I’ve been on a team since I was five years old. No matter what my role was on each specific team, whether it was a strong leader on one team, or working to earn my spot on another, I have been a dedicated teammate. When I got to college, I was no longer on a team; I didn’t have any desire to try and continue my sports at the collegiate level. I was excited to be free to try new things and of course play at an intramural/club level. That first year of school was during COVID, I was a freshman in 2020, living in Upstate New York on a campus that’s locked down and masked up everywhere. The student body could not access nonvarsity sports, as club sports were shut down due to safety regulations, but varsity sports were an exception. Not having any outlet to play these sports I cared so much about, and watching the people that did play seem to take it for granted, really caused me to have a bit of an identity crisis. I spent my freshman year trail running, which I really enjoyed. But I longed for competition and physicality. When I started my sophomore year, at the club fair, I saw the women’s rugby table. I thought, rugby sounds cool, and right up my alley, I’ll give it a shot” and added my name to the email list. The rest is history. I immediately fell in love with everything about the game, the tackling, the running, the moving together up the field, and the connectedness of the team, it was life-saving. The team is run by the players, with some financial support from the school, but we have to advocate for ourselves. And we are successful, which is obviously appealing to the school now- but that’s a whole other can of worms. I have since been lucky enough to hold the position of president, coach, and captain of our team, and have helped build it into a better structured and recognized team, a team that is truly a family and enjoys spending time together. Right from the very first practice, I felt at home, because no matter how silly I looked or how many mistakes I made, everyone still cheered me on. And when I started to get the hang of this new sport, everyone was cheering me on. And when I go through bad times, everyone is there, cheering me on and helping to keep me going. Rugby gave me the strength to come out as a lesbian my sophomore year, encouraged me to listen to my heart, and I actually ended up meeting my partner on the rugby pitch (she is vice president of our team #PowerCouple). We’re the Red Dogs, and we trust each other wholeheartedly. Recently, my father passed away from a heart attack. My dad was my soccer coach for years and was my biggest supporter, a soccer fanatic, but boy did he love rugby. It was his new favorite thing, and he was so happy for me to have found it, and the people I’ve met, and how complete I feel. My teammates have been so supportive from afar, some traveled to my home state for the services, they sent me a beautiful basket of flowers, and have been checking in. They give me the strength and courage to keep doing what I am destined to do, like my dad would want. Without my rugby family, I don’t know where I’d be.