When Torrey Pines High senior David Choy was little, he loved cartoon ducks — Daffy, Donald and Daisy. So much so that his brother Brandon, three years older, nicknamed him Duck, a name that has followed him through childhood.
“Everyone just knows me as Duck now,” Choy told The Coast News. “Every time I go to the park and see the ducks, they’re always just chilling there, lying and paddling around in their pond, just doing their own duck thing. They always seem so laid back and relaxed. It’s always cool to see.
“And it’s funny because I’m 17 years old, almost going to be 18, but I still like watching Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck every once in a while.”
Choy, a big Duck now at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, is coming off a summer in which he represented the United States as a member of the USA Rugby U18 Boys National Team, playing against teams from Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina in South America.
“It’s an honor,” Choy said. “I was one of the top 30 people selected to represent the country.”
Choy joined the national team for a three-week tour of South America from July 3 through July 22, traveling to Montevideo, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The U.S. faced Uruguay, Brazil and the Buenos Aires Academy during the tour.
Choy was one of 28 players selected for the U18 national team and one of only a handful to appear in all three matches, playing both lock and prop. He was also one of five San Diego Mustangs selected to the team, joining Ean Glover, Reese Reiter, Max Marshall and Carson Bischoff. The Mustangs are a San Diego youth rugby club that competes against top programs from around the country.
The highlight of the tour came July 14 in Montevideo, where the U.S. defeated Brazil 36-26.
“They were on a whole other level, especially Argentina,” Choy said. “We practiced together for a week. They have been practicing together for years.”
Before joining the national team, Choy helped lead the Torrey Pines High School club rugby team to an undefeated regular season and a runner-up finish at the California State High School Rugby Championship. With the San Diego Mustangs, he also helped the club reach the national championship in Elkhart, Indiana, where the defending champions finished as national runners-up.
Choy’s path to the international stage began when he was 8 years old. He played rugby until he was 13, then took an extended break before returning to the sport at 17.
“It was like riding a bike,” Choy said.
For his older brother, watching Choy develop into the player he is now has been a different experience from those early days of cartoons and childhood sports.
“As a rugby player, he’s a monster,” Brandon Choy said. “It’s super scary. I would not want to go up against him. For me and my family, rugby is completely new, so it’s been super fun learning how it’s played, and it’s way more exciting than football because it’s nonstop action. Definitely a weekend favorite for us, as his team is usually one of the best due to the top-tier San Diego coaching staff.”
Now, with his senior year at Torrey Pines and final season with the Mustangs ahead, Choy said he is unsure where he will be next year but is drawing interest from multiple colleges.
“I want to continue pursuing rugby. It’s a big part of who I am,” Choy said.
