A fine Saturday morning and the women of the Frederick Women’s Rugby Team arrived at the pitch for their first game since the Pandemic. It’s mid September and the weather seems to finally start to temper from the hot August swelter.
It has been a while since they wore the green and white kit and this time there is something added to the uniform: custom made knee-high athletic socks in their team colors, decked out with the City’s iconic spires and logo. The uniform and the way these ladies played as a cohesive team, couldn’t be more inspiring. And yet, what makes this team (along with other women’s teams) awesome is their diversity. Women of all walks of life coming together to play a sport, using teamwork. This reflects the best of society as a whole and is why the UN Global Goals initiative incorporated Women’s soccer into is efforts to achieve lofty, seemingly impossible objectives.
And while I am making a big deal on diversity in women’s sports, I think it is important to note that the idea is to one day not make a big deal. This should just be “life”.
A good friend of mine pointed out this very same principle of the “big deal should not be a big deal” when speaking about women who partake in ski patrol at big mountains, okay, well I admit, at any mountain. I am still so surprised today how many women are still breaking barriers or existing as a rarity in many sports and professions. The opportunities can also be very limiting, depending on where you reside. But when you find women coming out to play and work. When you have soccer leagues, like in San Diego, where women of EVERY age, have continued play in sports, play in full leagues, even over 60, you see firsthand how much the entire community benefits. Game time leads to dinners, outings, other sports activities, helping each other's families, and encouraging each other to keep going when life is hard.
The Frederick Women’s Rugby Team, and the women’s league they play in, are doing something that should not be considered extraordinary. They love the sport, and they play the sport. Its that simple. To all those who say, women’s adult sports is difficult because women are not committed, they have too many other priorities and just don’t have time, I say hogwash. I have captained a team of adult women for about 10 years. And yes, there are pregnancies and work travel and family emergencies. The team lasted through all of these because we always had others interested in joining and it always worked out. Rarely did we forfeit. In fact, I see more men in my coed teams that have issues making games than I ever did with the women. And for the record, I love playing in Coed.
The Rugby team won their first match and have been doing well in their Saturday league schedule this fall. I would love to say it is the socks, but I know it has more to do with the effort and work they do together on the field. As we come out of the pandemic, I hope more women’s leagues keep going. We cannot afford to lose them. They mean too much to the women who play in them and the community that supports them. If you are in the Frederick, MD area, check out www.frederickfc.org or the Frederick Women's Rugby Football Club Facebook page. These women really do rock.
