Dear My Lovely Teammates,

If you would have told me in high school that I would be playing rugby in college, I’d probably laugh in your face. While I always loved the idea of playing a rough sport, I hated running. My hate for running took priority over a lot in my life. I’ve played nine sports in my life so far, all of which never required a lot of running, which I always made sure of. I saw college as an opportunity to lay around all the time without any responsibility. Which, I know now, never happens regardless if you play a sport or not. But, before I knew it, I was writing my name down on the sign up sheet at the activities fair, almost three years ago.

Never did I think back then that this team would mean as much to me as it does now. In all the chaos that is life, we sometimes forget how important our teammates are to us and it is in those moments of chaos that we need each other the most, but it’s in that chaos that I knew I always had all of you.

For all that you guys mean to me, I wanted to write this letter to thank each and every one of you, both new and old.

Thank - You For Being My Support System

I went through some of my toughest and darkest days in college, and because of you guys I never had to go through any of it alone. You were all there for me when I needed it, whether you were aware of it or not. You didn’t care whether my hair was long or short, or how much medicine I had to take, or why I had to sit a few games out, you looked past all the issues and just saw me. You accept me for who I am and I am forever grateful for that.

Thank -You For Pushing Me To Become A Better Player

Whether I liked it or not, you’d never let me go easy. You never let up and that made me better. So, thank you for ripping me out of bed for 8 AM runs, making me lift a little more that day, making me run faster in the drills that we all hate and for being my competition. Every day each and every one of you make me want to be a better version of myself and at the end of the day that’s all a teammate can ask for.

Thank - You For Being Behind Me When I Make A Mistake

On and off the pitch, I’ve made mistakes. We all have. Mistakes are going to be made, there’s no getting around that. Whether my heads not in the game or I'm just having a bad day, thank you for being there for me when I needed it and letting me know that I'm not alone.

Thank You For Calling Me Out When I Needed To Be Better

It’s never something you want to hear, but sometimes you have to be told to get out of your own head. Not everyone has the courage to call you out on a mistake you’ve made. Even though I may not have liked it, thank you for not being afraid to tell me when I’m wrong, and for helping me fix it.



Thank - You For Being My Second Family

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a family and I am fortunate enough to have two. Because of you guys, I know I will never be far away from home.

Most Importantly, Thank - You For Making Me Laugh

It’s not an exaggeration when I say there is never a dull moment with you guys. Whether it’s our team group message, that never stops going off, hanging out doing absolutely nothing, gasping for air at practice, sitting in the library “studying”, celebrating on Saturday nights, or recovering the next day, I always find myself surrounded by my favorite thing in the world, laughter. You guys make me happy, and that fills my heart.

An Extra Thank - You To My Rookie Class

Without you guys, I’d be lost.

There is so much that I can thank each and every one of you for, but this would be way too long if I’d put it all in here. So overall, thank you for being the best souls that I’ve had the pleasure of sharing the pitch with. No matter where we end up in life I will carry all of you with me. Every single one of you has touched my soul and my heart is filled with love for all of you.

"To you, to me…."

Love,
#5

SUWRFC forever.