No, my first Rugby practice was not exactly THAT dramatic, but it was enough of a workout to leave with little wet droplets running down the sides of my face. To be honest, I am thrilled to be telling people that I have joined the New College Women's Rugby team. At the mere thought of Rugby, the mind conceives images of concussions, deathly blows, grins with several teeth missing, exhausting work and American football like skills. It makes me feel tough inside to be a rugby player and suddenly capable of conquest anywhere in my life.
The New College team is composed of about 13 or 14 Oxford Univ. women, and most of us actually have never touched a Rugby football. After one practice I haven't really had the opportunity to get to know the other players really well, but we have the whole term ahead of us for that. The first practice, therefore, focused on techniques and basic football skills in the game. No heavy tackling, just two hand touch tackling to start out with. I learned to pass the ball, rules and how the ball moves in play, as well as offense/defense formations and plays. It was one of the most intellectually overwhelming athletic practices I think I've ever had in my life. By the end of the two hours though, I was beginning to catch on.
The hardest part to get used to is you basically need to pass the ball behind or laterally while also moving forward and looking around to dodge tackles. It's really quite a fascinating game to participate in. Our coach drove the point home that this game is all about taking risks, and in rugby, taking a risk and trying a new move is more likely to get your team closer to ground the ball rather than standing like a deer in the headlights. It was kind of liberating to be taking risks in my decisions. As a student in college, you all too often fit into a daily routine, complete assigned tasks, socialize with the same people, and fall into a comfortable lifestyle. Now that I've been at Oxford for almost 5 months, I too have assumed a regular routine of events. The fresh mindset I've learned from Rugby in just one practice, really has made this new fall semester even more exhilarating than I imagined it would be.
Already I've begun to make new, strange decisions in my life and found every moment to be rewarding. For example, I've decided to pursue my passion for culture despite the high cost at times, and spent a magnificent evening at the Opera in London; a night I will always remember. I've been more bold socially and experienced some of the most incredible moments with both friends and strangers. Who knows what else the rest of this year has in store for me? I have no clue but I am anxious with the mystery of it all. The one thing that I certainly know is coming next is my first rugby game on Sunday after a couple more practices! So we'll just have to wait and see how that goes. Until then... Carpe Diem!