Ashley Ferguson
Senior Sports Writer
Three years of high school rugby sparked a passion in Vanessa Ortega-Ramirez ’19. When she got to The College of Wooster, she felt something was missing. The last time The College had a women’s rugby team was over 30 years ago.
Last year, as a first-year, Ortega-Ramirez tried to get a club sport started on campus, though she initially ran into some difficulties. Often considered unfamiliar or very dangerous, rugby, Ortega-Ramirez said, is a hard sell. Her pitch was rejected because she didn’t have the answers needed to organize a school-approved team.
“I’ve never been someone to take no for an answer,” she said, deciding she would do everything in her power to get a team started. She got help from Jocelyn Vega ’20, who had also played rugby in high school.
Through a coaching contact, she was able to find some mentorship. When she heard that Dean of Students Scott Brown would be coming to the College with his wife, who had coached the two-time national runner-up Colgate University women’s team for the past eight years, she immediately got in touch and started working on bringing the club into being. Now, Brown advises the team and his wife, Anne-Marie, has taken on the head coaching position.
Coach Brown noted that rugby is unfamiliar to many people.
“Very few women have ever played, or even heard of, rugby,” she said. “That is starting to change now that the seven-a-side game is in the Olympics, but the vast majority that show up to try the sport have never touched a rugby ball.”
Rugby skills include passing, catching, running, kicking and tackling. It is the only full-contact sport for women that is played with the exact same rules as men. Though coach Brown remarked that it could seem a little intimidating at first, she noted, “Once a player develops the proper technique, it is an incredibly empowering sport. There is nothing like the feeling of making a great tackle, a great catch or a breakaway try.”
Coach Brown also reflected on the open nature of the sport. “Players who have come out for the Wooster team have come from many different backgrounds and athletic experiences,” she said. “Rugby is truly a sport for everyone.”
“What I love most about rugby is the bond you build as a team. Rugby is a sport that really is a family,” echoed Ortega-Ramirez. “Everyone on the team has a place and everyone is just as important. It’s not a sport where one person can be the star, because you need everyone on the field. The girls that are on the team already have a strong bond in such a short time of knowing each other.”
“Rugby requires every body type — big, small, short and tall,” she said. “There is a position for every body and skill set. Athletes from every sport and even non-athletes can all become good players. Unlike football, rugby is played continuously, and only the ball carrier can come into contact. It requires players to think on their feet and constantly be in support of one another.”
There are two forms of rugby played at the college level: Olympic-format with seven players on a side, played in the spring, and Rugby Union, which has 15 players on each side and is played in the fall. The women’s rugby team holds practices on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:30 – 7 p.m. The team will play Olympic-format rugby in the Ohio Valley Conference this spring, and conference play will begin in April.
Dean Brown noted, “The student leaders have shown much initiative to get the club established, welcome new players, and [are] already having a great time.”
Students are encouraged to attend spring practices and may contact Ortega-Ramirez, president, (VOrtega-Ramirez19@wooster.edu) or Vega (JVega20@wooster.edu) with any questions.