Stingers match and the fallout

It has been an event filled last couple of days. The most exciting news is that my rugby team won their first ever Division 1 MARFU matrix match!! We traveled to Maryland and won a tight match (final 7-5) but more on that later.... one more win over the next three weeks (Philly, Nova, Furies) would send us to the first round of the playoffs (Sweet 16's) in October... scary and exciting


side note: based on the facts that 1) we won 2) the match between Nova and the Furies ended in a tie and 3) Philly had a bye week... technically, for this week, Raleigh is currently ranked #1 in MARFU. I like the sound of that.


So, Maryland.... in the weeks leading up to the Stingers match I have been having issues with my left hamstring. I pulled it a few weeks ago but have continued playing on it (both practices and matches) and while it was irritating I thought I had it under control. Then last Tuesday at practice I really tweaked it so I took it easy on Thursday night to rest up for the Stingers match. Saturday morning found us meeting at 6am to leave and as crazy as it sounds, sitting in a van for 5 hours before a match will not improve your mobility or flexibility. Boo. So we arrive at the park and start warm ups


side note: this location is not my favorite for many reasons.... the biggest being that the entire middle of the pitch is barren of grass, bone dry so we play in a cloud of dust and there are rocks everywhere. I hate tackling / being tackled on this pitch.


So during warm ups I am very aware of the tightness in my hammy and make sure that I try to work it out really well. Apparently I fail at this endeavor. About 20 minutes into the match I feel it go and it hurts like a bee-atch. At this point all hustle flys out the window and every time Ridout (my scrumhalf) dashes past me she tries to get me moving saying something like "come on, no walking Meegs" or "I need you at post, let's go!" but it is no use, I am officially hobbled. I am still in the match and still effective at set pieces (scrums & lineouts) but my rucking is non-existent. Fail! Throughout this struggle, my teammates have picked up some momentum, had improved flow and communication and managed a break away try... we are winning 7-0 (it should have been 14-0 but Jay's try got called back over some phantom call that I still can't pretend to understand) Anyway, we hit halftime and Coach asks if everyone is ok to continue. At this point I look at him and say I may have torn something but my leg has not gotten the message yet so I can probably go another 40 but it won't be pretty. Given the fact that we traveled with 17 players (it takes 15 to field a team) we don't have many sub options so I stay in. The 2nd half kicks off and the Stingers score in the first 5 minutes but miss the conversion kick (5 points instead of 7) so we are fighting hard the entire half since either team could win with one good series. I have a mild heart attack when we are called for a penalty less than 10 meters out but for some reason the MD player takes a quick tap instead of kicking for points (3 points like a field goal) and our defense holds w clear the ball and 3 minutes later the final whistle blows. Winners! My celebration is short lived as the message has finally reached my hammy and it is in severe pain. I ice it down during the B-side match (which is really our A-side playing in different positions) and proceed to call my brother. Bry gives me a few tests over the phone and tells me its not great and whatever I do, keep moving it.... right... I am getting into a car to drive home. Oops. The car ride is actually entertaining (20 questions + 7 people = scandalous) and we make it back around 11pm. I still need to clean out the van and return it to the rental car place before midnight so I don't actually get home and showered until 12:30am. Sunday is spent watching football (GO PACK GO!), icing my hammy, enjoying a crab leg dinner and stopping in at an impromptu birthday gathering for Bailey (another teammate... and this event + Bailey's drunkenness deserves its own post)

So, I finally bite the bullet and go to the doctor on Monday. The verdict is that I have high grade 2 strain (just shy of a rupture) of the semitendinosus muscle (the middle one in the back of my leg) I was told to ice several times a day and stretch like a champ. I start PT tomorrow and will get some massage treatment, ultrasound treatment and possibly stimulus treatment as well. The doc recommends 2-3 weeks out and then reassessment (which Bryan agreed with but I still say is boo) but that would effectively kill my season so I am hoping to skip that pesky step and be ready to run in time to practice and play in the Nova and Furies matches. Why? simply because I don't have many more matches in my tank and I wanna make sure I go out playing not because of a stupid muscle pull. Either way I am finishing out this season (whether it be on the bench or playing) as strong as I can.