My sweet, gentle daughter is playing Rugby. This is the same daughter who wants to work at the SPCA and is a vegetarian, and lectured me about eating sushi with the orange fish roe on the outside. She said “How would you feel if some big monster decided your babies were yummy??”
Yes this same thoughtful child goes out on the field and gets great pleasure out of beating the crap out of other girls! She has a big advantage here as she is about 5’9″ and towers over almost all the other players. She, as you all know, is also a wall of muscle – and has been since she was born. So, truthfully she doesn’t have to work too hard to push the others out of her way and run with the ball.
When she started playing she would get the ball passed to her and she would run a little and then pass it on to another player. (We teach our kids to be generous, right?) But the coach finally told her “if you get the ball just run until someone tackles you and you can’t run anymore!” She thought this was very funny but has taken his direction and has made several good plays.
This weekend is the China Cup tournament. They played a game friday night, then had to be on the sports bus by 7:45am Saturday morning and played three games Saturday. We drove home (it’s about an hour + drive depending on traffic) did a quick change of clothes and grabbed some food and it was out the door again for a babysitting job. Then this morning she had to be at the sports bus at 6:45am and will be at the field until 4 and then an hour drive home. I think tonight will be an early bed time!
UPDATE: on the way home she called me and told me she has been invited to join the varsity team and may be traveling with them to Hong Kong at the end of October. She is soooooo excited!! – she is also sound asleep on the couch! lol
Ni hao Shanghai! 
Rugby is so perfect for her! i love seeing those photos or her, makes me laugh and smile thinking of her play…thanks for sharing!!
It sounds like she is really busy over there, but it seems like she is settling in well and really getting involved in her new school. I admire her for taking on rugby. The schedule sounds exhausting!
Well, rugby is a great source of tension release, and everyone needs some of that from time to time. Hope she enjoys it, keep spreading the rugby gospel!
I’m so proud of you folks far away in Shanghai, and particularly your daughter! Your Rugger adventures remind me of my own ones in 1952, when I was in England, those times as far away from Germany as Shanghai these days. Barely there for two weeks they made me play in the local Rugby team. I had no real idea of the game but was pretty fast as a left winger, so even scored twice. Take care Gunther & crew
It is hard watch. And with her traveling to Hong Kong without me I will be saying extra prayers for her safety!
I am trying to be supportive and I know she loves it. But it does make me nervous that she will be out there with much older and bigger girls and no padding. We’ll have to take it one day at a time.
Daughter is doing really well and S2 is doing well also. I realized I haven’t written about that in a while so i will write a longer update soon. Hope all your kids are well and things were successful in your recent stay in Albany.