Youth Rugby in Denver

“It wasn’t about the sport for me when I first started,” Hammon said. “It was about a really big community with a family emphasis.”

Hammon has played with the Atomic Sisters Rugby Club, American Rugby Pro Training Center, and the University of New Mexico, which shaped her decision to pursue higher-level rugby as a player and coach.

At the University of New Mexico, she organized a rookie rugby clinic for her senior thesis, clarifying her goal to promote rugby and educate young players about its culture.

Seeking a new environment, Andie moved to Colorado and contacted Jamie Burke, Glendale’s Youth Rugby Coordinator, to start coaching. She joined the Colorado Gray Wolves Women’s rugby team and became the Youth Rugby Coordinator for Glendale on July 1st.

Hammon began coaching in Glendale with the Winter Indoor Rugby program in 2020, later overseeing youth rugby school programs and coaching PE classes. She also contributed to Glendale Youth Rugby’s annual Girls High School Camp.

Andie aims to expand school programs and raise awareness of rugby among youth.

“It’s a personal joy of mine to see kids learn about rugby,” she said. “Most kids have never heard of it, so it’s exciting when they ask questions.”

As Youth Rugby Coordinator, she wants to foster community among players, teammates, and coaches.

“I am most excited to continue learning,” Hammon said. “Every camp teaches me something new.”

Hammon credits her success to her sister’s mentorship and support from her family and the New Mexico rugby community.

“I’m eager to learn how to run a good program and understand what young athletes want from our offerings”.

Sarah Chobot is the defense coach for the U.S. Eagles women’s rugby team and is the head coach of Denver’s Women’s Elite Rugby team. Chobot spent the last four seasons as a defense coach, scrum specialist, and head coach of the American Raptors. She served as the head coach of the club during the Raptors’ inaugural season competing in Super Rugby Americas in 2023 after taking over as the interim head coach for the final match of the Fall 2022 season. The Raptors finished sixth in the table in 2023 with a 2-10 record. Chobot has quickly ascended the coaching ranks since making the decision to pursue the profession at the end of her playing career. She’s served as a coach for Colorado State University, the Glendale Merlins, and the Denver Waterdogs prior to joining the American Raptors’ Staff back in 2020 when the club played as the Colorado XOs. As a player, Chobot was a member of the United States U-23 XV team, the National 7s team, and the National XV Team where she represented the USA at the 2014 Rugby World Cup. She was a four-time National Champion as a member of the Midwest U-23 team and won two WPL Championships.