Sports
Women’s rugby goes to prom against Cornell
By Ben Fields ’15
May 7, 2015
In high school maybe they bought classy dresses to go to their senior prom, but in college it is time for them to destroy those dresses. At least that is what the Hamilton College Women’s Rugby Football Club (HCWRFC) did on Saturday, May 2. Every year the team pays a visit to thrift stores to purchase “prom dresses” for the annual Prom Dress Game. This year HCWRFC took on Cornell in the game, a match up of 2013 Excelsior League Champions and 2014 league runners up Hamilton and a Cornell team that was sixth in the Ivy League in 2014. Although the game was primarily meant for fun, especially with both teams dressed to the nines, competition was still fierce.
Coming off of a strong fall performance, Hamilton looked to finish out their spring season strong and avenge last year’s loss in the prom dress game to Cornell. Led by strong play from the team’s Back Captain Hannah “Nike” Nekoroski ’15, Hamilton never trailed in the game. Scoring their first try midway through the first half, HCWRFC never looked back. Despite playing through a hot early May day, in dresses no less, both teams played intensely, and challenged each other to the final whistle. But, at the end of the day, the scoreboard on Minor Field read 31-12 in favor of Hamilton. Senior Loose Head Prop Lindsay “Katniss” Armor reflected on the game saying, “We’re all there to have fun and wreck some hideous dress, winning was just the icing on the cake.” Hooker Rebecca ‘Becka’ Gaines ’15 echoed Armor’s comments, saying, “I’m happy that it was just a good game and we all enjoyed ourselves. Of course I didn’t mind that my final rugby game was a win though…”
Not only was this the prom dress game, but for Hamilton, it was a special game. It was their senior’s final game, and their alumni game. Many of the seniors started their rugby careers at Hamilton, but could not imagine their experience without it. Armor believed that she could stop team sports her first semester at Hamilton, but joined rugby in the spring and never looked back. “For me the team means family and friendship,” she said. “We’ve got each others backs on and off the field and are constantly supporting and encouraging on another in every aspect of our lives.”
As the senior reflected on their time playing rugby at Hamilton, the closeness of the team was a prominent theme. Both Gaines and Armor discussed how important it was to be a part of such a tight-knit team. Gaines said, “It’s a great group of people to be with, on and off the field. I like that it’s a way to develop confidence and self-esteem, and really encourages every person to be the best they can be.” Nowhere was this dynamic more evident than the sideline throughout the game. Although current student fans were numerous, few could match the enthusiasm of HCWRFC’s alumni base. Removed from the team by distance and time, when they come back, these alumni show their support and their never-ending love for the team.
Thinking back on their highlights throughout four years of rugby, both Gaines and Armor had entertaining anecdotes. “I remember my first real tackle in a scrimmage my freshman year against Colgate, and I really nailed someone. I was so surprised, and it was the first time that I really realized that I would be able to play rugby,” Gaines reflected. In a similar vein, Armor remembered a time when “I once lifted a girl up off her feet in a scrum and she squealed. It was hilarious.”