When I tell people I play rugby, I usually get one of three reactions: “Wow that’s so badass!”, “That’s dangerous!”, and (my all-time favorite) “Aren’t you too pretty/small to be doing that?” But I don’t blame them for thinking this way at all. Before I even thought about joining or even knew much about the sport, I thought rugby was just a dangerous sport for big men (or butch women). Then, when I came to college, I realized that I wanted to challenge myself by joining a club sports team that I had never done before, so I joined WUFO (Williams Ultimate Frisbee Organization) in the fall and decided to try the women’s rugby team (WWRFC) in the spring if things didn’t work out.
After running after a plastic disc for a few weeks, I realized that this sport was not for me and that I did not connect that well with the rest of the team. The next semester, I joined WWRFC with my friend, Craqque, and before we knew it, we were practicing tackling and mauling. We didn’t know how much we liked the sport until we got to play a few games and feel the adrenaline and blood pumping through our bodies as we ran into people, fell on the ground, and sprinted across the pitch. This is when I knew I was a rugger.
My friends were very supportive of my decision to continue playing rugby; they came to my home games and helped me get ready for the social events. They boosted my ego by calling me a badass and admiring how fit the sport made me. My parents, on the other hand, did not take the news well. For starters, my mother is very protective over me and constantly worries about my safety. When she found out I was playing rugby, she freaked out and scolded me because she was afraid I would get hurt and ruin my “pretty face.” My father worried more about the time it would take away from my studies.
I am incredibly thrilled to be a part of the WWRFC community and the traditions that come with it. Although we have rugby nicknames, we do not use them as often as the men’s team. However, just having a nickname is an honor because you feel like you are contributing to a tradition that has been passed on for many generations. The songs we sing in our drunken liveliness bring us together and enhance our sense of community, although the songs themselves are quite explicit and raunchy. But who wouldn’t want to be in a circle of girls, yelling off-tune about sex? To further tighten our bond, we have weekly events, called DTTO, where we dress up to the theme and hang out while drinking some Natties and eventually make our way to snack bar.
What upsets me about being a woman playing rugby is that there are so many stereotypes associated with it. I hope to be able to break some of these stereotypes and let other girls know that it is okay to play rugby despite what you look like or what other people assume about you. There’s a common misconception that women rugby players are “butch” or lesbians, but there is almost no association, at least in my experience. I have seen ruggers come in all sizes, colors, and sexualities. The only requirement to the sport is that you have a body that you don’t mind using to attack other people or get attacked.
I find the relationship between rugby and beauty to be particularly interesting. I personally believe that playing rugby enhances a woman’s beauty. The fact that you play the sport despite the stereotypes and the damage that come with the sport exemplifies mental and physical strength. What’s more attractive than a woman who’s not afraid to kick ass?
Finally, there’s another stereotype that all rugby players drink too much. Although this may apply for the men’s team, and a few women’s players, it is not a requirement! Drinking is a big tradition in the sport, but it is not enforced at all. I personally am not a big fan of beer anyway, so I usually choose to opt out of drinking games. However, it is admittedly much more fun to be drunk with your teammates.
This past season was a short but good season for us. We played against Brandeis, MIT, and Babson. We started the season off well with a win against Brandeis. I only got to play in two of the three games we ended up playing, but at each game, we gave the other team some good competition, considering we were a team of mostly rookies. With that, I can say that I am very proud of our rookies and look forward to seeing how we improve in the spring season.
WWRFC used to be a large organization on campus, but in the past few years, the number of players has dwindled down to about 12 members. Women’s rugby games are usually played with 15 members in the fall and 7 members in the spring. With the size of our team now, we are sometimes unable to play longer games or must borrow players from the other team. I have found that the small team size has also affected the dynamic of the team. Compared to the men’s large team, we do not have the same energy and community bonding that they have. On that note, if you had a chance to read this article and realize that maybe you would like to be a badass, I highly recommend it! New members are welcome and appreciated anytime.