Xannie Quiring stood at the edge of Cooley Park with the sun rising over the trees on a crisp Sunday in October. She was showing off a selfie of her bloodied face.
The week before, Quiring collided with a teammate while trying to make a tackle during a rugby match against the Omaha G.O.A.T.S.
“We made contact with our faces and mine didn’t fare as well as hers did,” she said.
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Patriots players practice forming a scrum during practice at Cooley Park on Oct. 20, 2024.
The collision carved a gash above her right eye. She was reveling in finally being able to put on makeup for the first time since the injury.
Quiring didn’t have to worry about getting care during the game. Her rugby club, the Patriots, is made up of paramedics, firefighters and other health care workers.
When Quiring and the other player went down, they sprung into action.
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Xannie Quiring (with ball) runs a drill with her Patriots teammates during practice on Oct. 20, 2024.
“I had to go fix myself and then I went over to make sure she was OK,” she said. “I felt like a dirt bag because she was still on the ground and then I realized she broke her leg.”
Quiring relayed the story with a mixture of glee and hype — she’s new to rugby and still learning.
Veteran rugby players in Kansas City are hoping to capitalize on a surge in fandom and participation in women’s sports across the country.
That, and the success of the American women’s Olympic rugby team this past summer, which gave player Ilona Maher celebrity status, have drawn more eyes to the sport.
Patriot players push each other in a drill designed to help the ball carrier learn how to drive through tacklers.
The Patriots: Kansas City’s newest rugby team
Quiring spent two hours that Sunday preparing for Kansas City’s first-ever matchup between its two women’s Division II rugby teams.
The Patriots formed earlier this year. The club’s president and team captain Elena Rojas said some of the players came from Kansas City’s older, more established team, the Kansas City Jazz.
Others showed up out of curiosity or were drawn by the Patriots’ mission.
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Patriots player Jessica Reid practices a drill to push through teammate Bekah Caldwell, whose shorts read “In Rugby We Trust.”
Rojas wants the collection of first responders and other health professionals to compete in the World Police and Fire Games.
Rojas also wanted to form a team supportive around mental health and building community.
“What better sport that teaches resilience and cohesion than rugby?” she said.
The Jazz: Kansas City rugby’s established club
A few days earlier, Lachelle Coats scanned a field of about 22 women warming up at Macken Field in North Kansas City. She has played for 30 years.
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Lachelle Coats (in purple) pitches the ball during practice at Macken Park on Oct. 17, 2024. Coats has played rugby for 30 years.
Coats says the growth of rugby in the Midwest has been slower than in other parts of the country. She coached a high school rugby team in Philadelphia between 2000 and 2016.
“You couldn’t throw a stick and not hit a high school rugby team when I was in Philadelphia,” she said. “The coasts are a lot more acclimated with the sport.”
The Kansas City Jazz formed in 1993 and became an official USA Rugby team in the fall of 1994. They and the Patriots play in the Mid-America Rugby Union. Other teams include the Omaha G.O.A.T.S. and St. Louis Sabres.
Both the Jazz and the Patriots boast around 30 members each.
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Jazz players run trough a drill during practice at Macken Park in North Kansas City.
The games are just as rugged as men’s games, the players say, which attracts athletes and non-athletes looking for a physical and emotional outlet.
Devon Torrez, a 46-year-old mother of three, plays flanker for the Jazz. She’s been playing for seven years.
Torrez said she had never played rugby in her life and knew nothing about it. She saw on Facebook that Kansas City had a team.
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Devon Torrez, 46, carries the ball in practice. Torrez has been playing on and off for seven years. She says she loves the running and the contact the sport offers.
“I showed up at practice and was totally confused, but immediately was just like, ‘This is it. I love this. I’m going to do it.’”
Torrez shares a sentiment that nearly every player relates: empowerment.
“There were times when I was younger and I didn’t feel like I didn’t have any power,” she said. “And now I can use my physical strength for a purpose.”
Growing the sport
Women’s sports are enjoying a surge in fandom across the country, with the stars like the WNBA’ s Caitlin Clark and tennis’ Coco Gauff grabbing headlines. Kansas City — home to the first stadium designed and built specifically for women’s professional sports — is no exception.
The two Division II rugby teams in Kansas City are another example of that growth.
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Eden Barnett sets the ball prior to her Jazz teammates forming a ruck during practice at Macken Park on Oct. 17, 2024.
Lachelle Coats, who plays for the Jazz, attributed some of the growth in rugby’s popularity to the success of the American women’s Olympic team this past summer. The team took home the bronze medal.
She said there are generally a couple of types who show up to learn the sport.
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Jazz players Amanda Peterson, left, and Maddy Medina get suited up for practice at Macken Park on Oct. 17, 2024.
“We have two people: the people who are very nervous, but they heard about it and they want to give it a try,” Coats says, “or the people that are like, ‘I’m here to hit somebody!’”
Kansas City to host its first-ever match up of home teams
There’s a bit riding on the line for this first-ever meeting of the Jazz and the Patriots. First is bragging rights.
Second, if the Jazz win, they will head to the playoffs. Playoff positioning and sites are yet to be determined.
But players on both teams say they are excited for a chance to show the game to a wider audience and further find a few more players ready to hit the pitch — and other people.
The match is scheduled for noon this Saturday, Oct. 26 at City Park (2601 Park Drive) in Kansas City, Kansas.
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