Drunken, violent lushes.
That’s how senior rugby player Jaymee Karabin described the way people think of women’s rugby players.
“They think we’re all lesbians,” added sophomore Kelsey Killian.
The Buffalo State Banshees have been working to break through the stereotypes that have been associated with rugby for years.
“It’s unfortunate, but rugby gets a bad rap,” Karabin said. “It’s violent and people associate it with drinking, but that’s just a very small part of what it’s really about.”
Karabin said that rugby can be hard to understand for people trying to learn it on their own, which may fuel the negative stereotypes that so many people associate with it.
“It’s really not a sport you can learn by watching,” she said. “It’s so fast paced and confusing to watch. Bodies are constantly colliding, passing is only backward and the terminology is odd and foreign to our American sensibilities.”
To fight their stereotypes, team captain and club secretary Ella Perry-Piniewski said that the team is focusing on community service as a way to change their image.
“We’re always doing something,” she said in reference to the teams’ volunteerism. “This semester, we’re planning a sexual assault awareness fundraiser with Crisis Services in partnership with the Fredonia Rugby Club.”
Karabin added that many members of the team are also involved in other student organizations, serve as Residential Advisors in dorms or are active in the United Students Government.
Club members also volunteer at the Buffalo State Job Luau, different women’s educational programs about abuse and sexual assaults and local shelters and soup kitchens.
Perry-Piniewski, who is a junior fashion textiles major, said that tradition and camaraderie are two positives about rugby that most people don’t see.
“There is always some sort of social event after the match with the other team,” she explained. “You might get hit hard during the game, but afterward you brush it off and hang out with the other team. It’s an aggressive sport and you have your rivals, but it’s a very close-knit community.”
Each rugby team has traditions that have been passed down through time, including specialized songs, cheers and practices that have changed over time to differentiate from each other.
Perry-Piniewski described the post-match gatherings as “almost like summer camp,” saying that the teams share their traditional songs and cheers with each other in a competitive, yet fun, manner.
“I truly enjoy the traditions,” Karabin said. “They bring us together and keep us close as a community.”
The Banshees finished 1-4 in their five fall matches, but Perry-Piniewski said the team is improving on the field as well as off.
“If you watched our team in past semesters, you could tell we’re playing better as a team,” she said. “It might not show in our record, but we’re definitely improving.”
Though they didn’t have the best year on the field, the team’s off-the-field contributions have made their semester a success.
Karabin may have summed it up best, saying, “We just want to shine a positive light on our club and the sport of rugby in general.”
Mike Meiler can be reached by email at meiler.record@live.com.