...went back and found this 14 year old blog post and it made me crack up 🤣 "And I have never in all the time that I have witnessed and played rugby ever seen a try scored off of a line out by a prop..." BOY HAS THAT CHANGED haha. I'm glad I have these old blog posts to look back on how amazed I was by what are really basic concepts to me now. It's cool to have a snippet into my very young rugby brain who was only in her third year [7th season] of rugby! And being amazed by

The off-season is where athletes are made, but it’s also where motivation quietly disappears. No game days. No practices. No coach watching. No teammates to regularly run around and have fun with. Just you against you. That’s exactly why an off-season tracker  is such a powerful tool. It turns vague intentions like “I should train more”  into something visual, measurable, and weirdly satisfying. Here’s how to make one that works whether you’re a rugby player, weekend athlete,

The original title for this post was "A (figurative) pregnancy glow" but even that "figurative" disclaimer isn't enough to make it not weird 🤣 Here's a nice little reminder about why rugby is something to look forward to, and not an obligation. ...and I'm STILL working on leaning into my kicking September 5th, 2010 I've already known this in the past, but now I am completely and utterly sure that this is my time of year. This is the time of year where I absolutely shine in t

September 24th, 2010 So I am watching Gladiator as part of my nightly pre-rugby game ritual, and I just heard yet again another fantastic quote in the movie that reminds me of rugby: It's in the beginning, when Russell Crowe and his wing man are about to fight a battle. The two of them are standing among the rest of the army, and they're just staring down at the Barbarians who are clearly outnumbered. It seems pretty obvious that Russell Crowe's army is going to win the battl

September 14th, 2010 Yesterday, we had our first scrimmage and THE ROOKIES LOOKED SO FANTASTIC! I'm really happy that the new girls are fitting right in; it's really a great sight and a wonderful reflection of how awesome the vets on our team are at the same time. I've been a little afraid/nervous about not being in "rugby shape" yet, but yesterday I actually had a pretty decent run with the ball where I kept a good pace for a long time. That pace I'm sure is what made me abl

April 9th, 2012 WOOF! I've got quite the turf burn on my knee from playing on Saturday; I can barely bend my knee without it hurting and I can only wear shorts right now! But it's AWESOME. A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Every time I play rugby it's just pretty much another reminder to myself that I am NEVER going to stop playing. My mom tried to tell me the other day that she expects my rugby career to be over once I graduate from college, but that's absolutely not happening. She can choose

I started to try and make this into an Instagram reel, but I have way too many thoughts that I couldn't condense it. I could do an entire Powerpoint presentation about this 🤣, and this isn't even the first fictional rugby lineup I've fully written out. BUT ANYWAYS, I DIGRESS. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE'S THE ROSTER ANNOUNCEMENT FOR BOTH SIDES. Hawkins Rugby Football Club STARTERS Loosehead Prop: Jim Hopper FORWARDS CAPTAIN Can handle shady tactics because he has shady tacti

We won this past weekend, like really won. Not a nail-biter, not a lucky break. A full, decisive, 36–12 statement over a team that’s either edged us out in the final minutes or completely steamrolled us in the past. It should’ve felt like the kind of win you bottle up and sip from on bad days. And for a while, it did. I remember feeling this deep, glowing pride while watching our forwards grind through every ruck, hearing the sideline erupt after every big carry, knowing we w

Rugby community - we have FAILED our rookies time and time again. I'm sure there are plenty of other sports teams that are guilty of...

My husband found this bar through some online research, but I realized that I had seen this bar before when I visited NYC back in...

TW: eating disorder & mental health struggles I saw this photo today and was immediately transported back. I’ve actively tried to avoid...

I'm waiting for my team's game film to finish uploading and I got a lotta rugby thoughts on the brain, so I don't even know who's reading...

If you’ve ever wanted to turn your tablet into your own cozy digital coloring book, here’s a super simple method that works great whether...

This quote in particular from my almost 15 year old post warmed my heart 🥹 "I'll be able to play rugby for the rest of my life if I want...

My husband and I are driving to Maine for literally a one night overnight trip - the only full 24 hours we’ve had free of any rugby since...

Since it still feels like freakin' winter in New England, here's an old post from my first time ever playing in Winterfest 7s in Buffalo,...

March 1st, 2015 GAH I don't even know where to BEGIN when creating an overview of this experience. I guess I can start off with admitting...

July 17th, 2015 In a continuation from the previous post , I want to capture quickly the brief moment that I got to talk with Ric...

July 17th, 2015 Going a little backwards here with my debrief of my time with Atavus in Denver, CO last week..... I'm starting with the...

Something interesting I noticed about this post from almost 10 years ago... When I describe the absolute collapse my body and immune...