What I Got Out of Women's Rugby

The season continues this week for the Concordia Women's rugby team however I'm done for the season. They're off to Nationals in Vancouver, congrats to them for a season hard fought. A majority of the fall sports at Concordia have finished their seasons, soccer is done, the men's rugby team were eliminated the week before and it will take a miracle for the football team to beat Laval in another rematch (the last time the score exceeded more than 50 points for Laval to defeat Concordia). So how do I know all of this? I've taken on the role of "saving the sports section" each week for over the last month.
I usually have two sports photographers with telephoto lens who can do this however the one thing each don't have: time. There was wedding season to deal with at first and the other one was working and doing school. The other thing was that I had one guy who said would shoot sports however it meant that he wanted football and nothing else, somehow the rest of sports didn't matter to the "so called" sports photographer. So every Friday I ended up saving the sports. I own a portrait lens (85mm 1.8) which meant I can shoot at night with few complications however I lacked in range. I knew little about sports, I love watching them however sports photography is the most challenging out of press photography. So this was going to be a hard task, to pull off decent shots with what I got.
I've learned that soccer is quite a hard sport to shoot, there goes my chances at World Cup. Also, they were my casualty of a sports injury (as the men scored and celebrated by running me down). This happens when I shoot sports, I will get a sports related injury. We also had the preseason of hockey and basketball, where I get a chance to warm up and eat a hot dog. The other thing I learned is that the beer is cheap and is the only way to drink on the Loyola campus, for four dollars you get beer and sports.
Rugby became my favorite not because their teams were the better out of the ones I've shot, it was because it was the least challenging and most entertaining. Rugby is like football but with no pads, not real rules and the least likely to get injured (on my behalf). Both the men and women's squads in combination only lost three games. The women only lost one, to Laval.
All rugby games were at night and as the weeks go by, it got colder and darker but their drive grew harder and heated. I mainly shot the women, there was one game that was my turning point, the Dummond Cup against McGill. The Dummond Cup was started in dedication to Kelly Ann Dummond; a former Concordia rugby player who unfortunately was murdered by her boyfriend about five years ago. A girl I served at my day job recognized me from the game and told me she was a team mate of Kelly's, she would go to the Cup each year. Kelly's mom gave the trophy to the Stinger girls this year, a first win out of the years of the Cup.
To see such drive when one minute you see a girl get knocked down, winded and in pain, to see the med staff getting ready while in the next minute you see that same girl shake it off and get ready to be part of the next play. I've never seen so many hardcore girls running, grabbing or in this one case, a "head butt to the gut" on the opposing girl. Each week with a small crowd of friends and players boyfriends I think that there is a reason to keep coming to Loyola field. They only lost once, this was their best team in years. In the semi final against Ottawa, Ottawa held the lead by two points, then Concordia made a play for a kick. I've never seen them lose in the games I've shot, there was no way this starts. The final score was 18-7, finals here they come.
I gave up a day of work and trekked to Ste-Foy last Saturday, they were going to play Laval for the second year in a row. Last year the Stingers loss in a heartbreaker, the score was even however Concordia had more kicks than Laval but in a final kicks aren't worth anything. This was the rematch they wanted. It was also a day game, because Laval doesn't have lights in their field, the game started at 1pm instead than at night. So, there will be no lighting problems on this day. However, it was raining so break out the plastic covering.
I basically was living out some sports cliches here, it was my first final, the women were out for redemption, some of the men's team were there cheering for the ladies (all painted and drunk). Laval fans were loud and offensive, there was always some lone token flag guy sitting in the visitors section yelling every 2 minutes "Go Laval". He was quiet when Concordia lead 3-0 with a kick. The rain hit hard, the ladies hit harder, it was hard to see, the ball kept slipping while the girls kept sliding. All the ladies had to do was hold the lead, that's in and that's all. Laval on the other hand, didn't want to lose on home turf and tied the game up in extra time of the second half. The Stinger girls on the sidelines were pissed off, it wasn't their day when it came to the officiating. Overtime here we come, the rain tapered off so now we can see better.
Rugby girls and photographers share some things in common: to tough out the worst of conditions and keep their eye on the prize. I was looking for some good photo opts while they were looking for the ball. We were cold, wet and tired, will this game end? First overtime ended, if they remain scoreless after the second it will go into kicks. Luckily, Concordia kicked in the second and won the game. The emotions were everywhere, all hearts and heartbreak. On this day, a kick was worth the prize.
Strangely enough, the rain stopped.
We all ran on the field, girls getting their medals and holding back tears (both happy and sad), a majority of the all star players were Laval girls, holding a fake smile while we took their photos (the feeling of disappointment that the public had to endure). The trophy came on the field, the women huddled up and held it high to the sky, the rain held off for them as they celebrated a hard earned win. They're off to represent Quebec at the National rugby championships in Vancouver, because of a student newspaper budget myself and my writer cannot go and continue the streak. It would have been amazing, the national level. Alas, I guess I'll wait for the next team I have to save sports in.
This was a first, I rarely shoot sports but a majority of my month was sports photography, I understand it's as challenging as other forms. I hate how it gets under minded as a "jock thing", there are stories behind every play, these girls are students, have patient loved ones, sacrificing a lot for a moment like this. They're tough enough to do this despite some dirty plays, hard hits and weird weather. In the end, there's a lot that is gained than just a win. It's the same in every field, there are opportunities no matter what. For myself, for someone with a portrait lens, I managed be tough about it and come out understanding more about life on the sidelines.
I'm glad I got something out of the women's rugby team.