Ashley Ferguson
Sports Editor
Rugby fans will be familiar with calls like, “that’s a ruck,” and now, Wooster students who may have been unfamiliar with the sport before have the chance to join the action.
Now in its second semester at the College, the women’s rugby team kicked off the fall season with its first official practice on Monday. Though still young, the team has grown considerably since the spring, nearly doubling the number of participants since last season. Losing only two graduated seniors, the team returns a core group led by team leaders and co-founders Vanessa Ortega-Ramirez ’19 and Jocelynn Vega ’20, who both played rugby in the Chicago area in high school.
The team does not require players to have any former rugby experience. The leaders hosted a learn-to-play clinic last week to teach the skills and rules of the game. Both Ortega-Ramirez and Vega noted that increased communication about the clinic helped their numbers and their presence on campus.
“I think more people are starting to learn about rugby being on campus and how open and accepting we are,” said Ortega-Ramirez. “I’m expecting that this year we get more and more girls and for the school to be exposed even more to rugby.”
Rugby is Wooster’s only full-contact sport for women. This season, the team will compete in six matches, including three at home.
Among their opponents will be conference players Ohio Wesleyan University, Denison University, Wittenberg University and Kenyon College, as well as Findlay University and Tiffin University.