The United States Army
The United States Army
16/07/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 17/07/2024 18:12
Army beats Air Force to win gold during Armed Forces Women’s Rugby Championship
[Link] Army 1st Lt. Cienna Jordan, right, and Air Force Capt. Katie Mueller battle for a ball during the 2024-Armed Forces Women's Rugby Championships held in conjunction with the San Diego Surfers Women's Rugby Club 7's Tournament in San Diego, Calif. from July 12, 2024. (DoD photo by EJ Hersom) (Photo Credit: EJ Hersom)VIEW ORIGINAL
SAN DIEGO - Army dominated against Air Force to secure gold for the Armed Forces Women's Rugby Championship at Nobel Field here July 13 with a score of 27-5.
During the only Armed Forces women's competition where all five service branches have their own teams, they met in 10 matches that lasted 14 minutes each over two days.
Friday, match 1, Air Force won over Coast Guard, 29-5; match 2, Army took Marine Corps 20-12; match 3, Navy won over Coast Guard, 17-12; Army beat Air Force, 29-7 and Navy beat Marine Corps, 19-0. For the day 2 match up, Air Force beat Navy 22-14 in match 6; Army beat Coast Guard 33-5; Air Force beat Marine Corps 26-15; Army won over Navy 20-14 and Marines beat Coast Guard 14-12.
Army Sgt. Joanne Fa'avesi, Ft. Carson, Colorado and Army Reserve 1st Lt. Cienna Jordan earned spots on the 2024 Armed Forces all-tournament team.
They will compete together on the American team for the CISM, or International Military Sports Council, against NATO rugby teams from Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Winning gold
Army Reservist Capt. Kaitlyn Kelly, an ROTC professor at Loyola University, Chicago, has coached the Army rugby team since its inception in 2019. She said she's extremely proud of them for winning gold.
"We had three main words we went into this camp and tournament with. It was unity, accountability, and relentless pursuit," she said. "Every girl had their own brick where they wrote their own personal why and what they were bringing to the team. Before every training and before every game, we took the brick out. We, figuratively and physically, brick by brick, built our foundation for how we were going to play."
Army took silver last year and won gold for three years prior. Kelly said the team's focus was on respect for the other players and for the game.
"We always want to be confident, but with that confidence, we never want to settle," she said. "I told the girls, 'I'm proud, but I'm not satisfied. And we shouldn't be satisfied until the very end of the tournament.'"
She said she's proud of the work they put in, their unity, mental toughness, and togetherness on and off the pitch.
"I know how hard the coaching staff has pushed them, and I know how hard they've worked in the off season to get to this point," Kelly said.
Kelly said rugby is chaotic and elegant violence, and the strength of the Army team is composure in that chaos and being Army Strong. The motto for the Army team is, "for those who can't." Each Army rugby player honored a fallen service member on their jerseys. They dedicated their gold medals to Army. 1st Lt. Hailey Hodsen.
All the teams took a moment "for those who can't," female rugby players who couldn't play because of mental or physical injuries, deployments and for the fallen.
Kelly coached Hodsen at the United States Military Academy in rugby. Before she had the chance to try out for the Armed Forces Army team, Hodsen died in a training exercise in Germany.
"We had extra motivation this year because it was truly an honor to play for her and for those who couldn't be here," Kelly said. "I'm so proud of my team's resiliency to come together and truly play for those who can."
[Link] Wearing a pink ribbon in her hair, Navy Ensign Megan Neyen leads a huddle of rugby players from all services in a cheer 'For Those Who Can't' at the conclusion of the 2024 Armed Forces Women's Rugby Championships in San Diego, Calif. July 13, 2024. Team Army wore the motto "For Those Who Can't' on their uniforms to honor injured or deceased female service members. (DoD photo by EJ Hersom) (Photo Credit: EJ Hersom)VIEW ORIGINAL
Importance of rugby
Army 1st Lt. Rachel Henley, chemical officer and team captain, said her team focused on recovery and fitness.
"We hit recovery really hard," said Henley, who's stationed at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia. "We focused on making sure we're all hydrated, recovered mentally, being good teammates, being loyal, understanding all our plays, making sure we were ready field-wise. The biggest start is recovery and the fitness you do prior to coming to camp. You had to prepare individually because we only have this opportunity once a year for two weeks."
She said coming back with the gold medal around her neck will inspire her platoon.
"It will inspire them to continue to love and embrace other hobbies in their life," she said.
Henley said preparing for rugby both physically and mentally early morning and late nights translates to being a better platoon leader for her Soldiers.
"I've learned how to be a better teammate and a better leader," she said.
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