Acacia O'Connor Assistant Sports Editor

When the Vassar women’s rugby team prepared for their recent spring break tour of Argentina, they knew they would face stiff competition and some adverse circumstances. What they did not expect to encounter, however, was a whole new form of the game and a valuable lesson about women’s athletics.

In 1972, the Title IX ammendment was passed, which stipulated that no person be excluded from or discriminated against within athletic and educational opportunities, whether physical or financial. This has been instrumental in the development of sports programs in our country in the last 30 years, especially regarding women’s sports.

Title IX is hailed as the cornerstone of women’s athletics today. Since it was passed, the number of young women playing sports at the high school and college levels has increased by over 800 percent and 400 percent, respectively. This affects not only individual athletes, but athletics overall. As so many more young women are involved in sports in America today, American Olympic and professional women’s teams are dominant in global competition.

But what does Title IX have to do with the women’s rugby trip to Argentina? The players realized, through their experience in Argentina, just how influential Title IX has been in their lives. Most Vassar College females have had the privilege of being raised in a society where if they wanted to play sports and play them hard, they were granted that right. This privilege, however, is not universal. Argentinean rugby is just one example of this difference.

In collegiate American Rugby, men and women play by the same rules. And, as you may know, rugby is a physically grueling, tough contact sport. For many parts of the game and positions, physical strength is a must. This is not any less true for American females involved in the sport. What the Brewer squad quickly found on their tour was that Argentinean women play quite a different game.

Where rugby is usually played by fifteen players for each team, the Argentinean women play with only seven on a side. Many of the most physical aspects of the sport, things intrinsic to the way the Vassar teams play, were made to be less physical or changed completely. Even if you are not familiar with the game, you may know the term “scrum” or recognize it. A scrum is a battle for possession of the ball after a penalty. The two teams line up and basically collide while trying to pass the ball to the back of the crowd.

For the Brewer women, “scrummaging” is an indispensable part of the game and something that involves a great deal of strategy. Because the Argentinean players expected uncontested scrums (the team who places the ball into the middle of the pack automatically wins it back), “the Vassar forwards, the pride and strength of our team, didn't get a chance to play their game and a serious portion of our edge was taken away from us,” said team captain Emily Dorman ’05. Instead of relying on their strength, the team had to adapt to the quickness and athleticism of the Argentinean squads.

“Argentina is world famous for their powerful scrummaging,” said Vassar Rugby coach Tony Brown. “It was an interesting contradiction that the teams we played saw nothing wrong in having the Vassar men scrummage in the games against far superior and more experienced players; yet when it came to the women's games, they wanted uncontested scrums.”

Changing the game dynamic holds larger implications than simply changing the way the team performed on the pitch. Women’s rugby in America is no less physical than the game the men play. For many female athletes, the empowerment that can be had in the equality of this rough sport is one of its greatest benefits and most attractive features.

“Touring is an opportunity to show other countries what female athletes are capable of. When we aren't allowed to scrum, it keeps us from proving how strong and dynamic women can be and prevents our foreign counterparts from finding that strength for themselves,” said Dorman.

Despite this unexpected challenge, the Brewers found the trip to be beneficial in preparing them for the upcoming USA Rugby National Championship competition in April. “We held our shape well and remembered our good rugby instincts, which is good practice for our upcoming games,” asserted Dorman.

The team will face Ohio State in Florida for the first round of the Championship Tournament on April 16.