Three weeks ago, two McClatchy students, myself and Zach Neff (‘18), traveled to Las Vegas for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games Rugby Americas North Qualifier representing the United States’ U18 men’s and women’s sides. The Youth Olympics, held every 4 years for both summer and winter sports, aims to showcase talented young athletes aged 15 to 18.
This year marks the 3rd Summer YOG and will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina of 2018. Each country is only allowed to have one female and one male team in the YOG. USA chose rugby as their Youth Olympic team sport for both men and women.
In order to qualify, USA’s boy’s side had to beat Barbados, Canada, and Jamaica. The girls played Barbados and Canada in addition to Mexico.
Before even making it onto the pitch, both boy’s and girl’s sides trained for 4 days before cuts were made. The girls team cut 1 player from the squad while the boys cut 7; each final team had 12 players.
“Even as we strove to build continuity with each other, those three days were essentially a competition, so everybody worked and performed at a high caliber,” said Neff.
Both Zach and I made the cut, although I was unable to play due to a concussion sustained during practice. Despite not being able to play, I was still named co-captain. I fully embraced my new role as a leader and as a second pair of eyes for the team. The game became far more intellectual than ever before.
While every player on both the boy’s and girl’s squads was assigned an individual role by their coaches, no two people shared the exact same duties. Some players roles were specific to their style of play, other’s roles spoke more to their responsibilities as a teammate and player.
Zach played a rather important role, as he was an asset for both his skill and sportsmanship. “I played the last 5 to 3 minutes of all of our games. I was valued for my knack in making quick line breaks through a defense, and held down the crucial role as a finisher. Of course, I also consider my role as a ‘team player’ notable,” he said.
The motto for the U18 boys and girls teams became “overachieving at your role” for the benefit of the team. This selfless mindset helped carry USA through the tournament.
Preparation and attention to detail also helped, “Playing for the Youth Olympic team is no joke” said Neff. “I’ve never been immersed in such professionalism in rugby before. During every training, we wore GPS devices that measure speed, position, and effort on field. We were also filmed by a drone to analyze precise details and identify the causes of our successes and failures. Every training was planned to the last 30 seconds. Our recovery regiment was also emphasized and mandatory. I’m talking ice baths, pool sessions, and protein bars.”
This hard work evidentially paid off, as both USA’s boys and girls sides had little trouble beating Barbados. Neither team allowed Barbados to put up a single point. The boys won 57-0 while the girls finished the match with a 29-0 lead. The boys then went on to beat Jamaica 38-7, but the victory wasn’t as easily won.
“Barbados couldn’t hang with the USA for a moment,” said Neff, “but Jamaica put up a good fight both times they played us.”
The girls squad ended the day with a 41-0 win against Mexico.
The next day, both boys and girls would face their toughest foe: Canada. The Canadian squads aren’t notably big, tough, or quick, but their organization and discipline are excellent.
“It was Canada that gave us trouble,” said Zach. “While I believe we were a more talented team with threats everywhere on the field, the longer-trained Canadian squad didn’t allow too many small mistakes.”
The boys lost to Canada 19-12, but went on to beat Jamaica 33-14 in the semi-final. The girls team also fell short to the Canadians, losing 5-14. They also bounced back in the semi-final with a 53-0 win against Mexico.
USA was scheduled to play Canada in the final the next day. While the past four games were held at a nearby recreational sports complex, the final was held in the Sam Boyd professional stadium.
Walking up to the tunnel entrance to the field was dreamlike. Fans dotting the stadium seats cheered for the YOG athletes. Photographers peeked at the entrance of the tunnel and snapped shots of us waiting to run onto the field. “The large cheering crowd contributes to the feeling of otherworldliness. It was, simply put, an amazing feeling” said Neff.
Although both USA’s boys and girls teams lost to Canada in the final, the boys team will still advance to the YOG as Canada’s boys ice hockey team had Olympic priority over their rugby team.
Neff will have the opportunity next fall to represent McClatchy, Sacramento, California, and the United States as a whole.
