5 Questions With A Rugby Player

I've been following today's guest on her blog for several months now. Rugby is one of those sports that I was determined to learn more about and Your Scrumhalf Connection has helped me do that. The woman behind it, Wendy Young, is so passionate about the sport that it is hard not to get excited about rugby. She took time out of her busy schedule to be my guest for five questions.

1. How did you get involved in the sport of rugby? How long have you been playing and what got you started? What other sports have you played throughout your life?

I had just started college in Oklahoma and was not playing a competitive sport (I played soccer since I was a kid) for the first time in my life. One night while I was out with my friends we got two flyers, one for Oklahoma football and one for Oklahoma rugby. My best friend went to a rugby practice first and she came home SO pumped and excited that we never went to the Football practice. The next time there was rugby practice my friends and I all attended and we were instantly hooked. I played for the University of Oklahoma from 2001-2005 and then I moved to Austin to play with the Austin Valkyries and I have been playing with them ever since!

2. What inspired you to start Your Scrumhalf Connection? How long have you been writing the blog and where does your material come from? What inspires your enthusiasm to continue?

As soon as I found rugby I was instantly addicted to it and I wanted to learn as much as I could about it. For that I turned to the Internet and through my searches saw that 99% of the sites were dedicated to Men's rugby and didn't even acknowledge that Women's rugby existed. This really frustrated me, so on Mar 31, 2006 I started my blog. Back then I was just a lowly college player that had dreams as big as the moon and had no idea that this blog would spiral into such an amazing site on the web.

I am inspired daily by the many emails, comments and visitors to my site. Everything can be turned into a segment on the site and I appreciate all feedback and suggestions. I have many things in the works for the blog and I really excited about what 2009 and the future holds because it just continues to get bigger and better each day!

3. How would you succinctly describe the rules and aims of the game of rugby? Are the rules similar in the states as they are in the UK and Australia?

The game of rugby is different than any other game I have played before, now that I have played so long the *laws* (there are no rules in rugby) appear to be second nature to me and are not unnatural at all. I would say that rugby is a mixture of lacrosse, hockey, soccer and football...it takes the exciting aspects of each sport and combines them together. The other exciting fact is that the laws are the same in the US as they are across the world. The kicker and the best part is that the men's laws are exactly the same for the women. There is no smaller 3 point circle or ball in rugby and that is another reason why it is so great!

4. Who have been your role models through your life? Do you consider yourself a role model? Why or why not?

My role model from a very young age was Mia Hamm, she was a ground breaking athlete in general and I followed her career from start to finish. Quickly after I began rugby I found a fondness for Jonny Wilkinson. My fondness for him is of course his golden locks and for his kicking abilities, I have always loved kicking in rugby and I love that we can both kick with either foot.

With my blog there also comes a large amount of responsibility and when I began the blog I didn't realize that. Now I have truly realized that with great power comes great responsibility. By no means am I claiming to have all power over everything, but I realize that my blog has become more than a small blog that 10 people read. I have worked hard to represent myself accurately and respectfully of other teams, my blog is not a place to hurt feelings or bad mouth anyone. The facts can be hard to read sometimes, but I work very hard to stay in the middle and show both sides of the story. But I am human and mistakes can happen, but again I appreciate any feedback or suggestions that anyone has.

5. What are your intentions for YSC in the future? What goals and/or milestones are you working toward.

Wow, I am constantly thinking up new ideas for YSC and I am trying to implement them each day. Right on the horizon is a new way to submit scores with more ease, and I will be releasing my new logo very shortly. Long term I want to mold the site into more content driven from my fan base, in the beginning I had to really work hard to find information but as each day goes by more and more individuals are pitching in and I really appreciate that. The blog is ever changing and will continue to change and adapt with the rugby world!