UCLA WRAA
Quarterly Inside this Issue
Announcing The New UCLA WRAA Executive Board! More Ruggers Abroad UCLA Final Season Update Exclusive Interview: Tia Blythe Next Issue Sneak Peek: Shannon Krell and Mary Lee
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Letter from the President Hello Alumnae and Supporters, I am proud and privileged to follow in Julia Notar’s footsteps and be the third President of the UCLA Women’s Rugby Alumnae Association. As well, I am excited to be voted onto an executive board surrounded by my rugby family and someone who started the UCLA women’s rugby team! So I’ll take a moment to introduce your Executive Team for 2014-2015: President- Michelle Kwandham Vice President- Michelle Johnson (Michelle K.’s Veteran) Secretary- Ellen Cunningham (One of the founding member of the UCLA city/club team) Treseaure- Julia Chui (Michelle K’s rookie) Development Chair- Laura Hurley (Murray's family line) Quarterly Editor and Designer- Katie Siebert (Murray's family line) I wanted to say thank you to our fellow alumnae for all the continued support and participation in events. A shout out to Lisa Rowe who pulled all her strings and was persistent in getting so many club/city alumnae players out to the alumnae game this year! I want to make it clear that we welcome ideas and feedback. We want to make sure we are meeting the needs of our group members. UCLA WRAA strives to facilitate new bonds and relationships with old and new players. As I watch the team continue to grow and flourish I am continuously impressed with our performance on and off the field. It's been wonderful to see what people have accomplished post-college. People are getting married, having babies, getting into medical school, traveling the world and so much more! And let's not forget at the last alumni social I (being a history buff) loved seeing and meeting the electricians, lawyers, graphic designers and more loving their life and all settled down! I'm a proud Bruin Ranger. So much history! Lots of rugby love, Michelle Kwandham, LCSW, EMT-B
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Peru!
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April 2014 Volume 4
This spring break, the team went to Peru to show off their rugby skills.
“We practiced on Friday night with a club team out of university of Lima. Saturday morning we played a combination of PUCP ("La Catolica") and the university of Lima for a 15s game� - Madison Arenchild (current team president)
UCLA WRAA
Quarterly
UCLA Bruin Rangers 2014 Season Update We did not advance to the regional playoff round so the 2013-2014 season is officially over. With such a young team I have no doubt that we will come back next year stronger than ever. Thanks for the support. Tia
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Interview with Tia Blythe USA Vegas 7s Rugby 2013 (IRB) Tournament Dates Feb 8th-10th, 2013 Author: Michelle Kwandham Former Player 2003-2007 So, if you didn’t hear already- South Africa Won! According to the HSBC IRB website they have won the tournament three times now. South Africa beat New Zealand in the finals with an ending score of 40 to 21. Great plays, teamwork and fan enthusiasts were notable the tournament weekend. Some words of advice or decisions to consider when watching the tournament- option 1- sit near your favorite teams large group of fans or option 2- move around depending on who is playing (e.g. sit in the Samoan section when they play a team you don’t care for or the Kenya team when they play a team you don’t care for or about). Technically you get an assigned seat or section, but usually the security guards are lenient. I say it never hurts to ask or try. Personally, this is my 2nd visit to see IRB 7s rugby. I went once in college with some other UCLA players and watched the tournament when it was in San Diego. Every time I watch higher level rugby, be it 15s or 7s, I get an extra boost of determination to either keep playing, improving my fitness or to coach. I would love to be involved in the development of greatness. I am what some would call a “rugby addict” and have been since I started playing with UCLA. Some other “rugby addicts” who attended the Vegas IRB 7s tournament this year would be as follows: Players and Watchers- Tia Blythe (Filipines) and Kelly Griffin (USA) Referee- Karen Fong Watchers- Anita Bradbury, Marni Vath, Lisa Rowe, Michelle Kwandham, and Julia Notar Being a former Bruin, I take great pride in the continued athletic success of my current and former teammates. Therefore, I want to take a moment this time to recognize and discuss the development of someone I had the privilege to play with at UCLA Tia Blythe. My interview with Tia… Michelle: So, tell me the story about how you even got involved with rugby? Tia: I started playing rugby my senior year of high school and began playing my freshman year at UCLA. I had always been active in sports, playing soccer and running cross-country and track in high school. The first time I heard about rugby was during the morning announcements at school. They mentioned starting a boys team and me and my friend convinced me to go with her to see if there was any chance a girls' team could be started as well. My friend chickened out before the lunch meeting and I ended up being the only girl there. There were not enough girls for a high school team so the coach told me about a nearby team about 20 miles north of me and I ended up playing for them.
