invictus

Despite my general lack of interest in just about every popular sport out there, I have an odd affinity for rugby movies (this is also true of hockey, but perhaps that story is for another post). Now there aren't many rugby movies out there, my favorite up to this point being Forever Strong (it reminded me a lot of my brother's rugby team - more on that below), and then there's that 30 seconds at the beginning of Circle of Friends. But today I went to see Invictus. And I absolutely loved it. It used rugby as a tool in representing the rocky change of political power in South Africa at the time. A little simple? Sure. But compelling nonetheless. And yes, I fully own up to the knowledge that if this movie was about football or baseball I might not be so supportive. That's just the kind of person I am.

Somehow I managed to shed a few tears within the first half. Now it doesn't generally take that much for me to turn the water works on during certain movies, but there was really nothing to actually cry about in this one. Pathetic? Perhaps. But what can I say - it got to me. In all the right ways.

Theme so far of 2010? Hope.

I put full responsibility of my odd little rugby obsession on my brother. He attended a small Catholic boarding school in the mountains of Pennsylvania where rugby was the sport of choice. It became a tradition for my parents and I to attend as many of his games as possible. We managed to fit into our schedule a surprisingly high number of games despite living hours away from his school. The first time I saw one, I fell in love with the passion and comradery. Up to this point I was more of the independent sport kind of girl; horseback riding and figure skating had been the athletic loves in my life. Rugby changed all that. I wanted in. Unfortunately, at that time the idea of girls playing rugby was frowned upon. It apparently wasn't an appropriate "ladies sport".

Years later, when I was a senior in high school, the school district I lived in started a girls rugby team. After spotting a sign on the side of the road, I enthusiastically called the advertised number and signed up right away. Although I only played for one season and ended up throwing my spine out of alignment at the end (an injury that still plagues me to this day), it was one of the most satisfying times in my life. There is nothing like the rush of a full body tackle with no padding between you and your opponent. Having no protective gear on other than a mouth guard, you had to be in complete control of yourself in order to properly take someone down. Every broken toe, bruise, and bloody nose was worth it. It was a way for me to release any excess energy and penned up aggression that I had. To this day I'm still searching for some kind of activity that can give me the same kind of passion, pain and satisfaction as rugby did.