Previous Blogs from Moodle, 1/20 & 1/27

Hello, World Blog, January 20, 2013

The Third Half
Bruised, Broken, and Bloody
The Coin Flip

I am a hooker, and a darn good one at that. I've swiped more balls than I can count, enjoy getting down and dirty, relish the feel of hands in my pants, and don't mind getting wedged in between people so long as they're not too rough.

I'm talking about rugby, just to be clear. I've noticed I have a tendency to lead people in the wrong direction.

Ah, rugby. It's that sport that no one really knows, and if they do they think it's some form of football or eccentric European sport that doesn't make sense here in 'Murica. Well, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, valued viewer, what rugby is through my own chronicles as a rugger. Rugby is a fast-paced sport played in two 40-minute halves with either 7 or 15 members on each side (in this case 15). It is a high-contact sport, which makes it similar to football in this manner, but also demands the endurance and stamina found in soccer. Basically, it's a really tiring game and if you don't know what you're doing, you risk getting real hurt, real bad. Now, I know that escalated very quickly but the realities of this game are grave and it only took one instance with a team member being driven away in an ambulance that showed me how dangerous this sport is, and with recent news of professional athletes committing suicide, such as Junior Seau, or suffering another ailment as a result of their athletic career, how dangerous other sports can be as well.

Every practice and every game, I risk serious injury or even death. If it's not a broken bone, then it's a torn ACL or paralysis. But it's rugby season now, and there's about 10 games I'm scheduled to play in, and I intend to play in every one. In fact, with football season coming to a close, I'm even more anxious to play despite seeing players like Dannell Ellerbe play with two broken thumbs or Jahvid Best remain on the PUP list for the second year due to a concussion. Just like these players, I bear witness to fellow team members playing with injuries, not caring about them so long as they get to play, and serious ramifications as a result of playing rugby such as ineligibility to compete in the Olympic Trials. However, I still lace up my boots and take to the pitch, almost in denial of these possibilities and in approval of my team doing the same.

As my season sets to begin, my blog aims to entertain you with my accounts of playing rugby and its culture, but also determine why it is that players risk their bodies and their lives in not only rugby, but any sport, especially in regards to high-contact professional sports, such as football and boxing. Why do athletes play in spite of injury, why do athletes play knowing well of the risks, and why do athletes feel compelled to continue playing? All of these of which begs the question, why does society continue to allow athletes to risk their lives in a game at the expense of their own entertainment?

Blog Post II, January 27, 2013

Strained.

In an experiment led by Dr. Donald Kirkendall, it was found that a generic warm-up regime prior to engaging in football decreased the risk of injury 75% and urged coaches and players alike to take initiative in taking proper precautions to protect themselves against injury. Sadly, even after reading this article, yesterday I left my rugby game early with two strained calf muscles. I STILL can't walk right, and no amount of beer or alcohol has yet to assuage me from the pain.

I know exactly when it happened. First, it was just a painful pull in the right calf. OK, ignore, it'll probably go away, I'm about to engage in a scrum. Then, moments later after a tackle is where it all went downhill. Both legs this time. Damn. After a short injury timeout in which I refused to go out of the game (in rugby once you leave the game, you can't go back in no matter what) my calves still bothered me, but I thought I could play through it. Finally, a collapsed scrum and a knee right into my calf a few minutes later left me being carried off to the sideline with two ice packs on my legs and me regretting almost instantaneously my decision to leave the game. OK, so I couldn't walk for, like, 2 hours but there is nothing worse to an athlete than watching your team lose from the sideline and not being able to do anything about it. You look up and see the action on the field and realize all you can do now is just watch. Everything in your heart and soul tells you to get up to make a tackle yourself, run the ball, support your team, or anything that will contribute to the game. Your heart and soul scream, "I JUST WANNA PLAY!" and then your body reminds you to sit down, shut up, and take an ibuprofen cause in your non-walking state you're just as useful as a shark out of water. This was my first injury in a game, so this decision of staying in the game or nursing a injury is new to me. And yet though I initially thought this would take considerable thought, it is almost a given that I will continue to play so long as my heart still wants it and my body allows me. Another game awaits next Saturday, and if my friend who just recovered from a broken ankle will play, so will I.

