The experience of an international female rugby player

Abstract

This chapter presents the case study of a Paola. Rugby is respected as one of the sports across the world where men and women play under the same rules. Paola mentions her best friends all being from rugby, so she clearly got involved into the social side of the game and started to create important emotional bonds, which increased the pleasure she was feeling every time she played. Paola's experience of transitioning from football to rugby, although happening later in her life, had a huge effect on her identity and personal development. Paola's cultural learning through rugby though seems to have the opposite effect, as her horizon of learning evolves to appreciate and take care of her body more than before. Paola's entrance into the rugby environment affects her horizon for action and horizon of learning, which had become stale in football but were re-energised by a new enthusiasm for learning the game of rugby.