Cassie Umali

Name: Cassie Umali
Age: 26
Hometown: Chicago, USA & Quezon City, Philippines
Occupation: Sportscaster
Position in Rugby: Scrum-half

Why Rugby? What got you started?

I was co-hosting a sports show on ANC back in January 2010. I was tasked to produce and host a segment on the show to feature the Philippine Rugby Football Union. That’s when I interviewed coach Matt Cullen and he told me of the development of rugby union in the Philippines and the success of the Volcanoes. Then he mentioned to me that at the time they would be assembling the 1st ever Philippine women’s rugby team to compete in China that July. My executive producer Bill Velasco, knowing that I was active in playing sports (ultimate frisbee, volleyball, etc), encouraged me to try out for the team.
Not knowing anything at all on how to play the rough sport of rugby, I started attending the rugby 101 sessions at Ultra in April. The first night I attended training I came home with a bloody fat lip and after that I was hooked. The reason I chose to stick to rugby is because I knew not many girls had a total disregard for their own personal safety. I could take the hits & most importantly make the hits, so I knew I had a good chance of making the national team.

What is your biggest accomplishment in Rugby?

Unfortunately since I only started learning the sport April 2010, I didn’t have much experience yet to make the National squad that went to Guangzhou, China. But I was determined to be part of the team, so I worked really hard. Attending all training sessions, games and absorbed everything I could from the coaches & players.
Then eventually joined the development camp in Laos that October 2010 to play my 1st international match. But it was when I was chosen as part of the 1st ever Philippine team to play in the prestigious Hong Kong 7s in March of 2011 as my biggest accomplishment. Being that there were only 10 girls drafted for the team, I felt so privileged to be part of that historic squad and play for the country. It was thrilling to know that a whole year of hard work paid off.

What one or two things do you currently do in your training that are keys to your success?

Number 1 factor as you might have already realized in my previous answers is hard work. The time and effort must be put into training for personal improvement of skills and fitness, so I can be the best rugby player that I can be.
Second, and I always share this with my teammates is the mental & emotional aspect of motivating myself and positively visualizing playing great rugby. This is important because for me confidence is about 80% of being able to play rugby. As I’ve experienced before I didn’t know how to play but I had the confidence and I still survived. When training and knowing that I’ll be facing giants in international IRB matches, it's this mental toughness & positivity that gets me through. In reality I may be one of the smallest on the team BUT in my mind I believe I’m colossal and so invincible that I can take down anyone.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I’ve been playing various sports since I was a kid so my sports idols vary from Michael Jordan to Leila Barros to Manny Pacquiao. Then for rugby I always get inspired from watching a team of players that are already close to us. Whenever I watch the Philippine Volcanoes play with pride and win honor for the country, it always makes me wanna get on the pitch and accomplish that as well for the women’s team.

What do you want to say to girls who are just starting out or who are thinking of playing rugby?

If you are a girl that likes a challenge then rugby is the sport for you. As physically demanding as it may be, it also takes heart to play the game. Being a rugger is a great test of character and you will meet many people here with the same aspects. We are all friends and we protect each other on and off the field. And we always welcome new recruits & beginners to the team and to our barkada. So just come down to Ultra and most likely I might be one of the coaches that would personally train you.