Unlike other sports, rugby is still a growing sport in the U.S. so decisions such as these are often left to players rather than coaches or medical staff. This is usually never a good idea. I'll say it: athletes are stubborn and dumb. They'll play until their body falls apart, and when it comes to the professional league, this rings especially true where a leave due to injury can cost a person their entire career. Often you'll see players going all out to keep their starting position ( and thus their job and salary) or playing with injury so that another person doesn't take their spot. Remember Alex Smith of the 49ers? He took a week off due to a concussion and now he's just the has-been quarterback that was hiding Colin Kaepernick this whole time. This is a fear that dominates the NFL, and today Bernard Pollard of the Baltimore Ravens came out and said this commitment to being the best player, making the hardest hits may someday lead to a "guy dying on the field." He states that the demand for stronger, faster players every year mean players will inevitably get hurt in this pursuit, despite the NFL imposing stricter rules on where players can hit. Yes, players are now restricted as to where they can hit, but they hit just as hard in every other area. Pollard states that "Football is a violent sport, and sometimes bad things happen. Some people don't like it. But at the end of the day, I've got to feed my family, and this is how I do it." For him, it is clear that football is his means of survival for himself and his family so holding back is not an option even if it means injury. "We understand what we signed up for, and it sucks," Pollard says, perhaps admitting that as an athlete, though there are benefits, sometimes the consequences are too much to bear.

You can find this article at: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/bernard-pollard-way-nfl-heading-someone-going-die-153615116--nfl.html

The Saddest Time of the Year

Well viewers, it's that time of the yet again. The time when friends separate, projects come to a close, and people that you've made relationships with will probably never cross paths with you again.

Yea, I'm talking about rugby season, but also graduation and even the end of this blog.

Rugby is always hard to leave. After weeks of spending your nights and weekends with some great ladies, when all of that is suddenly taken away from you, you at first are really glad. Thank heavens I don't have to deal with her shit anymore! and I was getting real close to starting some fights with my team members.

But then you realize, dammit those were all of my friends! Depression hits, and you take every opportunity to hang out with them, so happy just to see their face again. Rugby is a very intimate team experience, so it's only natural I love these girls and miss tackling them to the ground.

And then you realize not everyone on the team will return. Seniors will graduate and as college students, we understand that we may never see them again.....never see my sister, best friend, mentor again?? My heart aches just thinking about it!

Honestly, the only thing keeping me same after the season ended was this blog. It kept rugby going on in my life, and I was able to feed my cravings. And now you're telling me this has to come to a close too??

Now, technically it doesn't, but the likelihood that I'll continue through the summer is slim to none. But this blogging experience has really made me tap into my creative writing, and hey, maybe I'm not so boring after all!

Now viewers, I am not a senior so my rugby journey will still continue come next year. This time, in New Zealand! Yes, the hub of rugby, the All Blacks, rugby central!! I can't wait for that chapter in my life, and perhaps I'll take you along in my new blog. Perhaps.

Wouldn't change a thing this whole semester, loved every second, every struggle, and every person along the way.

Back on that Grind

So, rugby season officially ended with the beginning of April and with this, so did my exercise regime.

I have seriously not run since then. I feel the atrophy in my arms and I swear when I did try to go run the other day, my side started hurting. It was 2 minutes into the run.

My life, it sucks.

How did this happen?? Yes, I understand that I haven't been working out like I was in season, but damn! Months of hard work GONE in a few weeks? Why is my life so hard?

Just when I  thought I was getting in really great shape, running with ease, doing push-ups like nothing, all of this comes crashing down to the big pile of fat that I now possess.

See, all of this wouldn't be so bad if summer wasn't coming around! I need to show some sexy skin, not overflowing muffin tops! AND if I'm seriously trying to play rugby in New Zealand where all of the top dogs play, I be trippin' if I think I can cruise on by panting all the while.

This pretty much sums up my life, before and after the season:

But it's alright! Today is a new day and I shall get back on that grind! Grrrr! 

Team Night

Last night, I probably had the most fun I've had in a lonnnnng time.

And of course it was with my rugby girls =D

Every semester, the team holds something called, "Team Night" where the new rookies get inducted in the team. Now, I'm not allowed to give y'all the details but perhaps some vague generalizations? My English professors would be proud.

Staying true to rugby, the night started out with fitness. Squats, jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups. Did I mentioned we still have injured players? Oh well.

Then, a friendly dip to get away from the heat! Sploosh, splash went the water, and to their excitement we had a fun puzzle for them too!

Next, we played a great game if I-don't-know-what-it's-called but it involved a tarp and someone not seeing, talking, on their feet, or using their hands all while they try to flip the tarp over. Team bonding at it's finest!

Refreshments.

We were making such good time, that we even had a chance to visit some friends and sing!

Then it got all hot again so we went to the pool! Played a great game of telephone and had some more stuff to drink. We thirsty!

Finally, the night came to a close with some games, trivia, and most importantly, FOOD!

But what I really enjoyed last night was getting to know there girls. They're such a great bunch, so funny, and I'm sad that I only met them this semester and saw this side of them so late!

Oh well. There's always next year! Yeeee!

Trifecta

Bruised, Broken, and Bloody (Hello, World Post)

Alternate Titles: The Third Half, The Coin Flip

I am a hooker, and a darn good one at that.

