven's Point. She is now the head coach for the Appleton Dragons.

There’s something particularly special in seeing one's younger self in one's players - remembering what it was like to discover and embrace the game. However, as Glorioso infers below, these coaches aren't here to indulge in youthful memories. They're personally connected to the league and state, and take their jobs seriously:

A major challenge as a coach is helping these girls realize that they are both rugby players and students of the game. The learning can't stop. Over the past handful of years, we [Catholic Memorial] have seen great success as a school, and that is directly related to studying the game and evolving as a team. It started at the top with Wally and trickled down to everyone else. Helping these girls learn the game, the rules, our strategies, etc., while also having them watch game tape, read game notes and stats, and practice 4-5 times a week on top of being a high school student and teenager is not easy. It takes patience and relentless effort. We all put many hours into each season. These girls deserve a lot of credit; they are incredible young women.