Lions Beach Rugby in Valdivia

– Valdivia Beach Rugby Championship –

I’m excited to play rugby play again. My goal for this championship is to score three tries. However, I had a problem the week before the championship. I was doing something behind my apartment and I stuck a nail in my left foot. Nooooo, really?! Do I need an injection to prevent tetanus? With confirmation from my doctor in the United States, I am fine for three more years.

I couldn’t train or anything. I had to stay outside my foot to have the possibility to play beach rugby in Valdivia. It doesn’t matter that I hit a nail, nothing is going to stop me from playing beach rugby. So, I decided to go and play with the Lions of Valdivia. Thanks to Pato Jara and the Lions for allowing me to play with their team. Anyway, after a fifteen-hour trip, I arrived in Valdivia and stayed at the Aires Buenos hostel.

This championship had fourteen teams and two of the teams are from Argentina. I would like to play against a team from Argentina because of the experience. However, none of the two Argentine teams were in our group. Like the rugby world cup, we have groups of four teams to qualify for the gold, silver, bronze and honor cup.

Thank you very much to Paula for taking pictures of me while I played so I can receive memories of that event. I am very grateful, more than you know.

– My Games –

Game 01: The Galleons team we played in the first game won the silver championship. I think they played better than last year. I felt outside physically, more tired than normal and that I played badly. Not training before the championship because I entered a nail had a big impact on me.

Game 02: In our second match, we played against Los Langostas de Lota and they won the gold championship. I thought I’m not going to achieve my three-tries goal. I injured my shin badly. I think I broke a vein because it quickly swelled quite large. As I drove a nail into my foot, nothing is going to shake me and I kept playing.

Game 03: In the stubborn match against Los Rinos, I was super motivated to score a try. I felt like I played great in this match. Finally I was tackling better, etc. After several missed opportunities, I scored the last try at the end of the match. Yee-haw!!! With this victory, we qualified for the bronze cup.

Game 04: We played the Cavemen team for the fourth game and I wanted to score the other two tries to achieve my goal. I started well and strongly, yet things were going badly for me. I started having an asthma attack on the court after a tackle and I can’t lift. I got up, made few more tackles and went out on the court. Now the asthma attack is worse and I asked a game to take my inhaler out of my backpack. I recovered during halftime. Like my foot and shin injuries, nothing is going to hold me back and I kept playing in the second half. I couldn’t score two more tries. I forgot to change the settings when I passed the camera to Paula and the photos of this match were burned. However, I managed to save some photos.

Game 05: We can’t play our fifth game because there is still time. What a pity. I would have liked to play my fifth game for the opportunity to finish the championship with good vibes. I felt like I played badly and I’m disappointed in my performance. This is not how I wanted to play my last game. Then I looked at the pictures, maybe I played better than I think? However, I didn’t play well like when I played in Concón and La Serena. With all the problems, this trise that I did not have the opportunity to take a picture of me with the Lions.

– Tournament Results –