[0:01] Introduction to the With You! Rugby Podcast and a preview of Hall of Fame Week, presented by Major League Rugby, taking place August 14th in Fort Lauderdale at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel, including coaching clinics, a stakeholders' meeting, and the USA Men's Test Match against Argentina the following day.

[1:33] Jon welcomes Hall of Fame inductee Irene Gardner and reflects on how frequently her name comes up among her fellow Class of 2026 inductees.

[2:10] Irene on the calm, even-keeled demeanor she's known for, tracing it to her playing days and her family, and how she carries that same steadiness into her coaching.

[2:58] Irene's early athletic life as a three-sport athlete, playing basketball, softball, and volleyball growing up in San Francisco before finding rugby in college.

[6:15] Heading across the Bay to Cal for undergrad and discovering rugby through a flyer for an info session in the Daily Cal student newspaper.

[7:59] Playing for Cal women's rugby under head coach Ellen Owens, not picking up the sport until her sophomore year, and helping the team reach the Sweet Sixteen in her junior and senior seasons.

[10:06] How her older sister first introduced her to rugby, and the experience of playing alongside her on the Berkeley All Blues and Pacific Grizzlies.

[12:01] Studying nutrition at Cal and becoming her own test case, applying what she learned in the classroom to fuel herself through increasingly demanding training.

[15:16] The Berkeley All Blues' 2011 "trifecta" championship season across fifteens, sevens, and Pac Coast sevens, and the Treasure Island title that became a defining moment in her playing career.

[18:28] Competing internationally, including a rain-soaked Rugby World Cup match against Spain in Moscow that went to overtime, capped by a bronze medal win.

[21:59] The unexpected loss of her father in 2015 just before Victoria Sevens, and the lifelong support of parents who never missed a game, in any sport, anywhere they had to travel.

[24:37] The difference between work ethic and effort, and how teammates and family create the accountability that pushes players through the hardest moments.

[28:15] The natural transition from playing into coaching, sparked early on by her high school volleyball coach and mentor, Margie Bima.

[30:44] Early coaching roles at Cal and with the Berkeley All Blues sevens program alongside longtime coaching partner Lucy Croy.

[32:32] Joining the USA Rugby women's sevens pathway under Martha Daynes, and later taking the University of San Francisco head coaching job, where she helped carry forward the "Bats" identity first revived by Hall of Famer Kathy Flores.

[36:30] Winning the Kathy Flores Award and reflecting on Flores's lasting influence as a mentor and coach.

[37:39] The gritty, deep-squad 2013 All Blues national championship season under coaches Laura Cabrera, Kate Turpin, and Kathy Flores.

[39:16] Coaching Premier Rugby Sevens alongside Rosalind Chow, working with current national team stars in a high-energy, low-pressure environment built for player development.

[40:49] Asked to sum up her career in one word, Irene chooses "grit," and Jon connects the word back through every chapter of her playing and coaching journey.

[42:00] Coaching the Jamaican women's national sevens team during the pandemic, a turning point that opened her eyes to opportunities in the game beyond local coaching.

[43:28] Leading age-grade athletes through the USA Rugby women's pathway, including a silver medal finish at the Junior Pan American Games, and gratitude for the donors who fund those opportunities.

[46:15] The connection to fellow Hall of Famer Dennis Shanahan, who recruited her to Stanford as an assistant coach after working together on the USA Rugby Board of Directors.

[46:44] Her current role as assistant coach for Stanford's combined men's and women's rugby program, with plans to take over as head coach in her seventh season there.

[49:45] Closing thoughts on the family support, especially from her husband, that makes her packed schedule possible, and reflections on the Hall of Fame honor with gratitude.