Ever around campus and see a bunch of girls walking around covered in bruises? Or even with the occasional black eye? No, these girls did not get into a fight outside Boots on Friday night, they are members of the Panther Women’s Rugby Football Club! A club team here at Pitt since 2002, these girls have accomplished a lot throughout the years, even being nationally ranked last year. Having the privilege to know some of these girls personally, I can tell you that this is a great team to be part of. Work hard, play hard – that’s definitely their motto. PWRFC is a great way to meet friends for life and get more involved here at Pitt. They are tough, driven, and determined to make their mark in the world of rugby.
HC: How can someone get involved with the team?
PWRFC: Anyone can email one of our officers, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter to find out the most up to date practice times, match information, or cool facts about PWRFC in general. The best way to get involved is to simply show up and play.
HC: Do you have to have prior experience?
PWRFC: No experience is necessary. All you have to do is be willing to learn and excited to play. Anyone can learn how to play, in fact many of us had never touched a rugby ball a day in our lives before college!
HC: What’s the commitment like?
PWRFC: We practice three times a week, usually Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We only travel on weekends, about three times in the fall and about six times in the spring. HC: When is considered rugby season? Or is it all year?
PWRFC: We play our conference games in the fall, have a slight break in the winter and get right back to rugby in the spring for tournaments and playoffs.
HC: You guys were nationally ranked last year? How did that feel?
PWRFC: We were ranked fifth in the country last year. Personally, this was a remarkable and tremendous honor we accomplished. PWRFC has achieved so much since the club started in 2002 and all of the girls were proud to show our veterans how far we went and how much we had progressed.
HC: What goals are you guys still looking to accomplish as a team?
PWRFC: Right now we are focusing on our first playoff game at the end of March. We want to win our conference playoffs and make it to nationals again.
HC: What are your plans for the rest of the year?
PWRFC: We have playoffs starting at the end of March and also the Cherry Blossom Tournament in Washington D.C. in April. We’re really excited to be getting back into tournament mode after our winter break.
If you have anymore questions or are interested in joining PWRFC, email Amanda Rossi at amr153@pitt.edu or check out their website http://www.pitt.edu/~sorc/pwrfc/index.html.
Also, be sure to check out their Twitter, https://twitter.com/UPITTWRUGBY, and Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/149284331820969/