With Myers Park being such a large and diverse campus, there are numerous opportunities to find a community or group of people to fit in with. Avery Peacock, senior at MPHS, is doing her best to provide an opportunity for one such community through rugby. Avery currently plays for a club team in Charlotte but has been working to rally support to form a girls’ rugby team in upcoming years here at The Park. Having started as a freshman, Avery recently celebrated four years dedicated to the love of her sport.
“I started playing through my brother… I got cut from the Myers Park soccer team and the next day I was at rugby practice because that’s what my brother said; if I got cut I’d be there.” “Basically I just went out to practice with zero experience. I literally didn’t know anything, and I am very thankful I went to that practice,” Peacock notes.
Though Avery’s plan to create a new team is still in the works, other schools have sought interest in participating. So far, West Charlotte, Olympic, and South Meck have all expressed interest in participation.
Peacock admits, “I really do wish I could’ve played for my school. Hopefully, I can get that going at the end of this year in order for them to start something next year. That’s my goal.”
Peacock’s current league, Elite Girls Rugby, consists of teams from all over the east coast spanning from Florida to New York.
“They wanted to create a league where you could get a lot of competitive rugby in one spot, just because girls rugby- the levels are very spread out across the United States,” voices Peacock
This struggle of playing such a niche sport also serves as a binding force for the teams. “It’s a very welcoming environment just because rugby is so unfamiliar to most people that like we have to be… It’s different like everyone knows how basketball operates for the most part, people know how soccer operates, [and] football, but it’s like when people don’t know anything about a sport you have to be willing to help them.”
“Whenever I describe it to people I would say it’s like a mix of football and soccer. Rugby is like a game of possession so the game doesn’t stop… In rugby, the point of it is you want to keep going so the game doesn’t stop and the clock runs.”
Peacock then explains what rugby looks like in a high school context, “So there’s traditionally a 7’s team which happens in the fall, so 7 on 7… and 15’s is in the spring, so 15 on 15. Next year they’re trying to do a girls’ high school 10’s, so that’d be 10 on 10.”
Joining the sport relatively late herself, Avery says the best way to learn how to play is by watching others. “I would just watch a game. I would watch the USA women’s 7’s, they were in the Olympics and did pretty well”
She also explains that it is imperative to have no fear, “Just show up, just be vulnerable, get uncomfortable you know. Go somewhere you don’t know what’s going to happen and just take that chance because worst comes to worst, you don’t like it.”
With the spring season underway, Avery says it’s never too late to give rugby a try and encourages anyone interested to go out to a practice and see what it’s like firsthand.
She is a firm believer that anyone can find what they are looking for within the rugby community and says “If you’re the person that’s getting technicals in basketball, play rugby, or if you need an outlet, rugby. If you’ve ever felt rejected in a sport or like you’re not good enough to be on a team… and if you’re looking for change in your life, play rugby.”