Olivia Ortiz: Mental Game, Confidence Grew in DTE

There’s a really nice quintet of scrumhalves that has been working together during the USA Women’s National Team Daily Training Environments (DTEs), and 23-year-old Olivia Ortiz represents one of two capped internationals in that group. The Michigan native is also one of several full-time students who was working toward a degree this past year, and Ortiz managed to earn her MBA from Davenport University during the second residency block.

Ortiz emerged during Davenport’s early years, as the Grand Rapids school gained prominence as a quality program outside of NIRA and the DI Elite. She entered the USA pathway through the U20s and debuted with the senior Eagles in summer 2019. Ortiz earned three caps during that Women’s Super Series in California, and followed with another two that November against Canada.

In all of those occasions, she was used as a second-half replacement, and that strategy continued when two of three DTEs culminated in a Stars vs. Stripes match. Those circumstances, especially as a nine, might sound intimidating, but fellow DTE scrumhalf Shelby Lin explained that the directives are often more focused and clearer in the final 20 minutes of the match. Ortiz has that game-jolting capability, not only as an attacking option but as a fierce defender. She’s under five feet tall but she’s not one to be pushed out of contact. She drills those shoulders into the tackle, and the sight of it all warms the coldest of hearts. And she’s only gotten better since the DTEs began.

“Personally, for me, I truly felt that my biggest growth was in my mental game and confidence,” Ortiz reflected on the past year of DTEs. “Having a great group of girls and coaching staff to train with day in and day out made the DTEs so incredible. [USA 15s assistant coach and former Eagle scrumhalf] Jenny Lui provided us with the resources necessary to perform as an elite athlete. This heavily translated to my performance on the pitch because instead of second-guessing myself, I would just go for it and trust my abilities. On a more physical side of it, I feel like my pass has developed much more than I had ever thought it could have by now because I am always trying to get more weight and width on my pass.”

Ortiz also improved with the help of fellow halfbacks. She spent a lot of time with flyhalf Megan Foster, Cassidy Bargell – who was back from injury and developed into a close friend during the third DTE – and Lin, who also adopted a dog that got along with Ortiz’s pup, Clayton.

“On the pitch we are always doing primers, giving one another feedback, and having fun doing it,” Ortiz focused on Lin. “It’s really special having a teammate who plays the same position as you and who wants to see you succeed just as much as they want to succeed. And for that, I am so grateful.

“All the scrumhalves are so fun,” she added. “Cass, Kelsie [O’Brien], Shelby, and Carly [Waters] are a great group of women who are honestly my inspiration because without them I wouldn’t be where I am today, and they are great friends and teammates.”

The third DTE was a four-week residency block in June-July and culminated with a Stars vs. Stripes match on July 10. Ortiz was named as a reserve for the Stripes, which was led by captain Emily Henrich and vice captain Nick James.

“Nick has so much knowledge and experience of the game, everyone absorbs what she says,” Ortiz lauded the Eagle prop. “I want to give our forwards a pat on the back as well because we had suffered quite a few injuries resulting in people playing out of position, but they really came and gave it all they’ve got despite it.

“And I can’t say enough good things about Em as a friend, teammate, and leader,” she continued. “Em provided the team with the energy and confidence we needed, and empowered her teammates through her own performance. She was a lethal threat with the ball in hand and as a defender she put out some really menacing hits.”

Henrich scored the game’s opening try and fellow collegian Saher Hamdan added the Stripes’ second score after the break. At that point, the Stars only led 21-14.

“Saher Hamden had a standout performance as well for the Stripes,” Ortiz highlighted the hooker. “She is such a workhorse that can be seen everywhere on the pitch and has the skill to put away grubbers in open field and the hands to do a near 15m skip pass to put the ball into space is impressive.”

But then the Stars pulled away as centers Gabby Cantorna and Eti Haungatau added tries.

“Gabby Cantorna had a phenomenal game at 12,” Ortiz hailed the opposing inside center. “Having played with Gabby as my flyhalf back in 2019 and to see her now at center is awesome. She dominated collisions on both attack and defense. It has been really great to see her growth while she played overseas with Exeter and how it translated to the impact she made on match day.”

The Stars ended up winning 45-14.

“Even though the match didn’t necessarily end how we wanted it to as a collective group, we have grown so much individually and as a whole,” Ortiz summarized. “We are constantly challenging one another to be better, ask questions of our opposition, and going forward we need to continue to do that to bring to life the type of rugby that we want to play, and are still one step closer to giving the performance we want at the Rugby World Cup.”

For those who have attended all three DTEs since fall 2020, they’ve benefitted from 20 weeks together.

“As a collective group there have been so many deeper connections built both on and off the pitch which allows us to better know one another, each other’s style of play, their strengths, and how we can look after one another as both a friend and teammate,” Ortiz explained the benefits.

Now that Ortiz is back in Michigan, it’s time to turn that focus inward again. Fortunately, the scrumhalf has a less hectic schedule compared to her first move home between the second and third DTEs. Then, she was responsible for the morning shift at the gym, a post that began at 4:30 a.m. She then commuted to Davenport for conditioning and PT, and also helped practices as the Panthers readied for the CRC 7s in New Orleans.

Today, however, Ortiz has a position that supports remote work and the demands of a Rugby World Cup build-up. USA Rugby Women’s High Performance Manager Emilie Bydwell indicated that the program is targeting 10 matches before the fall 2021 tournament.

“I plan on continuing to keep both rugby and starting a career as a priority but I must say rugby is #1 as we progress towards the World Cup,” Ortiz confessed.

Ortiz is currently considering her local playing options. There’s a men’s team nearby and she’s hoping to train with them. But otherwise, Chicago North Shore is the best option at three hours away, although the WPL won’t play until the spring. Those decisions might be easier when Eagle commitments are known.