BRUNO

fall 2010

BRUNO is the semesterly publication of the Brown Womens Rugby Football Club devoted
to keeping our closest family, friends, and fans up-to-date with all BWRFC related news.

schedule
FALL 2010

september
10 : Roger Williams 11 : Providence Club 18 : US Naval Academy 25 : University of Connecticut

october
02 : University of Massachusetts 09 : St. Francis Xavier 16: Yale 23 : Dartmouth 30: US Military Academy

november
06 : Northeast Quarternals 13 : Northeast Seminals 14 : Northeast Championship

home game away game

SPRING 2010
march
13 : Boston Club 20 : Beantown Club 27 : Spring Training Tour Four-Leaf Tournament Monmouth Beantown New York 30 : Spring Training Tour University of Virginia 31 : Spring Training Tour Virginia Women [35-00] [12-27]

april
10 : Sorensen Cup Harvard [22-00] 17 : National Playoffs: 16 U of North Carolina [25-10] 18 : National Playoffs: 08 US Naval Academy [31-10]

may
01 : National Playoffs: 04 Stanford University [32-43] 16 : Ronnie Greenspan Prom Dress Game Intersquad

[56-05] [00-28] [05-14] [14-05] [05-18]

SPRING 2010 ACHIEVEMENTS

National Team Ranking: 03 2nd team All-American: Alex Hartley 10, Alicia Hartley 10, Izraelle McKinnon 11, Andi Payne 10 USA U-20 Womens National Team: Chelsea Garber 12

BRUNO
index
FEATURES ___________________________
3
0 2 4 8 season schedule coaches corner captains outlook where are they now?

Recruitment Update
michelle un 11

editors
Virginia Buckles

public relations 11

contributors 5

World Cup
annalisa wilde 11

Chelsea Garber

line captain 12 scrum captain 11 president 11 on-campus fundraising and recruitment, 11 match secretary 11 head coach

Izraelle McKinnon Cara Smith Michelle Un

Annalisa Wilde

In the Classroom
Take a glance what the members of the BWRFC are doing off the pitch this year.

Kerrissa Heffernan

photo credits
Virginia Buckles 11 Gretchen Gerlach 14 Wu Ka Ling 14 Casey Collins 10

LATEST NEWS, GAME REPORTS, AND PLAYER BIOS CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEB AT: :

W W W. B R O W N . E D U / AT H L E T I C S / B R O W N _ W O M E N _ R U G B Y /

[2]

COACHES CORNER
rownWomen'sRugbycameaboutontheheelsofTitle9legislation.Therewassomethingintheairin1975that madewomenacrosstheUSgrabapairofcleatsandajerseyandtaketothefields.Anumberofwomen'sprograms begantopopupinthemidtolate1970s;leaguesformedandreformed;clubsandcollegeteamsexpanded.Some35 yearslaterwefindourselvescheeringfortheUSWomen'sTeamintheWorldCupandwonderingwhowillbeonthe 2016Olympicteam.RugbyiscurrentlythefastestgrowingyouthsportintheUS:over90,000childrenparticipatedin programsacrossthecountrylastyear.Highschoolandyouthteamsarepoppingupineverystate.Rugbyisnotjust emergingontheUSsportingsceneitisexploding. YouneedlooknofurtherthanMarvelFieldtoseethatexcitement.Brownwomen'srugbyisregardedasoneofthetop programsinthecountry,withthreeconsecutiveappearancesattheFinalFouranda4yearwonlossrecordof846. Ourrosterof53includesplayersfromCalifornia,Arizona,Vermont,Ohio,Maryland,NorthCarolina,India,Denmark, Singapore,CanadaandChina.Theygrewupindensecitiesandruraltowns;theyarebigandstrong,smallandquick, andverysmart.TheyfoundtheirwaytoBrownbymanyroutesbutnowtheyareoneteam. Thisyearsteamissmart,fitandalreadywinningbig.Theenergyontheteamiselectricasveteransandnewplayers embracethehistoryofBrownrugbyandthepotentialtheyhavetomaketheirownhistory.Perhapsnothingillustrates thegrowthofwomen'srugbybetterthanassistantcoachEmilieBydwell.Emilie,aCanadianwholivesinBoston,isa 2008BrowngraduatewhorepresentedtheUSatthe2010WorldCup.ShereturnstoBrowntoworkwithourbacks andshareherknowledgeofthegame.Whatshetrulydoesbestisspreadherloveforthegame.WatchingEmiliedeep inconversationwithplayers,explainingarunninglineoracounterattackissomovingtomeandevokes memoriesformeofthosefirstdaysofwomen'srugby.Iwasoneofthosewomenwhoputoncleatsin 1977.Thosewereexcitingtimes,wefeltlikepioneers.Today,thepioneeringopportunities remainandthesenseofdestinyandpurposeispalpable.