I've swiped more balls than I can count, enjoy getting down and dirty, relish the feel of hands in my pants, and don't mind getting wedged in between people so long as they're not too rough.

Ahhhh, rugby.

It's that sport that no one really knows, and if they do they think it's some form of football or eccentric European sport that doesn't make sense here in 'Murica. Well, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, valued viewer, what rugby is through my own chronicles as a rugger.

Rugby is a fast-paced sport played in two 40-minute halves with either 7 or 15 members on each side (in this case 15). It is a high-contact sport, which makes it similar to football in this manner, but also demands the endurance and stamina found in soccer. Basically, it's a really tiring game and if you don't know what you're doing, you risk getting real hurt, real bad.

Now, I know that escalated very quickly but the realities of this game are grave, and it only took one instance with a team member being driven away in an ambulance that showed me how dangerous this sport is. With recent news of professional athletes committing suicide, such as Junior Seau, or suffering other long-term ailments as a result of their athletic career, I got to thinking: how dangerous can rugby be and could I, or someone I know, end up like them?

Every practice and every game, every ruck and every scrum, I risk serious injury or even death. If it's not a broken bone, then it's a torn ACL or paralysis. But it's rugby season now, and there's about 10 games I'm scheduled to play in, and I intend to play in every one. In fact, with football season coming to a close, I'm even more anxious to play despite seeing players like Dannell Ellerbe play with two broken thumbs, or Jahvid Best remain on the PUP list for the second year due to a concussion.

Just like these players, I bear witness to fellow team members playing with injuries, not caring about them so long as they get to play, and have seen serious ramifications as a result of playing rugby, such as ineligibility to compete in the Olympic Trials. However, I still lace up my boots and take to the pitch, almost in denial of these possibilities and in approval of my team doing the same. 

As my season sets to begin, my blog aims to entertain you with my accounts of playing rugby and its culture, but also determine why it is that players risk their bodies and their lives in this game. Why do athletes play in spite of injury, why do athletes play knowing well of the risks, and why do athletes feel compelled to continue playing? All of these of which beg the question, why does society continue to allow athletes to risk their lives in a game at the expense of their own entertainment?

Little to none is done to advance protective gear for rugby players, and minimal refereeing invites dangerous play at every blind side. Mix in the high-level of amateurism and low education into the sport and we have the perfect concoction for the highest possible number of player casualties! Possibly in any sport! Congratulations rugby! 

The IRB really has our back, don’t they?

Because of its unfamiliarity, rugby is often dismissed or brushed under the rug when it comes to changing the nature of the game, especially by traditionalists who want to maintain the purity of the “spirit of the game.” 

But you know what, I’m tired of watching my players get punched behind the ref’s back, and with so much attention geared towards athletic injuries in today’s media, I think it’s about time rugby hit primetime.

Profiling a Rugby Blogger: Another Exists?! (Profile a Blogger Post)

Any team player will tell you that getting to know the other members of your team is essential; it allows you to know how well (or bad) they play, what ideologies they hold, and if you can respect them enough to trust their opinion and their abilities.

The same goes for blogging. 

Who you decide to follow can help shape your ideals, expose you to different opinions, and let’s be honest, affect your street cred. This week, I’m going to show you ladies and gents some other rugby bloggers that I have found to be interesting and can hopefully give you more insight on the world of rugby.

Simply going by “Dave,” the author shares very little, if any at all, about himself in his blog “The Rugby Banter,” choosing rather to focus on his subject matter, rugby. Each week, he shakes things up from talking about rugby law to rugby tournaments to rugby in the community, which allows his readers to see the sport in a variety of levels and contexts. His posts are scholarly enough to stir rugby debates and politics, but are still sports-driven to amuse rugby enthusiasts.

However, his blog seems to be from the point-of-view of a fan, rather than a player. So while his blog post “Dear IRB, The Letter of the Law…” talks about the growing power of referees, he is less concerned with the safety of the players than he is about the continuity of the game, or in other words, how referees affect the enjoyment of watching the game by continuously stopping it. He implores the IRB to make changes as these multiple penalties/yellow cards are “starting to get us fans worked up.”

Afterall, who’s more important than the fans?

In another post, “The Role of School Coaches,” Dave talks about the need for school coaches to focus on individual skills and techniques rather than the schools’ win/loss record. This way, players can be the best they can be and start their rugby careers with a better start and attitude. Rugby skill and knowledge development start early on, and because of this, school coaches must instill in players the right mentality. However, safety is not mentioned in the blog, though anyone who has played rugby would agree that it is an essential education for all rugby players. (I know, he got me all excited too. One of us? SO close.) It seems that the “entertaining and success” of the game is most important to Dave.

