GRR: HS Girls
There was a bit of a delay in Kat Ramage’s correspondence, for which she ardently apologized. She had taken a 20-hour trip to Little Rock, Ark., to start her eight-week residency at the American Rugby Pro Training Center (ARPTC), trained for a few days, and then traveled to the Cancun 7s as part of Tiger Rugby.
For the girls, the Stars & Stripes camp has taken on new meaning in its third year of existence. In 2013 and 2014, the assembly introduced the high performance lifestyle to the top high school talent, but it didn’t serve as a selection camp.
It was time for an all-star 7s event for girls high schools, and Wisconsin took that first step by hosting the Midwest All Star 7s Invitational last weekend in Cottage Grove, Wisc. Four teams from Wisconsin (2), Minnesota, and Iowa convened at the Wisconsin Rugby Sports Complex, and solid competition ensured that none of the matches were decided by more than two scores.
Kelsie McDowell has enjoyed an exciting 2015 thus far. First, the Southeast Polk girls high school coach was named head coach of Simpson College’s first women’s rugby program. Second, Simpson College qualified for the NSCRO 7s national championship last May and represented the region in West Point, N.Y.
The Fallbrook U18 Girls are out in front of the SoCal Summer Sevens Series, winning the first of three tournaments at the Encinitas 7s last Saturday. The field will attempt to close the gap at the Gator 7s (July 12) and Cal State Games (July 25) before a champion is declared.