Jessica Javelet never wanted to play rugby in the Olympics. And while she may be a crucial part of the USA seven-a-side team premiering in Rio this year, she always had a rather different Olympic dream.Up until a few years ago, she was expecting to represent her country on the global stage in field hockey.When I didnt make the 2008 roster for Beijing and then stopped playing, I thought that my Olympic dreams were over, she says. I thought Id missed out on that dream. To come back and try and have a second chance at it is something I never even thought would be possible. Im really excited to have this second opportunity.Perhaps its unsurprising that Javelet -- JJ to her friends -- never had rugby in her plans. The sport largely flies under the radar in the U.S., dwarfed by the more traditionally popular team sports. And across the world, rugby has typically been played by men, with womens teams coming as a relatively late addition. Seven-a-side rugby has been established for more than a century, but with smaller teams and shorter playing times, its often in the shadow of its 15-a-side sibling.When compared to Olympians who have trained for their sport since they were children, many of the players who will be wearing the USA shirt this summer came to rugby relatively late in life, typically after successful high school and college athletic careers in another discipline.Javelet, 31, only got into rugby after a former hockey teammate suggested it to her. She was looking for a new sporting challenge after putting her stick away and tried football for three years before being invited to a rugby camp. It was love at first hit.Megan Bonny, 26, and Kelly Griffin, 29, each played rugby for the first time in college. Both had competed in track, soccer and basketball as teenagers, and both wanted a new sport to try.I was really looking for something to do, says Bonny, and rugby was a fun new opportunity. It was at the time something to get me active again and be social, and it turned into something that was really good for me. It really pushed me to get motivated in school, be motivated in getting to the next level in rugby, and its been a really big thing in my life.But when Bonny and Griffin started playing, neither had expected that they would get the chance to go to the Olympic Games. Rugby sevens addition to the list of Olympic events was confirmed only in 2009.When rugby was announced as going to be included in the Olympics in 2009 it was like, Oh! Griffin says. It was like this might go somewhere, but at that point, a long shot. Fast forward a couple of years...Griffin is quick to stress that rugby is slowly gaining a higher profile in the U.S., with academies and camps springing up all over the country, and points out that this is reflected in the demographics of the squad going to the?Olympics.There are a couple of girls on our team now who are in high school or just graduated from high school -- they started playing in eighth grade.Theyre maybe five or six years younger than we are -- well, more for me, Griffin says. Were just a little bit older, but rugby is starting to take off in high school.Participation -- male and female -- in rugby in the U.S. increased by 81 percent from 2008 to 2013, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. According to USA Rugby, about one-third of the 1.13 million players in 2009 in the U.S. were women. And since then, the sport has grown massively at collegiate level, with more teams going full varsity. The players of Team USA think thats an incredibly positive development.We would like the American public -- boys and girls -- to start getting exposed to it earlier on so we can get top athletes to start playing rugby and continue playing, says Javelet, so thats something were really hoping for with the Olympics -- we get all the live coverage and we generate a lot of interest from younger players that want to start getting involved.The late blooming of rugby in the U.S. could serve as a disadvantage to the in the Olympics, but its not a roadblock. The team finished fifth in the 2014-15 Womens World Sevens series, a competition between national teams in rounds across the globe. They had a good showing in Atlanta in April, winning five of six games in that round, but they ended up sixth in the rankings after being narrowly defeated by France 19-22?in the final round.It was Australia who picked up its first sevens title in that series -- the first team to manage to wrest the championship from New Zealand. Those two neighbor countries are looking like the teams to beat in Rio.The USA squad has also had an eventful build-up to their Rio preparations. The team has now had three head coaches in the span of a year: Jules McCoy left her position as coach in April after her second spell in the role. The new coach, Richie Walker, had previously been the assistant to Ric Suggitt, who had been replaced as coach by McCoy in September.Richie is an obvious choice to move the team towards the goals laid out for Rio, USA Rugby director of performance Alex Magleby said in a statement after Walkers appointment, adding: We need minimal disruptions moving forward.And Javelet, for one, announced her surprise departure from the international scene following the 2015 Canada Sevens tournament before returning six months later after McCoys appointment.Griffin, the squads captain, is keeping her team focused. Speaking over the phone, the players camaraderie is evident, with laughter in the background alongside jokes and teasing as they talk. The squad are based at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, a year-round facility dedicated to maximizing teams performance across sporting disciplines.Realistically, were together almost every single day, Bonny says. Even on our off days, were coming in here for treatment.Says Griffin: