I was never an athlete. With poor vision in my right eye, I couldn't hit a baseball to save my life, all due to the flood of oxygen into my incubator when I was a newborn. Not big enough for football and too chubby to really be a track star, these couldn't be my pursuits. None the less, I carried on. Boys had hero's like Al Kaline or Jim Bunning or Gordie Howe, or Bobby Layne. I did too. Detroit was and is great sports town and has been for decades.
Those of us that post in and favor Meta's Facebook get short Reels that come up in the normal course of things. Our viewing history dictates the subject matters that show up. Mine are mostly left leaning commentators and folks that are telling me how to cure Type 2 diabetes.
Recently, however, film shorts on rugby matches are showing up. I really don't know much about this sport only that is is rough and tumble, a version of football with no pads or headgear and a ball with rounded rather than pointed ends. At the beginning of play, there is a scrum, players locked shoulder to shoulder, to determine possession of the ball Once that is established, it is passed laterally from player to player to get to the goal. The recipients always seem to be ready to get the ball and move forward only to pass to a teammate moving toward the goal. Some of the defensive moves, mostly straight ams, would be illegal in the NFL. If a player is injured, but not incapacitated, they are patched up and bandaged up then returned to the battle on the field.
Ilona Mahar is our American hero of the sport. She is part of the US team that earned a bronze medal in the last summer olympics. She is living proof that big can be beautiful, last seen throwing around her little partner on Dancing with the Stars.
But back to rugby. New Zealand has a national team called the Black Ferns. There are female and male squads. Before each match, the team performs a Haka, which has Maori origins and is a demonstration of strength and unity with loud voices and menacing facial expressions. To a casual observer, it's pretty impressive. These players are thick and strong and fast. Female players with hair tied back, and legs churning, they present as no nonsense competitor.s
These are truly tough and strong women that support each other. In terms of their strength and tenacity, I would put them up against any division one American football team if you removed their pads and their helmets. Very impressive. If you are interested, look them up.
No politics today.
thats it
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