Christmas Party, Oklahoma & my Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Christmas Party

Well its about time for a real update from me…don’t you think? I have been so busy lately that I haven’t had the time to write about me, just rugby news from around the US and the world!

Last week was the Austin Valkyries Christmas Party and Awards Ceremony. We started off the party with a rather interesting potluck with turkey as the center piece. Everyone brought their favorite dish, their favorite desert and of course their favorite beverage. Then we voted for the officers, and as a result this is the first time in over 6 (maybe 7?) years that I will not be an officer. Can I get a hallelujah from the crowd? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being the match secretary, but not having to deal with all that shit…might just save me from a heart attack down the road.

So the new officers are:
Shannon Shafer – President
Meredith Bagley – Recruiter
Tiffany Hall – Fundraiser
Rosalind Chou – Eq Manager
Jennifer Degroot -Match Sec
Rachel Kraft – Treasurer

Little bit of a disclaimer here, please God hug your new officers, old officers or anyone that has ever been an officer. Unless you have been there you don’t know the joys, heartbreak, stress and utter chaos that can be involved with managing a team. Show them some serious love!

Anyways, so next we did the awards:
Welcome to Austin – Jennifer Degroot
Rookie of the Year – Alex McCarthy
Most Valuable Back – Wendy Young
Most Valuable Forward – Tiffany Hall & Rachel Kraft
Most Valuable Player – Meredith Bagley

I was pretty excited to win the Most Valuable Back award, as we had discussed as officers if the scrumhalf should be included with the forwards or the backs. In the end we decided that the scrumhalf should choose, so I chose to be included with the backs as I love my pack, but identify with the backs just a bit more.

From there the party took off a bit as we played “full combat musical chairs” with the only known rules being that you can’t touch the chairs. I guess in the past there had been some teammates that had pulled that chair out from underneath each other…and that hurts! I participated in the first round and was quickly eliminated so I took to watching from the sidelines.

After a few teammates suffered minor injuries the final rounds were to take place. Alex (Winner of Rookie if the Year) had twisted her ankle in the opening rounds but had hung onto the chair for dear life securing her spot in the finals. So she asked me to take her place and I am proud to say that I WON, and hurt myself in the process. If I remember correctly I was up against Angela “Cat Lady” and I just remember getting level 3 tackled into the hardwood, but hanging onto the chair! So today, a couple of days later, my elbow is still tender and is swollen. But it was worth it!

Once this was over a few people headed home as we all had to work the next day, but a few teammates hung around and we shared a few more beverages. The gf and I went to bed around 2am, but evidently the hot tub was put to good use for a couple more hours. Good times.

Oklahoma

I haven’t been back to Oklahoma (where I went to HS and played rugby at the University of Oklahoma) for almost a year and half. The city of Norman has been through plenty of changes and is truly growing. The reason I went back is that my alumni rugby club was awarding me my “Eagle.” This Eagle is given to Collegiate All Americans and players that have made it onto the National Team. I am the fourth University of Oklahoma Rose to be put on the clubhouse ceiling. The ceremony was very nice and lots of old ruggers, coaches and friends had great things to say about me. Of course my gf was at my side and as someone who has helped me work on my pass, make me workout and motivate me, I was as happy as could be.

While I was in Oklahoma I made to sure to eat at all my favorite places. I haven’t eaten that much junk food in a LONG time! We ate chicken fingers at O’Connells (LOVE THOSE CHIX FINGERS), had steak and Long Island Iced Teas at Santa Fe Cattle Company, waited LATE at night in the Taco Bell Drive thru and and had a rugby potluck at the ceremony. The weather was FREEZING in Oklahoma and we even had a bit of ice on our cars on Sunday. Driving back to Austin and realizing it was almost a 30 degree temperature change made me LOVE living in Austin.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Its incredibly ironic that I just posted about my ACL surgery from about 2 and half years ago last week. I have been having incessant left knee problems for about 2 years now. My knee is always popping, swollen, stiff and generally has a dull pain to it. I finally decided to do something about it (and finally have decent health insurance) so I got an MRI last week. The doctor called on Friday and let me know the news.

I have been running, jumping, kicking and playing rugby on a torn ACL for about a year and half.

I made the appointment with the doctor originally because I was just tired of being hurt and had several doctors and therapists assure me unprofessionally that it was probably a meniscus tear. So I was prepared for a short surgery and a quick recovery. I was floored on Friday when the doctor told me I had torn my ACL. He was shocked that I was playing rugby and hadn’t had more serious problems.

I’m not quite ready to write about how I feel at this juncture, but I have scheduled to meet with a surgeon on Monday (of next week) and will be having surgery as quick as possible. This will be my second ACL surgery (different leg) and YES MOM I am still going to play rugby.

Looks like the last month in the gym hitting the weights will be a bit of waste on the left leg, but I will get back to it as soon as I am released to be in the gym. I am still going to workout up until the day of my surgery because it will make me recover faster. No rugby for at least 6 months…f*in sucks…I am sure I will write more later…

**UPDATE: Everyone keeps asking how I tore I tore it:

I remember the exact day it was torn a year and a half ago (silly touch gone WRONG not with the Austin Valkyries but at OU) but didn’t have insurance. I went to several doctors that were “friends” and they all told me to rest/take time off because it was only a meniscus tear. It has never stopped hurting and/or swelling, so I finally decided to go to the doctor.