Hours before the football team takes the field Saturday
the women’s rugby team will be on Taylor field for a friendly match at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The match will pit the current women’s rugby team against its alumni in a bout of youth against experience.
Alison Jackson, whose mother was once a member of the team, will compete against her.
The alumni match is an opportunity for the rugby club to practice and have some fun while competing. Over the past few semesters
the club has fared well in competition according to coach Courtney Brockett.
“We have lost three games in the last three semesters,
so we usually do really well,” Brockett said.
Brockett said the club usually plays eight matches each semester, so three losses in as many semesters is quite a feat. The Black Spiders, as the club calls itself, originated
in 1991.
The club is not affiliated
with any leagues, so it does all of its own scheduling,
and tries to set the majority of its games in the Northwest against teams like Gonzaga and Washington State.
Brockett said the club has been a great experience for her and she considers it one of the best parts of her college years.
“I love the girls on the team and (it) makes a huge difference in my experience here,” Brockett said.
Emma Johnson, who joined the club in 2009, said a lot of change has occurred since then.
“I definitely have seen it go from being a couple people-
based team to an overall team,” Johnson said.
Before joining the club she had never played rugby before, but now admits that the game has grown on her.
A sentiment her teammates
share, as camaraderie is an essential part of the group’s dynamic. Natalie Hansen said it just comes with the territory.
“You go beat up girls for 80 minutes and afterwards you go and hang out with them,” Hansen said.
Hansen, who played basketball
before she picked up rugby said the things that surprised her most about switching were how much running was involved and the change in contact between
the two sports.
There will be plenty of contact Saturday when the two teams face off for some fun and a year’s worth of bragging rights.