Felicity Powdrell

The past two months have been a whirlwind of adventure and exhaustion in blistering heat. I was offered the opportunity to travel to America and play sevens for Oklahoma University, and while I was there I also played and trained with the American Rugby Pro Training Centre in Little Rock, Arkansas. I completed a couple of my first semester exams while I was in Oklahoma and was proctored by my coach there. Studying for the exams was hard while I was in a different country, it was tempting to go and explore my new home but I had to prioritise what was most important.

After my exams were done, we had our mid-year break, three weeks where I didn’t have to worry about doing study. During that time I played in tournaments across USA in various states, and by the time my course resumed, I was at the ARPTC training camp. Attempting to keep up with lectures and train in a full-time rugby environment was really hard, especially since the team lived together so there was always the distraction of roommates etc.

Arriving home from America I was so exhausted, my flights ended up being delayed and I was stuck in airports trying to get home for a week straight. Going to classes was hellish, I was struggling to stay awake and I’m still finding the time and climate change hard. I am a bit behind in study but I’m doing my best to catch up, despite still recovering from the traveling. I also have my first provincial game for the Tui’s this weekend so training has been intense to say the least. I know everything will become easier with time, I just have to do the hard yards to catch up.

Reflecting on my experience in USA, I learnt a lot and I feel I have developed my sevens game immensely. I have been able to apply the skills I learnt over there into my overall rugby performance and feel I can contribute more to my team and region.