'Radrugby': Bruised, Battered, Unbowed

Hard work, dedication, and team unity propel Radcliffe rugby to win national championship

By Bernadine Han '01 and Nancy McGuire '97

Special to the Gazette

Rugby is a game unlike any other. It is arduous -- demanding the most from a person's physical and mental strength, stamina, and aggression. It is a marriage of brute force and finesse, and a test of trust and dependence on your teammates.

"Rugby lends itself to team spirit -- every game is completely a team effort," observes Karen Anselmo '01. "Rugby has empowered me like nothing else at Harvard has," declares senior and 1996 Forward Captain Maggie Hatcher.

Women's rugby at Harvard has a decidedly different feel from women's rugby at other schools. Perhaps it's the all-female coaching staff, or maybe it's just the eclectic mix of players that makes "Radrugby" what it is.

"Because we play a sport that is not always seen as a suitable activity for young women, female ruggers are usually slightly offbeat and a little irreverent," comments Bex Wallison '98 ('97 back captain). "We have different characters and strong opinions."

Head Coach Lisa Gartner agrees: "We always attract a diverse group of lively personalities. I return to Radcliffe year after year not only because the team is good, but also because they're so enjoyable to be around."

Radcliffe is led by captains Erika Lundquist '99 and Kym Zielinski '99, and three outstanding and committed coaches. Along with Gartner, coaches Darlene "Bubba" Connors and Mary Dixey have been a tremendous influence on all team members -- from freshmen to seniors. "The love our coaches put into the game is a big part of what makes the team so special," asserts Hatcher. Their only monetary payment comes in the form of a small stipend collected from club dues. Wallison adds, "This inspires us to make their work worth it for them. We are eager to please them and make them proud of us. They are almost like our parents. But they are also good friends, and they foster the care and respect for each other that makes our team more like a family."

Gartner believes that "the balanced coexistence of playing hard with a sense of fun and camaraderie is crucial to the team's success." The encouragement of the coaches and the team's veteran players creates an immediately welcoming atmosphere for players unsure about jumping into a new sport.

"The coaches' knowledge of the game is boundless," says freshman Johanna Spellman. "They want to see us succeed, but they want us to be motivated by the goals we set together as a team -- not by their own expectations."

This Year's Challenges

"Fifteen fit señoritas are we." So goes a line from "The Hymn," the sacred song of Radcliffe Rugby.

But for the '97-98 team, "fit" didn't seem like quite the word someone might use to describe the team. "Broken" would have been closer to the truth.

At the start of the fall '97 season, experienced seniors Maggie Hatcher, Emily Yee '98 ('97 president), and Bex Wallison were only legends amid the mass of freshman rookies. Their torn ACL's (knee ligament) and broken fingers kept the new players from seeing them in action on the pitch and realizing how good they really were.

Nancy McGuire's ('97 forward captain) chronic shoulder injury not only kept her from playing much of the spring, but it also eventually prompted her decision to forego this year's National Championships. "It's tough not to be healthy and able to play, but I've played at Nationals for the past two years. This was a chance for Emily [Yee] and Cara [Gearty '99] to have the same incredible experience that I've had."

The team badly needed the certainty of knowing who would be playing, and McGuire's selfless decision was crucial in settling the lineups. But McGuire wasn't the only one hurt -- the team faced injuries everywhere, especially among the seniors. Senior Heather Lantz (current president) broke her ankle, ending her season prematurely as she joined McGuire on the sidelines. Jane Remeika's knee, Hatcher's ACL, and Zelime Ward's wrist kept them from playing for a good part of the spring season, and it wasn't certain that they would be able to play at all. Returning from winter break, the team received another frightening blow when we learned that sophomore Lori Rifkin had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Despite ongoing chemotherapy treatments, her mind was set on Nationals, and Lori came out of every weekend a little bit stronger.

But even Lori's display of inner strength couldn't keep all the

injuries and uncertainties from creating pockets of doubt and anxiety among rookies and veterans alike. The coaches never lost faith.

"I had a sense that this would work out one way or another and we just had to keep doing the best we could," Gartner commented about the season's rockier moments. "I am in awe of Lori, but I am also impressed by Maggie, Emily, Jane, Bex, Zelime, and everyone else who came back from or played with injuries -- and also by people like Heather and Nancy, who, though they couldn't play, were always there 100 percent."

Johanna Spellman sees the team's ability to overcome such huge obstacles as an inspiration. "That's one reason I found the Championship game so intense -- knowing how much heart had gone into getting to Nationals made winning an incredibly euphoric experience." Sophomore Cece Turcotte puts it this way: "We were able to come back to win because we wanted it so much -- not just for the title -- but for each other."

In the final game against Penn State, this sense of team and sense of trust were integral. Penn State came out hard and fast, and their offensive pressure in the first half was unnerving for many on the field, especially as the mental and physical fatigue of Saturday's beautiful game against Air Force set in.

"There were definitely times when I thought we were going to lose," admits Jane Remeika. "I don't think we've ever had to play defense like we did that game. And I think it scared us at first." But in the last five minutes of the first period, Radcliffe advanced into Penn State's half of the field. "It was then," says Wallison, "that we suddenly realized that we could, and that we had to take the game to them."

Coach Lisa never lost faith: "I never envisioned us losing. I wasn't calm, but I knew they had it in them. The message of halftime was that we, the coaches, knew they could do it. Our faith in them was unshakable." The team found their momentum in the second half, and constantly applied the pressure. The tables were turned, and Radcliffe began to dictate the play. "I remember feeling relatively relaxed about my final kick," Wallison recalls. "We had the momentum, and I knew that if I missed the kick, the team would march right back down there and score again. That's what makes our team different -- we trust, not in the individuals, but in the team."

And every member of the team had a stake in the win. "Every player on the field, every player screaming from the sidelines put her heart in those two tries," said Karen Anselmo, "and we pulled through together. And we won." Radcliffe scored its second try in the last two minutes, and with Wallison's conversion kick, narrowly defeated Penn State 12-10.

This kind of team effort and team commitment did not exist when the Radcliffe Rugby Football team was founded in 1982. Back then, Radrugby was more of a social club than an athletic team. As recently as 1994, the attitude of the team was still better described as fun-loving than intense. "Four years ago, we were terrible," said Remeika. But during the fall of 1995, the team just took it game by game, and suddenly they found themselves at the National Championships.

"At that point, there was a conscious decision to take it more seriously," recalls Hatcher. "The changing composition of the team affected the changing mood of the team. Every graduation took the team further from the old school socialness. And the social side is still alive, but it's taken a way back seat to athletics."

Now the team demands time and dedication, and there is a sense of commitment that everyone must make to the team and to the sport. Senior Sara Cable summed up why ruggers are unique as athletes: "Everyone out there is out there to play -- not for the glory, certainly not for the special perks that other varsity teams have, not for the news coverage or fame, not for the loving support we get from the University. Everyone is out there simply because they want to push themselves to the limit. All the incentive to play comes only from the heart. People with full commitment take the plunge."