My last post was done the day before we left for the Final 4 in California. We took a big charter bus out there and got all settled on Thursday at the Longhurst's. My mom, dad and sister flew out from Texas to cheer me on (they even made shirts with my face on them). It was a very exciting time. Our game came Friday afternoon and we played in what some people described as the best game of collegiate women's rugby they'd seen. It was a back and forth battle with Army, they were a very talented team and everything seemed to be clicking for them. We had some struggles in the backline, but we were putting together good phases and capitalizing on most opportunities. With 4 minutes left we were down by 4, but it just wasn't our year. Our run ended losing, once again, to the eventual national champions. Army went on to beat Penn State in the championship while we watched from the stands. It was a hard end to an amazing season, but the fact remains that our team did what's never been done, our team made history. I'll never forget this team or the experiences I had with them. WCR forever.
After playoffs, I headed
back to Provo for my last week there. Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you don't know when you'll be seeing those people next. It was a pretty crammed week, but I got a lot of people in and had quite a bit of fun while I was at it. My Dad flew out Friday morning and we got ourselves on the road that afternoon to make the long drive home. I loved my time in Provo, I loved BYU, but I was ready to be home in Texas. I missed home.I only had two weeks at home before I was on the road again. On June 5th I flew out to Pittsburgh, PA for a week of rugby joy. O I had missed rugby. The first part of the week was a 3 day Women's High Performance academy camp. It was amazing to be with such high level coaches and a smaller group of players working on real technical detail and skill. I loved every second of it. The best part was being with so many players that I know and love. 4 of my teammates were there (Bex, Ela, Kara, and Curly) and there were 4 or 5 of my All-American teammates. It was awesome to be with everyone again. I don't know where I'd be without my rugby family, I love them all so much. The second part of the week I got to add more love to my rugby family by playing with the Pacific Coast Collegiate All-Stars. It was an amazing experience to get to play with those girls. You'd think it would be hard to form a cohesive team in one day, but we came together quick. There was so much hard work out on that pitch and I couldn't have picked a better team to be with. We started the weekend with a scrimmage against MARFU that went really well for us. Our first game was Friday and, after a lovely rain delay, we got our start against SoCal. The game was a beautiful one for us, we were flowing, we were meshing, things were looking awesome. We closed out a great game with a solid 48-0 win. It was amazing to see this team come together like that after being together for like 36 hours. Friday night was spent with more bonding and a trip out to the city for an arts festival. Saturday we went bowling, had a short practice, did our rookie skit, just had a nice day with the team. Sunday We were set to meet South for the Tier 2 championship. This game would determine if we got to move up to Tier 1 next year or if we would be waiting another year for the shot at a championship. Last year Pac Coast was in the same place and lost to the USA u20's in overtime. We wanted to avenge that game. It was hard for me as I sat on the side and watched my team battle with all of their heart. It was a back and forth game, both teams wanted it so bad, both teams were skilled. We went into overtime. After 100 long, hard minutes of rugby, we came up just short. 20-15. I was happy for South, I know a couple girls on their team and they worked hard. Next year we'll be there again, next year we'll get our win. It was an amazing weekend with an amazing team. I was so happy to get more rugby family in my life.
After a week of hard rugby, my body was ready for a break. I got home and got to just relax, swim, tan, work on homework a little. It was nice, but I'm missing rugby. It's hard not having a team to play with around here, not even a buddy to pass the ball around with. I'm looking into finding something, but Texas isn't known for it's women's rugby. So for now I'm happy just being home with the family, relaxing and finishing up my last few classes online.
In other exciting news, we are going to Canada in ONE WEEK!!! I'm so excited to see Mac, Mel, Cami, Dean, Marci, Christian, Eden, Ella, and Maya!!! It will be the first time having the whole family together again since Christmas in Mexico, 2009. I get a whole 10 days of family fun. Best late birthday present EVER. Other than that, not much going on in my life. Hoping to be getting a job after Canada, I definitely need one.
No comments:
Post a Comment