While this blog also focuses on rugby, Dave seems to critique the sport from the eyes of a fan or recruiter rather than in the best interest of the player. It is informative, yes, and provides detailed accounts on the game, its laws, and practices (certainly more than I even know), however it does not address the safety concerns that my blog centers on. Perhaps because as a player, I'm more concerned with staying alive, while he is more concerned with staying entertained. I’m not trying to excuse him, but this does make sense since I experience rugby from the trenches, not the stands. Dave, from what I know, is just a fan. A hardcore fan!...but a fan nonetheless.  

It’s unfortunate in this way, but because our audiences are the same, in that we both target the rugby community, I’m still glad that we both can drive home some aspect of the game that otherwise went unnoticed or is undermined. Dave has over 3,000 followers, so between him and my impressive 1, together we can spread more awareness despite our differing focuses. 

Some exposure is better than no exposure, so Dave gets to star in this week’s blog since his blog is still a great source of rugby news. I’ll certainly be reading in, gaining as much news on the current state of rugby from his blog as I can (I’ve already learned so much!), and so should you. So go ahead and read his weekly blogs, maybe you’ll learn something, maybe not, but just remember…read mine first.

HEAR ME NOW! (Voice Post)

Scared you a lil’ bit? Good. As with all blog posts, authors need to GRAB their reader’s attention, and today I’m going to show you how the already aggressive rugger displays voice in blogs. “Voice,” simply, is the means that authors use to convey their personality by their choice of diction, phrasing, and content. All authors have voice (some more amusing than others) but no two are ever the same.

A fellow rugby blogger I’m following is a great example.

Tim O’Connor is a barrister, and now that his playing days are over, he fills this void with his blog titled simply, “Rugby Law” where he explores rugby and the laws that govern it. After reading through his posts, it is clear that Tim had much rugby experience and that I am not the first to question the safety of rugby, especially in the scrums (beat me to the punch!).

He first lets readers know about the amount of pressure first-row players endure during a scrum in his post, “Legal Liability and Scrums” by comparing it to having cars fall on your shoulders.

“Take a small car - this being rugby, let's say a French one, a Citroen C4. In fact, take two. Suspend one 15 centimetres - six inches - over each of your shoulders.

Now let them drop.

That's what it is each member for a professional front row to take the hit of a modern scrum…3kN of an impact. Ten or fifteen times a game.”

With this, his metaphor of the weight of cars to the impact of scrums is very effective in showing the dangers that burden every front-row player. His continual use of these metaphors throughout his post allow him to illustrate this clearly to his readers, who often can’t imagine it when just technically explained (hell, non-front-row players can’t even understand it). This allows him to emphasize how dangerous the scrum can be and that though they are often overlooked, the risks can be as dangerous as a car falling on someone.

The isolation of the sentence “Now let them drop” also reminds me of the initial shock and quickness of the scrum engagement for props and hookers (the front-row players). Both teams face each other, ready for battle, and when the ref is done with the cadence of “Crouch! Touch! Set!” the engagement is so quick and sometimes so powerful that if you’re not ready, you’re in serious trouble. Unsuspecting players, like those not ready for a small car to drop on them, immediately feel the pain in their necks and shoulders, and this parallel of his metaphor with the actual mechanics of a scrum engagement allows Tim to connect with all of his front-row readers (like me!).

He continues to stress these dangers by his concise, simple statements that help convey that there is nothing complex about the issue at hand. He states simply,

“The net result has been more dangerous scrums, more resets, worse scrummaging and more dangerous scrummaging: bad rugby, and dangerous rugby…And there is no excuse for it.”

By getting straight to the point and stating the negative results of the laws that govern scrums, his frustration is clear and the line “And there is no excuse for it” illustrates his passion for much needed change, especially from someone who used to be a prop. With this credibility, the audience is more likely to accept his claims, and he is able to pull in sympathy from the audience by his anecdote of when he had to hold his hooker’s neck immobile after a bad scrum.

Even more powerful than this is his courage to stand against the IRB, despite his deep-rooted connection to rugby and his love for the game.

“I love scrummaging. I have played as a prop, as has every male member of my family for the last three generations at some stage. Scrummaging has risks, and always will. I know the risks, and have accepted them, as has every other prop. But it is NOT acceptable to make those risks greater by ignoring the Laws of the game.”

Rugby is more than just a game to him, it is clear, and because he cherishes the game, he does not shy away from exposing the increasing risk front-row players are put under and fearlessly places the blame on the IRB.  

In another post, his angry voice towards the IRB is again heard in the concisely titled “Concussion – Fatality.” Short and to the point, he tells readers about a 14-year old boy that died on the pitch because he was left alone after receiving a concussion.

