Marchino making up for lost time

Although originally a star for the USA at full test level, in recent years Marchino’s face has become more familiar in a 7s shirt, where her powerful finishing and turn of pace, has helped her become one of the top 7s players on the circuit.Her 7s days in a national shirt came however to an abrupt end last year when a shift in qualification rules for US Olympic sports meant that she no longer qualified to be part of the programme.She explains :“I’m originally from Switzerland and though I have lived here for some time, I am not yet a US Citizen. When I originally signed my Sevens contract, the rules were such that I would have been able to participate in the circuit until the Olympics regardless as I am on track to apply for citizenship in time for Rio. However, the rules changed mid-way through the 2013 season and I became ineligible. It definitely was tough, as I loved being a professional rugby player, and this ended my Olympic aspirations, but it’s out of my control, and so you just have to get on with it.”

“Getting on with it” now involves helping the USA in Paris where they take on New Zealand, Ireland and Kazakhstan in pool stages and Marchino is just happy to have made the squad, having risked missing out completely due to injury.

“By the time the Sevens season in 2013 was over, I wasn’t able to sleep or walk without pain. I should have taken the time off then, but since I knew that I wanted to participate in the 15s World Cup, I decided to play club which only further exacerbated my injuries.”

Instead she undertook an intensive year of rehab discovering that the root of her problem came from rotated hips which were putting massive pressure on the rest of her body.“I worked with several PTs and a functional massage therapist to correct my alignment. I also saw a neuro kinesiology therapist who helped me retrain my body to activate the right muscles at the right time. I’m feeling a lot better now, thankfully, and really excited to be returning to the pitch.”

Having not been involved in the 15s programme since the 2010 World Cup Marchino was understandably nervous about returning to the squad but a background rooted in tough sports experiences has by now prepared her for anything.

A gifted athlete, she was actually on track to make it big in basketball before being sidelined by injury and then the lure of rugby.   She left Switzerland to develop as a basketball player at just 14, explaining :

“The transition was pretty rough: a massive culture shock, a huge language barrier. But with the help of my awesome host family, I started to gradually get used to the American way of life. Eventually, I landed a scholarship to Siena College, where I played D1 Basketball. That transition was even more brutal. I was really out of shape, lacked the discipline that athletes develop at such a young age in the US and really wasn’t prepared. It took a while for me to come into my own as an athlete. But playing in college was one of the most impactful experiences of my life.”

A knee injury scuppered her progress somewhat in the game though and having decided to take a job and move to Washington, she was introduced to rugby and finally gave in to trying it out.

“I loved the raw confrontation in the tackle; the ability to level someone that is bigger than you with proper technique. It’s a feeling that – to me – is only rivalled by scoring a try and once I started I was hooked.”

Marchino joined the DC Furies and never looked back. From there she moved to Berkeley, California – an opportune move as the team was coached by the then USA national team coach at the time: Kathy Flores.  Once invited to her first national camp in 2006 she became a full part of the squad in 2007 and represented USA at the 2010 World Cup.

As a 15s player Marchino has had strong success, making huge progress as a late starter, but in recent years, her raw pace and power as a Sevens player has really caught the eye.

She explains how her move to the short form of the game came about initially.

“After the 2010 World Cup, I was contacted by Ric Suggit. At that time, my only experience with 7s had been during my first summer playing rugby. I was much bigger at the time - and I mean much bigger – about 40 extra pounds - so I propped and was much slower! I wasn’t quite ready for international sevens but I instantly loved it. Eventually, I was given the opportunity to join the professional sevens programme in Chula Vista so I quit my job and moved to Southern California.”

Marchino was one of the standouts on the USA side –particularly in 2013 in Houston, where the hosts reached the final and her finishing alongside Vanesha McGee was a real highlight. While she will be missed on the sevens circuit, she will remain a key player over the next few weeks in  Paris.

Once the World Cup is over, life doesn’t ease up for Marchino either. She works at Twitter (she’s on @swizzbeatz) and is understandly a huge advocate of social media in women’s sports.

“I truly believe in the power of social media. It allows people to break barriers and connect in ways that simply weren’t possible just a few years back. People now have the ability to interact with their favourite teams, have real interactions with players and stay up to date with results, in real time. This kind of connectivity can help teams (and players) develop a strong support networks. So when my contract wasn’t renewed, I decided to apply for positions at Twitter so that I could work in a dynamic field. “