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interview continued...
The North Los Angeles County Wildcats which later became Antelope Valley Venom after I left. Michelle: How was it playing for an international team- thoughts, morale, style of play, etc.? Tia: I was very intimidated playing for an international team, I went into the tournament not knowing what to expect and I was unable to practice with them at all since school kept me from heading to the tournament until Friday night so I even missed the first day of the tournament [Tia is a PhD student at UCLA]. They asked me to play with them since many of their players were unable to make it last minute and I couldn't turn down the opportunity to play. The girls on the team were very nice, and they were happy to have fresh legs on the field for the final day of the tournament. I played every minute of every game that day. The style of play was not significantly different from what I am used to and when you play with people who know the game and are talented, you sort of just fit yourself into the team. Michelle: So, as I am an avid facebook user, I saw that you met Carlin Isles! How’d you swing that meet and great? Tia: One of the definite highlights of the tournament was meeting Carlin Isles. While watching the other games, he came around to the sidelines and jumped up on the rails to say hello to the fans. Once I saw him heading towards our section I ran over the other teams to the front to get an autograph, but I didn't have a pen‌He offered to take a picture with me instead. Watching the games were very exciting but what really made the experience great were the other fans. We sat with a New Zealander and an Aussie who talked crap to each other and to us for hours (all in fun of course). We chatted about the sport and laughed all weekend long. What I believe is most important message from my interview with Tia Blythe is never turn down an opportunity! On and off the pitch the skills you learn as a rugby player are completely transferable. Tia, despite some initial hesitations and concerns, decided to play for an international team she knew little to nothing about. From that she got free tickets to watch IRB 7s rugby, overcame her worries, played with elite athletes, and met the fastest player out there, Carlin Isles! The last thought is to our current players- just think of what lies ahead. Tia has played for 9 teams (including multiple select side teams), over the past 9 years. And now she can add playing at the international level to her rugby resume. Strong work! 2005-2006 2006-2011 2007 U-19 2008 U-23 2010 U-23 2011-2012 2012-2013
North LA County Wildcats (U-19 MVP nominee) UCLA WRFC (2007 U-19 Eagle Pool, 2009 SCRFU Collegiate MVP, 2010 All American, Captain 2009-2010) Griffins Griffins Griffins floater year playing non-competively with Belmont Shore and Santa Monica Santa Monica
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Sneak Peek... These two would've never found each other without rugby....and we'll get a look at how rugby, the friendship and their passion for the medical field has brought them where they are to today...
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“From seeing the urban life in lima, to driving through jungles and 6000ft of altitude on the way to machu picchu, and seeing the seventh wonder of the world itself, the trip took me far past anything I was expecting. But regardless of what country we were in, it was an entirely separate experience to be traveling with 30 girls for 8 days. Thanks to the trip I was able to bond with players I previously hadn't connected with, and I think that was the most important thing. Our trip to peru is something I'm going to take with me for the rest of my life. I'll forever cherish the relationships I've formed on this team. With that being said, it's only my first year playing and I am so stoked for what the next two years have in store for me. I heard about rugby my freshman year when eva, the vice president, who at the time was also my floormate, told me in the bathroom one day that I should check out the practices and come try out next year. And now here I am playing hooker. I wish I would have joined sooner. I should also add that I learned tons playing with the club lima team hooker, she had great tips and tricks.� -Andrea Umali
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Contact Us Bruin.wraa@gmail.com http://bruinrugbyalumnae.org How To Get Inolved
Pay your dues: They enable us to run everything Participate in fundraisers: Even a little helps. Join the team history committee Media & Marketing: Want to write for the quaarterly? Go to games Share your ideas with us! Reach out to your fellow UCLA Women’s Rugby supporters! Take advantage of social events! would you like to see yourself in the quaterly? are you or another alum up to something? Please contact me with suggestions for features in upcoming editions. Pictures of past, current, and future ruggers welcome! Quarterly Produced by Katie Seibert katieseibert@gmail.com