Cirque De RUGBY by Ashley Kmiecik

from USA Rugby:

This article is part of the USA Women’s Eagles Final in ’14 blog. All entries are written exclusively by members of the women’s national team.

I hear it in my head every day, especially right now as I try to finish this blog in between meetings and making phone calls to my east coast clients: “You’re burning the candle at both ends, Ashley.” My sweet Midwestern grandmother has been saying this to me since I was a little Miechkin. I have just always been on the go. It’s been self-confirmed that I only have two options when it comes to how I navigate and balance my life: 100 miles per hour or bust.

I’m no physicist or Webster’s dictionary, but I’m pretty sure to balance means to give each entity the same amount of attention and energy. I, however, along with most of my Eagle teammates, realize that this is completely unrealistic. There are many days where I get home at 11 P.M. thinking, “where in the world did the day go?…and why is no one here to cook me dinner?!”

In one week I can wear more hats than any dream-sized walk-in closet can hold. I am a corporate event planner, a sister, a granddaughter, a roommate, a club rugby player, a team captain, a coach, a dog owner (x2), a wine connoisseur, a friend….oh, a contender for the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup squad, which then also makes me a sprinter, a weight lifter, a passer, a catcher, a kicker, a tackler, a tacklee, a film-watcher, a note-taker, and a world-class protein shake blender. If I said I can I balance all of these jobs, I’d be a liar….or a mutant superhero being coached by Professor Xavier. Either way, I’m admittedly living in what seems to be a never-ending juggling act.

The best part about it is that I started this act, and I am going to see it all the way through to the end to the Final in ‘14.

I’ll miss family get-togethers, friends’ weddings and births; I’ll pass up promotions, and maybe watch another potential relationship crumble. None of it will be regretted because I love this game and the crazy circus acts it makes me feel like I am the star of. So maybe my version of balance is actually better defined by defiance. Making it all work and opposing any easy way out, with a smile on my face.