Photo: Jade McGrath’s mom
Scion is one of three East Coast teams heading to the USA Club 7s National Championship this weekend in Tukwila, Wash. The D.C.-based team is the top seed in Pool A and always a contender for the title. That said, Scion wasn’t immune to the unorthodox build to nationals and explored different competition options to prepare.
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Traditionally, the Mid-Atlantic Conference assembles a 7s series with qualifiers and a championship for its member teams, and that was the case this summer as well. However, NOVA was the only other club that was considering nationals, so Scion had to expand its travel radius for competition.
“Though we didn’t make the decision until pretty late in the spring to have a season, we quickly worked together to find the tournaments that would provide us with as much diversity and breadth of competition as we could, knowing that it would be unpredictable how many teams would be in any one tournament,” Scion founder and coach Joanne Liu explained. “It was actually really refreshing to be able to see and play against great competition from so many neighboring regions as well.”
In addition to local fixtures, Scion traveled to play teams from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and ventured south for the Cape Fear 7s. This tournament is a hybrid for the women’s bracket, separating civilian teams and then mixing them with military sides involved in the Armed Forces Championship. Scion beat Army for the overall Cape Fear 7s title.
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“The beginning of the season was strictly focused on fundamentals as no one had played in close to two years and there was no guarantee everyone was ready to return to play,” Liu reviewed the team’s progression. “We definitely lost a few of our vets that just weren’t in a place to return either physically or mentally, and that was accepted without question.
“As with every other team this year we also had to navigate life events delayed by the pandemic – weddings, graduations, work travel and family – and the leadership committee should be commended for finding ways to ensure everyone still remained connected and not pressured to miss life outside of rugby for rugby,” the coach continued. “That trust in each other and increased communication only helped build their bond on and off the field, and we can only hope that’s exhibited at nationals.”
Jade McGrath, Katie Lutton and Camille Johnson comprise the leadership committee and worked to keep all of the players connected. They’re all D.C. residents and long-time Scion players, and they’re well supported by returning veterans Lauren Rhode, Kimber Rozier, Emily Fulbrook, Milla Anderson, Dana Meschisi and Asinate Serevi.
“The rest of the team is a mix of folks we haven’t seen in a while or have only played on tour with us in the past, like Lucy Dawson, Jess Lu, Marisa Hall,” Liu continued. “And of course, we always have some fresh faces like Donna Dzieman [Norfolk Storm], Bridget Kahele [Atlanta Harlequins] and Coco Wallace [Princeton Univ.]. In the past, we have always tried to mix in a couple of internationals just to have some diversity of thought and experience, but that was not a possibility this year.”
As Scion readies for the trip west, Liu asserted that the team’s goals are the same as they are every year: Strive toward high standards on and off of the pitch; play a fast-paced, physical and exciting brand of rugby led by the players; and most importantly, to have fun.
“This year more than any other, we were able to reap the benefits of an overall team culture we have tried to instill year after year, regardless of who is playing or who we are playing against, allowing us to organize and make collective decisions a little quicker than others,” Liu closed. “As an example, the leadership committee decided early on, given the many unknowns and close quarters of training and traveling together, that vaccinations would be required to play, and we stuck to that without exception and without judgment. Allowing our players to have comfort and trust in their teammates regardless of what was in the news.”
Liu reminded that it takes more than the traveling players to support a run at nationals, and that whatever successes occur in Seattle, they belong to the whole group.
“All 15 of our core players contributed to this season and deserve to be a part of nationals,” the coach closed. “We have a diverse group of athletes who just love the sport of 7s and choose to work incredibly hard, training for each other and themselves. This team and the game of rugby has always been about the players, and this year was a reminder for all to just go out and enjoy the experience, enjoy the people and represent ourselves the best we can.”
For more information, visit www.usaclub7s.com.