Did you play sports in high school?

Have you ever been kicked out of a soccer or basketball game for being too aggressive?

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be so stereotyped to the point that people don’t believe you when you say that you play rugby?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions, then I have got the sport for you!

Let me tell you a true story. Over Christmas break, my mom asked me if I wanted to stop in to sit with her at work, so that we could spend some time together after she got off. I, of course, was fine with it and went to sit at her desk with my little laptop, working on some writing while she did her job. I sat and visited with a few of her coworkers and even had the pleasure of meeting her boss.

I got a few funny looks from my mom’s coworkers when she introduced me as her daughter, and her boss was the man who gave me the strangest look. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, or why they were confused. I look exactly like my mother, so I couldn’t imagine them being surprised at the fact that I was her daughter. I was dressed in semi-professional clothing—wearing jeans, a nice sweater and nice dress boots so I didn’t think that I was dressed inappropriately. I sat quietly and worked on my computer or helped my mom with some of her errands, so I didn’t think that I was being too loud or disrespectful. I was stumped, until the next day my mom approached me and said that she had a funny story from work about her boss.

She told me that her boss didn’t believe that I was her daughter at first. I was confused, as my mother and I look very similar, right down to the color of our eyes and the similar fashion sense that we have. She continued to say that her boss was surprised because my mother had been telling stories at work about how I had joined the rugby team the previous fall, and that I was absolutely loving it. Her boss didn’t believe that I could be a rugby player because I was too pretty. When my mom told me that, I laughed out loud while I though tabout all of the beautiful girls on the rugby team. Allow me to elaborate. Hi, my name is Julia and I play rugby. However, all rugby players are different in their own way. The fact that I play rugby doesn’t mean that I am 7’.

There are fantastic players on our team of all shapes and sizes. The funny thing about this sport is that every different type of person is needed.

If you are 5’2” and weigh 100 pounds, there is a place for you on the team. If you are 6’8” and weigh 300 pounds, there’s a spot for you on the team, and you can’t think that you are going to be amazing just because you are a bigger person. You have to be able to strategize and understand the roles that every member of the team plays to be successful.

It’s amazing to me the kinds of stereotypes that I have faced, and I’ve only played rugby for one semester.

Honestly, I love rugby and I wouldn’t change anything about it, even the stereotypes. The entire sport is about proving other people wrong and proving the strength in yourself and in your team.

In rugby you have to prove to the other team that they can’t score on you. You have to prove that the trust that you have in the sisters at your side is enough. You have to prove to yourself that you can do this, and if you can’t, that’s why there’s an entire team helping you. You have to prove that your team is stronger than theirs; whether your team wins or loses you prove your strength in the way that you handle it.

Rugby is not only for enjoyment, but also about proving things, so why should things be any different the second that we step off of the field?