Rugby is not your typical extra curricular activity. Our rugby team here at Winona State has made it into the National Final Four the past five years in a row, have competed in the National Final the last four years and claimed the title as National Champs in 2013. As exciting as that sounds, you may be wondering, “What even is rugby?” I often find myself wondering the same thing, so I took it upon myself to ask a few of my friends who are on the team what life is like in the cleats of a WSU rugby player physically, emotionally and mentally.
Just like playing any other sport in college, a rugby player’s typical day can be quite the balancing act. Kari Jordan, a freshman on the rugby team, describes her typical day of balancing homework, practices, sleep, lifting and games as “stressful and exhausting.”
Kari added, “It is hard to take care of your body during the season because you are just so exhausted and your body really takes a beating.”
Many times throughout the semester Kari and her teammates had to study on the long bus rides to and from games while running on very little sleep. Cassie Schultz, a junior on the rugby team, commented, “Sleep is very scarce during the season.”
If you do not know much about rugby, like myself, you may be thinking about how awful this all sounds; why would anyone want to play rugby? Well, despite the few negatives that go along with each rugby season, there are actually many positive things that make all of the hard work and dedication worthwhile.
Even though the lifting programs, tackling drills, and running a mile or more at the beginning of each practice does not sound enjoyable, the benefits of being in amazing shape makes the countless drops of sweat totally worth it. But why do players continue to put themselves through this?
When asked to describe what she loves most about rugby, Cassie said, “Our rugby team here at Winona State is like a family. We are all really close friends and there is no drama. It seems like the stress that rugby brings actually draws us closer as a team.”
It is extremely rare to find a group of girls working together every day that can say there is no drama within their team. Incredible. Think about your group projects from last semester for a second; think about all of the conflicts that arose and the drama that was created from those conflicts. Now imagine what your project could have been like without the drama. You may be thinking, “Wow, that sounds quite nice. We could have accomplished so much more.” I believe that is exactly how these Warriors consecutively make it to the finals. They set a goal for themselves, focus on it, work together, and become a family through all of it.
Although we all may not understand the technical rules of rugby, we can still take away some transferable and valuable lessons by putting ourselves in the cleats of a dedicated rugby player. From this you have seen that goal setting, hard work, dedication, sacrifice and having a team mentality are all things that lead to positive outcomes. Whether you are chasing after a championship or an ‘A’ on your group project this semester, I want to encourage you to set aside the drama and focus on working together towards your common goal so that you will not only achieve success, but also gain a family.
