From: Pittsburgh, Born & Raised
Occupation: Regulatory Affairs Clinical Specialist, Cook MyoSite, Inc.
Position: Flanker, Second Row
Played Rugby Since: 2012
Birthday: July 21st
Accolades/Accomplishments: 2020 Forge, Women’s Captain, Allegheny Women’s Captain
Previous teams: Allegheny College, Pittsburgh Highlanders
Interview
Q : How did your rugby career begin?
A : Allegheny College, 2012. I was a brand new college student at the activities fair signing up for too many extracurriculars. Suddenly, a blonde girl in a polo shirt with rubber buttons yelled at me, "DO YOU PLAY SPORTS?" Bobbie brought me to practice with her the following day and I have played ever since. Thanks, Bobbie.
Q : What do you love about rugby?
A : I love everything about rugby. If I have to choose something, I think the best thing about rugby is the shared culture that every club works hard to maintain in their own way. If you're traveling, find a rugby team - they will welcome you with open arms, free beer, and new verses to rugby songs that you can take back to your home club.
Q : To spread the rugby love, what would you like people to know about rugby who have never encountered the sport before?
A : Rugby seems kind of foreign when you first start to play. You can only pass backwards, your teammate gets thrown in the air if the ball goes out of bounds, and the shorts are questionable (they grow on you, trust me). Rugby looks really intense because it is, but it is also the most fun you'll ever have with the greatest group of people you'll ever meet. I have met all of my best friends through rugby. I met my fiancee through rugby. Rugby has been so good to me - give it a shot. It will be good to you too.
Q : What is your favorite personal rugby moment?
A : Scoring a try is always fun, supporting your teammate during a breakaway is always fun, winning a defensive scrum is always fun. Rugby is full of these small victories that shine brightly and make you want to keep playing forever. While these moments are great, my favorite personal rugby moment is something that has absolutely nothing to do with scoring points or active gameplay. Before a game begins, the the starting 15 walk onto the field and find their positions. While this is happening, I try to tame the pre-game jitters and look around and take everything in. This is my favorite rugby moment. On the field, I see 15 close-knit teammates that are about to go into battle for each other. I look down our sideline and see our finishers dressed and ready - they are the group of equally strong, vital players that will come into the game later to finish what was started and make sure that we fulfill our commitments to one another for a full 80 minutes. Next to them, I see teammates that may not be wearing a jersey but are standing on the sideline, hyped up and proud all the same. This quick pause that I take for myself before each match is my favorite rugby moment. I can't wait until we can take the field together again - we have built an incredible team and I am proud to be a part of it.
Q : If I had an airplane full of jellybeans and I wanted you to get them all out, but in a very sanitary way so that I could still eat them, what would you do? You have 24 hours to do this, but you have unlimited funds
A : If you're the one eating them, I would use the unlimited funds to put you in a Lyft and send you to the airport. Once you're there, go inside the airplane and eat the beans. This is presumably the most sanitary way to accomplish this task, because aside from the filthy interior of the airplane, your hands will be the only things touching the jelly beans. I imagine you will regret eating that many jelly beans. Hypothetically speaking, if the airplane was full of something worth all of this trouble - Iron City Beer - I would use the unlimited funds to put ALL of the Forge players into their own respective Lyfts and get them to the airport. I guess we could just rent the whole airport for 24 hours. Unlimited funds, right? Simultaneously, I would make sure all of our friends (Pittsburgh Passion, Steel City Roller Derby, Pittsburgh Hotspurs, Pittsburgh Banshees, Pittsburgh Puffins, Pittsburgh Ultimate) got to the airplane, and we would have the greatest social in the history of socials. I think an airplane full of beer would set us up for an epic 24-hour party. Note: no jelly beans will be served at the social.