“I've written before, on this blog and elsewhere, about the failure to deal properly with concussion,” he states, exemplifying his dismay that there are cases where concussions still go untreated, and because he refuses to comment until the verdict on the case is made, this shows his own anguish on the event and perhaps his realization that sadly this is ultimately up to the courts as to what will happen, not the players or community. 

The title itself also shows his growing anger and even sadness at the growing links of concussions and fatalities in rugby. With just a dash to separate “concussion” and “fatality,” Tim not only shows how fast an injury can seriously harm a player if untreated, but also his own inability to relate the two as a single event. At the same time, the simplicity of the two words show that the issue at hand is not complicated and that there are no excuses—literally—that can come in between a concussion and a fatality.

Between these two blog posts, Tim shows himself to be a lover of the game of rugby, but like myself, cannot bear to see players continue to be injured by laws meant to promote player safety with the IRB sitting idly aside, watching. His passion is evident by his anecdotal stories and his anger clear towards the IRB. Like me, he understands that change must start with the IRB, and until they amend rugby law, players are subjected to the laws of the game, no matter how dangerous. 

Playoffs!

Making playoffs for the first time ever, USC Women's Rugby finally made it! Taking the fourth seed, this weekend the girls and I took to the pitch and battled our enemies with plenty leaving bruised, broken, and bloody.

Yea, we took last place in the playoffs, but hey! we got there and next year we plan on winning! One step at a time, and hell we had some fun and got to lace up the boots one last time.

Let's start from the beginning...Twas the last Saturday of spring break. Faces were stuffed, running shoes ignored, and long-neglected beds/couches reacquainted with. And then the phone call. We're in playoffs! We play two games this week! Practice resumes!

Yay?

Don't get me wrong, I love rugby but I was getting used to the idea that the season was over. And I was eating like a fatass! And let's not mention how many times I "exercised" over the break. Anywoo, playoffs arrived and the two-day battle began. 

Friday

Night game against the best team in the league. Fans were everywhere! (I have never seen so many rugby fans in Socal in my life!) 7:30pm Kickoff. Why is there aluminum on this field? Coach says she won't yell at us, liar. I hope my headband stays in. First half: let's just not talk about this one. Second half: much better! the tries that were raining on us by the other team dried up and we had a lock, A LOCK, score a try!

And ah, this team seems to have cursed me, for I left again with a strained calf after playing them. Cursed, I tell you!

Other than myself, very few others got hurt on my team with just one leaving to the ER, stiff-armed in the jaw  =(

*Friday Night: R.I.C.E = rest, ice, compress, elevate, repeat! Thank you Jesus for my frozen mixed vegetables.

Saturday

Afternoon game. 2pm Kickoff. Ugh, can I tell you how much our team hates playing in hot weather? Potholes we everywhere, and I stepped in a sinkhole during warm-ups! ANDD I found more aluminum! The hell?! Coach forgot about her promise yesterday. Trainer gave me the BEST wrapping job I've ever witnessed. Why is it so hotttttttt? First half: gruesometoughhotbitchesihatethemdirty. Second half: ughhateherwhenisitoverwherearemyplayers? disappointment, frustration, beaten.


More injuries today. Sprained hand, unicorn head, stitches mcgee, 2nd trip to ER in 2 days

Rugby Season 2012-13, over.

At least I'm still alive.

HEAR ME NOW!

Scared you a lil’ bit? Good. As with all blog posts, authors need to GRAB the reader’s attention, and today I’m going to show how the already aggressive rugger displays voice in blogs. “Voice,” simply, is the means that authors convey their personality through their text by their use of diction, phrasing, and content. All authors have voice, some more amusing than others, but no two are ever the same.

Tim O’Connor is barrister, and now that his playing days are over, he fills this void with his blog title simply, “Rugby Law” where he explores rugby and the laws that govern it. After reading his posts, it is clear that Tim did have rugby experience and that I am not the first to question the safety of rugby, especially in the scrums.

He first lets readers know about the amount of pressure first-row players endure during a scrum by comparing it to having cars fall on your shoulders.

“Take a small car - this being rugby, let's say a French one, a Citroen C4. In fact, take two. Suspend one 15 centimetres - six inches - over each of your shoulders.

Now let them drop.

That's what it is each member for a professional front row to take the hit of a modern scrum. If you're an international hooker, since hookers take a bit more of the hit, you're talking a family saloon like a C5, onto each shoulder. 3kN of an impact. Ten or fifteen times a game.”

With this, he emphasizes how dangerous the scrum can be, especially for hookers, and that though it is overlooked, the dangers can be as dangerous as a car falling on someone with 3kN of force.  He continues to do this by his concise, simple statements that help convey that there is nothing complex about the issue at hand. He states simply,

“The net result has been more dangerous scrums, more resets, worse scrummaging and more dangerous scrummaging: bad rugby, and dangerous rugby…And there is no excuse for it.”

