Nicole Heavirland, like most professional athletes, is competitive by nature, but what keeps her loving rugby is the culture that surrounds the game.

“From my first tournament in the Bitterroot on a snow covered field to my most recent tournament in Dubai, it’s been the same,” she said. “After that first tournament we shared a meal together and now we get together after tournaments to socialize. We’re all competing to win, but there’s a level of respect that comes with rugby that you don’t necessarily get with other sports.”

Heavirland, 24, is the co-captain of the U.S. National Rugby 7s team that is set to compete in the 2020 Olympics. She sat down with the Pilot during a recent trip home to Whitefish for the holidays to visit her family.

When she started playing rugby at age 15 at the urging of her father, Heavirland immediately took to the aggressive part of the sport that allowed her to tackle opponents. That intensity has carried her to success on the USA Rugby Women’s team.

“There’s not a lot of females who like to do that so it’s a fast road to the highest level,” she said.

Heavirland was a multi-sport athlete at Glacier High School and learned a mentality of working hard on the basketball court to achieve her goals. She earned a spot playing basketball at the United State Military Academy, but was drawn to rugby, eventually becoming a USA Rugby All-American at West Point. At age 21, she traveled as a reserve to the 2016 Brazil Olympics before recently being named USA Rugby Women’s Sevens captain ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games set for this summer.

She currently trains full-time at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. She spends Monday through Friday beginning at 7 a.m. training, in team meetings and working out with the team before heading home for dinner to recover and watch film.

While Heavirland knows she has a lot of tournaments ahead beforehand, she remains excited to have the opportunity to compete at the Olympics.

“We didn’t really watch TV growing up, but we did watch the Olympics and in particular the summer Olympics,” she said. “I’m hoping all goes well and I get to compete. Right now I’m just taking it one tournament at a time.”

That doesn’t mean Heavirland hasn’t thought about what it’s going to be feel like competing in Tokyo.

“It’s a huge accomplishment,” she said. “It will have a feeling of pride for my country and my family. Rugby is not huge in America, but hopefully being part of the Olympics increases that.”

Rugby has taken Heavirland all over the world. This winter and spring, she’ll travel to New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and France for tournaments. She took an estimated 80 airline flights last year while traveling for rugby.

It’s been an unexpected benefit of her career. She says a visit to Cape Town, South Africa, was one of her favorites she says because it was not only beautiful, but the people there are very genuine.

As she does everywhere she travels, in South Africa Heavirland also got the chance to experience the country’s coffee when she did a coffee tasting. She even has a tattoo of a coffee plant on her shoulder.

“I always say coffee is in my blood because my mom is half Columbian,” she says with a smile. “It’s the best drink, it’s low in calories and gives you energy. You can meet up with people and sit around a table together and have coffee.”

Her coffee order is typically a hot Americano, but if she’s filling adventurous she might order a latte with almond milk.

Heavirland has come a long way in her short career, from playing with the mens Flathead Valley team and a club in Missoula to professional at the top of her career. Most women rugby players compete into their mid-30s, so Heavirland is hoping to make a few more trips to the Olympics before she retires.

“Personally, I’d love to play as long as my body holds up,” she said. “I’m going to take my dream as far as I can. Hopefully, I’m competing in the 2024 Olympics.”