Photo By Lt. Jason Tross | Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Smith, who still dreams of being a professional...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- With an invitation in hand, Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Smith is looking to ride his new found love, rugby, all the way to the Olympics.
This time last year, Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Smith had no idea what rugby was. Instead he was busy training for his return to NCAA football. That all changed when Guantanamo Bay Rugby Club Coach Steve Lynch approached him after a Morale Welfare and Recreation flag football game and convinced him to try rugby.
“I’ve been playing for only about six months now and as far as experience goes, I pretty much love it,” said Smith. “I got out here with Coach Lynch and he showed me everything I need to know. Now we’re trying to take this to the next level – the USA Rugby team and hopefully go to the Olympics.”
Last month, Smith received a letter from USA Rugby Head Coach Al Caravelli inviting him to join 19 other hand-selected athletes from across the United States as they build the first US Olympic rugby team in nearly 100 years.
“I noticed him while playing flag football,” said Lynch. “He had incredible speed and fitness. I also noticed his size. The team needs someone who runs fast, is fit and strong.”
The International Olympic Committee recently added rugby to the 2016 Summer Olympic roster. Now the USA Rugby National Team is putting together a group of athletes ranging from 18 years old to 28 to fill all seven positions on the field. At 21 years old, Smith, who normally plays safety on the football field, is the perfect fit.
“A few weeks after first seeing Brandon, I mentioned to Coach Caravelli that I had a guy we could develop over a period of time before the tryouts and get him ready for the 2016 Olympics,” said Lynch “I thought Brandon was someone he should put on his radar.”
That’s just what happened. Smith began training with Lynch, turning the football prodigy into a rugby prodigy.
“It was basically the football aspect that I liked so much,” said Smith. “I’m such a big football guy. He got me into it using that.”
Knowing he had a football player at heart, Lynch used Smith’s first sport as a means to transition him into the new sport.
“He pretty much transfers everything to football so I can understand rugby better,” laughed Smith. “Now he’s just got me hooked on it.”
Smith trains with Lynch’s Guantanamo Bay Rugby Club – a mix of players ranging in age from 16 to 30 and representing Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army with a strong showing of high school students from W.T. Sampson School.
“We are all in the learning stages so we just play to the best of our abilities and work on whatever Coach is teaching us,” said Smith. “We get out here and he pretty much pushes through drills and we run around and scrimmage each other and have fun. No one really played it before, but now that we’re getting into it – it’s great!”
For Smith, whether training for the Olympics or spending time with Guantanamo Bay’s youth, he finds reward in all aspects of the game.
“Challenge is the big thing about it for me,” said Smith. “It’s the challenge of, ‘hey let’s try something else and see what a whole other sport is about.’ It’s one I never heard of until I got to Guantanamo and met Coach [Lynch].
The fun is just beginning for Smith. Before he can call himself an Olympian, he’ll have to prove himself with the USA Rugby team at practice. If all goes well, then comes the real fun.
“The practice is going to be at Chula Vista, Calif., at the Olympic Training Center,” said Smith. “After that I could be going to London and Scotland if I make the team. I really hope I make the team.”
| Date Taken: | 03.18.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2011 09:49 |
| Story ID: | 67530 |
| Location: | GUANTANMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 277 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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