I decided that once I got to college I would try out for rugby after watching the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. I was motivated by the US women’s rugby sevens team, specifically Kristi Kirshe. Watching her was incredible. She started playing rugby in 2018, which means she only was in the sport for six years before she became an Olympian.

The average age of Olympic athletes is 27 years old. Because of this, we often see college-aged athletes compete. When I watched people my age compete, I began to think that maybe if I tried a new sport and trained hard enough, I could be in the next Olympics, too.

Being able to sit back and watch the players, it fired me up and made me believe that I could do what they were doing. It felt attainable to start something new and excel at it. Kirshe was an example of what I could be.

I was introduced to rugby in 2020 when the US women’s team did not make the semifinals and placed sixth overall. Four years later I would tune in to watch them compete again. This year was monumental for the US women’s rugby team because they won their first-ever medal in rugby sevens.

It lit a fire in me to try out for the women’s rugby team here at Colorado Mesa University (CMU).

I was scared to try out because I’d never played before. Thankfully, for now there are not many cuts to the team, but that does not mean that we do not have to work hard. Every week is a challenge to get to the game and have playing time.

The older players were extremely welcoming and explained all the drills and everything I needed to know. They supported all of the new girls, as most had never played rugby. They are some of the sweetest women I have ever met.

Once practice started, I realized that I was not the only one who joined the sport after watching the Olympics. It got me thinking about how much the Olympics affect collegiate athletics.

According to researchers at Charles Sturt University, “the research is currently unclear. While some studies have found increases, many others have not. Increases are often a short-term spike, particularly in sports the country has been successful in, but these gains decrease over time.”

I am part of that short-term spike and I am proud to be part of the CMU team. Regardless of whether the increase in participation in rugby is due to the Olympics or not, spikes in participation are critical.

In the US, the sport is becoming more and more popular.  USA Rugby oversees 1,200 high school teams, 900 college teams, 700 senior club teams and 400 youth teams. The future for USA Rugby is bright. In 2022 it was announced that the USA will be hosting the 2031 Men’s and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup tournaments.

Until then, I want to keep playing rugby here at CMU until I graduate and if given the chance, I would try to compete at an elite level – maybe at the Rugby World Cup in 2033 or even at the next Olympics – all because I decided to watch the matches on TV four years ago.