Pre-try Tapper for the USA Falcons during the LVI 7s /// Photo: Jackie Finlan
Naya Tapper never envisioned her senior year at the University of North Carolina to turn out the way it did. She had entered college with a safe, concrete plan to launch her adult life, and rugby wasn’t part of any long-term goal – that is, until the professional side of the sport presented itself to the power wing. Tapper then broke character and took a gamble in 2016, and the Tar Heel couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome and the outlook.
Tapper left Chapel Hill, N.C., for Chula Vista, Calif., on January 1, 2016, when Julie McCoy was still the USA Women’s 7s coach. She earned her 7s caps during the Sao Paulo 7s, the second stop on the HSBC Women’s Sevens Series, and lit up screens as she scored her first try and jubilantly embraced her teammates. That joy was also relief. The apprehension Tapper had felt in relocating to the Olympic Training Center was now a non-issue.
“I’m kind of surprised I’m where I’m at in my life right now,” Tapper confessed. “I’m the type of person to stay on the safe path. For me, that was to graduate college, go straight to [physical therapy] school, and then get a job as a PT. I always believed that sports were too temporary in my life with how fast it could be taken away by a simple injury. … My last year of college, I realized how much I was in love with the sport and the great opportunities I could encounter by pursuing a professional career in rugby or playing on a national team. I know now that PT school isn’t going anywhere but that I have a limited time to be as fast, strong and athletic as I am.”
Tapper remained a USA 7s resident through the end of April, when she was cut from the national team. She graduated UNC in early May and is currently training with Atavus in hopes of staying in the player pool beyond the Olympics. Her release, however, made her available to the 15s player pool. Tapper attended her first National All-Star Competition (NASC) earlier this month and used her full-time experience at the OTC to better integrate into this unfamiliar environment.
“I think that learning how to be focused and learning how to get in the ‘zone’ at the OTC really helped me out at NASC,” Tapper explained. “There was a lot going on, and I had to be able to take it all in and make good use of it. We had a couple days to mesh with our team and attempt to play our best on the field. That takes a lot of focus.
“At the OTC I learned to take everything in, regardless of whose mouth it was coming from,” Tapper added. “This helped me out at NASC where you had many new people around you with different skills they were willing to teach you if you wanted to learn.”
Although Tapper had played 7s at the highest level, she had never played beyond UNC in 15s. The level of play, pace and skill at NASC was incomparably better to the collegiate ball to which she had been exposed. She was more comfortable on offense but had to refine her role in the defense.
“In college I was the big girl on the field,” Tapper referenced the backs. “Tackling didn’t require the perfect form for me because I could usually muscle most girls down. I could usually predict what a girl in front of me was going to do, so players weren’t as threatening. That was not the case at NASC.”
As a wing, Tapper lined up against opposition her size and larger, and their excellent footwork required textbook tackling and strength.
“They posed a threat, and I had to adjust to that to be efficient at my position,” she continued. “I think tackling was the thing I struggled with most at NASC due to the fact that I was so used to not using technique. It was an eye-opener for me about what I needed to work on.
“The structure of the players on the field at NASC was more complex,” Tapper contrasted camp with her collegiate experience. “This made playing defense more complicated than just tackling one person and thinking your job was done. You had to not only make that tackle, but be prepared for the next one. … The skill of play was on a whole other level at NASC!”
But the Women’s National Team saw promise in Tapper and she was selected to the 26-player Super Series roster. The Eagles will play France, Canada and England on July 1, 5 and 9, respectively, in Salt Lake City, where Tapper will potentially earn her first 15s cap.
“I took a leap of faith and I am very happy with the outcome so far,” Tapper reflected on the previous year. “It’s a big lesson learned that will have an effect on me for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to see what else is out there for me with rugby. The sport is evolving so fast and so much and I hope to be a part of that!”
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