Because of the big weekend this rugby gal had in Beast of the East, I was inspired to start doing write ups of inspirational player stories and different types of motivation throughout the week (see the post under this one for details).
This gal is my sister: SHAUNA GORHAM!
She's just wrapping up her Sophomore year at UMass Amherst. She started playing rugby when she started college. UMass Amherst is a Division I team, aka it's really freakin' tough to see ANY playing time on the field!
Just like the majority of rugby players beginning their career, she waited a long time before earning a spot on the A-side squad. She worked hard and earned a starting position as a prop and second row. She kept her starting position on A-side going for a long time. However, she experienced quite a rejection when in her second year of college rugby, more competition arrived and she was once again seated on the sideline.
It can be very difficult to taste the sweet success of playing A-side then have it taken away from you, especially if it's someone younger than you or who hasn't been playing as long. It hurts even more when you're working your toosh off, thinking you're doing EVERYTHING in your willpower to get into the starting line up, and you're rejected again. It can be hurtful in so many ways!
Everyone who has talked about my sister and how she plays has said "MAN, she could STEAM ROLL over people, just PLOW through them." But it's unbelievable how many people have said that about her, yet she's never personally returned the compliment to herself. She doesn't always see what everyone else sees in her, and that happens to a lot of people. Many people don't even realize their own potential, because they've either been rejected or in some other form have been told they're "not good enough."
But hard work never fails.
Shauna felt the pain of being sidelined a few times then said to herself ENOUGH'S ENOUGH! She's run through shin splints (not promoting that, don't do that!.....have harassed her before about not doing enough rehab to herself!) and made her way to the gym between finals and mountains of calculus problems. She calls me all the time and we talk rugby together like sports radio. She's learned to accept and embrace herself, causing her to see her strengths rather than her weaknesses. She's told me before "my pants are too small!" and said it with a sense of pride, because she knows she's building muscle and confidence at the same time. She'll call me after a rugby practice and say "I think I did a good job tackling today.....we did better with line outs....our scrums are looking good..." mainly all positive statements, which as mentioned before has been a struggle for her in the past (it's a Gorham gal cliche...we're our own toughest critics).
Now, in this past weekend, she started and played throughout the majority (maybe entirety?) of the big college rugby tournament Beast of the East. She played against teams that UMass Amherst was crushed by in a different game yet were able to turn around and beat them, all the way up to the semifinals. She scored a try (her first maybe?) and also won the Mad Dog award/Maid of the Match/Bitch of the Pitch at the social at the end of the tournament.
Everyone who has talked about my sister and how she plays has said "MAN, she could STEAM ROLL over people, just PLOW through them." But it's unbelievable how many people have said that about her, yet she's never personally returned the compliment to herself. She doesn't always see what everyone else sees in her, and that happens to a lot of people. Many people don't even realize their own potential, because they've either been rejected or in some other form have been told they're "not good enough."
But hard work never fails.
Shauna felt the pain of being sidelined a few times then said to herself ENOUGH'S ENOUGH! She's run through shin splints (not promoting that, don't do that!.....have harassed her before about not doing enough rehab to herself!) and made her way to the gym between finals and mountains of calculus problems. She calls me all the time and we talk rugby together like sports radio. She's learned to accept and embrace herself, causing her to see her strengths rather than her weaknesses. She's told me before "my pants are too small!" and said it with a sense of pride, because she knows she's building muscle and confidence at the same time. She'll call me after a rugby practice and say "I think I did a good job tackling today.....we did better with line outs....our scrums are looking good..." mainly all positive statements, which as mentioned before has been a struggle for her in the past (it's a Gorham gal cliche...we're our own toughest critics).
Now, in this past weekend, she started and played throughout the majority (maybe entirety?) of the big college rugby tournament Beast of the East. She played against teams that UMass Amherst was crushed by in a different game yet were able to turn around and beat them, all the way up to the semifinals. She scored a try (her first maybe?) and also won the Mad Dog award/Maid of the Match/Bitch of the Pitch at the social at the end of the tournament.
WAY TO GO SHAUNA, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
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