Photo: Michael Lee / Taiwan Mike Photography for World Rugby
Today is Lauren Doyle’s 26th birthday, and as she reflects on her four years as a USA Women’s 7s resident, she has plenty to savor. The path that led from Eastern Illinois University (EIU) to Chula Vista, around the world and to the Olympics is marked with risk and reward, trials and triumph, and lots of try zones. And while Doyle is currently enjoying a sabbatical from the sport, it’s unlikely that her rugby path has ended.
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EIU recruited the high school track star for rugby, even though she had never played the sport. She played a summer 7s season with Chicago North Shore, and then-USA Women’s 7s coach Ric Suggitt spotted the fast, hard-working center at club 7s nationals. He selected her for the 2012 China 7s Invitational, followed by Dubai 7s, and then offered the EIU senior a full-time contract for January 2013.
“It was a really special opportunity,” Doyle reflected. “I didn’t think it was a reality – for girls especially – to play a sport professionally, so whenever I got an opportunity, I had to take advantage of it.”
The residency program was a year old when Doyle joined, and 2013 saw the addition of a USA stop on the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. Houston was the first host, before the event moved to Atlanta for three years, and now Las Vegas is the destination in 2017. Doyle was named to the Houston squad, and she gave the hometown crowd reason to cheer.
2013 Houston 7s /// Photo: Paul Rudman / KLC fotos for World Rugby
“[A favorite game occurred] when we beat South Africa with no time on the clock, and I scored the winning try,” Doyle said. “That was a turning point for me: I can play at this level, with these girls. I can be successful here. The girls flooded the field before the conversion – we got in trouble. It was a pretty cool moment because I was new, and I hadn’t done that well in Dubai, but we came back at home and took second place.”
Doyle didn’t get to enjoy much momentum after Houston, as she suffered an injury approximately three months into her residency. It cost her a spot on the 2013 Women’s World Cup Sevens squad. It was one of the more trying times in the young player’s career.
“I was taken away from the team and didn’t get to come to practices. Me, in general, I’m quiet and shy at first, and I didn’t necessarily have strong connections with people yet,” Doyle said. “I was a little upset that I didn’t experience World Cup. But afterward and when we came back from break, that was when I put my head down and started working hard.”
She returned to the squad in time for the 2013 Dubai 7s and played on every series squad for the next two years. In that time, she established herself as one of the team’s best scoring threats, showcasing a sly sidestep and nearly unmatched pull-away speed. She was also very key on defense, chasing down breakaways and coming through with the pursuit tackle.
2015 became an important year for Doyle in terms of how she connected with teammates on the pitch. Bui Baravilala returned to the squad, having left the program after the 2013 World Cup. The flyhalf had played two tournaments with Doyle in late 2012, but there was no established connection. That all changed at the 2015 Atlanta 7s.
“It was like my whole career shifted,” Doyle said. “We read the game the same way. She was at flyhalf, I was at center, and she could just read something and set me up. It was a huge change; I hadn’t experienced anything like that. We placed second in that tournament and played the rest of the season well together.”
It was also the year that Doyle started playing with new sensation Jessica “JJ” Javelet.
“JJ is my wing and she’s unlike any wing I’ve ever played with,” Doyle praised. “She’s very vocal and super creative and always wants to try new things. She’s always talking to me, and what she says only helps me. As Bui did with me, I did the same with JJ to set her up.”
Photo: Lorne Collicutt for World Rugby
It all came together for Doyle during the final stop of the 2014-15 series, when she scored a hat trick against New Zealand. That rare achievement – which tops the list of Doyle’s favorite rugby moments – was part of a 34-5 win over the legendary team.
Doyle noticed a change in her role after that series. When the USA went to the NACRA qualifier for the Olympics, suddenly she was being asked for input, and she realized she needed to embrace a more vocal leadership role.
The USA Women’s 7s program was then thrown into turmoil. In September 2015, Suggitt was released and former Eagles 7s coach Julie McCoy took over. In March 2016, McCoy was replaced with current coach Richie Walker. Three coaches during the year preceding the Olympics – the end goal on which Doyle and teammates had been focused for four years.
Despite the tumult, the USA Women’s 7s team pulled together. The team finished fifth but played both Gold Medalist Australia and Silver Medalist New Zealand to single-digit losses. Those decisions are equally charged with positive and negative take-aways, but Doyle had a brand of frustration all her own.
“The Olympics was a little difficult because I did get injured so quickly – pretty severely rolled my ankle,” Doyle said. “Richie had faith that I could still perform, so I just had to fight through and focus on the fact that my team needed me. I didn’t necessarily get to play my game, which kinda sucks. But as a whole, I felt our team was probably the closest it has ever been. That’s always good; it’s really about the journey getting to Rio. You’ll remember those four years as a whole more than the Olympics alone.”
Once the momentum of that four-year build to the Olympics ended, Doyle became uncertain about her rugby future. But she was open and willing, and renewed her contract through Dubai, where she was named captain.
“I tried to feel it out and came to the conclusion that I really needed to take some ‘me time,’ because I’ve never really done that,” Doyle said.
Doyle has departed the USA Women’s 7s program, but she’s not using the word “retirement.” She’s still in San Diego, back at school and building toward Physician Assistant school, and she’s working alongside lifelong friends Baravilala and Javelet at a coffee shop. She’s also staying fit, keeping her rugby skills sharp and considering club 7s this summer. The 2018 World Cup Sevens occurs a mere 500 miles north of her home, and Doyle is all about taking opportunities when they present themselves.
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