Or were like, Hey, lets go get lunch! -- all the time. Or, You wanna go to a movie? We hang out every single day, lets hang out on our off days! A lot of us live together, were roommates. Were pretty close. It helps with the team chemistry. Everyone is really great.And being Americans, they take winning very seriously. In a brand-new event they have the chance to make their mark -- and bring home medals.The American rugby players have been inspired by their soccer-playing equivalents -- not just the current World Cup holders and Olympic gold medalists, but the legendary team of 1999, who won the World Cup on home turf after a dramatic penalty shoot-out, and seared the image of a celebrating Brandi Chastain on to the memories of a nation.I know the 99 World Cup was really influential for a lot of us, says Griffin. Thats when we were kids, in middle school. My parents took me to those games and that was really inspirational for a lot of us to see that, to be like, Look at them, I want to do that, we can do that, and that continues to be an inspiration to us going forward.Griffin is unafraid to say she is hoping that her team will challenge for the gold medal this summer, but these women also have a long-term view. They are pleased that there will be a U.S.-based professional league for their male counterparts -- and they know that there is a huge responsibility on their shoulders to gain media attention for the womens game.I think its really going to explode after the Olympics, Bonny said, and we can give that excitement to everybody else.We really want to perform well and make everyone whos worked so hard to get us where we are proud of us, make the American people proud of us, and represent the country well, Griffin said. The fact that we are Americans and we put so much emphasis on winning and being the best -- its really for us trying every day to get better. Were really pushing that limit.An earlier version of this story had a photo with a caption that incorrectly identified Kelly Griffin. Wholesale Nationals Jerseys Authentic . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Cheap Nationals Jerseys Free Shipping . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. http://www.cheapnationalsjerseys.us/authentic-michael-taylor-jersey/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Authentic Matt Adams Jersey . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Authentic Matt Wieters Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. CARLSBAD, Calif. -- The Miami Dolphins were in unfamiliar territory Monday. And thats on two fronts.Miami remained in southern California after defeating the San Diego Chargers on Sunday 31-24 for their initial road win of the season. The Dolphins will practice in north San Diego County in preparation for this weeks game against the Los Angeles Rams.The Dolphins (5-4) are also nestled above .500 for the first time in rookie coach Adam Gases short tenure. A four-game winning streak has compensated for a 1-4 start, and, just maybe, surging Miami can make the postseason.Ive never, ever been one to really talk about (that) in my career, Gase said. Ive always been worried about the week we are involved in.I think if you do things right enough times, you get opportunities to keep playing. So that is how I look at it. More times than not, when you talk about it, that is when it doesnt happen.Gase did speak on Branden Albert. The left tackle exited Sundays game after dislocating his left wrist, but returned while wearing a brace.Were still going through a little bit of our medical process to figure out what exactly is going to happen as far as the exact diagnosis, and if we are going to be able to get him back this week, Gase said. We got to go through some stuff still. It is swollen right now, so we just have to see how the week progresses.Albert didnt seem compromised playing with the injury. But Gase said Albert is seeing a hand specialist and his status isnt clear.We have to go through all those little steps just to make sure that we handle everything the right way, Gase said. So if he can go, its for the entire . the rest of the season.Miami is in the playoff conversation thaanks to the improved play of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, running back Jay Ajayis emergence, and a secondary that forced four turnovers Sunday.ddddddddddddGase sensed his team had turned a corner about a month ago. In the run-up to beating the Steelers 30-15 on Oct. 16, Gase saw his squad in a new light.That Pittsburgh week I felt something different, Gase said. I felt like the defense was really playing well, but we were struggling obviously, but that week felt different. There was some confidence there, especially at the end of the week, that we were going to play well.That was the push-off point for a four-game run that has the Dolphins two games shy of the AFC East-leading New England Patriots (7-2).(Gase) just stayed consistent with the message to do it right and focus on the details, linebacker Jelani Jenkins said. I think its really, really been a trust in the system. Focus on the details and try to treat every week as a new week.Added Gase: Ive seen a lot of veteran players take control of our team. Ive seen some guys that maybe we did not think were going to be huge contributors taking leadership-type roles and all of a sudden they are vaulted into a position where they are making plays. Its been great to see guys step forward and make plays and lead.Will it all lead to the playoffs?I think that is way too far ahead to think about right now, safety Isa Abdul-Quddus said. Were still in middle of season ... we need to focus on the Rams and to get that win.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China China NFL Hoodies Stitched NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys ' ' '