A woman lying on the ground with a smile on her face, surrounded by text that reads "GVSU Women's Rugby Club forms bonds for a lifetime"., image
A woman lying on the ground with a smile on her face., image
A group of young women pushing blue equipment, with one of them wearing sneakers. The ground is covered in grass and the sky is visible in the background.

Women’s rugby players, from left, Kendra Sallee, Evelyn Lauer and Lyelle Murray push on a sled during practice September 24. (Kendra Stanley-Mills)

Women’s rugby players, from left, Kendra Sallee, Evelyn Lauer and Lyelle Murray push on a sled during practice September 24. (Kendra Stanley-Mills)

A group of young women pushing blue equipment, with one of them wearing sneakers. The ground is covered in grass and the sky is visible in the background.

Women’s rugby players, from left, Kendra Sallee, Evelyn Lauer and Lyelle Murray push on a sled during practice September 24. (Kendra Stanley-Mills)

Women’s rugby players, from left, Kendra Sallee, Evelyn Lauer and Lyelle Murray push on a sled during practice September 24. (Kendra Stanley-Mills)

STORY BY THOMAS CHAVEZ

The GVSU Women’s Club Rugby Team faces the same challenge at the start of every season: Training up players with no experience in the sport. The international sport is uncommon at the high school level, so most players join the team without ever handling the rugby ball.

For Hannah Brodberg, an anthropology and psychology major and president of the rugby team, the group’s commitment to passing down knowledge has been vital to building success.

“We didn’t know what we were doing,” Brodberg said about her first year with the team. “But we had really supportive veteran teammates who were willing to teach us and let us grow.”

A group of young women playing soccer on a grassy field, with one of them wearing sneakers. The background is slightly blurred, giving the focus to the players.
Two women playing a game of rugby on a grassy field. One of the women is wearing a blue t-shirt and black shorts, while the other is wearing an ash-colored t-shirts and shorts. Both women have their arms outstretched as they try to catch the ball.

A group of young women playing soccer on a grassy field, with one of them wearing sneakers. The background is slightly blurred, giving the focus to the players.
Two women playing a game of rugby on a grassy field. One of the women is wearing a blue t-shirt and black shorts, while the other is wearing an ash-colored t-shirts and shorts. Both women have their arms outstretched as they try to catch the ball.

“The reason I stuck with rugby was because of my teammates,” said Erin Rasbach, a fourth-year nursing student. “They made it so easy to make mistakes because I knew it was going to be OK. It’s a good culture for learning.”

This culture is seen at the coaching level as well with Sarah Ruland, ’20, the team's assistant coach and a former GVSU rugby player.

“I can empathize with a lot of the people because I started with zero experience,” Ruland said.

An atmosphere of encouragement and camaraderie lays the foundation of the team each year.

Two young women standing next to each other on a field, both of them smiling and one of them holding a rugby ball in her hands. The background is slightly blurred, giving the image a dreamy feel.

“The reason I stuck with rugby was because of my teammates,” said Erin Rasbach, a fourth-year nursing student. “They made it so easy to make mistakes because I knew it was going to be OK. It’s a good culture for learning.”

This culture is seen at the coaching level as well with Sarah Ruland, ’20, the team's assistant coach and a former GVSU rugby player.

Two young women standing next to each other on a field, both of them smiling and one of them holding a rugby ball in her hands. The background is slightly blurred, giving the image a dreamy feel.

“I can empathize with a lot of the people because I started with zero experience,” Ruland said.

An atmosphere of encouragement and camaraderie lays the foundation of the team each year.

A group of women playing a game of rugby on a grassy field, with a ball in the center of the group. The background is slightly blurred, suggesting the focus is on the players.

GVSU Women's Rugby faces off against Bowling Green State University on October 10. (Macayla Cramer)

GVSU Women's Rugby faces off against Bowling Green State University on October 10. (Macayla Cramer)

Brodberg said the team has a special dynamic. At practice, players converse and joke between drills. They get on each other about what they all need to do and laugh together when after they are done.

“These are the people who are going to be in my wedding,” said Rasbach. “They’re going to be my friends for the rest of my life.”

Selah Bollinger, a fourth-year medical laboratory science major, joined the team after watching rugby during the Olympics. Bollinger said the team is a tight-knit group.

“I’ve never played on a team like this where I feel so connected with everybody I play with,” she said.

GVSU Women’s Rugby plays its final regular-season match of the season at Home against Ball State on October 31.

A person lying on the ground, holding a rugby ball in her hands, while the others are standing around her.
“These are the people who are going to be in my wedding. They’re going to be my friends for the rest of my life.”

Erin Rasbach, fourth-year nursing student

A black and white photo of a person holding a rugby ball.
A group of young women standing on top of a soccer field, wearing blue t-shirts and black shorts. In the background, there is a white pole, a net, some trees, a building, and a clear blue sky., image
A group of young women standing next to each other on a field, embracing each other in a warm hug. One of the women is holding a helmet in her hand, and in the background there is a blue sheet., image
A group of people standing on top of a lush green field, surrounded by trees, poles, lights, and a shed in the background. The sky is visible at the top of the image, and the shadows of the people can be seen on the ground.

The GVSU Women's Club Rugby Team gather together during a practice on September 24. (Kendra Stanley-Mills)

The GVSU Women's Club Rugby Team gather together during a practice on September 24. (Kendra Stanley-Mills)