by kerrissa heffernan

From the Desk of the President...

by cara smith 11 TheBWRFCbegantheseasonwithbigambitionsandasmallroster.Fortunately, morethan25newmembershaveproventobeawonderfuladditiontothe BWRFCfamily!Ithasbeenincrediblyexcitingtowelcomesomanytalentedand brilliantwomenintoourcommunity;Ilookforwardtogettingtoknowthemas theyearprogresses. TheBWRFCfamilyisactiveaseverthisyearinsupportingourgoalofcompetingforthenationaltitle. Fundraisingcontinuestobealargeobstaclewebattlewitheveryseason.Thankyouforalltheencouragement andcontributionsthatwehavealreadyreceived!Everyounceofsupportgoesalongwayintheultimategoals oftheBWRFC. IamhonoredtoserveaspresidentoftheBWRFCforthe20102011season,andthrilledtohavethe opportunitytogivebacktoacommunitythathasgivensomuchtomeinmyyearsatBrownUniversity. Asalways,thisseasonpromisestobeanexcitingoneGoBruno!

Recruitment Update
by michelle un 11

[3]

smallestsquads Brownhas ever seen. Withbarely enough to fieldaside, recruitment this fall was more importantthanever. Webeganthe recruitment process early, reachingout to incomingfreshmenthrough theBrownW. RuggersaccountonFacebookduringthesummer.Currentplayersalsosentoutpersonalized emailstoincomingfreshmenlivingincloseproximitytotheirhometown,encouragingthemtogiverugbya chanceand offering to answer questions about both rugby andBrowningeneral. Evenbeforethe school yearbegan, we hadsuccessfully createdabuzz amongst theincoming class about our teamasafunand excitingcommunity. Thesummereffortsonlymarkedthe beginningofourrecruitment. Asthe freshmenbeganarrivingoncampus, the eighteen returning members of the BWRFC were on a mission! We hungup countless posters andwent doortodoor dormstorming in the freshmendorms.Weencouragedthe freshmen we encountered to come check outthe Rookie Clinic as a fun introduction to our team and the sportfornewplayers. Allofourhardworkpaidoffwhenmorethanfiftypeopleshowedupattheclinic!CaptainsChelseaGarber andIzzyMcKinnonledtherookiesthroughfunrugbylike games.Current players demonstratedseveral aspects of rugby: scrums, lineouts, rucks, and a few fancy back plays. After the clinic, the rookies and currentplayersallheadedtoaBBQhostedbythisfallssocialcaptains. Afewweekslater,wehaveproudlyretainedamajorityoftheplayers.HeadCoachKerriHeffernanhasdone an excellent job teaching the rookies basic skills and walking them through the rules of the game. Additionally, Coach KurtTeichert is an essential asset to the retentionanddevelopmentofthese players. Kurt has already createda cohesive Bsideof 2530players, something the BWRFC has lacked inrecent years. The Bside opened the season with an exciting match against Roger Williams Aside. Eagerly gathered before the match, Coach Kurt asked the rookies, When do you stop? to which they enthusiasticallyresponded, Never!!!CoachKurtchuckledbutbrokethebadnewstothem, No, youhave tostopwhentherefblowsthewhistle. Thisanecdotetrulyepitomizes theenthusiasmoftherookies, whohaveboughtnewlifetoouroncesmall squad.Theycantseemtogetenoughofthesportandoftheteam.Injusttheshortmonthsincetherookies havejoinedourteam,ithasbeeninspiringtowatchthemlearnthegameandseamlesslyincorporateinto ourteam.IcantwaittoseewhatamazingthingsthisnewgenerationofBrownruggerswillshowus!