His passion is clear, and he gives authority to himself by stating that he was a prop himself and pulls in the sympathy of the audience by his anecdote where he had to hold his hooker’s neck immobile after a bad scrum. Rugby is important to him, being a third-generation prop, but the issue of safety is so controversial that he who grew up with rugby is now questioning it and the IRB.

In another post, his angry voice towards the IRB is again heard in “Concussion – Fatality.” Short and to the point, he tells reader about a 14-year old boy that died on the pitch because he was left alone after being concussed for a second time.

“I've written before, on this blog and elsewhere, about the failure to deal properly with concussion,” he states, exemplifying his dismay that there are cases where concussions still go untreated, and because he refuses to comment until the verdict on the case is made, it shows his own anguish on the event and perhaps his own realization that this is a common event and ultimately up to the courts as to what will happen, not the players or community.

Between these two blog posts, Tim shows himself to be a lover of the game of rugby, but like myself, cannot bear to see players continue to be injured by laws meant to promote player safety with the IRB sitting idly aside, watching. His passion is evident by his anecdotal stories and his anger clear towards the IRB. Like me, he understands that change must start with them, and until the IRB amends its law, players are subjected the rules of the game, no matter how dangerous. 

Profiling a Rugby Blogger: Another Exists?!

Any team player will tell you that getting to know the other members of your team is essential; it allows you to know how well they play, what ideologies they hold, and if you can respect them enough to trust their opinion and their abilities. The same goes for blogging, and who you decide to follow and shape your ideals. This week, I’m going to show you valuable readers some other rugby bloggers that I have found to be interesting, and hopefully give you more insight on the world of rugby.

Simply going by “Dave,” the author shares very little if at all about himself in his blog “The Rugby Banter” choosing to focus rather on his subject matter, rugby. He varies from talking about rugby law to rugby tournaments to rugby in the community, which allows viewers to see the sport in a variety of levels and contexts. However, his blog comes to be from the view of a fan, rather than a player, so while in his blog post, “Dear IRB, The letter of the Law…” talks about the growing power of referees, he is less concerned with the safety of the players than he is about the continuity of the game, or in other words, how referees affect the enjoyment of the game by continuously stopping the game. He implores the IRB to make changes as these multiple penalties/yellow cards are “starting to get us fans worked up.”

In another post, “The role of School Coaches,” Dave talks about the need for school coaches to focus on individual skills and techniques rather than the schools’ win/loss record. This way, players can be the best they can be and start their rugby careers with a better start and attitude. Rugby skill and knowledge development start early on, and because of this, school coaches must instill in players the right mentality. However, safety is not mentioned in the blog, though it is an essential education for all rugby players. It seems that the “entertaining and success” of the game is most important to Dave.

While this blog also focus on rugby and the nature of the game for its players, it seems to focus on the sport from the eyes of the fans or recruiter rather than from the players themselves. It is informative, yes, and provides detailed accounts on the game, its laws, and practices, however it does not address the safety concerns that my blog centers on. Dave and I’s audiences are the same, in that we both target the rugby community and hope to drive home some aspect of the game that otherwise went unnoticed or is undermined. Dave’s blog is a great source of rugby news, and because we both blog weekly, I hope that we can get our information to much more people and spread awareness despite our differing focuses. 

A Social Bookmarking Match Made in Heaven

There are very few opportunities in life where another rugby enthusiast walks into your life. Yes, I play with a bunch of them, but damn near none of them are willing to express it through the web. Extra work: a true enemy to the rugger.

Which brings me to my point. "FuckYeahWomensRugby" is a tumblr that archives all of the "shenanigans" associated with rugby. From the love of beer to the fear of 300-pound women, this site has it all. Shown through "gifs," or short computer animation, one can cannot simply love rugby and live without this in their lives. Presumably a women rugger herself, she has thousands or followers, and she just KNOWS what it's like.

Here are some examples:

"A Trues Rugby Trophy is..."

 

Intense, righttttt? This probably hurts like a motha'fucker but hey, you'd get some street cred. I speak on behalf of the rugby community when the more, the bigger, and the darker your bruises the better, the cooler. Almost every girl on the team is jealous when someone else has a cool bruise, treating them almost as a sign of their self-worth. The idea is that if you have them, you went all out at the game, so in some way these "battle scars" are almost sought after as if everyone is attempting to be the next Odysseus or Achilles. Silly girls. 

"After your post-game shower, you end up for hours like..." 

 

You don't even how true this is! Pizza and towel and all! After every game, I just want food, a nice shower, and someone to rock me to sleep (yet to get that last one though).

Love rugby, love her. Best. Tumblr. Ever!

