Every rugby sevens fan in the Midwest is familiar with the
men’s side powerhouse out of Columbus .
This year, a women’s side was formed to complement their established men’s
side. This side is W1823, and they traveled to every tournament with their two
men’s side in the hopes that they would replicate their success.
Joel Bonnaud coached and formed the team. His roster was
comprised of “young local athletes eager to compete against the experienced and
successful likes of the Lions, Youngbloodz, etc.”
“I coached almost all the players while I was at OSU and we
discussed creating and doing something at a higher level,” Bonnaud said. “So we
gathered in January 2014, agreed on main points and went ahead with it.”
Liz Entwhistle, Director of the Stars Rugby program, is only
one of the names on the roster that will stand out to devotees of the Ohio rugby scene.
“The W1823 Mission Statement is to provide an environment of
excellence, based upon Core Cultural Values, in order to develop female rugby
players - experienced and crossover alike - looking for high-level challenges,”
Bonnaud said. “[This] is why, even before starting practices, all players
determined what the key values for the club would be and all adhered to them.”
Once the values and culture were put in place, training
began; and if Columbus sevens does nothing else they train hard. The women were
given full access to the Tiger
Academy fitness center, a
pitch on which to practice and the mindset to match the men’s sides in their
training regiment.
“As a result, all players truly blossomed, improving
dramatically in all aspects - physical, technical, mental - and showing
fantastic work ethic - very frequently pulling two-a-days,” he said. “But what
also mattered was how they would improve compare to the other teams, and they
did not disappoint at all. While it was clear during the very first tournament
that the experienced squads were a big level up, the W1823 players closed the
gap.”
Now that the summer sevens season is well and truly done,
the focus of W1823 turns toward developing the talent they do have and any
incoming ladies that are looking to play. According to Bonnaud, most of his
girls play with either Ohio State University ’s
women’s rugby team or Scioto
Valley ’s women’s side so
continual training is going to be tough, but Bonnaud plans to keep bringing his
group together to improve.
“Having now, on target, high level tournaments such as New
York Sevens and Las Vegas ,
the whole squad will keep working out together and go through weekly skills
session,” Bonnaud said. Just like with the men’s sides, Bonnaud will have players
running with some high-level talent during the time between now and the next
sevens season. “Three squad members – Stephanie Bowers, Cyndi Campbell, Brie
Rahrig – will have the chance to participate in the High Performance Camp for
Women, directed by Jules McCoy, thus being coached by and playing with the best
in the country.”
Be on the look out for W1823 and its players to be making
moves and making an impact during the 15s season. Women and girls interested in
playing are invited to contact Bonnaud and join the club.
“Our doors always are open to any female athlete interested
in our mission statement,” he said. “Simply contact Coach Joel Bonnaud to be part of the journey.”
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