Guest Blogger – Heidi Whitman

Guest Blogger #4 (I’ve lost count!) – Heidi Whitman.

If you have ever chased, supported or watched this woman maneuver a rugby pitch you know its amazing. You can listen to her support players yelling “I’m on your right, I’m on your left” as she changes directions at the drop of a dime. She is simply deadly at the fullback position. Her strength on & off the field is monumental and I am proud to call her my teammate.

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As any aging rugger knows, rugby is a rough sport, and the older you get the creakier you get. Each new whack on the shoulder or the knee gives you pause – especially if you’re already pausing to heal up – and you ponder, ‘is this the injury that ends my rugby career?’

But I’m not making this a dour post, I mean it to reflect my mood in this season of giving and reflection. Have you thought about what you’ll do when your rugby days on the field are pooped out? This sport has given so much to so many of us. To myself and most women I think, rugby has given us self-esteem and coincidence in our bodies, confidence in our strength to stand up to the world. This is such an obscure, most special gift.

I was 17 when I started playing rugby, and you can be sure this sport made its impression on me. To pass on this strength to women I think would be the most special gift of all. Ladies, you can do this by coaching. Now before we have mutinies around the west as players rise up to demand coaching spots, let me clarify and say that I mean Coach the Youngin’s. So many women’s college teams around the country could use a little help with practices, don’t be shy about your help. But really, I’m talking about high school age teams. I’ve seen the traditions in Seattle and Vermont of girls teams that do amazing things for their players! And to teach the basics of rugby doesn’t really take that much extensive knowledge on the coaches part, just the right attitude. You could give those girls a kind of confidence that most women never get exposed to! This is the best kind of giving back to rugby that there is.

I know most people aren’t blessed with a girls team in the area that they can pop in and help out at. So this means we’ll have to get a bit more ambitious with our giving and helping. I’ll tell you, it’s easier than it might seem to start a girls team, if a bit intimidating. But there are people to ask – an excellent resource are the Kent Crusaders, the first HS girls team in the US – I watched them win the Nat’ls in 2002. www.kentcrusaders.com Or you can check out USA Rugby’s development page at www.usarugby.org/youth

Merry Christmas, ruggers!