Following in the footsteps of her siblings, Sita Poch is hoping to make a good impression at the USA Rugby’s Northwest Regional Cup Tournament, where important eyes will be watching.
Following in the footsteps of her siblings, Sita Poch is hoping to make a good impression at the USA Rugby’s Northwest Regional Cup Tournament, where important eyes will be watching.
Poch is a member of the Hawaii girls all-star team, with players from Hilo, Kona and Kahuku, that will play at Portland, Ore., June 27-28 in one of seven regionals.
The top 50 girls and boys in the RCTs will be selected to attend the USA Rugby Stars and Stripes camp, the first step in the elite player development program.
The Stars and Stripes camp will be held July 21-25 in Colorado. Players selected are considered potential Eagles, or U.S. national team members.
Rugby 7s will be part of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
There’s a lot of competition to be on that national team. On the USA Rugby ladder, there’s the Women’s Eagles 7, followed by the USA Women’s Eagles 15s, Collegiate All-Americans, Under-20 team and High School All-American team.
Tracy Poch, a 2012 Waiakea graduate, was a member of the Serevi 7s, USA’s version of a second Triple-A team.
Last year, her brother Suwaiter Poch, a 2014 Hilo graduate, was on the USA Rugby 7s Youth Olympian team.
Earlier this year, the Hilo Reign, under coach Lawrence Fong, defeated Kahuku for the state rugby championship.
Other Hilo Reign players on the Hawaii all-star RCT team are Raevyn Kaupu, Mailiamin Yulian, Asi Holika, Paki Holika, and Ka‘iulani Fa‘anunu. Erica Larsen, from the Kona Bulls, is also on the squad.
Poch, born and raised on the Big Island, is of Chuukese and Hawaiian descent and detailed the struggles of fundraising for the RTC on Facebook.
“Nothing comes easy and that’s just life itself. I lived my childhood in poverty and we continue to struggle,” she wrote. “The Hilo Lady Reign rugby team is struggling as well.
“We would like to show the rest of the world the unique talents that remain hidden and bring girls rugby to the forefront.”
Poch’s Facebook post also mentioned the impact rugby has had on her life.
“Rugby was introduced to me four years ago through my siblings. The game of rugby isn’t just 15 people tossing a ball,” she wrote. “It taught me how to trust others. I gave me the courage to speak up and step out of my comfort zone.
“Rugby is more than just a sport for me. It has been a life-changing experience.”
Rugby has also been beneficial for Kaupu, a 2015 graduate of Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo, a Hawaiian immersion school in Keaukaha, where she was born and raised.
“Rugby became an interest since January of this year and has brought me great satisfaction. There was a point in my life where I was struggling to succeed in school and in any other activity I was involved in,” Kaupu wrote. “Rugby has made a positive impact for me. I fell in love with the sport, as well as the people.
“Now, I have been chosen as one of the seven Lady Reign players to make the Hawaii all-star rugby team. One problem, we need our community’s support to get there.”
Donations are being accepted under Lady Reign Rugby club at GoFundMe.com.