After graduating thirteen players last spring, the BWRFC kicked off preseason with one of the

MarissaReitsma 14 takes theballoffaBsidescrum.

The Bside forwards successfully takeonaformidableNavyscrum.

Berit Goetz13andMaikiPaul14 smileaftertheirfirstrugbymatch.

[4]

Looking Ahead to a New Season...

by scrum captain izzy mckinnon 11 + line captain chelsea garber 12 Theupcoming fall seasonis going to be full of bothdifficultchallengesandrewardingsuccesses.At the endof our Final Four run in May, it was nearly impossible to imagine the team this semester without the thirteen seniors who matriculated last Spring.Thecontributionstheseseniors hadmadeto the BWRFC are endless and their presence will be missed dearly onandoff thepitch. Comingintothis season, one of our biggest challenges was recruitment. The team returned about eighteen playersandonlyeightstarters,sofindingsomegreat newtalentwasoneofourfirstpriorities.Fortunately, theclass of 2014 has delivered we haveso many newplayers withincrediblepotentialandwonderful attitudes! Onething that we love about this team, about both the returners and the rookies, is the work ethic. There is no sense of entitlement on this team we understandthatwearegoingtohavetoworkharder than we ever have in order to ensure a successful season. Andthis new teamiswillingtodo thework. Ourpositivityanddeepfriendshipsallowusto focus at practice and push each other through even the hardestandmostexhaustingofdrills. This years scrumisunlikeanytheBWRFChasseen in recent years. Most notably, the scrum has lost a few pounds since last season but we have immediatelyprovedthatwhatwelack inweight, we make upfor in fitness and focus. Thetight fiveand the back row sprint right alongside the backs in practice and enthusiastically gather to lift together on the off days. There has been some shuffling of personnelamongpositionsandafewnewfaceshave joined the starting scrum, but everyone is flexible and eager to improve. Our playing style this year among the forwards will reflect our new skill set, supporting the line with offloading options and creatingawidegame. Thebacklinethisyearisgoingtobeplayingastyleof rugby that is markedly different from the style it playedlastyear. Lastyear,wewereluckytohavesize and strength in the centers but had less highlevel rugby experience at other positions. This year, we boast an allveteran backline that makes up for its small size with phenomenal handling, speed, and finesse. If our exhibition games provide any valid benchmarkfortherestoftheseason,itlookslikethe backs are goingto be putting a lot of points on the board, andwe're going to looksharpwhilewedo it. Our endless arsenal of attacking options, from kicking to running to playcalling, will allow us to shineoveropposingbacklines. As captains, we feel it is our job to support and encourage theteam, butweareluckybecauseevery member of the BWFRC does just that every single day. We haveneverbeenmoreconfident in theweb of support of our team. We spend every day of the week looking forwardto Saturday when we can hit the pitch with our best friends andteammates and put onashow ofbeautiful, technically soundrugby. All in all, welook forwardto captainingthe teamto anotherwinningseason.WELOVETHISTEAM!

[5]

20 AUGUST - 5 SEPTEMBER 2010 London, England

F rom the 20th of August to the 5th of September, 12 teams from around the world gathered at Surrey Sports Park in England to compete in the 2010 RugbyWomensWorld Cup.The International Rugby Board took advantage of the internet for the first time, streamingselectedgameslivearoundtheworldforviewerstowatch. TheUSmadeadecentshowing,beatingKazakhstaninthefirstround of pool play,with Emilie Bydwell08 playing. They went on in pool playtolose a matchthat they shouldhave won against Ireland and tooktheirthirdlossagainstEngland.Insecondroundplaytheybeat Irelandsoundlyandthen squeezedouta3pointwinover Canadato placefifthoverall.Thechampionsforthe4thconsecutiveworldcup wereNewZealand,beatingEnglandby3pointsinafinalattendedby 13,253 fans. Overallthe Cup wasconsidered a success,with thirty thousandfansattendingthethirtymatchesandtheteamseatingover 25,000 eggsatthe dininghall.Everyoneislooking forwardto2014 andthechanceforashotattopplingNZ.

Above:EmilieBydwell08 Below: the United States Womens National Rugby Team displays their pride when taking the field in England.

