Kia Kaha

I'm the brunette in the white jersey, bending down in the front of the scrum.
That's my position right there, prop, and i love it! 

Kia Kaha: It means BE STRONG! It is the motto i chose to live my life by when i started playing rugby. It is a motto my team and teammates follow. We are strong. We are United. We are the United Rugby Club's girl team. We will always Be Strong! 

We played in St. George this past weekend. It was wet, cold, stormy, and there was a lot of mud. It was the first two games of the year for us and we had hoped to take down our rival team Lowland and newfound opponents Snow Canyon. After sixty minutes of a grueling match in the mud and rain, we had lost, twice. But when we left that field that day after a second loss against Snow Canyon, we were not losers, we were winners. It was our positive attitude after that second game that made me feel like a winner. It was how i felt after being kind to my opponents and to my teammates. It was when we supported each other as our teammates hobbled off the field after a hard hit to the knee, ankle, and back. And it was when our United brothers performed THE HAKA for us, to show us that we are not only a team but a family. Rugby is not just my sport, it's my life. 

Rugby can be rough, rugby can be hard, and rugby can challenge even the most fit athletes. After recovering from foot surgery eight weeks ago, i was super scared to be out on that field. My running is not as fast as it should be, my strength is not where it should be, and my determination to win was not where it should have been. To my United Sisters i say this: I'm sorry i was not much help in those games. I feel like i let you down. Everyone says, "Don't play like a girl," as ironic as that is, it's true. I played like a girl this past weekend. I want you girls to know, that i will not be that girl anymore. Starting today, i promise to work so much harder so that i can be there for you girls, as a teammate and a sister. You are my rugby sisters. Girls i could not live without and girls i would never want to let down. So here it is, my promise to give it everything i got. I will no longer hold anything back out of fear for my foot. I will no longer hold anything back out of fear of getting hurt. Because i know that with the support of you girls, i can do anything, i can be strong. I hope every girl knows that they are strong, fearless, and brave. You are all girls i look up to everyday because you all are the best teammates in the world. Even if we never win a match, I know that we can always be winners, if we at least support each other, and help us each other Be Strong! Kia Kaha ladies!