Rugby is one of the toughest sports in the world. It has the same type of contact as American football, but without the pads. Because of the physical nature of the sport, it is mostly played by men, but for athletes such as View Park Prep’s Elona Williams, the rough nature of the sport is perfect for her.
Williams has the athletic abilities of a running back in football, as she has blazing speed and can easily get away from would-be tacklers. She also has the toughness of a linebacker, which is needed in this contact sport.
Williams displayed great athletic abilities as a young child, excelling in basketball, tennis, and swimming. Because it is rare for girls to play youth football, and even more rare for them to play on the high school level, Williams was encouraged to take up rugby, and she found her calling.
“From the beginning, I had the natural abilities,” Williams said. “From running to being fearless with the ball, my athleticism came into play with the sport.”
Williams has great field awareness. She knows how to get to the ball, and how to keep her teammates involved. She is not only one of the best players, she is also a leader on the team.
Williams has won numerous awards while playing rugby, and has competed in a number of all-star games. She has been able to travel the nation to play, and recently visited England and France for games, where the competition is tougher because the sport is more widely played in those countries.
“The competition was tough,” Williams said. “In our last game in Liverpool, we played in the mud, and those girls kept giving it to us. But we got to see where we need to improve our game.”
The trip to Europe was an experience to remember for Williams, who learned a lot by seeing how people in other places in the world live.
“Everywhere we went it was like a culture shock, but we were very welcomed everywhere that we went,” Williams said “It was a really good experience.”
Learning different cultures will help Williams adapt to college life; she is going to attend UC Irvine in the fall. She is going to continue her rugby career there, playing on the university’s club team. As many athletes do, Williams plans to stay in athletics when her playing career is over. She is going to major in biological science with a minor in nutrition. Her plan is to be a physical therapist.
Williams will go as far in rugby as possible, which could lead her to the Olympics on the USA national team. There are also professional women’s rugby leagues.
As great of an athlete as Williams is, her greatest ability is her intelligence; she graduated from View Park Prep with a 4.4 grade point average and was the co-valedictorian. She not only works hard in the classroom, but she works smart too.
“I make positive relationships with my teachers,” Williams said. “I know that when I need some help that I can go to them. And I have intelligent friends. We do our work smartly, and we do our work together. There’s no point in being by yourself and failing. It’s better to put your minds together.”
Williams’ system is simple: She pays attention in class, asks a lot of questions, completes her assignments on time, and retains the information as she goes, making it easier to study for exams.
Williams’ intelligence and great athletic ability will take her far in life.
