Dodd holds CAC medal hopes for Lady Crocs

Naomi Dodd, captain of Jamaica’s women’s rugby sevens, believes they can claim their first-ever gold medal at the upcoming Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Dodd, who is also Jamaica’s flag-bearer at the CAC Games, said she holds high expectations heading into the regional competition.
Jamaica finished fourth at the 2023 CAC Games after falling 10-5 to Venezuela in the bronze medal match.
Dodd believes they can improve on their 2023 results and cement a spot on the podium, aiming as far as the gold medal.
“As a team, I’m hoping and praying that we’re able to medal, especially because we have a great team ahead of us right now, and we have a few teams that we’re looking forward to dominating,” Dodd said.
“The goal is to win or to at least medal at the [CAC] Games for the first time in history.”
The Lady Crocs will face stern competition on their medal quest as they will face off against fellow Rugby Americas North teams Mexico and hosts Dominican Republic, and Sudamérica Rugby teams Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica.
The six team will compete in a single group where they will all face each other once. After the group stage, the teams will be ranked from first to sixth, before competing in a final game to determine medal placements.
The teams ranked first and second will compete for the gold medal, third and fourth will compete for bronze, while fifth and sixth will compete for final placements.
Dodd, who was named Jamaica’s best women’s rugby player last year, said she hopes to lead the team to success.
“Personally, I would love for myself to really put up my best leadership skills out there for us,” she said.
“I am the captain of the team, so it’s a lot of pressure. But I try to think about just staying calm, representing the country well and always trying to do our best, because it’s not a one-man team sport like the rest.”
Dodd added, “It’s trying to stay firm and stay motivated with the team.”
The group-stage games are set for July 25 and July 26, with the medal games set for July 27.
gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com