By Hailey McConnell
When Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) first opened its door to students in 1995, it offered a variety of sports clubs including the rough and tumble sport of rugby, for women.
In 1995, women’s rugby was relatively new to the sports scene with the first World Cup being played in 1991. The rise of women’s rugby clubs began on American college campuses in the 1980s.
The club survived some lean years, but this year it’s more popular than ever. The standing 23 members of the club are a variety of women and gender nonconforming people are a mix of players with previous experience, as well as those who have never played rugby before coming to CSUMB.
“You can say you are not competitive, but when you are having fun, you want to win and being here with these wonderful people who say they love to play and have fun, it makes me joyful and these people push me to do better,” said Genesis Ramirez, a third-year student who plays forward.
CSUMB Women’s Rugby functions as a club, so it runs for the entire school year, but most of their matches are played in the spring. Their league starts in January, where they play in the West Coast Collegiate Women’s Rugby Division II, where they will largely be competing in tournaments. There are 10 players from each team on the field at a time during their competitions, where they play against teams like Cal Poly Maritime and St. Mary’s College.
Rugby is a contact sport that is played without padding. It can be known to be an aggressive sport, but the players say they love and respect the game and their teammates make it possible to be comfortable on the field.
“Before Stanford 10s I was worried about being tackled cause the sports that I have done that were combat related, it was in a more controlled environment,” said Hope Johnson a third-year student who is a first-time rugby player, “but in rugby, it is more chaotic, but I learned through that tournament that I was fine.”
According to team members, they want to create a comfortable environment due to their year-round schedule. All skill levels are invited, so they continue to cover the basics of the sport, such as passing and tackling, every week.
“Older veterans are saying this is the first time they are seeing so many people stick around because people come and go, but having recurring members makes us a lot closer,” said Isabella Pineda, the safety coordinator of the rugby club. “We had our first win in five years last year because previously the team was so small they had to forfeit games.”
This uptake in members has benefitted the team’s ability to play by contributing to their relationship with the sport as well as each other. Additionally, their community is enriched through their club traditions.
“Shooting the boot” a tradition where after a member earns their first try (similar to a goal or touchdown) they have to drink from the shoe they played in during their match. This occurs after their match at a social that is hosted by the home team, who also are expected to bring food for themselves and their competitors.
That isn’t the only tradition they engage in during their post-match socials, the “B*tch of the Pitch” is also known to make an appearance. This is where one team rewards a member of the opposing team with a piece of merchandise from their university for standing out during the match.
“My goal is community while I am here, so just getting along and playing for fun and playing for good team workability,” said Elizabeth Dyck, a first-year who plays prop.
While there are post game traditions, they also have traditions they keep during each game. These include wearing rainbow ribbons, covering their cheeks with glitter before they play or chanting “Saturdays are rugby days” before each match.
These traditions and the club are kept alive through dedicated members who spend hours on and off the field through workouts and practices, some of which dedicate time to learn the sport by watching plays in their free time.
Women’s Rugby at CSUMB is an environment that strives for community that grows with each other, and it shows when team members ask for commitment to the game and point to a motto that says something to the effect of: If you mess up, mess up 100% (only in more colorful, profane language).
Photo courtesy of CSUMB Woman’s Rugby