Rugby has taught me that family isn’t always the people you're related to. Sometimes it’s the people who help you stand up after a hard hit. Before I played rugby I played several sports including soccer, softball, volleyball, and basketball. While I made good friends and had fond memories of those teams, it wasn’t until I played rugby that I began to realize that rugby is not just a game, it’s a community. To me, rugby is a support system built on respect, growth, and trust. It is a sport where every player relies on the person beside them, and success depends on everyone working together. Rugby family means knowing no matter how hard the game gets, you are never truly alone (unless a prop breaks through the line and you’re the fullback). I was incredibly nervous before my first high school rugby match. I worried about the disappointment I might cause if I made a mistake. But I quickly learned that your teammates are there to lift you up after mistake, because making errors is inevitable. What matters most is how you respond and grow from them. Our captain at the time guided me and helped me understand the game more. This support and respect from her made my love for the game grow even more. Now, as a senior and the head captain of my rugby team, I’ve experienced that lesson from a different perspective. At the start of this season I felt immense pressure to be perfect and to lead my team in the right direction. But without me even having to say anything, my teammates could tell how stressed I was. They reminded me that rugby is never about one person and that we win and lose as a team. Knowing that I didn’t have to carry everything alone made me realize how strong our support system truly is. I try my best to be like the captain that I once had because she is a key example of what makes a rugby family even stronger. Rugby has shown me that leadership does not mean being perfect. It’s about trusting your teammates and lifting up each other together. That sense of connection will carry me long after my final match. After all the community in rugby is safe space where people are free to be who they truly are. This helped me not only grow as an athlete but also as a person. One of the first things I learned about rugby was that respect often looks different than people expect. My teammates showed respect by going as hard as they could against me. In many sports, experienced players try to take it easy on someone who is new. But in rugby, holding back would mean you are not helping your teammate grow. As I look toward the future, I am excited to continue my rugby career at the collegiate level. Being recruited has shown me how far the sport has taken me, but more importantly it has reminded me why I started playing in the first place. Rugby has taught me how to lead, and persevere through challenges, and most importantly it has given me a family by choice. As I move on to the next level, I hope to bring the same sense of teamwork, support, and dedication that my rugby family has given me.