I grew up playing soccer. I started when I was way young and in elementary school but then stopped in high school because I was terrified of being cut. Also, if I had made it, my family would’ve had to pay, and we couldn’t afford it at the time.
In my sophomore year, I saw a rugby poster hanging up in the school hallway. I talked to one of my friends about it, and we attended the meeting. I was really curious and interested in rugby and convinced my parents to let me play. So, I signed up, and in our entire district we didn’t even have enough girls to make a full team. We practiced and practiced; and when enough of us understood the basics, we combined with another club, so we could have a full team. I want to take you on a journey about my rugby career and my idols in professional rugby.
What is rugby?
Rugby is a very intense contact sport. There are 40-minute halves with 15 players (per team) on the field at once. The field is the same length as a football field, but in rugby it is called a “pitch.” Here is a quick YouTube video explaining rugby way better than I can.
Rugby is played with a ball that’s shaped like a football, but it is larger. There is tackling, but the players don’t wear any shoulder pads or helmets. That is because rugby tackling is different from football tackling. In rugby, we learned “cheek-to-cheek,” which is basically your face cheek right up next to their ass cheek.
My experience!
Now that you know a little more about rugby, I can go into further detail about my experience.
It took me a while to understand how rugby worked. But once I did, I really enjoyed and excelled at it. I remember my coaches talking to me about how well I was adjusting to it. My position was initially a prop, but because of my height and build I was a better fit for the position known as “Hooker.” A hooker just hooks the ball with their foot in a scrum. At first, I was embarrassed because of the name, but it grew on me and became a running joke with my rugby friends. I even have a poster that says, “our favorite hooker” that my friend made me.
I played a lot during high school. Furthermore, I played in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade along with the summers. I’ve made many friends across the Midwest. The team and other teams create great friendships. I played against someone who is now my teammate on the Winona State Women’s Rugby team.
My team has won a few tournaments but mostly came in second. That’s okay because the game is really fun and the other teams are so welcoming and congratulating.
Rugby is indeed a tough, high contact sport, but so much more comes out of it. Friendships that are formed last a lifetime, the community is always welcoming and very judgement free, and the players are always there to help to build your skills along with your confidence. If this sounds like a fun and exciting new sport that you may be interested in, Winona State Women’s Rugby team is always looking for new players. No experience is necessary.