Burlington's women's rugby club is heading to a national competition this weekend and I caught up with the team at their last practice before the tournament.
On a cloudy Thursday evening, raindrops started to fall on Burlington's women's rugby team. The sky looks like it could open up at any moment. What does that mean for practice?
“We'll practice through the rain. As long as there's no lightning we're good to go," says Ashley Eaton, co-captain of the team.
She's not thrown off by the weather. "Some of the most fun rugby games I've played have been torrential downpour,” she says. “It's like you're playing in a swimming pool. So you never know what the weather's going to bring. You practice in all conditions just so you're ready."
And the team is ready to compete in the U.S. Rugby Eastern Regionals this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.
They lost only once during their fall season, but emerged victorious by beating that same Portland, Maine team in a regional competition in the spring.
Leonie Cowley is Eaton's co-captain. She says communication and strategy are key to winning a rugby match.
That's why it helps to have a consistent team of players who know each other well. She says that can be a challenge in a small state like Vermont. "Part of the difficulty with a small place like Burlington is the turnover in the population,” she explains.
"Part of the difficulty with a small place like Burlington is the turnover in the population." - Leonie Cowley, rugby player
This team reached a similar level of competition back in 2011. But ultimately they didn't win. The group heading to the competition this year has been together for over a year and half.
With one last practice to go before this weekend's tournament, the team wastes no time getting started.
Created in England, rugby is popular around the world. In the past two decades or so, it's grown in popularity among women in the U.S., especially in New England.
It's a bruising, contact sport. And unlike other sports, men's and women's rugby have the exact same rules.
"It's not as much about speed. It's about skill and it's about talent. One of the times we've played against the guys we've actually out-powered them, because it's about technique." - Emily Morgan, rugby player
Emily Morgan is drawn to that. A former hockey player, she's been playing rugby for 12 years now.
She says women approach the game a little differently from men. “It's not as much about speed. It's about skill and it's about talent,” she says. “One of the times we've played against the guys we've actually out-powered them, because it's about technique."
And she says she also appreciates that in rugby, different positions require different body types. “I'm a bigger human and I have a spot on the field. But so do the small and fast humans as well. Everyone matters.” she says.
The team will face off against the Wisconsin women's rugby team on Saturday morning.