[6]

IN THE CLASSROOM
The women who represent the BWRFC are so much more than just rugbyplayers:theyare passionate scholars.Truestudentathletes,the Brownwomenruggersarededicatedonthepitchandintheclassroom. ReadontohearaboutthecoursesthatinspirethemindsoftheBWRFC.

CHELSEA GARBER 12

I love this class because it applies life "game theory" situations. We consider everything from power "prisoner's dilemma" to the best

microeconomic theory to analyze real-

dynamics in relationships to the classic strategies for professional soccer

players on penalty kicks. This is my

second class with Professor Dal Bo -

ECON 1470: Bargaining Theory and always wears the best argyle and Applications sweaters. Professor Pedro Dal Bo

he's my favorite professor at Brown

LUCY FERNANDEZ 14

After spending a summer interactions of innate

doing lab research on specific immune cells with yeast, I myself as to the entire general.

LATN 1110G: Latin Love Elegy Professor Jeri DeBrohun

Engaging and insightful,

Professor Debrohun's humor

adds an interesting twist to the study of the Latin language. It who is very passionate about to make learning a "dead" is refreshing to have a professor her subject matter and is able

wanted to further educate innate immune system in

ANNALISA WILDE 11
BIOL 1520: Innate Immunity Professors Richard Bungiro and Laurent Brossay

language exciting.


VIRGINIA BUCKLES 11
ITAL 1550: Italian Representations of the Holocaust Professor Suzanne Stewart-Steinberg

Having studied abroad in Bologna

last fall, I wanted to continue my work in Italian Studies. Professor Stewart-Steinbergs seminar is the academic highlight of my week; her incredible insight into this provocative topic is enthralling.

KATIE EAST 12
ARCH 1870: Environmental Archaeology Professor John Marston

focusing on Urban Development, I often study the data and history behind the is cool because we move away from problems that plague our cities. This class theory and into the real world. Working alongside the Providence Plan, a joint city-state revitalization initiative, small groups partner with local organizations to implement on-the-ground policies in hopes of making small improvements in the city of Providence.

As a Public Policy concentrator

climate change has affected the development of human society and how people have

This class considers how

altered their environments in

the past. Professor Marstons brings so much enthusiasm to this amazing class.

MICHELLE UN 11
PPAI 1700: Urban Revitalization: Lessons from the Providence Plan Professor Pat McGuigan

Professor Houston, one of

Though I am star-struck daily by

URSULA RAASTED 14
LITR 0610: Unpublishable Writing Professor Thalia Field

anthropology's most preeminent

Mayanists, this course has given me

exceptional insights on the history of people, language, & culture.

ancient Central America, including its

MICHELLE VANDER PLOEG 12

ANTH 1650: Ancient Maya Writing Professor Stephen Houston

challenges the norms of print

Exploring writing that

publication is thought-provoking

and fun. It makes me stretch my imagination to create innovative the weekly prompts. and quirky projects in response to

[8 ]

stablished in1977,the Brown WomensRugbyFootballClub (BWRFC)hasgraduatedhundredsof passionateandsuccessfulwomen.CountlessBrunofollowershave revealedthatthese women are some ofthemostamazingpeopletheyhaveevermet.Thisiswhattwoofthesewomenaredoingnow.

WHERE Are They NOW?

YADI IBARRA 09
Email:ibarra4y@gmail.com Major:GeologyBiology Position:Scrumhalf Bruno Rugger since: Fall 05. I signed up at the ADOCH activites fairbefore Ieven started school at Brown. IknewI wantedtobe a partofa team thatwould bemyfamilyaway from home. I didnt have any clue what a rugby ball even looked like at the time, but the girls at the table seemed friendly,soIdecidedtogiveitashot.Itdidnttakemelong to fallinlovewiththeteamandthegame. Best Memories: My favorite rugby memory was playing against the Ugandan national team during ourSpring break tripin2006.Fromraisingthemoneytogettheretostanding on the pitch infrontof the largest crowd Ive everplayed in frontof,thiswasanunforgettablejourneythathasshapedme tothisday. Thecombinationoflearninga newsport,getting toknowmyteammatesbetter,andplaying againstagroupof womenfrom acrossthe world who sharedthe same passion forrugbywasincredibleandstillhardtoputintowords.

