When I first came to Wayne I was a bright eyed freshman looking to get involved in well, everything. I was that super involved kid in high school, what would make college any different?
So I set off for the activity fair and signed up for every club that seemed remotely interesting. You name it, I was probably involved in that club. I knew Wayne had a rugby club, but I was much too busy to join. Second semester I realized that I couldn’t commit to all the clubs I was in and decided on just a couple that were meaningful to me.
Fast forward to sophomore year. I had a friend on the rugby team and she absolutely loved it. I mentioned it to her one day that I was interested in rugby and she said to come to a practice, if I hated it I could quit.
So that’s what I did, I borrowed some cleats from a friend and walked down to the field. From day one I was absolutely confused, having only encountered rugby only once before in an elementary gym class, which doesn’t really count.
But for some reason I liked it. In high school I wasn’t really into sports, I stuck more to choir, theatre and culinary. But college gave me a chance to try something I had never even thought of before.
After deciding that I wanted to stick with rugby I called my mom. The conversation went a little like this.
Me: Hey mom I joined the rugby team!
Mom: Rugby, like the sport?
Me: Yeah!
Mom: you know that’s a contact sport right?
Me: Yes.
Mom: You have to run
Me: Yes, I know
Mom: Okay, well be safe, and let me know when your first game is!
I stepped out of the expectations that other people had placed on me and tried something completely new.
If you told me my freshman year that I would be on the rugby team I probably would have laughed. But the opportunity came up and I took it and ran with it, literally.
And that’s why I play rugby.
Because it’s not what people expected from me.
It's actually the last thing my family and high school friends expected I would do.
Because it's about more than winning.
It’s about the love of the game and the people you play with. There is also a great camaraderie between teams when they get together and socialize after each game.
Because of the family.
Wayne State Rugby is a family, like any family we have our ups and downs, but at the end of the day we are there for each other.
Because you get to meet people
I have met so many people because of rugby, both on my team, and at other schools.
Because you get to travel.
With rugby I have been able to travel to New York, North Carolina, Minnesota, and a bunch of other states, and there is nothing better than 30 ruggers on a bus.
Because you become instant friend with anyone that has ever played rugby.
Especially Europeans, they love rugby and think it is particularly cool that there are women’s teams in America.
Because I’m a part of something bigger than myself.
In rugby you can’t just rely on one person to do the work, it's a team effort. We win and lose as a team. To quote our pre-game prayer we “Play for the team on the front, not the number on the back, and for our sister to our left and to our right.”
Because I was made for greatness.
God created us all to do great things, he gave us our talents and our abilities. One of my talents is rugby, and if I can use that to praise the Lord, I will.
In the end, rugby is what happened when I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I am so glad I did. Rugby has taught me so much on and off the pitch, and I will forever have a place in my heart for rugby.
And that's why I play rugby.
