Voice!

While Wesleyan has terrific sports all around, club sports are a particularly strong facet of athletic life on campus. Many of the club sports have no coach, giving the students the opportunity to really command their own teams. There is a wide range of both types of sports and intensity levels, so you can really find whatever kind of commitment level you’re looking for. For instance, there are multiple ultimate frisbee and club soccer teams that you can choose from depending on your experience level, whether you want to play co-ed, etc.

A great example of this is WesRugby (and I’m not just saying this because I’ve been playing for 4 years). We are a team-taught-team, so seasoned captains run practice and teach the new rookies the ins and outs of the game. Rugby is a particularly complex sport (no one, not even referees, seem to know all the rules) and one that most people haven’t ever played before college, so we’re all learning brand new skills together. To put it simply, rugby is kind of like a mix between soccer and football. The goal is to score a “try”– like a touchdown– by passing the ball to your teammates and running down the field. The way you stop the opposing team from making progress, however, is by tackling them to the ground…without any padding. It may sound like it hurts, but if you do it right it’s actually quite graceful. And plus, what better way to get out your aggression?

A really unique part of rugby is the socializing aspect. Unlike any other sport I’ve encountered, rugby teams traditionally have socials, where the home team hosts the visitors for a party after the game. No matter what’s happened on the field or who won, the teams come together afterwards to socialize and get to know each other as more than just opposing team members.

Last weekend, WesRugby played University of Rhode Island (URI) on our home field. URI is a much larger school and team than Wesleyan, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when they beat us, but we held our own quite well. Two weeks ago, though, we played Trinity College and won by a landslide. Because we have a small team this year, some of our starting players had only just started this season, and boy oh boy did they step it up: one of our tries was scored by someone who was playing her very first game!

Not only is rugby fun to play, it is also fun to watch. Come out to Long Lane field most Saturday mornings in October and April (we play fall and spring seasons), and you’re sure to catch a game in action. This is a sport, whether you’re participating or a spectator, that you don’t want to miss!

Jessie Spector ‘08
Senior Interviewer