UCLA Club Sports

BY RILEY COOKE

For one reason or another, rugby often flies under the radar for many incoming Bruins looking for a unique athletic experience.  

Prospective players might be intimidated by the steep learning curve. It's a full-contact sport with little to no protective gear involved.

None of this has deterred Parlier, California native and third-year sociology major Ivanna Avellaneda from becoming a force to be reckoned with on the rugby pitch. In fact, rugby's intensity and physicality are the things she relishes most about it.

"I like getting physical with people. It's a type of sport where you can do that and not get in trouble," Avellaneda said. "I get a rush from it."

Avellaneda grew up with sports. She's a ten-year veteran of karate, which she enjoyed similarly for its physicality as well as its real-world application of self-defense. Though she'd never played rugby before, she joined the club team her freshman year at the suggestion of a friend. Since then, she's never looked back.

"I did sports my whole life, so having that gone [in college] kind of threw me off," Avellaneda said. "I do not regret joining rugby. It's definitely one of the best experiences I've had here... I joined because it's a good environment and a good stress reliever, so you kill two birds with one stone."

In the midst of her third year on the women's club team, Avellaneda is setting a high standard for her peers with an unshakeable, zen-like approach to the game. Her calm focus is noticeable in contrast to the nervous, pre-game jitters that many players struggle with.

During a tournament in November in San Diego, Avellaneda -- who plays the wing and fullback positions -- stood out with a huge defensive effort, saving her team from getting scored on upwards of 20 times.

"Once you start getting scared, that's where you screw up. So that game, I turned off my mind and I just went for people. I guess it ended up working because I got a lot of tackles and saved a lot of tries," Avellaneda said.

A team MVP award is handed out by the coaches after every game in honor of a late rugby alumna who exemplified the team's values. Usually, the coaches try to keep the MVP decision under wraps, but following Ivanna's stellar performance in San Diego, it was obvious.

"Literally everyone knew it was going to be [her]," said team publicist and second-year hooker and flanker Tasha Tsao.

Tsao noted how Avellaneda's skills on the pitch along with her sense humor off it play a critical role in the building of a positive and welcoming team culture and chemistry.

"Ivanna's a character. She's really funny... She's kinda weird, but in a good way, in a quirky way," Tsao said. "This season, we're trying to get more serious about our competitiveness... Ivanna does a good job of inserting humor and lightheartedness here and there, and it makes practices fun and better."

Armed with equal parts levity, composure and a fiery sense of competition, Ivanna is looking forward to the start of the regular season for rugby this winter.

Reach out to the team to get involved in a rewarding athletic and social experience.

"Rugby is not like any of the other sports that are available...or are common for women to play," Tsao said. "If there are girls or women who have always -- like Ivanna -- thought about or wanted to try a contact sport... I'd say rugby is a really good thing to try out."