The Glendale RFC Women kick off their spring season with matches against the Boulder Babes and the Lady Cougars of BYU on Saturday, March 17, at Infinity Park.

The GRFC Women’s Premier League side is coming off a stellar fall campaign, going 9-1 in Division I (the one loss was a 15-7 national championship match against Chicago North Shore) — and earning a promotion to the WPL following a dominant performance in the challenge match. The newly promoted squad will face BYU in the stadium. Both sides will showcase a litany of new players, as several veterans rehabilitate injuries suffered during the fall season or, have shifted their focus to jobs and family. The GRFC Women’s DII squad lost narrowly to the Boulder Babes last fall and will be looking to improve on that performance on Saturday.

"It's great to have the flexibility to play matches like this in the spring", says GRFC Women’s Head Coach Lisa Rosen. “The Cougars are ramping up for a run at the USA Rugby Women’s DI College Championship, so when [Head Coach] Tom Waqa (USOC Volunteer Coach of the Year) contacted me about playing Glendale’s top side, I eagerly accepted.” Waqa and Rosen are no strangers — in 2010 they teamed up to coach the USA Rugby Women's Collegiate All-Americans together. “BYU's Women's rugby program is one of the best in the country,” continues Rosen, “they’re fit, fast, well coached, and creative. I expect both teams to play a similar style that features a lot of quick movement and at least one exciting head-to-head battle.”

Glendale's Tyra McGrady and BYU's Rebecca Siebach are two of the fastest young players in the country, and have trained together in the USA U20 and USA 7s programs. “It should be a fun match to watch,” concludes Rosen.

Expect to see a lot of new faces; with number 8 Jillion Potter in Chula Vista , Calif. on an Olympic 7s contract, Taryn Brennan is a likely pick to take over in the back row. Captain and prop Sarah Wilson will have the task of leading several new forwards through their paces, as newcomers Mary Pezzullo (Albany) and Jerilyn Pecko (Kent/USA U20) compete for time up front. It’s expected that Pattie Shagum (Austin), Kristen Shalosky (Florida U23) and Christina Latini (Penn State) will be pushing for inclusion into the pack. Veterans Katie Janus, Nina Safane, Jen Montoya and Carol Fabrizio are among those returning to the field for GRFC this spring. “Turnout so far this season has been great,” says Rosen, “so selections will be very competitive.”

The back line will also see some changes, particularly in the centers. Former USA U19 and U20s Joanna Hoffman and Kandis Ruis are challenging for spots in the midfield and full back positions. Claire Gregorich will make her first appearance after completing rehab from an ACL tear. Sarah Edwards, Hannah Stolba, Heidi Bauer, Andrea Prusinski and Tyra MCrady all return.

Collegiate rugby is improving in leaps and bounds — BYU may be a college program, but that doesn't mean that it won't be a tough game. “With the speed and creativity they bring to the game, we expect a terrific and competitive match,” commented Rosen. “Since this is not a league game, we have the luxury of taking some risks with selections and growing players in different positions. Our spring goal is player development, and sometimes the best way to take a step forward is to view the field from a different spot, or play next to a different person. Expect some surprises.”

Kickoff for the GRFC Women DII vs. the Boulder Babes is at 2 p.m. on the turf field (free) while the GRFC WPL team vs. BYU will kick off at 4 p.m. in the stadium. Tickets can be purchased at the gates.

Raptor Women’s scrum half Robin Roberts is a walking wealth of rugby experience and knowledge, and a vital stabilizing factor in the team’s midfield. These are the kind of attributes required to be able to play rugby for as long as Roberts has and for her to be able to be involved in coaching with Glendale’s youth program which offers a variety of after-school rugby activities. Roberts makes no secret of the fact that when she does eventually hang up her boots, becoming more involved in coaching is definitely a consideration for her and she hopes that Glendale will be the place to make this desire become a reality.

Roberts has degrees in archaeology, geology and anthropology, and has enjoyed some interesting outdoor career opportunities to date. It’s easy to understand why she classifies herself as a sun worshipper.

A native of St. Louis, Roberts relocated to Denver in 1995 and has been here ever since — with the exception of a U.S. Forest Service stint in Steamboat Springs, Colo. But it was rugby that brought her back to Denver. “Rugby is not just a sport, I believe,” she says, “it’s a culture.” It was this culture that Roberts was drawn to through a flyer posted in a community college restroom that got her started on this epic rugby adventure she has enjoyed since her first exposure to the sport.

Roberts, a creature of habit, is committed to developing rugby, unusual for someone who claims to have a fear of commitment. Perhaps she is then better summed up as loyal! A natural athlete but with varied interests, Roberts gave up a track scholarship to be able to join the University of Missouri marching band.

“The Wizard of Oz” is Roberts’ favorite movie because it brings back fond memories of her late parents. It is for a very sentimental reason, linked to the passing of her parents, that Roberts believes in telling people how important they are to her and that we should always be appreciative of important things in our lives.

When not applying or dedicating her time to rugby, Roberts can be found relaxing to the sounds of Madonna while enjoying a good Agatha Christie novel. Not far from her point of relaxation, one will find her dog, an Australian shepherd cross, and her cat. The one thing Roberts will be munching on for sure, while enjoying her downtime with her animals, will be turkey bacon.

Roberts is no stranger to adversity. She has had to overcome some controversial situations in her rugby career to be able to look back now and be satisfied with all that she has achieved. One can’t help wondering if her (ten times) broken nose is something she would prefer not to have to look back on, but there’s nothing like a good war story. Roberts has many of those – but for now her focus is on achieving her five-year plan to eventually hang up her boots, become more involved in coaching rugby (especially children) and dedicate more time to her archaeology career. Roberts is an achiever and there is no doubting that within five years, there will be a tick next to each one of those goals. There’s no stopping Robin Roberts.

