Rugby Rachel

For rugby player Rachel Billings, there is nothing better than an adventure.

Growing up in Tigard, Oregon, Billings lived only 30 minutes away from the Columbia River Gorge. It’s a place that according to her, provided the perfect excuse to go for a swim.

“I spent a lot of time out there, swimming in waterfalls and going for adventures,” Billings said. “I did a lot of things outdoors.”

However, Billings didn’t just get outside. She also got involved. There were many sports to choose from in her community in Tigard, and she tried them all.

“I was always looking for a new sport to play in Oregon,” Billings said. “I was very blessed to grow up in an area that had a lot of sports opportunities for me.”

But Billings didn’t just want a sport to play — she wanted a team.

After serious attempts with both basketball and soccer, Billings felt like she would have to compromise on her dream team environment — until she tried rugby.

“Rugby clicked,” Billings said. “It has the best team environment I ever felt playing a sport.”

This discovery surprised her because according to Billings, “Most girls don’t even know rugby is a sport they can play.”

World Rugby reports that nearly a quarter of the playing population is female, and since she discovered her love for the sport, Billings has been included in that population.

Billings has been a part of the USU Women’s Rugby Team since she moved to Utah State. All it took was one email and one practice for her to join the team. With her previous experience, she felt as though she fit right in.

However, Billings’s decision to come to Utah State wasn’t as easy as she imagined.

“The transition to college was really hard,” Billings said. “I think it is for everybody.”

According to Billings, this experience differed from what she was used to because her family is very spontaneous and close.

“One time, my siblings and I biked across the whole state of Oregon,” Billings said. “We did not train or have good bikes. We just set out.”

College was a different ride for Billings. She said it was a hard decision to be so far away from her family and the waterfalls of Oregon.

However, she is not without support.

“I have a sister here and grandparents that are pretty close,” Billings said. “I really appreciate all the efforts they make to come support me in my sport.”

In addition, Billings has her teammates. She believes they give her the same team camaraderie that made her fall in love with rugby years ago.

“It’s the best way to make friends here that I’ve come across,” Billings said. “We take brand new players and create a team of whoever wants to be a part of it.”

This group dynamic has not only helped Billings feel comfortable in a new place but has also  helped her feel comfortable in her skin.

“The biggest thing that inspires me and pushes me to keep playing is the power and confidence it gives me in my body,” Billings said. “Because rugby is so physical, it highlights that.”

But rugby hasn’t just helped her. It has also helped her teammates, who credit Billings for making it happen.

“She empowers fellow women,” said Maddy Martin, Billings’s friend and teammate. “Rachel has been a great source of confidence for many people.”

According to Martin, Billings never misses a practice and is always willing to help her teammates on and off the field.

“Rachel is essentially our main leader for practice,” Martin said. “She is always there giving pointers and helping people to improve.”

Another thing Billings does is focus on empowering her teammates.

“I think the biggest thing I have to share is the power to understand what we are capable of,” Billings said.

Billings explained that she has faced inappropriate comments and sexualization in her life. For her, rugby provides a safe place for her to be herself.

“Having a place where everybody is welcome, everybody is needed,” Billings said. “I think it’s really cool that it’s a place that can be celebrated.”

However, body empowerment is not the only adventure Billings has started since she’s been here.

In addition to playing on the team, she is double majoring in physics and oboe performance.

Billings believes her decision to focus on music in addition to school and extracurriculars has a lot to do with her family mantra of taking chances.

“I didn’t intend on majoring in oboe performance,” Billings said. “But I have always wanted to teach oboe lessons.”

According to Martin, Billings can accomplish all she has set out to do.

“Rachel is super dedicated to everything she sets her mind to — on and off of the field,” Martin said.

However, Billings’s main focus for her last year in school will be convincing women that tackling is fun. She hopes to inspire and empower women and remind them rugby is more than a sport, “no matter if you win or lose.”