Rugby Rebels brings female students together with full contact competition
Alexis Kadolph and her teammates refuse to give up the fight despite concussions, a few black eyes and the occasional broken bone.
Kadolph, president of the Rugby Rebels registered student organization at Central Michigan University, said rugby is a passion she and her friends share.
“Every game is awesome,” she said. “One of the things I do love the most about rugby, when you get on the field it’s all fair game. You go balls to the wall, have a good time and, when it’s over, you leave everything else on the field.”
Kadolph, a Frankenmuth senior, said this is her second year as president of the group.
On the rugby field, she plays the position of hooker. Her role includes gaining control of the rugby ball during a scrum — the practice of restarting the game after the ball goes out of play or a penalty is issued, similar to a face-off in hockey.
Rugby Rebels has a total of about 30 members, she said. Though she describes rugby to new players as a combination of soccer and football, rugby is more hardcore than both sports, she said.
Rugby Rebels’ season of competing against other schools goes every weekend, ending in October.
Kadolph decided to join Rugby Rebels three years ago because she missed playing sports in high school.
“I’ve met some of probably the best friends I’ve ever had through it,” she said. “It’s nice because you can work out, you get a team prospective, pretty much any reason that anyone joins a sport.”
Lansing junior Amanda Gray said she has also made a lot of great friends on the rugby field.
A rough game
Gray has been a part of the RSO for three years and has played both the forward and back positions.
During her years of battle on the field, she has witnessed quite a few injuries, she said.
“There’s a lot of injuries, there’s no padding or anything,” Gray said. “People break bones, there’s a lot of hospital visits after games, concussions, I’ve seen a lot of stuff happen.”
Safety is a big priority for her team, Kadolph said.
“We try to teach techniques to tackle and fall safely so we can avoid injuries,” she said.
Muskegon senior Nina Carlson , a second-year member of Rugby Rebels, said the game is intense and thrilling. She had never even seen a rugby game before her first practice with the group.
“I was really overwhelmed, but it looked like a lot of fun,” she said. “I felt completely lost until I played in my first game and they just put you out there, everything just kind of clicks.”
Carlson said the first few games of the season are shaky because new players are learning the ropes. But as the season progresses, it becomes fun knowing they have so many girls working together for one goal, she said.
The team encourages anyone interested in joining to attend a practice.
“We welcome anybody to join,” Gray said. “When I joined, I didn’t have any experience. I didn’t even know what rugby was. It might seem intimidating, but we’re a cool bunch of girls.”
