CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Naya Tapper was born to be on the move.
“She was a very energetic child, she was always getting into things,” Juanita Nater-Tapper, Naya's mother, said. "She was always a leader in school, always trying to be elected the treasurer or the president."
Tapper agrees with that assessment.
“I was a very energetic, aggressive, contact-filled child growing up,” Tapper said. “I was playing football in the backyard with all the boys in the neighborhood.
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It’s funny how life works out. And it turns out Tapper might've been born to play a sport she didn't even learn until she was in college.
“I'm a late bloomer,” she said.
Tapper was an All-American track and field star at West Mecklenburg High School, but found rugby at the University of North Carolina, where she joined a club team on campus.
At first, it was just for fun.
“Being a competitive person, I started to crave that competition again,” she said.
Tapper did well enough to eventually make the USA Women’s Sevens team in 2016 and she hasn't looked back. Tapper is a wing for the Sevens squad where her rare combination of speed and power made her one of the best players in team history.
“I’m really known for my stiff arm and my speed around the corner,” Tapper said. “I've developed to become a lethal weapon on defense as well, being able to get the ball back so that we can play attack off the field.”
The journey has been fun to follow, especially for her mother.
“I love it. I love to see her hit,” Nater-Tapper said. “I don't like to see her get hit. But I love to see her hit. She's a wonderful player. She shows her strength and how powerful she is.”
Tapper was part of the team that went to Tokyo in the last Summer Olympics and finished sixth. The Paris Olympics represent unfinished business.
“I'm most looking forward to getting my Olympic redemption. We want to get that gold medal,” Tapper said. “That's everybody's goal. But that's something we've invested a lot of time, heart and tears in. I'm hoping that we can get our redemption there.
And she's not just a member of the team. Tapper's a co-captain.
"It's just wonderful, it makes me tear up," Nater-Tapper said. "I'm very proud of her."
From West Meck to Paris, Naya Tapper's already an inspiration.
“I think representation is very important to me,” Tapper said. “For people that look like me, that play the sport I play, that grew up where I grew up, to be able to see me in a leadership role and on a national team getting ready to prepare for an Olympics. That's, in my opinion, very inspiring.”
Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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