Profile of Jessica D. by Mahalia

Rugby: A Girls’ Sport

The sun is shining down across the green grass field like any June Day. She is running with the odd shaped ball tucked underneath her arm toward the in zone for a try. Out of the corner of her eye she sees a flash of a red and black jersey heading in her direction at a fast speed but before anything registered in her brain she is lifted up and thrown to the hard ground by her opponent. She falls to the ground and everything goes black.

A concoction is something that comes with playing the rugged sport of rugby for Jessica D.

At 17, Jessica signed up for a sport she had never played to find out that she loved the sport of rugby and couldn’t see herself not playing now. She was the oldest one out of five girls from Arlee High School to sign up and travel to a different school (Frenchtown High School) every day for practice.

“I have not always wanted to play rugby and last year was the first time I ever played,” Jessica said. “If it weren’t for my baby sister signing up I wouldn’t have signed up.”

Even though she has only played for one season she still contributed to her team.

Playing at a wing Jessica helped score try’s and tackled her opponents to help her team the “Iron Medians” evince all the way to the state championship game. This was her first season playing rugby so she was nervous that she might not be starting but as her name was called to be a starter any nerves left were gone. She and her team won the state championship game and the game could be referred to as a “blow out game” because of the score.

“The other team had some cool looking jerseys,” she admitters. “But I was not one bit nervous about losing.”

Rugby has also brought her new friends.

“She is a ball hog,” joked team mate Amelia N. “But she is a great person to look up to.”

Since starting rugby upper classmen Jessica has got closer to her younger team mates that did not talk with her or know her until rugby. She also has expanded her friend list by getting to know other kids out sided of Arlee. It may be the off season but Jessica still manages to stay in touch with the French town kids.

“Coach called her “wheels,” team mate Shaylee P. said. “ Because the coach wanted to know if Jessica was fast, so he asked her if she had a set of wheels and she said no but she has a car.”

Besides playing her favorite sport, Jessica also has other responsibilities she has to juggle.

When Jessica is not playing rugby she is most likely doing her school work or working at the local store. Like any teenager she has chores she has to do at home. She also is in pep club and is a manager for the wrestling team in her off season.

Her hard work during the regular season paid off.

 She made the Montana All-Star team which only 30 girls make the team. The All-Star teams that participated in the tournament had teams from Oregon, California, Washington, Montana and Idaho. The Montana team didn’t win the tournament but just making the team is an award.

She is looking forward to her senior year season and also looking forward to returning to the State championship game.

Her playing rugby does not stop after graduation.

Jessica plans on playing rugby don’t stop at the high school level. In the fall she is planning on attending Dillon College where she is going to join the rugby club team.