Passions: Making Things Happen on The Rugby Pitch

By Heather Chapman (New York City)

Working full-time for an investment bank—a time-consuming position—can leave one with little free time to pursue outside interest, despite how much one might want to. But there are others who make it their goal to follow their passions; my friend Renee, a die-hard rugby enthusiast, is one of them.

By day an AVP on a change-management team working with derivatives, Renee spends her nights and weekends on the rugby pitch, and has for the past eleven years. Prior to her freshman in college, she had preferred to spend her time playing soccer and tennis; it wasn’t until her father mentioned that she try the sport that she became interested in rugby. That decision changed her life. “I wouldn’t be in New York right now if I hadn’t become involved with rugby. Without that network sustaining me, I’m not sure I would have made it here. I got my interview with for my current position through a fellow rugby player, as well as many past leads and interviews, and I certainly wouldn’t have had some of the opportunities I’ve experienced if I hadn’t decided to play rugby. Having rugby in my life also means that wherever I go, I have friends: when I moved to NYC, the first thing I did was find a rugby club and when I moved to England the first people I met were my new rugby team.”

Rugby, for those who don’t know, is a highly competitive and aggressive full-contact sport, sometimes thought of as a cross between soccer and football. Consisting of a team of either seven or fifteen, players are split into forwards and backs, with one person in the middle: the scrumhalf. Renee has held that position most of her playing career and has likened it to her professional position as well. “The scrumhalf is the liaison for the team, responsible for making sure that everyone knows what’s going on. I’m communicating plays, and directing my teammates, similar to what I do at work. There, I’m responsible for liaisoning between different departments as we try to consolidate and merge global groups and reporting systems. Basically,” Renee added, “I like making things happen – so it’s nice that this transpires in both my career and hobby.”

Rugby is also a game that requires teamwork and trust, as one has to depend on her teammates to either be where she expects them to be, backing plays, but it’s also quite demanding. As Renee says, there’s an old joke that rugby players tell, ending with the punch line of ‘I can’t, I have rugby.’ “It’s true. I’ve chosen to miss baby showers, bridal parties, birthdays, and college graduations because of games or tournaments. I’ve skipped drinks with co-workers to make practice on time, I always think twice before making plans on a practice night—Tuesdays or Thursdays. But that’s what rugby is to me, something worth all the sacrifices I make to play.”

So passionate about rugby, Renee has also become involved in more administrative ways. Former president of her rugby club for two years, before getting her MBA from Oxford University, Renee has taken a step back from playing, but is on the Executive Board of the Metropolitan NY Rugby Football Union—overseeing more than sixty men’s and women’s clubs in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut—and has recently been hired as the head coach for Fordham University’s Women’s Team. Her time is split between the two, as she balances practice, training, games, and her Union duties, not to mention her job. Right now, she’s committed herself to fundraising for the Union; hearing about an opportunity to ‘host your own’ screening of Forever Strong, MTV’s rugby movie, Renee quickly contacted the production company, and then sold the rest of the board on the idea.

“It’s crazy, absolutely crazy. I have a month, and just that, to get everything done.” And everything means contacting vendors, arranging for ticket sales, marketing the event, rounding up people to act as ushers, develop the website, and anything else that pops up on opening night. “I’ve never attempted anything of this magnitude before, but when the opportunity arose, it wasn’t something I thought I could pass up.” Not only is it an amazing thing for the Union, but it’s an important step for Renee as she has been entertaining the idea of making rugby her professional passion, not just her personal one.

“Everyone needs a passion,” Renee said, “and I was lucky enough to find mine at eighteen. If I can find a way to move my involvement into my professional life, great. And if I can’t, that’s OK because I know I will always make time for it in my personal life.”