 Players on the AHO women’s rugby team practice rucking drills Wednesday evening. Photo by Holt Menzies
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by MARC WALKER
Intern Sports Reporter
No pads, no problem—the ASU women’s club rugby team plays hard and hits even harder.
After starting out the season with a 55-0 win against a UNC-Charlotte developmental team, women’s rugby is looking to increase its popularity at Appalachian State.
“I think they’ll be promising for us,” said senior elementary education major Brooke A. Coward, concerning the 20 plus rookies who joined the club team.
Due to their margin of victory, the team had plenty of time to play all of their new recruits against Charlotte.
Although
they did lose to UVA, which is ranked within the top 10 teams in the
nation, all the new players have created a buzz around the women’s
rugby team.
Sophomore Kirsten L. Horger, communication studies major, said women’s rugby is still growing in the south.
With
Rucktoberfest coming up this weekend, the women’s rugby squad expects
to accommodate more than 30 teams, and at 35 to 40 players per team
that is close to 1,000 athletes.
Veteran
players know how crucial the fundamentals of the game are and are eager
for the rookies to watch the tournament action as well as participate
in the games.
“Once
you start playing, you can’t stop. It’s extremely addicting and it’s
more than a sport, it’s a culture,” pack captain and senior exercise
science major Michele D. Armstrong said. “We want to protect our own
turf and we want to win our own tournament.”
Offensive
and defensive strategies are vital in the sport, and the women’s team
has an adaptable style of play to combat against any opponent’s
approach to the game.
Club president Lisa M. Rieger, senior psychology major, also recognizes the significance of strategizing while on the pitch.
As the
scrum half, she forms the link between the forwards and the backs, and
continuously works to teach the rookies the skills needed for the
league.
The new players know seniority does not always determine who competes in the games—whoever puts in the most effort will play.
All the
players on the team should be healthy by the time Rucktoberfest starts,
the team said. Injuries impaired the team from performing its best
against UVA.
With the team split into two halves, eight forwards or “pack” players and seven backs, cooperation on the field is essential.
“They
say the pack decides who wins and the backline decides by how much,”
Horger said. “You can’t have one without the other; it’s very much a
team orientated sport.”
Photo by Holt Menzies | Chief Photographer
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