Play like a Girl

Thankfully growing up, no-one ever told me “you can’t, you’re a girl”.

But despite having no outward indication that being a girl meant being lesser at sport, I had a childhood avoiding all things inherently “girly” because I knew being called “a girl” was a bad thing; it meant you were soft, weak, and big wuss. So I refused to wear dresses, never wore pink, and got my dad to teach me how to have the best overarm throw of almost anyone in the grade, so that, God forbid, I would never EVER “throw like a girl.” I loved mixing it with the boys, playing soccer with them at lunch, and I sure as heck made sure that when I got pelted by the ball, I took the hit.

It’s so ridiculously exciting to watch women’s sport grow by the day. It’s an honour to witness the passion, commitment and work ethic of some of the girls in this clip like Emily Chancellor, showing us that playing rugby like a girl isn’t something to avoid- it is something to strive for. 10 year old me would’ve loved that.