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! 

United Rugby

Rugby is:

• The only sport where you can tackle someone at any moment and any way as long as it is from the shoulders and down.
• The only sport where you don't stop after a tackle or after someone gets hurt. You are always moving and the plays go on and on. 
• The only full contact sport for girls!
• "So it's like soccer and football?" "No, it's like RUGBY!" -Rick Penning in Forever Strong
• The only sport i've ever played where before the games you kneel under the goal posts and pray as a team.
• The only sport i've played where your teamates are your sisters.
• The one thing i'm constantly thinking about.

RUGBY! RUGBY! RUGBY! It's the greatest sport ever. It's incredible. I can't figure out a cute way to explain how much i love rugby. All i can say is that rugby filled a void in my life. One that i was feeling from deciding to give up softball. Softball didn't make me happy anymore. I had lost the passion that was once there. I think after i played high school softball, i just couldn't handle the pressure anymore. Pressure to succeed and to get be a perfect athlete. I was never going to get there in softball. There was just too many things i couldn't fix. But then there was rugby. My friend, The Canadian, mentioned it. I was like what? Rugby? I want to play! We went to an informative meeting and then after that one meeting and one practice I was sold! Everything about rugby fell in place. There have been times when i think my dad has been more excited about it than i have. He went and bought cleats without me, and then when they didn't fit, he drove back down to the store and got more. He payed for everything without complaint. He was so supportive. He gave me pep talks before every game and lectures on how i could improve after every game. He's awesome. In alot of ways i feel like i've always been my dad's son. I'm so athletic, more than any of my sisters, and it was so long before there was a boy in my family. I was the tom-boy growing up. It's one of the reasons why i fell like my dad loves supporting me. I was the closest thing he had to a boy for a long time. I'm so grateful for him and how supportive he's been throughout all the years. I absolutely loved playing rugby. It's an awesome feeling. It feels awesome to run towards someone and be able to just take them out, because you can. Rugby is my outlet. It helps get out the aggression. While i still need to be more aggressive and there are so many things that i can still work on in rugby, nothing makes me more happy than playing rugby. Girls rugby is still really small in Utah. There are only two high school teams right now. It was us, United, and Lowland. We played them all the time. Although we weren't the ones who won most of the time, it was fun to be able to play and learn. We didn't make it to nationals, but we'll be there next year. All i want to do is play rugby and play hard. I'll do whatever it takes to get there. Rugby is what i think about all the time. It makes me so happy.

Last night was the High School National Championship for Rugby, for boys. It came down to Highland and United. The United boys are an incredible team. They are so much fun to watch. They played an incredible game and killed. The final score was United 22 to Highland 17. I was screaming the whole time. I was so happy that they won. This means big things for the club! WOOHOO! Go UNITED!  I couldn't be more proud of the club. I couldn't be more happy playing for any other club.

Rugby and United Rugby is way more than just peachy. Kia Kaha!