DENVER — When it comes to running around a field to score tries, many Coloradans may not know what that means, let alone how to do it. But after the excitement of USA women’s rugby winning its first Olympic bronze medal earlier this month, girls across the Front Range are more eager than ever to learn the skills of the sport.

At a preseason training session in Denver’s Central Park, girls under 14 show the passion of professionals – and take their first steps in flag rugby, a contactless introductory version of the game.

“It is “It’s a learning experience and it’s really fun,” says Reba Shaffer, who first played rugby at age 6. Now 9, she has three seasons under her belt and is an excellent player.

Cameron Duckworth, Denver7

Her father, Matt Shaffer, played rugby in college and his smiling face beams with pride as he cheers his daughter on at practice.

“She followed in my footsteps. That’s important to be clear,” he said. “She learned to be a teammate and a competitor. She made great friends. She had great coaches.”

And she even meets her heroes.

Rugby for girls

“It was incredible,” Shaffer said. “We were able to meet and talk to Naya Tapper, who was captain and helped the U.S. win bronze.”

Reba even took a selfie with Ilona Maher, whose body positivity message made her famous online. Reba said she watched the USA’s Olympic-winning game over and over again, studying their techniques closely to prepare for her future ambitions: to take home the gold medal against the toughest opponent on the world stage, New Zealand.

“It was a huge inspiration for our members and our girls,” said Erin Kennedy, who helped start the girls’ rugby league in Denver six years ago.

The U.S. team’s historic bronze medal win “has really put rugby in the spotlight and we’re seeing a very large influx of parents wanting to send their daughters into the sport,” Kennedy said.

Cameron Duckworth, Denver7

In the past, there have been significantly fewer opportunities for girls to participate in rugby at national and global level than for boys, Kennedy said.

The girls rugby league offers girls in grades 2-8 the opportunity to get into the sport. Registration for the fall season is open and begins September 9 and runs through October 27. Teams play throughout the Front Range, including at parks in Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, Aurora, Littleton, Parker and Westminster.

Rugby for girls

Colorado’s girls rugby program continues to be the largest in the country and inspires other states such as California, North Carolina and Washington to continue to grow.

“We are building a pool of girls who will play rugby and stay involved in the sport and one day they will wear the red, white and blue jerseys and represent our nation. We are very excited about that,” said Kennedy.

Flag rugby, which follows all the rules of the game except tackling, helps to “instill all the important values ​​of the game,” she said.

Rugby for girls

“They learn things like leadership, confidence, inclusion and respect,” she said. “We’re trying to build really strong, confident young women.”

Young women like Reba know that it takes grit to make their dreams of an Olympic medal come true. Her advice to other girls starting out in the sport: “Don’t give up and keep trying.”