Fifty women's players to Las Vegas for Camp and tournament in February
Victoria, BC - Fifty of Canada's top female rugby prospects have been selected for a training camp and subsequent Sevens tournament in Las Vegas in February.
The group at the training camp will give Women's Sevens and Fifteens head coach John Tait a chance to work closely in identifying top prospects for both his interests, but with a focus on the short game at this particular assembly.
"We will use this camp to gauge were the majority of our athletes are in regards to skill level and conditioning," explained Tait. "With the camp preceding the tournament it will allow all of the athletes much needed Sevens experience and our top players to see how they currently measure up against key opponents."
The players arrive in Nevada on February 5th, with fitness testing, individual skill assessment and development taking place from the 6th to the 9th. From there two teams (Maple Leaf Black and Maple Leaf Red) will participate in the Women's Open Division on February 10th and 11th. Then on February 11th the Elite International Women's Division begins with Canada and Maple Leafs teams participating. Although the primary objective of the camp will be about assessing the athletes there will be also a focus on team preparation as the camp builds into the tournament to ensure the teams are ready to compete.
The whole effort leads to the selection of twelve athletes that will make up the Canada team at the Hong Kong Sevens in March.
For Tait, the prospect of seeing his players for the first time since his appointment in November is exciting, especially with the 2016 Rio Olympic Games very much in the minds of the participating athletes.
"There is a distinct possibility this camp will include some of the women who will represent Canada and go for Gold in RIO 2016 Olympics which is exciting for me as a coach," he says. He also added "There will be Regional Talent Identification opportunities throughout April and May for those not attending this Camp, as we must leave no stone unturned in looking for talented athletes with potential to make Canada a force internationally in both Sevens and Fifteens in the years ahead."
The camp and tournament represents a huge undertaking for Manager of Women's Rugby, Kristy Martin Hale, who takes on the task as Sevens manager following a successful stint at the helm of the National Senior Women's Team at the Women's Rugby World Cup in England this past August.
"This is the largest assembly of potential national athletes that our Women's Program has conducted in years," she explains. "It will be an exciting opportunity to see representation from coast to coast, world cup athletes to current U20 athletes, both those with previous Sevens experience and those from a Fifteen-aside background.
"The logistics for international travel for a group this size have been complex, but everyone is eager for the opportunity to see and participate in Sevens first hand.”
While some may question having the camp for a national team in the USA, in actual fact the cost of flights and accommodation were lower in a hub destination such as Las Vegas, than holding it anywhere in Canada. Throw in 20 C temperatures and sunny conditions and the ground work for a successful camp was laid.
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