The women playing rugby games at Mad Bowl Saturdays are the athletes of the women's club rugby team. They play games every Saturday in the fall and spring and are currently gearing up to play a home match against Maryland that will go a long way toward determining whether the team will make it to their league's Sweet 16 Tournament.
Senior scrum half Emily Shiflett said the team is confident it will achieve victory against Maryland.
A league of its own
Virginia is home to one of the best women's rugby teams in the nation. The team is a part of the Virginia Rugby Union, which is part of the larger Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union that includes 37 men's and women's teams. The spring season, according to Virginia coach Nancy Kechner, is the national season. There are seven regions in the entire country, and since MARFU is the most competitive league, it sends four teams to the Sweet 16 competition.
If Virginia, currently ranked third in the nation, makes it to the Sweet 16 competition this year, it will be the Cavaliers' ninth appearance.
"We will be the only team in the country to go to nine Sweet 16s in a row," Kechner said.
The Sweet 16 kicks off women's rugby very own "March Madness," leading to the Elite Eight and then the Final Four. This tournament includes both club and varsity teams, and Virginia's club team has won against every varsity team it has played.
Starting from scratch
The team's performance reflects more on team unity than on player selection; the women's club rugby team does not make any cuts, and most girls who join the team have never even picked up a rugby ball.
Kechner said since most girls do not come from a rugby background, the first thing she teaches every season is safety on the field.
Once the athletes are familiar with safety procedures, watching them play is "an amazingly beautiful thing," Kechner said.
"Women use finesse and technique," Kechner said. "If Americans understood it, they would love it. It's like chess at full speed."
Shiflett said the initial lack of experience is one of the best aspects of the team.
"Only people from international schools have really been exposed to it," Shiflett said. "I love it because unlike other sports like basketball or soccer, a more obscure sport like rugby is where you can really establish your own identity."
Senior Rachel Winters said she also loves how new rugby is to girls who come out for the team.
"Since there are no high-school all-stars, everyone starts at the same place, which ends up facilitating bonding," Winters said. "The other great thing about rugby is that there are a number of different positions that require different kinds of skills, so girls who played all different kinds of sports in high school can find a niche on the field."
This year has seen an especially fresh team because last May, 11 members of the team graduated.
"We had to do a lot of rebuilding, but we've ended up not having any holes in our lineup," Shiflett said. "It's actually worked out really well."
Even though Winters noted it has been a season of "rebuilding," she said the team is still hoping and working to make it to the Final Four.
Playing rough
The rules these new rugby players must learn are the same ones used for both men's and women's rugby: It is a full-contact sport with no timeouts and no official gear. There are two 40-minute halves in each game. Tries are worth five points, conversion kicks are worth two and a penalty kick is three points.
Even though rugby players do not wear full protection as football players do, Shiflett insisted that tackling does not hurt -- which is a good thing considering the coaches ensure each player on the team gets field time every weekend.
"Everyone plays every weekend," Kechner said. "The only way to get better is to play."
The players have many opportunities to gain playing experience, with 10 to 15 games during the eight-week season, Kechner added.
Along with game time, the girls practice intensely three times a week at Lambeth Field and, to better prepare the team, Kechner said, practices are designed to be more trying than games.
The heart of the team
The team's dedication shows not just on the field, but off, as the team is technically a University contracted independent organization and must raise its own funding for most of its activities. The team organizes various fundraisers and uses its CIO status to apply for money, according to Winters.
Winters said everything the team does together, from fundraising to "sweating, bleeding and crying" builds team unity.
"These girls are a family and are truly one of the most amazing support systems I have ever seen," she said.
Shiflett said the devotion of the coaches also is vital in keeping the team together and on track.
"The coaches are completely volunteer, so they don't get compensated for what they do at all," Shiflett said. "They are amazing rugby coaches and I don't know how they put up with us."
Winters added that the team "would be lost" without the coaches.
Kechner, who has been coaching the team for nine years and played rugby as an undergraduate student at the University, said coaching is the most rewarding thing she does. She said she enjoys watching the girls look out for each other on and off the field.
According to Shiflett, the team holds numerous team-building activities. Every Friday night, Shiflett said, Kechner hosts a spaghetti dinner and an inspirational movie night for the entire team.
The girls who are a part of the Virginia rugby experience come away not only knowing how to play a new sport but also having acquired a team of friends.
"My college experience definitely would not have been the same without these amazing women," Winters said.
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