After graduating from my small-town high school, I had my mind set that I would never play sports again. Since second grade, I was involved in soccer. No matter how much time, effort, and dedication I put into my JV/varsity soccer career, I rarely saw game-time. I had miraculously earned the position of left-bench warmer. I said to myself that never again would I waste my time going to practice after practice, game after game, only to sit on the sidelines. Little did I know, fall semester of my freshman year at Marist College, I would join and fall in love with the Marist College Women’s Rugby Team (MCWR).

At the activities fair, I was approached by an athletic-looking girl who told me “Hey! You look like a rugby player! Let me get your e-mail.” Just like that, I was part of the greatest team in the world. Of course, I did not believe that at 4’10” and 110 pounds I was fit to play such an aggressive sport. However, when I saw the rest of the team at the first practice, I realized that rugby is truly a sport for all body types. After my first few practices, I was hooked. Not only was the sport itself fun, but the girls I was introduced to that first week of practices were the best group of girls I had ever met.

It only took a few short weeks that first semester for me to realize just how important playing rugby was to me as a college student. The team was so welcoming and I met some of my best friends through the sport. Nothing forces a team to be close quite like tackling, rucking, and practically beating each other up during practice. As an awkward and quirky freshman, I was thankful every day to have met girls just as weird as myself to make me feel more at home on campus. Having practices 3-4 times a week and games every Saturday or Sunday forced me to master time-management skills as a freshman. Along the way, I learned the importance of dedication, fitness, and confidence. Most importantly, rugby helped me focus on what was important while at Marist: my school work, my life-goals, and maintaining strong relationships with those I love.

To be a rugby player, you cannot be shy and you have to believe in yourself. You have to be comfortable with being tackled, tackling others (even girls who are three times your size!), and being loud on the field. Playing rugby helped me become more confident in using my voice. Whether it be yelling on the field, speaking up in class, or vocalizing my opinions about gender-equality; rugby taught me the power that comes from having confidence in myself.

As my fall semester of sophomore year is coming to a close, I am realizing how important this past season was to me. The upperclassmen on the team have become some of my most important role models and the older sisters that I have never had. Never have I met such confident, kind, and strong young women. This season, rugby was an outlet for me to let out stress and frustrations. I overcame personal challenges, set new goals for myself involving fitness, and gained a better understanding of the greatest sport in the world.

For those of you who are entering college or looking to try something new, I highly encourage you to join your local rugby team. Of course, I am biased. But I truly believe that this sport teaches valuable lessons that are applicable to all aspects of life. Rugby will teach you the values of loyalty and hard work. It will show you that when you are down, it is important to get yourself back up again. It will also show you the importance of embracing your individuality, having confidence in yourself, and realizing that you can “tackle” any challenge that life throws at you.