Rugby, Rugby... Rugby!
There's so many things I can a person about this sport, my sport which oddly enough I joined recently, but no I won't tell people what a Ruck is, what a Maul is. Nah... See I when I live, Soccer is a our nation sport and I've got no problem with that but when I grew up, Rugby was somewhat a sport I never heard of, not because my parents didn't want me to do it, but because the entire family thought, and still do think Rugby is just another way to shorten my life.
Funnel enough, my cousin wanted to do rugby, he poured his entire heart and soul into the sport but because nobody supported him, he never got to play. Unknowingly, my cousin was my hero at that time, because hey - he showed difference. He was good at soccer, he had the build for rugby but become of no utter support from family, he didn't play and that really just hurt us both. To think that commitment didn't suffice until than, until now...
Anyway, as I grow, the chubby kid that I was, I always told my family I'd do rugby, but was quickly shot out because they told me I'd break my neck, and die or they'd break my neck and die. Haha, which at that time was quite scary because I imagined my young self on a rugby pitch and had these giants coming at me because I had the ball. Scary stuff at that age man...
But than again, I think that my entire family merely feared rugby, not because it's a violent and dangerous contact sport but because it reminded them of Apartheid, and that many afrikaaner kids played it, grew up with it and that they grew up in racist households. From there on I didn't even try and play the sport, but because of my anger, my angry nature towards kids who teased me because of my weight, many people told me, "Hey man, come play rugby..."
Still had that thought, that I'd die if I played rugby hence I declined. Tried playing soccer, tried watching it like the rest of my family but didn't find it utterly enjoyable at all. So, I became a artist because I was also gifted with the ability to draw, loved it, and still do... Hence the comic book idea(s). Through primary school, rugby lingered on in the deepest corners of my heart, and head because whenever I went passed a pitch, it'd hear the field speak to me, "C'mon, it won't hurt... well maybe a little but you'll like it, you'll wanna play some more..." it whispered each time! The transition from primary school to middleschool was simple, a bit hard because that's when being a teenager makes you more self conscious of your body, so yeah I had the kids who teased me but thankfully, I'd angrily kick ass because they deserved it. Yeah, than came the stupid people who called me the bully, "Always picking on the smaller kids..." they said, "Go pick on children your size... Go play rugby or something meant for your size!"... Pfft, what a bunch of a-holes, I may have been a growing teen but my age was always questionable, they soon thought I was the eldest in all my classes.
But when highschool kicked in, I decided you know what?, scourge all this weight I'll be skinny because I can't be tall and chubby, miraculously I all my baby-fat (took its time didn't it!?) and the body began to form nicely, but than came the stupidity of community "Aye, man... Gain some weight, you look you're dying"
And my face at that time was the, "What The Funk!!?...", didn't they feel I needed to lose the weight!?, but hey the body tricks you if you're not healthy. As the lazy, artistic nerd I happened to be at time, I began to gain weight slowly, and nearly went back to my usual body size. Nearly because, I may have picked on some weight, but soon released I've a very large body structure... Thank You Bloody Genetics <- Sarcasm.
My friends, peers always kept telling me to do rugby. I'm violent, angry enough for it but no, still had that thought of death in me. But Hey, such thoughts begin to die quickly once you hold that ball and look at all these guys that want it. These giants that once invoked fear in me, these giants were now my enemies, my opponents. Man, the rush of fending off 3-4 people as they try to bring down, or you going in for that tackle, blam!... Epicness.
So yeah, I said family "Screw your beliefs, I'll play rugby for me and only me, and I'll work on being the best to better myself...". So yeah, I play rugby for me, for my team and for my nation, we're done with Racism, all that. We're a diverse race of people that shouldn't be judged by colour. I'm black, but I proudly play rugby as any other player on the field because in that moment, it's not your race that determines who wins, it's who your team is, who you're as a person.
An because of that, I've been seen how my body is molded, because I came from a lazy background, I never really knew that I've a well-defined and ripped form under all this weight. Which is okay because it cushions those really hard tackles I give and get, but Hey.. I decided, let me just get how my body is meant to be, and thankfully because of my family, their support and believe in me, my belief and goals.. I'll be hitting the gym first day next mouth!... Awesome!! (Secretly planning on joining the military, Haha)
But now, I'm done... I've spoken enough to know enough. -Peace |