UCLA WRAA
Quarterly Inside this Issue:
Letter from Letter from the current college team president Fun Facts and Updates from head coach, Anita Bradburry Alumnae Events! WRAA Quarterly Feature: Mary and Shannon - A Love Story
July 2014 Volume 5
UCLA WRAA
Quarterly
July 2014 Volume 5
To the lovely Alumnae and Supporters, Hi there! Here’s an update on what us Bruin Rangers are up to. Our recent college graduates are doing big things. Graduate Diana Nguyen will be doing cancer research at UCSD and moving in with 2010 alumna Tia Blythe, who is doing an orthopedic and sports medicine rotation in physical therapy. Noor Dorosti is graphic designer for 2009 alumna Anita Bradbury’s solar installation company, Simply Solar. Ellie Sanchez is headed to Boston for a year to mentor underprivileged youth. Becca Pan is working at the UCLA Marina teaching kids how to kayak, sail, and standup paddleboard.
Andrea Umali
Aside from our accomplished graduates, our current ruggers are also expanding their worldly experiences. Vanesa Sanchez works at the College Library Instructional Computing Commons (CLiCC) doing research testing a medication on meth addicts. Tate Halpin recently went backpacking in John Muir Wilderness and Desolation Wilderness Tahoe. Check out her Facebook profile for her incredible coffee art. Catherine Schuknecht and Dani Moore are working at a ranch in Mendocino. Diana Nguyen
UCLA WRAA
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July 2014 Volume 5
Emily Hipp is working at the San Francisco Zoo. Our players clearly have their hands full of impressive summer jobs and escapades. Upcoming senior, Katy Jones, is doing travel study in Paris, France over the summer. Chloe Hood is in New Zealand to study abroad, taking the opportunity to enjoy rugby overseas. Chris Kler is studying abroad in Galway, Ireland. UCLA Women’s Rugby 2013-14 president, Madison Arenchild, will be in Spain to study abroad with Academic Programs International. We look forward to the wild stories that will come with their returns. Side-note: Self-declared most unlovable, alumna Cassie Tong has fallen in love with a rugger from Indiana. Feel free to contact her for details. Weekly rugby sevens practices have us in shape and ready for the fifteens season. With more experience, our young team will be back stronger than ever. Players to look out for? We are glad to have our Alex Morgan enthusiast, Ari Martinez, recovered from an Achilles heel injury. She is ready to play center as she is more agile than ever before.
Tia Blythe
UCLA WRAA
Quarterly
July 2014 Volume 5
Watch out for upcoming senior and fullback from Singapore, Wen Toh; she will definitely be continuing her standout killer tackles. Our spirits are held high for the upcoming season, especially considering our winger and social chair, Sheree Collins, is also a member of the UCLA Cheer Squad. Brenda Herrera, publicity chair, is doing a great job organizing our orientation session displays and sign-ups. Our prospective 2014-15 Bruin Ranger rookies show great promise and I am more than thrilled for them. Joining the UCLA Women’s Rugby family has made this past school year my favorite year of college so far. I look forward to offering others the gift of this privilege while I serve as the team’s 2014-15 president. With that being said, thank you all so much for your continuous support! We greatly appreciate the Alumnae Association for everything you do in helping to keep our program thriving. We look forward to meeting you all. Good luck at the alumni game! Is it too soon to say that? - Andrea Umali
Brenda Herrera
UCLA WRAA
Quarterly
Fun Facts and Team Updates!
Anita Bradbury (Head Coach)- "We had 49 rostered players this year. 31 of those are rookies. Our starting lineup for this season included 7 rookies. This past season was really hard to stomach, but ultimately I think it pointed out some flaws in how we were running things. The other coaches and I are very optimistic about next season and are very excited to continue growing the team. During the summer several ucla players have been playing 7s with the local santa Monica club team. I think a better link with this senior club team could help diversify the players experience and fill the gap that was left when the college level griffins program was canceled Everything else is just looking forward to next season and implementing a new practice structure which we hope will improve the quality of play.�
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Other fun facts: At least one UCLA player has participated on the collegiate ALLSTAR team every year an All-Star tournament has been held, including this year. At least one UCLA player has been recognized as an All-American every year since 2010, including this year. The UCLA team has traveled internationally every other year, starting in 2006. So far we have gone to England, Hong Kong, Scotland, Australia, and Peru. The UCLA team played at least one game against a local team in each country and have won every game played internationally.