Putting the "Me" in Team

Today was probably the worse rugby game I've ever played, or at the very least made me feel the most shitty. No, it was not the hits to the head I received nor the hand stomps my hand can testify to, but the totally lack of team unity I witnessed today and the clear distrust among the players.

No one's listening to the fly-half. No one is passing the ball. No one is sticking their tackles. No one is running! How do you expect players to give it their all and put their body on the line, when no one else seems to give a rat's ass about the game? I personally have enough to worry about in a game, I don't want to pick up anyone else's slack! Too many dropped balls, crap tackles, and jogging and next thing you know, the 15-player team just became a solo act. I can't trust you to play your part, so why should I depend on you to make a play, when CLEARLY you can't.

It's just me, myself, and I now. To hell with y'all. I put the "me" in team.

We lost, to everyone's surprise, the game and each other's trust.

As one of the veterans on the team, I can't believe how much this team has fallen apart. Just last year on this very field, we played with exactly 15 girls, no subs, but our love for the game and for each other was so much more prevalent. Everyone played their part, whether with tackles or kicks or passes, and not one person dared to take on the team herself. I remember my teammate limping back onto the field because she'd rather shoot herself than let us play down players. I remember that even though we lost that game, that we did not lose respect for each other, and we arrives as a team and we left as one.

Flash-forward to today. There is literally no back I can fully trust to actually play the ball correctly, I fear for my life every time we scrum, and we can pretty much count on our full-back to not catch that ball and let it roll 20 more meters.

Team unity. Though I have read how important it is to a team, today I've come to understand how lack thereof can be detrimental to a team. Without it, everyone fends for themselves, communication falters, and effort plummets.

There's a correlation for sure between strength of team unity and effort, and thus injury. Perhaps this is why last year my team was riddled with injuries, and this year everyone seems to be breezing on by. Yes, technically we're all safer, but we're sure all bored and sick of this damn fucking around attitude. Or least I am.

The Drunken Beauty, that is the Rugby Social

Ah, rugby. Bruises, tackles, blood, and British men come to mind when I think of rugby, but above all is the socially accepted high consumption of alcohol and beer.

Yup, in rugby it's ok to be an alcoholic, in fact, if you're not reaching for a beer after a game, you're looked at as an outcast. In rugby, socials play a huge part in the social aspect of the sport. It's where teams bond through collective singing and insulting, and how teams establish good relationships with other teams.

Though socials aren't for everyone. They're not for the easily-insulted, highly religious, sore losers, or people who always walk around with a stick up their arse. But if you have a good sense of humor and enjoy a feast of pizza and beer (and who doesn't after an intense rugby game?), then socials are the thing for you! Especially when it comes to the infamous rugby songs. Rugby songs are offensive, blasphemous, lewd, highly sexually, and you tend to leave feeling as though you're one step closer to burning in Hell. But damn are they catchy.

During the match insults and punches fly, however, all of this animosity stays on the field once the match is over. Everyone packs up their stuff and anxiously heads on over to the social. Here, everyone talks, laughs, and mingles with the other team as though we've been friends forever, taking bites from pizza whenever one is done taking a gulp of beer. Then, from the center of the room, someone shouts, "ME-ME-ME-MEEEE," to which the crowd responds, "YOU-YOU-YOU-YOUUU," signalling the start of the highly anticipated rugby songs. Drink in hand, everyone forms a circle, with the shouter beginning the song of her choice, begging for the crowd's participation when needed. Rugby songs rely heavily on this back-and-forth relationship with the lead singer and the crowd, and it is in this way that teams bond together and the fun truly begins.

Below are some lines from my personal fave rugby songs. You have been warned.

I Used to Work in Chicago
I used to work in Chicago in an old department store
I used to work in Chicago, I don't work there anymore

Lead: A man came into the store one day, asking for a ruler.
All: A ruler? From the store?
Lead: A ruler he asked for, his 12 inches I got! I don't work there anymore!

Lead: A man came into the store, asking for seafood.
All: Seafood? From the store?
Lead: Seafood he asked for, my crabs he got! I don't work there anymore!!

Follow the Band aka Me Lover
Oh, you've got to drink a little, fuck a little, follow the band
Follow the band with your tits in your hand (toot toot)
Drink a little, fuck a little, follow the band
Follow the band all the way

Oh me lover's a pastry chef, a pastry chef, a pastry chef, a mighty fine pastry chef is he,
All day he fills tarts, he fills tarts, he fills tarts,
And when he comes home he fills me!

Oh me lover's a dentist, a dentist, a dentist, a mighty fine dentist is he,
All day he drills teeth, he drills teeth, he drills teeth,
And when he comes home he drills me!

Honestly,  I just got excited writing these done. Really wish I was at a social singing these now....where's my beer?

