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In commemoration of 20 years of Women’s Army Rugby at West Point, we invite you to learn more about one of the winningest teams at West Point through our three-part series, WAR Stories. In Part I, we learned about the founding of WAR. In part two we will hear what it took to become a championship team in 2011 from CPT(P) Triada Cross, class of 2013.
That season was different from the others. It was my sophomore season and I was finally understanding the game and seeing the opportunities in the back line that I needed to see as an Outside Center. It was like I had put on goggles that let me see the matrix. I felt unstoppable. I suspected that my classmates felt the same as I saw a few of them rise to the occasion and play regularly on the A Side. Seeing them only made me want to play harder and be better for my sisters.
The team leadership that year came from Sylvia Thomas and Marie Timm, both Class of 2011. They had a plan: to become National Champions. At the beginning of the season, they sat us all down in a classroom and explained their shared vision. I was so proud to be a part of this team and we hadn’t even played a game yet. Sylvia and Marie explained that we would focus on being the most physically fit team on the pitch so no other team could outplay us, which would require sacrifice on our part. It was decided that we would have a dry season. No alcohol for a team of rugby players. I was underage, so this was an easy sacrifice for me to make, but I know my older teammates struggled. I remember a tearful meeting mid-season where many upperclassmen confessed to not being faithful to our dry-season pact. They promised to do better and their recommitment to the team and to our goal of being champions drove all of us to be even more disciplined in the second part of the season.
That discipline was tested plenty of times. Coach Fink scheduled workouts for us twice a day. We would wake up before the rest of the Corps to go lift weights in the male-dominated weight room at Arvin Gym. We would jog all the way down to Anderson Rugby Complex from the barracks before practice (and not in the most direct way). I cursed those twice-a-day workouts. I hated those pre-practice runs. But my sisters and I bonded through the sweat and awkward glances from male cadets who had never seen girls squat more than them in the gym.
One particular practice, I remember Coach Riddle was particularly upset about our lack of discipline and made us pay dearly for it. The team had failed to properly line up our brand-new kit neatly along the edge of the pitch and Coach had had it. He blew his whistle and that shrill sound cut through us like a knife. He bellowed at us to get on the try line and with each blow of the whistle, we ran ladders. And we ran. And ran. And ran. I had lost count of how many times we repeated this pattern. I prayed for a water break. The other coaches looked on, unable to help us because we had brought this upon ourselves. When suddenly, I heard Kaitlyn Kelly yell out “Kaitlyn Kelly. Chicago, Illinois. And I play for the United States Military Academy!” Other girls followed suit, replaying that infamous scene from the movie Miracle. I guess Coach thought it was funny or he had gotten his point across — either way, he finally told us to get some water. We never haphazardly threw our kit on the ground ever again. Even up until my Firstie year, girls on the team would get on each other to make sure they were taking care of their kit and lining it up neatly. We wore our jerseys with pride and treated our kit with the respect it deserved because it was an extension of our team.
All of that discipline, slowly enforced over days, weeks, and months of practice finally brought us to the 2011 Championship game against Penn State. When we prepared for games that season, Sylvia or Marie would give us all a small slip of paper with an inspirational quote to read before heading out on the pitch. I watched many of my sisters place their quotes in their socks, sports bras, and anywhere to keep it close to them during the match. I watched my classmate, Emily Taylor, write the names of the Firsties on her leg, underneath her socks as a way to honor them during their last collegiate game. We had all worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get to this moment and we all knew we were playing for each other. At the beginning of the season, we had changed our team motto to “Together” to highlight the unity and tight bond we had within our team. It’s that bond that won us the championship. From the sidelines, I watched my sisters play harder than I’d ever seen them play before. I watched them become beasts and throw themselves into scrums. I saw tackle after tackle go down, knowing that one of my teammates was going to be there to clear over the ball and protect her sister.
When that final whistle blew... all of that aggression and kinetic energy and tension immediately released into tears. We all sprinted across the field towards our fan section to celebrate with our parents and loved ones who had supported our team every step of the way.
It’s been over 10 years since that game and the girls on that team are still my closest sisters. We’ve traveled the world together and have been there for each other at the drop of a hat. We’ve celebrated graduations, weddings, births, and promotions. And we’ve also mourned together during unspeakably difficult times. It’s truly incredible how close we still are. There was just something different about that season that still lingers on to this day. I don’t know what it was, but I know it’s kept us together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“WAR Stories” is a multi-part feature celebrating the history and legacy of the West Point Women’s Army Rugby Team. This November, over 20 years of WAR alumni, players, current cadets, and people influential to the team’s founding will gather to celebrate the team’s legacy, and build ties for the future.
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