To me, a rugby family is always having people to count on in every situation. Whether it be on the rugby pitch or off. Assisting anyone within the organization with fundraising, family matters, and any other needs. I started playing rugby when I was in seventh grade, after playing football for 6 years. The second I started practicing, I fell in love. I still played football for my eighth-grade fall year, and was singled out as the only girl, and treated completely differently. That spring, when I came back to playing coed rugby, the treatment from the boys was completely different. They couldn’t single me out, because I was a part of the team—the rugby family. The first team I started playing for was the Brighton Tikis. I played in girls' high school until my junior year, when I had to switch teams due to no tiki team. I started playing with the Fort Collins Hammers, but to this day, I still go to the tiki practices and help with their youth program. In most sports, once you switch teams, you're frowned upon or not allowed back in the organization. With the rugby culture and family, I still have great connections with my old team and organization and with the one I’m a part of now. Another aspect of the rugby family, specifically within women’s rugby, is the relationship between the girls. In some other sports, there are stereotypes that the girls will mistreat each other and be sassy and rude towards new players. In rugby, the stereotypes are the opposite; rugby treats you as a part of the family the second you walk onto the pitch. The first time I played with the Hammers girls, I was already put into the group chat and was treated no differently than those who had been a part of Hammers their whole rugby career. My hopes for playing rugby in college are to make connections for a lifetime. Already, I have connected with the coach at Colorado Mesa (the college I am committed to), and she helped me with my scholarship resumes. The connections I have with my Hammers team are so tight that if I needed any kind of help, not even rugby-related, they’d be there for me. My hope is to make those same connections at Colorado Mesa, but to also be that for my teammates. Another hope is to grow within my own skills and help others with theirs. I have played about every position on the field within 7’s, and every forward position in 15’s. I want to try and grow more with those positions, to find my place on the Colorado Mesa team. The nice part about rugby, though, is that because of rugby culture, there is always a place for everyone on the team and pitch.