One Question IRB: Why?

I love rugby.

From the aching muscles, to the bruises, to the intensity of the match, to the drunken social, I love rugby in its entirety. When I first joined about 2 years ago, the excitement of the foreign sport and the allurement of the pleasing girls made me jump headfirst into the sport, and because I was a noob in the game, I did not question rules or methodology. Rather like a kid in a candy store, I grabbed as much as I could about the game, picking up some here, some there, not caring about the hidden consequences of the game.

But of course, just as eating too much candy has repercussions, jumping into rugby too quickly can have consequences for individuals not ready to bear the risks.

With so much talk nowadays of the long-term effects of repeat victims of concussions in the NFL, I could not help but think of the long-term effects that rugby posed for its players as well. There's just one main difference between those leagues...the NFL has the best protective gear available for its players. Rugby literally has none, yet has just as many collisions. In my last post, it was found that the scrum cap is pretty much useless against head and facial injuries, and with the limited amount of protective gear that the IRB allows its players to wear, I cannot help but wonder what in the world is the IRB's deal??

Players can only wear official IRB approved equipment.
Players cannot have shoulder padding exceeding a width of 1 in.
Players cannot wear shin guards.
Players cannot wear padded spandex.
And lastly, players are not required to wear any protective gear (including the mouth guard)

With claims circling that the NFL knew about the long-term effects of concussions but withheld this information from its players in order to keep revenue flowing, this idea may ring true for the IRB as well.

Clearly, rugby is an intense sport and players leave the field injured everyday, some with scratches, others not being able to move the legs. And yet, the IRB continues to allow ruggers to play without offering or requiring any protective equipment, and should a player feel compelled to protect him or herself (God forbid), the player is limited to a very narrow allowance by specific brands or poor construction.

For me, I can't say realizing this information will stop me from playing rugby, but it sure does make me reevaluate the intentions and aims of the rugby union. Why doesn't the IRB offer more protective gear, and why does it continue to allow members to play under such dangerous circumstances when safer options are available? Is this an attempt to keep rugby in its most traditional form, or does it speak to the possible idea that the IRB is monopolizing rugby to satisfy its own fiscal gains?

You Look Silly in That Scrum Cap

In rugby, there are very few things players can wear to protect themselves. The International Rugby Board (IRB) has very strict rules on braces, padding, and even gloves. Everything worn on the field must first be approved by the IRB, and the only protective gear that is often associated with rugby are the very ugly, ridiculous scrum caps.

I mean look at that thing!It literally looks like over-sized bubble wrap formed to a hat, and what's even worse is when ladies pull their ponytails through a hole. *Shudder* Ok, ok, am I really one of those girls that lets looks get priority over safety? Of course not! I would totally wear this scrum cap...if it actually made a difference in a game. From my experience, the cap only hinders hearing and offers too much friction in contact, which makes tackles less effective and puts me at risk of a neck injury. But don't take my word for it; in a case-control study conducted in South Wales, UK, the effectiveness of headgear in reducing head or facial laceration, abrasion, or fracture among rugby players was very minimal and only significantly reduced bleeding head injuries in forwards, not backs. The case-control study states that "headgear was associated with substantial but non-significant reductions," and only mentioned reductions in surface wounds, not traumatic brain injuries such as concussions, for half of the team. 

So sadly, though the IRB may be attempting to make the game "safer," its attempts are feeble and may be a deliberate effort to keep rugby as its creators intended it to be played and retain its traditional laws and system. Add the adequate type of padding or protective gear with the intensity of rugby and you no longer have rugby. It's football. Rugby is a show of physicality, endurance, and what the players are able to endure without the assistance of padding speak to the spirit of what it means to play rugby. However, introducing protective gear, though able to protect the wearer, will also pose a greater risk to opponents or anyone who comes in contact with the individual. Thus, protective gear would have to be worn by everyone to ensure the safety of all players, which would cause the game of rugby as we know it to change. Perhaps this is the reason why scrum caps are optional, not required, by players and are truly not as effective of reducing injuries such as concussion (a serious injury) than it is protecting against non-serious injuries such as flesh wounds or cauliflower ear...though I personally hate that. That shiz is gross. Though I am all for more safety regulations in rugby and better protective gear, sometimes I do find myself resenting the referee for stopping game play to call a dangerous play, and in my opinion should rugby begin introducing padding or other forms of protective gear, the game will change whether we like it or not and I am not sure if it will carry the same excitement that today's rugby offers. 

Link to case-control study:

S, J. J., R, A. L., Evans, R., R, G. N., & al, e. (2004). Effectiveness of rugby headgear in preventing soft tissue injuries to the head: A case-control and video cohort study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 38(2), 159-162. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/194466697?accountid=14749