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!
