Tomorrow the Girls High School All Americans (GHSAA), powered by ATAVUS, will assemble at Central Washington University in preparation for a two-game series against the British Columbia U18s in Canada. The outing will also be new territory for Farrah Douglas, who assumed the head coach position earlier this year.

The process for naming this team was an involved one, and it began with the June Stars & Stripes assembly, the main selection vehicle. Douglas, assistant coaches Emilie Bydwell and Anna Kunkel, and nationwide scouts attended the Regional Cup Tournaments (RCTs) in search for the best talent.

“The U.S. is a fairly big geographic area, and it’s always going to be difficult to try and select the best 50 athletes from seven events,” said Douglas, who attended the Southwest RCT. “We went over the process of what we were looking for, scouts used the same form to rank players, and feedback was consistent across the board. … We compiled the scouting reports and discussed every single player – a time-consuming task that had to be done so everyone had a fair look.”

As anticipated, criticism circulated when RCT coaches felt their players were overlooked, but Douglas clarified that players weren’t ranked in relation to each other. An MVP of an all-star tournament, for example, didn’t mean an automatic invite to Stars & Stripes if that player didn’t align with the program’s scouting directives.

“Say we’re selecting for the senior Eagles,” Douglas explained the ranking system. “You start with the ideal player, who would be world-class in her position, and you build that into a mold. Then you work backward from there. Players are ranked in relation to the ideal: Where does a player fall in terms of development, strengths, where are improvements needed? We create a multi-dimensional picture of a player and that allows us to look at bigger pictures.”

The molds are found around the world; for example, current Women’s National Team coach Pete Steinberg had used England’s Maggie Alphonsi as the flanker prototype.

“In a perfect world, that model is from the USA,” Douglas said. “Realistically, we’re still working toward that. But take Jamie Burke, a world-class prop who’s set the standard. Players can look toward her: This is what I need to do; she’s who I have to beat.”

More than three-quarters of the current squad has come from the West (read more), but Douglas was frank in explaining the selections.

"It’s representative of where the talent is based,” she said.

Douglas did note that, in the future, an All American nomination would not hinge on Stars & Stripes alone. The program will track the RCTs, USA Rugby Academies, and high school nationals, and those standouts will also be considered for the All American player pool.

It’s also interesting to note that the Women's Junior All Americans (WJAAs) are currently at Central Washington University, and that interim head coach Wil Snape indicated that, should any injuries occur, there are a few GHSAAs who have been tabbed to step in should injuries require it. Douglas confirmed that that type of communication is continual, and is also helpful when achieving cohesion in the various lessons taught to the age grades.

“The concept that is most new to players is how we attack,” Douglas spoke to how the GHSAAs mimic the senior level’s playing style. “We’re asking all players – forwards and backs – for decision-making, in addition to catch-pass skills, and running with the ball. It’s not only identifying space, but how is the defense moving in space and what options does that create for players, and how do we react and play off of that as a team?

“Traditionally, in my experience with the high schools, we play forwards and backs, who don’t interchange much," Douglas added. "Forwards have their role, and there’s linkage that happens with the backs, but units aren’t attacking together. That’s how we’re hoping to change the attack; it’s really exciting to see the players rise to that challenge.”

The coach will be looking toward players like Kent’s Leah Ingold, who along with a few other players, attended NASCs with the WJAAs. An intelligent flyhalf, Ingold will lead the younger players in the new attacking scheme. In the forwards, Rainier Plateau’s Hannah Lewandowski will be the force up front. The prop has excellent scrummaging form, is a strong ball runner, and has been a positive force on the squad.

The GHSAAs will have three training sessions before heading to British Columbia on Thursday. Streaming information has yet to be released for the two games (Aug. 21 and 23) and will depend on the host club’s capabilities. Stay tuned.