How did you first find rugby? What made you want to join?
My freshman year of college, I actually ran track. I went to the involvement fair and the rugby team was like “Hey! You look athletic! You want to try rugby?” and I was like “What’s rugby?” So I tried it out. My first couple years, I was pretty casual because I was still running track at the time but then my junior year I made the switch full time, playing rugby year round.
And honestly it was the people I played with [that made me want to join]. I have a lot of really close friends from my college team. They’re super cool. And yeah, the crowd, the environment.
What have you found you love most about rugby? Why do you stay?
What I love most - I guess it’s two things. I can’t pick one. One is that it’s a very high IQ game. You have the ability to learn a lot. And the strategy that goes into rugby and how you play it and how you can learn more about the game. You I know I became a coach and I’m a referee and being able to learn more about it. And why laws are in place. And why you can do certain things. I think that’s super cool.
And I think second half is the people who play it. Because I mean I’ve never met a rugby player on the women’s side that I haven’t liked. Everyone’s very cool. Everyone’s very open. It’s a very welcoming community.
I would say being able to learn so much about it and then the people who play the game as well.
What's it been like getting to experience so many different roles in the rugby community?
I like it a lot. It teaches you a lot of different facets of the game. So obviously as a player you’re trying to learn as much as you can and try new things as you’re doing it. And I just started coaching this past year. And it’s funny how you can plan out a drill with the intention to implement it in a game setting and then as a player you can forget entirely about it but as a coach it’s always on your mind. It makes you more empathetic to your coaches because you’re like “Maybe that one drill we did where we were working on that one skill would’ve been helpful here and I just didn’t do it.” Or especially as a referee too, it just makes you have more of that field awareness. Things like you can’t do a 50-22 at kickoff. It makes you more aware of what’s going on around you. It makes you appreciate the game more, in my opinion. I think everyone should take the coaching and referee class but that’s just my 2 cents.
How has rugby impacted your life?
Rugby has made me very appreciative to be in the present. I think sports in general are a form of escapism. A healthy form because you’re still checking off that social health, physical health box. And you know, having a tumultuous upbringing - everyone has hard times in their life - it’s being able to put all that away for 2 hours on a Tuesday or Thursday or 80 minutes on a Saturday and not have to worry about what’s going on in the world around you and just being present in the moment. It’s very impactful and very great. Every sport I’ve done in my life has had that effect but with rugby it’s different. Because in track and field, you have a lot of breaks between your events. You really have to lock in - you only get one chance to make that attempt or make that run. But in rugby, if you make a mistake, your teammates are right there with you. And it’s just such a supportive environment and it’s very therapeutic in my opinion.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience playing rugby or being a part of the community?
People who haven’t played rugby should play rugby.
Support club rugby! Tylea is currently out with an injury :( but her home team is James River Rugby in Virginia. If you want to watch a match or are in the Richmond area and interested in joining, find James River on Instagram @jrwrugby or online at www.jamesriverrugby.com.