Great athletes have great vision.
They have those intangible gifts — the ability to see the playing field, to see the play developing, to see two to three plays ahead.
They also can see where the sport will take them.
That is the case with Bui Baravilala and rugby. The Radford High graduate likely didn’t realize at the time that all those weekends watching her father Etu playing on the pitches around Oahu would take her places but it has … to California, New York, Florida and the Bahamas.
If Baravilala continues to progress and move up in USA Rugby’s ranks, it could mean a trip to Brazil in 2016. Women’s rugby will make its Olympic debut in the first Games held in South America.
"That’s the ultimate goal," said Baravilala, who leaves on Monday for the national women’s senior 7s camp in Santa Barbara, Calif. "I have confidence that I can make it big. If I keep training hard, working hard, I think the chances are good."
One USA Rugby coach agrees. Bryn Chivas, coach of the U.S. women’s under-20 national team, first learned of Baravilala last year.
"I contacted the Hawaii Rugby Union for recommendations about a (development) camp we were having in Santa Barbara," Chivas said in a phone call earlier this week. "Her team had done exceptionally well when coming across (the Pacific Ocean) for a tournament in Las Vegas and we knew she had done well.
"We had 40 players (in camp) and Bui did exceptionally well. She was invited to play on the U20 team last August."
The 20-year-old Baravilala, an inside center, did well in her first international tournament, the NACRA Women’s Championships in Nassau. Her position isn’t normally a high-scoring one, but she scored 13 in an 85-0 rout of the Cayman Select side. The U.S. lost to Canada 6-3 in the final.
"There’s a lot of good things about Bui," Chivas said. "She’s a natural rugby player, has the natural skills, the natural instincts.
"She sees space exceptionally well, runs strongly, has the confidence to go it on her own (instead of passing the ball), knowing she can shake off tackles if the defenders aren’t committed to the tackle. And she is absolute treat to coach."
The sport is in her genes. Her father, Etu Baravilala, originally from Fiji where he learned to play rugby, is a longtime fixture in the Rugby Hawaii Union. He played for the Tama Laie Lions, captained the Hawaii Harlequins and now serves as the RHU head referee. Baravilala watched his daughter develop in the sport the past several years while playing for the Aliamanu Blues, the club he founded.
"All my children learned to love the game from watching all those games at Kapiolani (Park)," the father of four said. "But Bui … when we were looking at her playing basketball (in college), Ma‘afu (Wendt, RHU president) said he thought she was good enough to play rugby at the national level.
"I have seen her improve so much, especially in the decisions she makes. She was used to doing it all but through the U.S. team, she has become the playmaker.
"It has been a financial commitment, getting her to the camps. The whole family has gone to see her play. But she has the desire to go further in the sport. We tell her, ‘Rugby will take you there.’ "
Although rugby has been designated an "emerging sport" for women by the NCAA, very few colleges offer it beyond the club level. Fewer still offer scholarships.
"We know it’s going to be a little while before the scholarships happen, before more schools recognize it," Chivers said. "But it’s a very exciting time for the women’s game, especially internationally and with the Olympics.
"And we’re excited that we have our first player from Hawaii in Bui. We know there are many excellent young players, many with a Pacific Islander background there who have been exposed to the sport from an early age. That’s what you see in Bui’s clearly being comfortable with the game."
Baravilala played volleyball and basketball as well as ran track while at Radford. That all-around athleticism has helped her excel at rugby. But she also has that one intangible: the passion.
"I like the intensity of the sport, the aggressiveness," said Baravilala, who is looking at playing at Oregon State, which has a high-profile program. "It’s a fun experience each time I play. It’s an all-around good time."
