Though women's rugby is a relatively new sport at Auburn, it has continued to develop and grow. This includes keeping up with workouts and practices during the summer months.
Danielle O'Mahoney, Auburn Women's Rugby president, has been involved with women's rugby for the past year and a half.
"We started off playing with the men's team at Auburn," she said. "Then we joined in with other women's teams when we traveled, and finally we decided to start our own team."
O'Mahoney said that while many girls go home for the summer and join local teams, others stay and practice.
"Those of us who stay in Auburn get together about twice a week to go over set plays, movements and running and conditioning drills to prepare us for tournaments that we jump in every couple of weekends," she said.
O'Mahoney added that most team members also work out individually using techniques like mixed martial arts, powerlifting routines, Crossfit programs and swimming.
Staying active in the summer is only one way the team encourages women's rugby at Auburn.
In addition to recruiting on campus during organization days, O'Mahoney said the team creates awareness for the sport by wearing t-shirts and making stickers and signs to put up around campus.
"Showing support and spreading the news of rugby is very important to any woman who plays," O'Mahoney said. "It is a sport that is not well known in the southern region of the United States and we are proud of what we do."
Rugby sevens, a variant of rugby in which teams are made up of seven players rather than the usual 15, will appear as an Olympic sport for the first time in 2016. O'Mahoney said this gives the team further motivation to generate interest for the sport.
"I think the long term goal," she said, "would be for everyone in Auburn to grow to love rugby as much as they do football and give us the same respect and support that other established teams receive on their campuses when they proudly represent their college."
In the future, O'Mahoney said she hopes rugby will become more than a club sport at Auburn.
"Ultimately we would love to be a varsity sport," she said. "A lot of funding and time and support would be needed to achieve this, but hopefully, we will get there one day."
The team does not hold try-outs, but anyone interested in playing is welcome to join and learn about the sport.
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