Rugby is taking Aberdeen rising senior Annie Huettel on a journey around the world: 'It's not like any other sport'

Jul. 3—Annie Huettel is a go-getter.

The rising senior at Aberdeen drew up a 15-slide PowerPoint presentation in March advocating for funding to go play rugby halfway around the world. The slideshow included notes on her journey in one of the United States' fastest growing sports, her impressive academic record as one of the only girls in her school's science and mathematics academy, and an outline on her dream to work in aerospace engineering.

Her presentation was built with the same passion and tenacity that has made Huettel a rising figure in the sport on a worldwide stage.

Huettel recited her lines ad nauseam in front of her mom, Melissa Flossman, before getting in front of Harford County financial firm, The Kelly Group.

"We've never funded an athlete before because, quite frankly, our marketing is local community events," said Michele Wolbert of The Kelly Group. "We saw something in this girl. She's this tiny ferocious rugby player and there was something really impressive."

Funding from The Kelly Group along with Orange Theory Fitness, McComas Funeral Homes, Henninger & Henninger, LLC and Freedom Federal Credit Union gave Huettel the opportunity to compete with one of her four rugby teams, the North American Lions, in Heidelberg, Germany, for the 2023 Heidelberg 7s, then in Austria for the World Games.

Huettel admitted she was high-strung going into the trip, saying "I didn't know how my team was going to be compared to teams from all over the world." She travels constantly for rugby but never outside the continental U.S. Two weeks of international competition split between Germany and Austria while fitting in a leisure day trip to Venice, Italy, was daunting — at least at first.

Victories helped lessen the nerves. The Lions won both tournaments with a 12-0 combined record.

"I was so proud," Flossman said. "I joke that when I was growing up, I used to just play wiffle ball in my front yard. For her to not only experience playing with such amazing talent, but to actually enjoy herself and see a different part of the world was amazing."

Rugby found Huettel more than she found rugby.

Soccer was her first primary sport. Sitting in a restaurant after one match, Huettel — then still in middle school — was approached by North Bay Rugby Club coaches Scott and Jaymie Hoffman asking if she might be interested in attending a practice with the high school team.

She didn't think much of it, uncertain she'd ever actually pursue the sport. Nonetheless, Huettel took the opportunity. The high school girls helped guide her through the sport's basics. More importantly, they constantly uplifted the newbie.

"I ended up falling in love with it," Huettel said. "It was the community and environment that's created by the team. It's not like any other sport I've ever played. It's a very inclusive environment. Rugby just includes everybody and you make lifelong friendships."

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Colorado, California and New Jersey are considered hotbeds for rugby in the United States. Huettel's hope is that Maryland can join the conversation, particularly on the girls side. Maryland currently has five high school girls rugby programs, according to Maryland Manual On-Line, less than half that of the boys side.

Conversations have sprouted up between Flossman, Huettel and her trip's sponsors of possibly partnering with the Boys and Girls Club for a youth rugby event to help grow the game in the area. Huettel would like to see it reach the echelon of lacrosse or soccer in Maryland.

"I think a lot of girls in this area get scared when they see the tackling part," Flossman said. "They don't understand that you're not going to get tackled right away. There's an elementary/middle school program with tag and that's how you progress. It is fun and it is something different. ... Especially for girls, just the confidence that it builds to have something a little bit different."

Rugby fills Huettel's schedule year-round. Her home team, North Bay, has been her longest tenure. She since joined North American Lions, Elite Girls Rugby League U18 and Atlantis 7s, which is the team she'll represent in Salt Lake City, Utah, later this month for the North American Invitational 7s, the region's most notable rugby tournament.

There, Huettel will have the opportunity to play against a wide range of international talent including representatives from Guam, Samoa, Canada and countries representing a bulk of South America.

Inching toward the fall, Huettel will shift her attention toward hopes of playing Division I college rugby with her sights set on eventually making an Olympic-level team.

"Annie and I have talked about the opportunities she has had, we would've never dreamed this would happen," Flossman said. "She just wanted to play and North Bay has been so fundamental in all this. ... without them and without their support this would have never happened."