An OTBKB reader and rugby player sent this in about Brooklyn Women’s Rugby:

Women tackling each other is usually a crowd pleaser, but our team is much more than a gaggle of hyper-aggressive, unfeminine jocks.  Though our roster is small and constantly in flux our players represent our borough: locals and transplants, gay and straight, women who wear makeup to every game, and women who are at their most beautiful when they sprint, tackle, and execute plays.  We are the only women’s rugby team in Brooklyn , and our players represent many different neighborhoods. We accept players and supporters from all boroughs, but most exemplify the diversity and attitude of Brooklyn : aggressive, yet affable.

Brooklyn Women’s Rugby was formed only 16 months ago by five women.  Though two women’s teams exist in Manhattan , our players were looking for a more social league, one that allows its player to have a life.  Since February 2007 our numbers have gone from five to roughly 25, and we now have a certified rugby coach, Ms. Jaimee Lynn Nelsen.

In case you’re unfamiliar with rugby, it is a contact sport in which players, sans padding, advance a ball down a football-sized field by kicking or running.  The ball can’t be thrown forward, and once a player has the ball, they’re a marked man: only the ball carrier can be tackled, and any obstruction results in a penalty.  Penalties, of which there are many, are resolved through the intricate dog-pile known as a scrum, or the line-out, which resembles bloodthirsty cheerleading. There are rucks and mauls as well, methods of regaining possession through coordinated violence.  Injuries aren’t really that common, though they do occur; one of our players was recently sidelined after breaking a finger, though she was good enough to finish the game before going to the ER.  However, we tend to go through our lives with more bruises, scratches, and concussions than “normal” people.

Practices take place in Prospect Park on Thursdays at 6:30 and typically have games on Saturdays.  Please feel free to come to a practice and get a feel for our team.  I know Only the Blog Knows is busy, and we’d have no problem reporting the results of our games and general development if you’re unable to get away from the desk.  I’ve attached a schedule of our upcoming games, and also invite you to our First Annual Brooklyn Women’s Rugby Pub Crawl: as fundraiser and opportunity to raise community awareness of our team, it will take place in Park Slope during the afternoon of June 7.