The beginning of the summer 7s season is frenetic. New teams emerge, 15s clubs give 7s a try, players swap allegiances, collegians scatter throughout the country – it’s exciting. The Hawks Rugby Academy in Oklahoma is a completely new entity and welcomed addition to the Red River competition. Born of University of Oklahoma coaches Holly Iker and Mere Baker, the duo is not setting modest goals in the organization’s inaugural year.
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The OU women’s team has competed in the senior club ranks, but this coming fall, the Roses will officially join the collegiate sphere. The realignment has displaced some players, who will now prop up the Oklahoma City Crusaders, but also sparked a desire to grow the player pool in Oklahoma.
“We wanted to make a 7s academy, that is a club, that could benefit rugby in the Oklahoma City area as well as raise the level of the region,” Iker said. “For the past two years, [American Rugby Pro Training Center, ARPTC] has been burning through the Red River competition and gone on to nationals, but they’re not getting enough competition to prepare them. Same with Austin not having meaningful competition. So it’s a two-fold goal here – to immediately help the rugby here but also help the region.”
The coaching duo wanted the community to know that the academy is serious, and so Baker, who is from New Zealand, arranged for Rio gold medalist Amy Turner of Australia to spend two weeks in the state. She, along with USA 7s Eagle Ben Pinkelman, headlined youth rugby camps and worked with the academy. Turner accompanied the Hawks to Bloodfest last weekend and will also be with the women’s team at Saturday’s Tornado Alley 7s.
Participation has been good so far, with up to 20 players participating. The majority is from the Norman, Okla., area, while three players train remotely in Houston. The Texas players have all played for Iker in the past and are in daily contact with the coach. Baker connected with three overseas players – two from New Zealand and one from Guam – to add another dimension to the academy.
Irene McCarthy is from Auckland, New Zealand, but played in Canterbury and has represented the Samoa 7s team.
“She is very explosive and good on the ground,” Baker said. “She’s really strong in the tackle area, and her best attribute is her offloading ability.”
Azania Watene is also from New Zealand and represented the very successful Counties Manakau. The halfback will also ply her trade in Japan, where she’s landed a professional contract, according to Baker. Her experience has been crucial, and her ability to distribute and put people into place has elevated the team.
Kayla Taquacta is from Guam, and she has done a few things in the U.S. She’s also the niece of USA Women’s 15s associate coach Peter Baggetta. Baker has known the 25-year-old since she was 16, and her international experience is also valuable.
“This is what we’ll probably continue to do in the future,” Iker said of mixing international players with the locals. “It’s really good for players coming from my program, who are younger, to have older players – they’re 25, early 30s – on the field.”
The Hawks made its first outing at the Bloodfest 7s, the first of four Red River qualifiers, last weekend. The day started against ARPTC, and the teams played to a 12-12 halftime. In the second half, however, the National Development Academy pulled away for a 43-12 victory. The Hawks followed with a 7-5 loss to the Austin Valkyries, and then shut out the DARC Dames and Dallas Reds for third place.
“Our goal is to go to nationals, to take one of two [Red River] spots. ARPTC and Austin are our competition,” Iker said. “The benefit for us is that we have experienced players and very good athletes who are already working well together. As the summer goes through, we’ll get better and I think we’ll have a real shot.”
Chelden Love, a Broken Arrow graduate who has also played for Iker at OU, captained the team to a third-place finish. Nineteen-year-old Kelsea Bickerstaff drew attention as well. The ex-400-meter runner is raw talent and has a good attitude.
“We need to work on our shape, our ruck area, and basic catch and passing – that’s what we’re concentrating on,” Baker critiqued the performance in Austin. “We just need to make sure that we’re on the same page.”
Iker and Baker indicated that they’re still recruiting and looking for players to join the academy. They haven’t quite sorted out how the rest of the year will look, but the academy won’t go dormant in the 15s season. If finances and availability sort out, then the Hawks may attend 7s tournaments in Barbados or Las Vegas, for example.
“We’re just trying to create another avenue to play rugby,” Iker said. “We’re in a big geographic area where nothing is close, and we want to bring a higher level to girls in the center of the United States.”
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