I'm posting early because I felt like writing about something other than nuclear energy for a little while, and tomorrow I'm going to have my nose to the grindstone pretty much all day to wrap up this energy policy paper and my group case study of Kosovo. Good times.
And wow...over 1000 views on this thing! Kind of blows my mind...I really didn't expect many people to take interest. I do wish I had cool shit to write about...like moonlighting fighting off ninjas or saving Tech from a zombie infestation. My life is slightly less awesome though.
You know what is awesome though? Rugby.
Day 22. What sports do I play?
So I'm semi-retired from rugby for now, but I played during college for the Western Flames. What an amazing group of women. On and off the field. I've never felt such strong camaraderie, or met so many powerful women (physically and mentally).
I miss rugby. I miss the intensity of the game. I miss how in shape I was. I miss pushing myself, mentally and physically, at every practice and in every game. I miss the bruises and battle scars, and every day waking up to my body screaming at me. I miss knowing that my team had my back, because they knew I had theirs.
I may be coming out of retirement this winter. I plan to bring my kit back from Seattle after the break, and, schedule permitting, joining the team here at Tech. We'll see if I have time for it though.
I wrote more about rugby here. So if you missed that post, it's pretty much what I should have written for today.
Recently, rugby just about turned my world upside down when a silly boy opted to play in a game before fully recovering from a previous injury. I'm sure I'll get criticism for my decision to return to rugby because of it.
You know what though? Pedestrians are injured or killed by drivers every day. That never kept me from getting behind the wheel, and I've certainly never considered staying home because it's safer. While you can't (and certainly shouldn't!) hide from the world out of fear, you can be smart and take steps to keep yourself safe.
Rugby can be a very dangerous sport. You have to know that before you step on the field. You have to respect the game, and respect the risks. You have to know your body, and what it can and cannot do (it's one thing to push yourself, another to just be stupid...and athletes especially have to know the difference). You have to take care of not only yourself, but everyone else on the pitch.
One of the biggest differences between rugby players and American football players is technique (well, and salary). When you don't have pads and helmets to protect you, players have to take responsibility not only for their own safety, but for that of others. You don't see rugby players going (literally) head to head, because we don't have helmets. You don't see rugby players simply throwing their weight around; we don't have pads. You learn to take people down, who may be twice your size, while at the same time protecting yourself, and them. Everyone on the field depends on everyone else to keep each other safe. Like ballet with chainsaws. It's a lot of faith to have in a lot of people. And that's what makes the rugby community so amazing.
That and our awesome drinking songs :D
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