Carmen Farmer
Carmen Farmer (born December 4, 1980)[1] is an American rugby player and attorney. In 2016, she was named to the United States women's national rugby union team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Carmen Farmer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | December 4, 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Virginia Tech | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
Farmer grew up in Richmond, Virginia.[2] As a high school student, she played softball, volleyball, and basketball.[2] Farmer attended the Virginia Tech where she received a full scholarship for softball.[3] She was the starting shortstop on the team from 2000 through 2003.[3]
Career
After college, Farmer attended law school at the University of Maryland, graduating in 2006.[3] She then worked as an attorney for the non-profit Eastern Shore Land Conservancy.[3]
Rugby player
Farmer started playing rugby at age 31 after a friend from Australia recommended she try the sport.[3] Farmer decided to try the sport for fun and found the closest rugby club to where she lived, located in Annapolis, Maryland.[3] In 2012, she began playing 15 player rugby at Serven River in Maryland.[3] The Serven River team reached the national championship game that year where a national team coach approached Farmer.[3] Farmer played her first game for a United States national team in 2013.[2]
By 2014 Farmer was playing rugby sevens and had progressed enough to play for the United States in the World Cup.[3] In April 2015 she moved to Chula Vista, California to train at the national training facility.[3] Farmer was part of the U.S. team that secured a spot in the 2016 Summer Olympics at the 2015 NACRA Sevens Championships.[4] In July 2016, Farmer was chosen for the U.S. Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro.[4] At 6-foot-1, Farmer stands out as a player for her combination of size and speed.[2]
References
- "Carmen Farmer". Team USA. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- Baillargeon, Ryan (August 2, 2015). "Maryland's Carmen Farmer has quickly become big hit playing rugby". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- Wood, Norm (August 5, 2016). "At 35, Farmer transitions from former softball star at Virginia Tech to Olympic rugby player". DailyPress.com. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- Gazette, Capital (July 18, 2016). "Severn River's Farmer named to U.S. Olympic rugby team". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 6, 2016.