Jillion Potter grew up in the Hill Country of Texas, in a little town called Kerrville, about an hour northwest of San Antonio. She attended the University of New Mexico and enjoyed a hiatus in Minnesota before ending up in Denver. Some would say this is a rather nomadic life for a 25 year old. But for Potter, this journey has been a course of opportunities — a chance to play the game she fell in love with at college.

After being approached on three occasions by the rugby club at college, Potter finally succumbed and attended a practice. The coach’s instruction to Potter was to tackle the opposition and Potter smiles broadly when she says, “And tackle I did!” It seems she has not stopped tackling since then, and her power on defense has landed her quite a reputation of being a formidable force in the loose forwards. While Potter has been capped for the Women’s Eagles (15s) on 11 occasions, her recent call-up to the Women’s Eagle Sevens is something of a welcome challenge. The opportunity to earn her first 7s cap for the United States will be this weekend at the 2012 USA Women’s International 7s Invitiational in Las Vegas.

In 2010, prior to heading to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England — and having just been named forwards captain for the squad — Potter broke her neck during a warm-up game against Canada. Potter is aware of how critical the injury could have been and feels very lucky to be able to still be playing rugby, and at the level that she is competing. She doesn’t take it for granted though and works religiously at maintaining her physical condition by following a strict exercise program, which includes a rigorous weightlifting regime.

Potter, who has a twin brother, an older sister and a large stepfamily, attributes the support of her father — who has always encouraged all her sporting endeavors — as the biggest influence in her life. But the person who currently impacts Potter’s life is her partner, Carol Fabrizio. Potter confesses to having the worst memory imaginable and without Carol to help organize her life, Potter is not sure how she would cope. The two enjoy a healthy competitiveness, which extends to the rugby field where Carol plays hooker for the Glendale Women. It even filters into Infinity Park’s High Altitude Training Center where the two battle it out for weightlifting supremacy.

Potter’s jovial outlook on life is uplifting and the motto she lives by, “Never give up,” is indicative of her ability to recover from such a serious injury. Rugby is her career and living in Denver is something that she enjoys immensely.

“I love the mountains. I am a mountain person,” says Potter. So it was no surprise after that comment to hear that her vacation spot of choice would be Patagonia, a mountainous region at the southern end of South America in Argentina and Chile.

Potter is all about speed and driving a Lamborghini would be her ultimate car of choice. You would hear rock and roll blaring from the car speakers as this is the music Potter enjoys — especially when she is working out. The Lamborghini would be headed to the nearest diner serving bacon. “I love bacon,” chuckles Potter, “In fact, I would eat bacon with everything if I could.”

For now, Potter is putting her dreams of driving fast cars on hold. Her only dream right now is to get onto the pitch during the 7s Invitational and make a difference. Potter won’t be speeding in a car; she’ll be soaring like an Eagle and giving 100 percent of herself to help her team be the best that they can be. No doubt we can expect the same of her when she runs out for the Glendale Women in the spring season!

At 29, Raptor Women’s fly half and playmaker Hannah Stolba has enjoyed a life that makes any Discovery Channel adventure series look tame. Born and raised in Missoula, Mont., she has worked in a dogsled facility in northern Minnesota, driven a Honda CBR600RR motorcycle across 1,600 miles of the United States, been capped three times for the Women’s Eagles and has a fascinating understanding and love of dogs.

Stolba’s abilities are bountiful and her interests are not what you would expect. While she has a keen interest in woodwork to the extent that she made her own bed frame, she is just as enthusiastic about musical theater and classifies “Wicked” as her all-time favorite. “’Dirty Dancing’ is at the top of my list of favorite movies,” chuckles Stolba as she quickly backs that statement up, “but I do enjoy a good comedy, too.”

Having spent four years at Minnesota State University, Mankato on a basketball scholarship (scoring over 1,000 points), it was no surprise when Stolba revealed that the meal she most enjoys is steak and potatoes. Somehow, that seems to coincide with her choice of music — it happens to be country, and there is also evidence of an appreciation for the blues.

What piques one’s interest about Hannah the most though, is her unusual vacation destination choice — Iceland! However, when you know that one of her majors at college was recreation, parks and leisure services, it is not difficult to understand why. Stolba clearly has an interest and love for the outdoors, and the beauty that various and different landscapes offer. Hannah intends to hike the entire multi-state, national Appalachian Trail, which she reckons will take her six months to complete. But what adds a cherry to the top of this revelation is that Stolba intends to shave all her hair off, prior to commencing on this epic trek — all in the name of cancer research.

But with all these interests, hobbies and adventures, one thing has stayed close to Hannah’s heart, and that is rugby. So much so that her life has always been revolved around allowing her the opportunity to pursue her love of rugby which began while she was a freshman “redshirt” at the University of Northern Iowa, prior to her transfer to MSU.

Stolba’s athleticism enabled her to grasp the game of rugby quickly and she rose admirably in the rugby ranks in a short space of time, representing the United States in developmental teams, U23s and finally in the national team where her first cap was against England.

Nowadays, Stolba is balancing her time between a job that she loves at DaVita (a leading provider of kidney care) in downtown Denver, her dogs Smudge and Phinn, and her passion — rugby! This week, Stolba is attending USA Rugby’s Women’s High Performance Camp in Lakeland, Fla. Her five-year goal is to make the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup and this elite camp will lay the foundation. Tattooed in small but visible print on the inside of her left wrist are the words “Carpe diem,” a tribute to her father who passed away when she was just 7 and a reminder that it is up to her to get the job done. Stolba’s sights are set and if anyone can seize the day, Stolba can.