ALEXIS J. THOMPSON 02
Email:alexisjthompson@gmail.com Major:ArchitecturalStudies Position:HookerandScrumhalf Bruno Rugger since: Fall 99. I decided to join the rugby team the fall of my sophomore year after making the extremelyharddecisiontodefectfromthecrewteam.Iwas lookingforanintense athleticexperiencethathadme using bothmusclesand brainpower... In the coxswainsseat,there isdefinitelybloodandsweat,butnotin asliteralasense as ontherugbypitch.

Best Memories: I have two: First, at the Ivy League Tournament of 2000, we were up against Radcliffe in the semifinal. It was freezing rain and the match wentintotwo 20minuteovertimeperiods.Itwasgrueling,butwewonthe matchwitha tryinthe lastsecondsofthat2ndO.T.Itwasa hugely satisfying team win in the end. Second, the final celebration of the senior members of the BWRFC class of 2002 was something Ill never forget. There were 17 of us graduating and the underclasswomen took the moment to rewrite a rugbysong with a verse for each of the 17 of us. What are you doing now? Right now I am a secondyear There was raucous singing in a huge circle in someones EarthSciencesgraduatestudentattheUniversityofSouthern backyardatrueBWRFCmoment. California pursuing a degree in Geomicrobiology. I study ancientsedimentaryrocksforcluesofmicrobialmediationin Whatareyoudoingnow?Iambackin Providence(having ordertotrytounderstandhowlifefirstevolvedonEarth.Im attended grad school in Toronto) and working as a Junior in love with the natural world and so Ispend a lot of time ArchitectforDurkee Brown Viveiros+WerenfelsArchitects. exploring it. ImalsoanOceanographyteachingassistant.On Iamfinallyretiredfrom playing rugby, but Ididntmake it Saturdays, when Im not in the field (the geologic one), you too far I moved from the pitch to the sideline of the can find me on a rugbypitchplaying rugby forthe Belmont Providence WomensRugbyteam where Iam nowcoaching beside Bryan Hamlin. Additionally, this past year my long ShorewomensrugbyteaminLongBeach,CA. time partner, Sarah (former Brown rower, current Anythingelseyouwouldliketosay? ProvidenceWomensrugger),andIweremarried! Iwanttocongratulatethe20092010teamonanother amazingseasonandthankyouforbringingittoCaliforniafor Anythingelseyouwouldliketosay? athirdyearstraight(picturemechanting:doitagain!).Also, SincethetimewhenIgraduated,Ihavebeenluckytobeable to stay connected to BWRFC as an assistant coach for a Iwouldliketosendashoutouttotheformerfunfreshman. couple years, as a super fan of my younger sister (Ariel Andofcourse,neverstop. Thompson 07) as she led the team during hertenure, and Pictures:[from L to R]Yadi09sneaks theballof a ruck duringa now as my team (including many former Brown Women) matchinStanford,CA;Yadi09spelunkingintheLavaTubeCaves getstopracticewiththe currentsquadweekly.Ithasbeena in New Mexico; AJ 02 and her new wife, Sarah smiling for the privilegetoseethegrowthoftheprogram.Iveseenbunchof camera; AJ 02, coaching the players of the Providence Womens my old teammates at various tournaments over the years, butwouldlovetoseeallatareunion,orwhenintown. RugbyClubbeforeamatch.

THE BWRFC ENTERS THIS FALL RANKED NO. 1 IN THE NORTHEAST. HELP THEM MAKE THIS YEAR BE THE YEAR THEY BRING HOME THE

N AT I O N A L
C H A M P I O N S H I P.

The student-athletes of the B WRF C have spent countless hours training for the National Championship, but qualifying on the pitch is only half the battle. The cost of hosting league games, traveling to championship-qualifying competitions, and securing training facilities during the long New England winter has required them to match their hours spent on the practice fields with hours organizing F U N D R A I S I N G events. This year is no different. The Brown women must raise $80,000 and we need your HE LP. With your support we can bring the trophy home.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW YOU CAN HELP, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT:

W W W. B R O W N . E D U / AT H L E T I C S / B R O W N _ W O M E N _ R U G B Y /

BRUNO

Brown University Box 4406 Providence, RI 02912