When I tell people that I play rugby, I get a variety of responses.
- For example, some people say “Oh, that’s awesome!”
- Others are less enthusiastic, “That’s cool.”
- Some are a lot less enthusiastic, “That’s a rough sport. Don’t you get hurt a lot?”
- Some are insulting, “Rugby, that’s not a very lady-like sport.”
- And others are just plain rude, “You mean, you don’t tackle other people right? Like it’s just touch?”
For those of you wondering, the answer for that last one is, “Yes, I am a girl and yes, I do tackle other girls when I play.”
But no matter peoples reaction, my response is always the same, rugby is a sport I love and a community of people I embrace whole-heartedly because my involvement in this activity has made me a better, stronger, and more self-accepting person.
I have been playing rugby since I was fifteen. However, I have been aware of the sports existence since a much younger age. I remember I was 12 when I first found out that my future high school offered rugby for women. I told my dad this and his response was not one that I am proud to admit came from a man I hold in high esteem. “What? That’s crazy. It’s like girls aren’t even girls anymore.” Please keep in mind that my father was born in the 1950’s and sometimes the views of his upbringing come out even though that’s not what he really believes. His response; however, did not detour me it made me angry and even more focused to pursue it.
(My team my freshman year of high school. )
So, when I became a freshman in high school I bought my first pair of cleats and a mouth guard and booted up to hit the pitch (field). The high school season starts at the end of January, where in Eastern Pennsylvania it is the coldest time of the year. Even when it snows practice still goes on. Every Saturday and Sunday, I bundled up with my multiple layers of sweatshirts and Under Armor, layers of socks, gloves on my hands and hat on my head as I learned a new skill that would forever shape me.
Rugby is a different sport in many regards. Many spectators become enthralled with the lifting of players up in the air (line outs) and the tackling of players without any pads (which contrary to popular belief the way rugby players tackle is WAY safer than the way football players tackle), but the uniqueness of the sport extends far beyond what is physically seen on the pitch. There are fifteen unique positions on the pitch, each is responsible for a different task at hand, if one person doesn’t follow through on their task the whole team is let down, thus, creating an aspect of trust which isn’t seen in any other activity. In no other sport does one teammate trust another one to lift them up in the air by their shorts or follow them into a crowd of players trying to tackle them. One word that is constantly phrased in rugby is “support.” If teammates do not support each other, meaning they aren’t following each other down the pitch they are sure to lose possession or get hurt. The aspect of trust and the aspect of support is one that is so uniquely integrated. This is a specific aspect of the sport that I had trouble with at first and whenever I transition to a new team or a new play dynamic with new teammates this aspect of my personality- the ability to trust- has been tested. In a world where we can very rarely trust our fellow human it is refreshing to know that as soon as I boot up my cleats and hit that pitch I have people to catch me when I fall, people to ruck with me when I’m tackled and a teammate to trail me as I blaze down the field.
(Me supporting my teammate as she runs down the field.)
Relating back to the idea of fifteen different people doing fifteen different things there are also fifteen different people with fifteen different body types. Unlike a lot of sports where to be really successful you can only be this body type or this weight, rugby is inclusive of every body shape. Every position has different things they need to accomplish and for that different body types work best. For example, props tend to be bigger, they need to have wider hips and strong legs in order to keep up the scrum. Wings need to be super fast and agile. Scrum-halfs tend to be shorter because they work so closely to the ground. There is a place for every shape, size and ability in rugby. When I swam I knew I was never going to be a crazy good swimmer because I was too short and my hips were too wide, but these aspects of myself don’t matter so much in rugby. Rugby has taught me to love my broad shoulders and my long thick legs because with out them I wouldn’t be able to do what I do as well.
(Me and my fellow graduating high school seniors after our last high school game.)
When people ask me if rugby is an aggressive, rough sport my answer is “yes” because that is the truth. You will get tackled, you will get stepped on, maybe you will be hit in the face by accident and yes you will bruise. But truthfully, it is not a sport built off of brutality. There is a respect among players found on and off the pitch. I will run down the pitch at full force to tackle an opponent but after the game I will embrace them like a teammate because at the end of the day we are all teammates fighting the fight to love this crazy sport.
(Teammate making a tackle.)
There is a confidence and a power found in the sport, which in my opinion is necessary for all women to find and experience. One of the problems many women have is tackling and making contact with another person. All too often women in our society are trained to avoid conflict and aggression simply because it is not “lady-like” or not “proper.” To be honest because of this subliminal training that our society has groomed us in, it makes it different for women to tackle other women but that is also what makes it all the more powerful when you successfully complete your first tackle. There is an intoxicating power that comes from the ability to think of what you want to do and then successfully executing what you wanted to do. Because of this, I know that I am able to do whatever I put my mind to.
Some people say that they would never let their daughter or son play rugby. I hope that someday my children want to play rugby so that they can be afforded the same strength and comradery rugby has given me. I hope that someday a sport is not needed for women to value their body, each other, or to find their own strength, but until that day I will keep preaching my story and forever thanking the sport and my teammates for instilling all these positive attributes that have made me, me and taught me to love myself and my fellow human.
(My crazy, talented, beautiful, strong teammates here at IUP.)