Melissa Kanuk is going places.
The 1999 Bethlehem Central High School graduate is in England this week with the United States National Elite Rugby Team for the start of the Nations Cup an international tournament that serves as a warm-up for the 2010 World Cup.
This is Kanuk’s second trip to England with the U.S. National Team. She was there with the Women Eagles during their most recent trip in December.
We do hope to make a statement out there and turn some heads,` said Kanuk before she left Saturday.
Kanuk was chosen out of a pool of approximately 60 players nationwide to join the elite team for the Nations Cup, which will also feature national teams from England and Canada.
`During the year, they have events that they will invite you to,` said Kanuk. `You can be invited to events and never be invited to play on the (World Cup) team.`
Kanuk’s rugby career started when she arrived at American University in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1999.
`I went there to try to play soccer as a walk-on, but I soon decided that I didn’t want to play a varsity sport. So, I looked for a club sport to try,` said Kanuk. `My roommate and I went to dining hall one day, and the women’s rugby team had walked in from a practice. We were pretty much surrounded by them, so I asked them about the team, and they told me all about it.`
What Kanuk learned about rugby led her to join the team. By the spring of 2000, she was playing every match, even though the sport ` which closely resembles American football minus the use of protective helmets and pads ` was foreign to her.
`Some things (about rugby) were more natural (to me) than others,` she said. `I had come from a background of playing mostly soccer and basketball, so the concept of the game was different.`
What wasn’t different was Kanuk’s role. Like her career as a midfielder on Bethlehem’s varsity soccer team, she was placed in a role on the rugby field where she orchestrated the offense ` a role she carries on today.
`In a lot of team sports, what makes you successful is that you can see the whole field,` said Kanuk. `That’s no more truer than in rugby. You have so many different types of players that you have to rely on each other to do what they are supposed to do in order to be successful. Everyone has to work together.`
After graduating from American University in 2003, Kanuk still wanted to play rugby. So she signed on with the Maryland Stingers, a club that plays in both a Mid-Atlantic region league and at national tournaments.
`We do travel a bit,` said Kanuk, who has played matches as far away as Florida and California. `Being in the east, there are a lot more teams, so we don’t always have to travel far.`
While playing for the Stingers, Kanuk built up a reputation that got her placed in the National Team pool. Her first call-up to the elite team came last winter.
`It is an honor to be part of that (elite team), but you have to keep working hard to improve,` said Kanuk. `When you’re part of the (National Team) pool, you have to continue to improve both yourself and as a team.`
The Women Eagles have a lot to live up to as they prepare for the 2010 World Cup. The United States finished fifth in the last World Cup in 2006, and the team is looking to break into the top four.
`We are a good team, and we have great potential,` said Kanuk. `So when we do get together (to practice), we work really hard to get better.`
Moving up the international rankings won’t be easy. Besides the fact that the Women Eagles only get together three to four times a year to practice and play, they also have to play a style of rugby that is not part of the American game.
`Compared to rugby in the United States, international rugby is a lot more physical. It’s faster and harder hitting,` said Kanuk. `And in other countries, the (national) teams play together a lot longer. The teams that we play against have a higher level of experience than we do.`
Still, the opportunity to play on the international stage is something Melissa Kanuk never could have dreamed of.“