Player Perspective: Defying the Odds

Leni Dworkis (#2) with a strong carry to break the Raleigh defensive line.

Diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis before my 13th birthday, I’d never have guessed a full-blown contact sport like rugby would be where I’d end up.

As a former-gymnast-turned-cheerleader, my path as a young person was not as I’d imagined – slowly and painfully I began to learn the limits of my body, watching years of forced flexibility disintegrate and adopting a managed mobility. The discouragement and frustration I felt with my body was palpable through my teenage angst, which happily solidified into a solid adult-sized chip on my shoulder that I carried around for a while.

At GW, I craved the unity and camaraderie that often comes with team culture. Since a standing back tuck was no longer in the cards, I reluctantly turned my attention away from information about cheerleading tryouts and did the thing college freshman love to do – attend a student organization fair and sign up for every mailing list. That’s how I found ballroom, in which I struggled for over a year with counting and rhythm, learning new steps, and making friends.

Thankfully, my sophomore year roommate was on the rugby team. Her recruitment strategies were (not so) subtle – she would talk tirelessly of how much she loved the team, show we me awesome Facebook photos from team events and parties, and finally, when the spring season approached, she invited me to practice. Desperate to feel like a badass again, I went. And on that first day when they said “backs like to run, and forwards like to hit things” my stubborn ways ran me right over with the forwards, and I got hooked (literally – I’m a hooker).  

 It was incredibly hard, my athletic abilities were perceivably compromised by physical pain and incredible joint agitation, but I was relentless. I went to the doctor more, took meds more, cried more. I started lifting – as my body and joints got stronger, so did my will.

Then in 2013 I joined the Furies. I’ll be honest – I was awed by the talent, floored by the tenacity, and shocked silent by their strength from my first day. I spent my first year watching, listening, and absorbing; quietly preparing goals; and figuring out how to be more like those I admired around me. Inspired and hopeful, I made the active decision to give rugby my all. The Furies provided me with more than the resources to get there, they provided me with love, energy, and motivation.

My journey on the Furies has been long – I saw things I wanted, and I put in overtime to try to achieve them. I pushed my body to and past its limits with stars in my eyes. I worked hard at every step and at every level. The Furies, in turn, were patient and understanding, they were supportive and compassionate, and they were empathetic. They gave me the tools to grow, and they helped me learn how to use them.

On my best days, I walk with an undetectable limp. On my worst days, I barely move. No matter what the day, rugby is a lifeline and the Furies are my family. I am grateful to be part of a community that so graciously accepts me, my position, and my struggles. When I was in college I once wrote “I play rugby to defy the odds and prove that the impossible is possible” and the Furies are ever supportive and pivotal in my mission to prove myself right. 

Leni Dworkis
PTBAF