So, plan on going home tomorrow night?

If you are, don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you.

In fact, I actually made the weekly pilgrimage a lot during my freshman year. I guess going home seemed like a good idea at the time; everything familiar and fun to me at the time was 60 miles east of here. Besides, from what I had been told, NIU was a “suitcase school,” and since there was nothing to do here anyway, what was wrong with turning to the homefront to slake my boredom?

Plenty, according to my dad, who reminded me that if I liked coming home so much, he would see to it that I stayed there and got a job. And so, with his loving words to encourage me, I hightailed it back to school, looking locally for something to do with my time. However, if midget wrestling a few weeks ago is any indication of my progress so far, it’s obvious that I’ve got a long way to go.

Why are we so quick to leave NIU every weekend? Is this place really devoid of things to do? I’d have to say “no,” as long as you’re willing to dig around and find out just what the school has to offer.

Last week, I accepted an invitation to watch the NIU women’s rugby team play their first game of the semester at U of I, and to be completely honest with you, I had a great time.

Now rugby, as I understand it, is a contact sport in every sense of term & a game in which 30 finely-trained killing machines run up and down a soccer-sized field, devising new and terrible ways to inflict pain upon each other in their quest to score a goal, also known as a try.

Rugby plays somewhat like football, which is understandable since football as we know it originated from rugby in the early 1900s. However, there is an emphasis on consistent action in rugby that football is sorely lacking. Also, rugby players don’t have the luxury of helmets and protection that football players do, they play in little more than knee-length socks, shorts, and long-sleeve shirts.

Gameplay does not stop with a tackle, and timeouts are not allowed. Rugby’s fast, aggressive and entertaining in a way the XFL could never hope to imitate on its finest day.

A bitter wind cut through me as I walked out to the field last Saturday; the sharp, piercing kind that drives icy knives up your spine and freezes your … well, it was cold, trust me.

Despite this, it was still a beautiful day, and the rugby team was assembled along the sideline, anxiously awaiting their game as they ran through drills and stretching exercises. Purdue was supposed to stick around for the day, but ran out suddenly for reasons unknown, leaving NIU and U of I to lock horns in what was one of the most athletically intense competitions I’ve seen.

For their first time out this semester, the women had themselves an amazing opening game, beating U of I 27-0. They played a confident, energetic game that was easy to follow and fun to watch. A win for NIU was only half the fun though, because I think the second half here is what really made me a fan.

Unlike sports such as basketball or football, which almost guarantee a degree of success and publicity, the women on the rugby team have no such benefit to look forward to. Why do they do it then? Why do they go out every week and willingly risk getting their skulls cracked open like walnuts? Simple: they love this game and are willing to do what it takes to play, and it’s dedication like that that makes me want to go back and watch them play again.

If women’s rugby piqued your curiosity, just imagine what other club sports and organizations are waiting for you. You may have to ask around and do a little digging to find them, but the fun things in life usually are worth the effort.