After 15 consecutive Colorado state rugby titles, it should come as no surprise that members of the Summit High School girls rugby team stay in shape throughout the offseason in preparation for the fall.

Whether playing multiple sports throughout the school year, consistently getting in the weight room or participating in summertime regional and international rugby tournaments, members of the Summit girls rugby team are never far away from being in their peak form. 

Over the last few weeks, the players have traveled across the country and world to compete for several different teams in high-level rugby tournaments. Between Cleveland, Salt Lake City and Europe, the team has logged plenty of air travel miles over the quick-moving summer break.

After the team sent 16 players to eight different all-star teams at the Tropical 7’s Rugby Showcase in Tampa over Easter weekend, the Summit girls rugby team continued to make appearances in other rugby tournaments throughout the summer with several members getting invites to the Youth National 7’s Championships in Cleveland. 

Incoming junior Delilah Staberg and sophomore Teagan Barth competed for the Atlantis Rugby’s U16 team while junior Olivia Lyman played for the Hawkeyes Rugby Academy’s U16 team. Throughout the three-day showcase from June 9-11, Barth, Staberg and Lyman led their respective teams. The three staunch players not only found ways to score points, but they also played key roles as leaders on the pitch. 

“It was a good tournament,” Staberg said. “Last minute, the teams were mixed up because there was a home tournament for more than half the players on the team. We got a bunch of local girls the day we arrived for practice. It was definitely a great learning experience. I was co-captain, so it was nice to be in more of a leadership role. We definitely learned a lot from that.”

Staberg’s and Barth’s Atlantis U16 team placed sixth overall in the rugby tournament, and Lyman’s Hawkeyes Rugby Academy U16 team placed third overall with a record of 4-2. The Eagle Impact Rugby Academy won the overall title in the girls U16 division. 

“My experience in Cleveland was so fun,” Lyman said. “The team ended up really connecting and making a fun experience out of it. It was really enjoyable, and I learned a lot about rugby there.”

Following the success in Cleveland, Staberg traveled to Europe in order to meet up with rising senior Lucia Hoffman and recent Summit graduates Joselin Roque and Paola Arredondo.

The quartet of Summit County residents then split up to compete for their respective teams over the next two weeks in Europe. Hoffman and Staberg played with the Texas Outlaws while Roque and Arredondo were hand picked from players in the U.S. and Canada to play for the North American Lions. 

Recognizing the unique opportunity to play rugby overseas, all four players made the most of their time while in Europe.

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“It was honestly one of the best experiences I have had throughout all of my sports,” Staberg said of playing in Europe. “You got really close to everyone there because you were basically living with them for two weeks. It was crazy to see that even the rules of rugby were so much different over there. Everyone in the U.S. plays fairly the same, while over there, there are a lot of different techniques and plays that people use.”

Roque and Arredondo saw major success with the North American Lions rugby team in both Germany and Austria. With help from a star-studded team, the Summit players orchestrated the Lions to first place in the Heidelberg 7’s rugby tournament in Germany and were crowned champions of the United World Games in Austria. 

The summer of rugby-related travel concluded a few weeks ago when 12 Summit girls rugby players traveled to Salt Lake City for the North American Invitational 7’s Tournament. 

All 11 players saw success while in Salt Lake City. Arredondo secured a title for the Rugby Advantage’s U18 elite team, and Lyman helped the Hawkeyes Rugby Academy’s U16 team to a championship title as well.

“It was really fun to play with different teammates — but also really fun to have some of my own Summit teammates there,” Lyman said. “I got to watch them, see them and hangout with them some. It was also fun to learn new playing styles and play all around.”

Also in Salt Lake City, seniors Ashley Misch, Viola Koning, Luci Brady and Roque placed sixth on Atlantis’s U18 elite team, and incoming Summit Middle School eighth grader Paige Hoffman led Atlantis’s U14 team to a fourth-place finish. 

Outside of Summit’s team members getting the opportunity to sharpen their skills and play with other athletes, the tournaments throughout the summer have also helped the team prepare for the start of the fall rugby season where Summit will be chasing after a 16th consecutive state championship trophy.

“I feel like everyone bringing the new knowledge that they learned with these separate teams will make us a whole lot stronger as a team because we will be able to combine everything,” Staberg said. “That knowledge will be shared between every player, making us so just so much stronger.”  

The Summit girls rugby team will officially begin practice on Monday, Aug. 7 with the green versus white scrimmage taking place on Aug. 30 and the Summit 7’s rugby tournament scheduled for Sept. 9. 

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