Once a Tackle Girl, Always a Tackle Girl

by Elizabeth Petersen-Berube

I was bitten by the rugby bug my freshman year at Boston University: After I attended the first team practice, I was immediately hooked on the sport. I loved everything about rugby-the contact, the pace of the game, the team atmosphere, and rugby culture at large. What I especially loved about the Boston University Club was the infectious enthusiasm that all of the women had. They were a new team that had just formed the semester before I joined. We started out in NERFU College Division 3 and by my senior year, we had become a Division 1 club.

After my senior year, I convinced myself that it was time to hang up my cleats. I graduated, got married to a wonderful man, and start working at a "real" job. As happy as I was, something was missing. I occasionally corresponded with my college teammates, wistfully remembering the good times we had on and off the field. I would often look at rugby sites on the web, which always left me with a feeling of disappointment that the rugby chapter of my life had closed.

Then, last fall, a co-worker mentioned that she heard rumblings of a women's rugby club, forming in our area. I immediately tracked down information about this team - The North Shore Women's Rugby Club - and inquired about practice times.

On my way to my first practice, I almost turned around and went home three times. I was out of shape, hadn't touched a rugby ball in two years, and was not convinced that I still had what it took to be a rugby player. However, the second I tied on my cleats, I WAS BACK. I couldn't believe that I had been away from the sport for so long and realized that rugby was a huge part of who I am.

I have now been a member of the North Shore Women's Rugby Club for five months, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have the privilege of playing with some amazing women, and they were kind enough to elect me captain and appoint me as the recruiting officer.

Things haven't been easy: My teammates and I have had to build the team from the ground up. We've had to find sponsors (thank you very much, The Boston Company!), join a league, and establish a playing and practice schedule. Our biggest challenge has been recruiting. Most of our players had never played (or in many cases, seen) a rugby match before they joined the club. Despite the difficulties of teaching the game to a relatively inexperienced group, I am having the best time of my rugby life. Playing with new players and relearning the game has reminded me why I fell in love with the sport in the first place. My teammates and coaches are amazing, and I've learned so much from all of them-especially Joanna Rockwood, our club president and co-captain, who has tirelessly worked to make the team what it is today.

In terms of playing, my team may not be the most dominant club in the region. However, we are committed to learning the sport, sharing rugby with the community at large, growing as a team, and having fun. The North Shore Women's Rugby Club has reminded me of why many of us play rugby in the first place: For the love of the sport and for the friends we make.

Elizabeth