Of course, this means that besides attending the actual tournament I need to also show up to mandatory training and team practices beforehand...which are obviously additional days off from work that I DO NOT HAVE.
I'm really fortunate to have a job setting with supervisors and bosses who are supportive of what I'm doing and are actually working to try and have me still be able to go. But, once again, this has thrown my mother into a fit of worry and frustration since she believes my priorities aren't straight. She's legitimately worried that I am going to lose my job from rugby. Obviously, if my job says that I cannot attend the tournament then I need to rule it out for this year, but I also refuse to believe my mother's thought that "Rugby is for rich people who don't need jobs."
On the contrary, rugby brings together the most dedicated, hard working, and motivated individuals I have ever seen....regardless of socioeconomic status. Yes, it's true that rugby players who play at an elite level, and even as much as a professional, do not have the luxury of receiving monetary compensation for it. But that doesn't mean all the people who play at this level are "rich" or are sitting around doing nothing else. MANY players still maintain full time jobs and work around that. It just seems unbelievable because it truly is an amazing feat - fitting in training and practices outside of at least a 40-hour work week.
However, although so many elite players are able to dedicate the time and energy to practicing and training around their job hours....it's still undeniable that simply travelling to/from and playing in elite tournaments takes a lot of time...and time-off from work........and I just can't seem to figure out a balance of the two. You need a job to be able to afford these tournaments, but at the same time you need enough time off to be able to travel and play in tournaments.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?! Does anyone have any feedback? To all you rugby players that continuously travel all over the nation and world to compete at this level - what line of work are you in that allows you to take the necessary amount of time off?! This truly seems to be the only roadblock I can foresee as of right now; even if I'm granted the ability to go to this tournament in Vegas, it's just going to be even harder to get the ability to attend the other tournaments that are occurring throughout the rest of the year (not to mention that my brother is also getting married in this upcoming year!!!).
Does anyone have any personal experiences or any type of feedback to contribute to this?
And in the mean time, if you're interested in contributing to the Stars 7s Rugby, there's a variety of ways! I have my own gofundme page (click here to see it!) and if you donate over $20 then you receive an awesome USA flag bracelet
You can also message me for some tax deductible donation options, and if you know an organization that is interested in sponsorship...there are opportunities for us to display logos on our apparel starting at $200. Just contact me or comment here for more info!
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