by Jackie Finlan
Rugby Magazine
August 19, 2010
Taking a snapshot of the scene - young athletes cycling through a trendy Starbuck's lounge - one might confuse this Thursday evening with a typical night in the States. But let the footage roll and notice that the clientele isn't random. A smattering of Women's Rugby World Cup players in their countries' gear populate the Surrey Sports Park (Guildford, England) coffee house, sipping on pricey juice, reposing with family members (Oh! That's England captain Catherine Spencer hugging in the corner), and allowing a charged calmness settle into their bones as a night's rest precedes tomorrow's Game One.
Twenty-two-year-old Stacy Bridges, vice captain Jamie Burke and three-time WRWC veteran Phaidra Knight joined me in Starbucks after the USA's jersey ceremony. All three are on the roster for tomorrow's game against Kazakhstan, and all three represent different elements on the team. Bridges, the youngest of the bunch, will get her first taste of World Cup rugby tomorrow; Burke, in her second WRWC, diversifies her veteranship with forwards-captain status; and Knight, the leading cap-holder on the squad, isn't swayed by pressure and knows her role as an impact player and example.
All three are surprisingly calm, if not sedate. "When we're together, we balance each other out," Burke explains. "We have high-energy and calmer influences on the team, so between the two, we're able to self regulate."
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