July 2014 Volume 5
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July 2014 Volume 5
Summer 2014 Alumnae Events!
Keep an eye out for more alumnae events! We've had 4 events thus far and more to come. Tell your friends who have graduated to email bruin.wraa@gmail.com and get added to the listserve or to HOST an event! Anyone can host an event and the event does not have to be rugby related- e.g. Go to a museum, have a picnic in the park, hang out at the beach, etc...Be Creative! Recap of Alumnae Events so far: June 14th - USA Rugby 7s men's vs Japan men's team- Carson, CA hosted by Ellen Cunningham June 28th- Santa Monica Rugby Tournament- Santa Monica, CA hosted by Julia Notar July 18th- Hillcrest Pride- San Diego, CA hosted by Michelle Kwandham July 28th- trivia night- Oakland, CA hosted by Lotta Chan
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Mary & Shannon... It all started with rugby... “The first time I talked to my best friend Mary was after the first rugby practice I ever attended. Skeptical about how such a demanding extracurricular activity would fit into my schedule as a pre-med hopeful, she talked some much needed sense into me. She had a year of experience to understand just how important the camaraderie of women’s rugby could be for a type A personality. She knew just how quickly these women become lifelong family even when we’re spread out from coast to coast or chillin in Sweden (‘sup Vicky!) During freshman year of rugby I realized for myself just how much I needed all of these women as role models. Showing up to UCLA naive and a little reckless, it would have been easy to slip through the cracks; fortunately there were thirty women including our badass coaches who demanded two things: commitment and self-love.
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These demands along with Mary bopping along and dragging me through the hell of a pre-med course load have surely shaped my life and career for the better. We made flashcards and study sheets together, studied on long drives to Arizona away games until we were sick, played hard on the field, and cleaned up well afterwards. Our friendship was best exemplified by the Class of 2011’s Rookie Skit: ridiculous, obnoxious, and constantly speaking in an incomprehensible language. After our glory rugby years, we continued to stay active on the field recreationally while obtaining our masters degrees. We worked side by side in a lab studying the effects of resistance training on cardiovascular and metabolic health (the ultimate meathead study!) When we walked for graduation and got our “M.S.,” it OBVIOUSLY stood for Mary & Shannon. We had a habit of being annoying like that :-) That year we each applied to over 30 medical schools and by the grace of academic gods, we were both accepted. Mary would be off to Las Vegas, and I’d be headed to Pennsylvania. We were thankful, and knew we’d continue to be a team with many miles between us.
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The first two years of medical school were undoubtedly miserable. We did our best to stay happy and active despite the ridiculous demands of pre-clinical education. We lost a bit of luster in our normally over-positive personalities, but we always had each other to drag across a finish line. We shared lots of downs and many ups, and cheered gleefully as our third partner-in-crime Lil Bean Blythe made it into her own doctorate program the following year. Once out on rotations, we started to blossom again and were reminded why we entered such a demanding career- for the genuine desire to improve lives on a daily basis, and for the complex challenges of medical pathologies. This summer, we apply to residency for our respective medical specialties. Mary, contrasting to the beastly and brute strength she has on a rugby field, will start her training as a nimble and intricate surgeon. I will be moving on to training in internal medicine, likely following up with a fellowship in critical care. Mary and I started out as teammates on the field but ended up as teammates in life. Every time we surpass another medical training hurdle, I can count on my BFF to remind me, “We did it Shan, we’re doin’ it.” -Shannon Krell
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"We did it Shan, we're doing it"
Article written by Shannon Krell Pictures and edits provided by Mary Lee
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UCLA WRAA
Quarterly Thank you for your continued support! Current WRAA Executive Board: President- Michelle Kwandham Vice President- Michelle Johnson Treasurer- Julia Chui Secretary- Ellen Cunningham Development Chair- Laura Hurley Quarterly Designer and Editor- Katie Siebert
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UCLA WRAA
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