The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Women’s rugby may spring eternal

Women%E2%80%99s+rugby+may+spring+eternal

Perhaps coming soon to a field near you: a women’s rugby club.

By Lauren O’Machel
[email protected]

The Hawkeyes have a wide range of athletics programs open to almost all students on campus, but there is one person who thought something was missing.

University of Iowa junior Jenna Adams is in the process of creating the first competitive women’s rugby club on campus. Adams’ passion for rugby came about this past summer when competing in the women’s 7s Tournament Circuit for the Iowa Lady Lions.

“Jim Estes, the coach for the men’s rugby club, had a club in the Quad Cities, and when I started playing with him, he suggested that I start a team up at Iowa,” Adams said.

Adams is in the midst of putting all the details together, and she is working closely with Laurel Hanna, the Iowa assistant director of sports clubs and Hawkeye fields. Adams hopes to get her club playing by January 2016.

The UI Student Organization Committee must approve the proposal.

“The first thing we need to do is generate interest,” Adams said.

At least 80 percent of the players need to be students at the UI, she said. A complete team needs approximately 15 players.

What Adams emphasizes the most is that any female can play.

“There is no official tryout,” she said. “We are taking girls at any skill level, and I think that’s really cool.”

Iowa would compete in the Big Ten and in Division-1A under the governance of USA Rugby. Thirteen of the 14 Big Ten schools have participating women’s rugby clubs.

Several participants on Big Ten women’s clubs said they are eager to have Iowa join the rugby game.

University of Wisconsin senior Jade Koenigs, a four-year player, said she loves rugby and believes that it is testament of equality for both men and women.

“There is no difference between men’s rugby and women’s rugby,” she said. “The rules are the same, there is no extra padding, and it is something that has really broadened my horizons, which I think is amazing.”

University of Michigan senior Megan Melton, the president of the Wolverine club, said being on her squad has been an exceptional experience, and she encourages any woman to join a rugby club.

“Iowa joining the women’s rugby world would be quite exciting,” she said. “I’d love to see more women reached and impacted by the game. I’ve seen and heard firsthand how it can positively change young women’s lives.”

Ohio State senior Cynthia Campbell, who has played for four years, said she is happy women’s rugby is expanding and becoming more popular.

“I think that having another team in our conference would be awesome,” she said. “Women’s rugby has grown so much more popularity since I first got involved four years ago. I’m sure that having another team developing in Iowa is just another testament in how women’s rugby is growing today.”

Estes, the coach of the Iowa men’s rugby club, is enthusiastic supports Adams.

“Jenna is fast, smart, and a great leader,” he said. “She will be the UI’s first women’s rugby team’s captain.”

UI junior Jason Boyda, a member of the men’s club who has  practiced with Adams for the past semester, is impressed with her skill level and passion for the game.

“Practicing with Jenna is awesome, because it allows her to become friends with many of us on the team,” he said. “If she succeeds in starting up the women’s rugby team, it’ll help in making both the men’s and the women’s rugby teams part of the Iowa rugby family.”

More to Discover