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The Rugby Breakdown begins its Next Phase Rugby High School Player of the Month* series with Giabella Romano, a graduating senior at Carmel High School in Indiana. The versatile player is heading to Holy Cross College this fall to play under Notre Dame head coach Ricardo “Chago” Ramirez, and will pursue a degree in sale and marketing to build on already impressive rugby and professional careers. (*The first edition is retroactive to March and the next HS Player of the Month will post on May 1.)
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Giabella hails from a rugby family. Her mom, Kelly, is an absolute dynamo and has funneled her energies into coaching, administrative and refereeing roles, among others. She’s also a former player and regaled her kids with stories of playing in Australia and New Zealand.
“We’ve been to 25 countries together as a family and a big thing for us is, ‘Let’s try to find a rugby ball and a club team in this country and go to some of their games,'” Giabella said. “In France, we saw a whole tournament and met so many players from different countries. Traveling makes you realize that rugby is so much bigger than your club team.”
So it’s no wonder that Giabella snuck into the Carmel Dads Club Youth Rugby a year early, joining the 2nd grade touch program as a 1st grader. She advanced through the age grades, graduating into co-ed tackle in middle school, then girls-only tackle in junior high. It was mostly 7s, with a sprinkle of 10s, and then when Giabella joined Carmel High School as a freshman, 15s was introduced. Rangy and deceptively fast, she enjoys the back row and center, but can also be found at hooker and flyhalf, all depending on what the team needs.
“I guess I like 7s more just because I’ve been around it longer,” she said. “I love the fast pace and how the game can change at any second. But I like learning all the positions in 15s and more plays. ‘You mean I can kick the ball whenever I want!?'”
Giabella wanted to expand her reach and created a rugby-specific Instagram account that served as a resource for not only select sides searching for talent but also athletic peers with crossover potential.
“When it comes to touring, I go with what’s most affordable,” said Giabella, who has represented Atlantis, The Rugby Advantage, and Indy Speed, among others. “It doesn’t necessarily matter to me which team I go with, because I know I’ll learn things. … And tours are during school time, too, so attendance needs to be considered. I was invited to Portugal with Atlantis but had to turn it down because it was in middle of the school week. Tropical 7s [with Atlantis] was my birthday gift.”
Giabella, who also wrestles for Carmel High School, used her rugby Instagram to promote the sport generally.
“Carmel High School has so many national championships,” Giabella said. “Our girls’ swim team just won their 40th [state championship] in a row. So there’s a lot of pressure when joining other sports at my school to be a starter. But I feel like rugby and wrestling, you’re encouraged to be yourself, to do your best, and get the best results that way. It’s such a player’s sport versus a coaching sport. You have figure out a lot of stuff by yourself.
“And I feel lucky playing a sport that isn’t dumbed down for girls,” she added. “That’s such a big thing for me. I would hate to play a sport that is different for guys, because girls are supposed to be more fragile or something like that. Rugby is the exact same wherever you play it. I love meeting girls from other sports who are being told they’re too physical and converting them to rugby. They’re always like, ‘I wish someone told me about this sooner!'”
Giabella is comfortable plotting her own paths, and while the self-education does build character, it’s also nice to have some reliable resources in the process. When it came to understanding opportunities with collegiate rugby, Next Phase Rugby was big. During freshman year of high school, Giabella’s mom encouraged her to download the app and learn more about the college rugby environment.
“I had so many questions and wrote them down in my notebook,” she said. “What did I want to learn about? What’s important to me? What are my values as a student and a player? And then the rugby teams, are they club based or get more funding? What does the day-to-day look like? So I was asking a lot of coaches those questions and narrowing down my options.”
From the coaches themselves, there were the typical questions around positions and experience, as well as some deeper inquiries to gauge a match.
“What do I already enjoy as a player, and what do I feel like can take me to the next level? What am I missing with the sport,” she recited some coaches’ questions. “That was important because it made me feel more seen. They want to know where your head is at with the college process and how they can help you.”
Giabella interacted with some reputable college rugby programs and coaches, but she wasn’t willing to compromise if the institution’s academic ideology didn’t fit with her.
“There were some big-name schools that I’ve heard about with rugby, and I really liked their program,” she said. ” But then the school [itself] didn’t really sound like me as a student.”
Through Next Phase Rugby, Giabella learned how to vet a rugby program in the context of the overall college. She was armed with this knowledge when she considered Holy Cross College, which is part of a tri-campus system with Notre Dame and St. Mary’s. Located in Bend, Ind., Giabella was able to see the Notre Dame women’s rugby program (which is accessible to Holy Cross and St. Mary’s students) in action. She met head coach Ramirez face to face.
“I really liked Chago’s perspective,” she said. “When I met him one on one, he said, ‘I tell all my players that school is first and rugby’s the cherry on top.’ As much as I love rugby and want to take it seriously, academics is really important to me, and to him. I really liked that because I feel supported transitioning into the college setting.”
Giabella was attracted to the small campus feel of Holy Cross and the access that the tri-campus setup affords. The school offers her major as well – marketing and sales – and she comes to the discipline with some momentum.
“I currently have two jobs,” said Giabella, who works 30 hours per week. “I’m a salesperson at [Tan City Salon] and I’m the top seller for products and memberships in the region. I work a lot with my district manager and I just love getting to consult with clients and figuring out what they like and don’t like, then personalizing my recommendations.
“My other job is with my school, which is like a learning pathway,” she continued. “I work at a pre-school with 3-year-olds as like an assistant teacher, and that is so fun. Some of the things they say … [laughs].”
And she’s still pushing on the rugby side of things. In the not-so-distant future, Giabella plans to get her referee’s certification.
“My mom’s a referee and she enjoys it so much,” she said. “She always says, ‘It’s the best spot on the pitch.’ You can see all the players and understand exactly how everything works. It’s just more knowledge.”
The graduating senior is busy, but one gets the notion that she likes it that way. She’s getting through finals now and enjoying the final stretch of high school before heading to Holy Cross in the fall.
“I’m just getting sentimental,” Giabella said of high school’s end. “I get to practice an early hour and stay an hour late so I can spend time with those teammates. We won state in the fall for 7s and had an undefeated season. Most of the girls on this team just started playing or had one year, but we were just so connected as a team that I think that’s what made the rugby so good. We knew how each other played and were with each other all the time. I just want to cherish it.”
For more information on Next Phase Rugby, visit https://nextphaserugby.com for more information. To download the app, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play and search “Next Phase Rugby.” Questions? E-mail greg@nextphaserugby.com. Have a recommendation for a High School Player of the Month? Contact Jackie Finlan at editor@therugbybreakdown.com.