Yes Mom, I am a hooker...

A simple picture on social media got me thinking....

Over 25 years ago there were many young women breaking societal norms and finding themselves attracted to the "gentleman's game"...
 
Now, in 2016, that doesn't seem odd...Girls are now playing high school hockey, rugby, they are wrestlers and boxers...Back then the thought of females playing rugger was fresh.
 


There was something about the sport of Rugby that created a different inner dialogue about being strong and powerful and female all at the same time.
 
My time on the rugby field was a major part of my development as a young woman finding her way in the world. My mentors were women who were positive and like minded. They were fun seekers and the game provided a different type of camaraderie. The strength of the team was more important than the strength of one.
 
As a coach, it allowed me to share that vision with a group of amazing young women. Back then, at the ripe old age of 19, I was given the task to begin a program in the most unlikely of places...A private school for girls. The stereotypes surrounding these particular young women were even greater...But thats the great thing about breaking down barriers, its about changing our thoughts.
​
​We assembled the dancers, the badminton players, the track runners, to name just a few...We assembled the non athletes and girls who wanted to be active, but maybe had not found their place in the sporting world. We assembled the small and spindly and the tall and full figured...The big and the small, we had it all.
 
Those young women gave it their all. They were keen as anyone. They were ready to learn, they were ready to play, and they were ready to win.
 
Looking back, I wish I could have sat at the dining room tables, discussing the games with their parents.
 
"Yes Mom, I am a hooker..."
 
I knew what my parents thought, and I wasn't much older than these young high school girls that were now in my charge.
 
One team grew to two teams. Athletes mentoring athletes. Players coaching players. Women empowering women. Rugby players coaching rugby players.
 
As I look back, some of those same principles have guided me in many of my adventures. It is about being able to express strength and power in a different way. It is about being strong and confident in whatever we choose to do. Its about feeling good inside about a job well done.
 
Its about kicking ass and taking names.
 
This is for all the rugby women who shaped my life -
Take off your skirt and hit someone.

Thank you to the Hopkins Women's Rugby Club for their inspiration and permission to share some of their photos. You can see the rest of them at https://www.facebook.com/HopkinsWomensRugbyClub/
​

---