七载中华行，三年橄榄梦 My China Rugby Dream

英文转载自ThriveBeijing

The follow English article is from ThriveBeijing

我非常震撼，你在中国一呆就是7年！瑞贝卡，这七年里，你的业余生活有什么改变吗？

7 years in China, wow! Rebecca, how has your free time evolved over the years?

我的中国冒险之旅始于一个距离成都2小时车程的小地方，我在那里的一所大学工作。我非常享受那段时光，但是我更想搬到首都，去体验北京的文化。最开始，我住在学校，学校周围什么都没有。那时候还没有英文版的滴滴，所以我被“困”在了学校，我用辅导类的工作来填满我的夜晚。

My China adventure started in a small village 2 hours outside of Chengdu in central China, working at a university. I thoroughly enjoyed it but wanted to move to the capital city to experience the culture Beijing has to offer. At first, I lived at my school which was in the middle of nowhere. At the time there was no English version of DiDi, so I was stuck on campus. I filled my evenings with tutoring.

现在的周末，我会去逛逛公园、去三里屯喝点东西。我最终搬离了校园，这样我就可以融入这座城市，享受它所提供的一切。起初，我在健身房度过我的空闲时光，并且开始喜欢上跑步，那是我不曾想过我会真正喜欢的东西。

On the weekends I managed to escape to parks and Sanlitun for a few drinks. I eventually moved off campus so that I could get involved in what the city had to offer. At first, I spent my free time at the gym and started to get into running (something I don’t think I will ever really enjoy).

你现在业余时间忙什么呢？

What fills your free time now?

英式橄榄球！我之前在微信上看到一篇关于北京达克斯俱乐部的帖子，他们训练的地方离我家一步之遥。我渴望重返团队运动已经有一段时间了，并且我在大学里打过一点，所以我觉得这是一个值得抓住的好机会！

Rugby! I saw a post about the Ducks rugby club on Wechat and their training was super close to my house. I’d been itching to get back into team sports for a while and had played a bit at university, so I thought this was a good opportunity to seize!

我花了几周时间才鼓起勇气去加入。因为球队由很多人组成，如果他们都是经验丰富的球员，我可能会觉得自己像一条离开水的鱼,不知所措。但我的朋友们鼓励我勇往直前。我很惊奇我能遇到一支女子球队，更不用说是一个浩大的英式橄榄球社区了。

It took me a few weeks to build up the courage to go.A rugby team consists of a lot of people and if they were all very experienced players, I may have felt like a fish out of water.

But my friends encouraged me to go.I was surprised to stumble across a women’s rugby team, let alone a huge rugby community.

北京有大型的男女联赛，并且中国各地都有各种赛事，所以无论你身处何地，附近都极可能有一支球队！我记得第一次训练后，我感觉无比兴奋。那感觉势不可挡，但教练们非常友好和耐心，他们强调将安全放在首位。然后我接受了建议，带着最灿烂的微笑走开了。我现在已经打了三年橄榄球了。

There’s a large men’s and women’s league in Beijing and rugby tournaments all over China so no matter which part of the country you’re in there’s probably a team nearby! I remember after the first training session how pumped I felt. It was overwhelming, but the coaches were so kind, and patient and they emphasized putting safety first.I walked away with the biggest smile on my face. I have been playing for 3 years now.

太厉害了，那你最喜欢它的是什么？

Wow, what do you love most about it?

起初，我醉心于打橄榄球可以达到健身的效果，并且热爱技能学习的部分。我发现它是一种不需要刻意付出的锻炼，这是最好的锻炼方式。

At first, I enjoyed the fitness aspect of rugby and learning the skills. I found it was exercise without effort—which is the best kind.

接着，我的友谊之花怒放了。后来，我成为这个赛季俱乐部核心委员会的一员。我从没想过经营一家橄榄球俱乐部需要付出那么多，但我热爱这项工作。我的学位是体育管理，所以多年之后，将这些技能付诸实践是极棒的。

Then friendships blossomed. Then I became a member of the leadership committee this season. I would have never imaged the amount of work it takes to run a rugby club, but I love it.
My degree is in sports management so after all these years it’s great to put those skills into practice.

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自从成为英橄社群的成员，你在北京的经历发生了怎样的变化？

How has your experience in Beijing changed since becoming part of the league?

自从加入达克斯俱乐部，我的生活变得更好了。当我训练时，工作压力消失了，还拓宽了我的朋友圈。而且，能认识在不同行业领域工作的人非常棒。我们是一家双语俱乐部，同时拥有本地和国际球员。我的中文正在进步，尤其是在橄榄球术语方面——这是一种有趣的学习方式！我觉得我现在在北京有了真正的目标。

Since joining the Ducks my life has changed for the better. Stress from work disappears when I am at training, and I have increased my friendship circle. It’s nice to meet people that work in different industries. We are a bilingual club and have a combination of both local and international players too. My Chinese is improving especially when it comes to rugby terminology – it’s a fun way to learn! I feel like I have a real purpose in Beijing now.

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对英式橄榄球有兴趣但是没有任何经验的人可以加入社群吗？

Can someone with interest but no experience join the league?

他们100%可以加入我们的团队！如果有人对比赛感兴趣，但担心从撞式橄榄球入门有点吓人或太激烈，那么周二的非撞式训练，会是一种对橄榄球规则和技能非常好的介绍，是没有扑搂的。我们俱乐部也有社交会员，他们只来享受周末的比赛，然后加入我们的社交活动。我们非常喜欢来自社交会员的支持，能有人在场外为你加油真是太赞了。

They can 100% join our team! If someone is interested in playing but worried that contact rugby is a little scary or intense to start with, there’s a non-contact session on Tuesdays.
It’s a great introduction to the rules and skills of rugby without the tackling. We also have social members, that just come and enjoy the games on the weekend and join our social activities after. We love the support from our social members, it’s great to have people cheer you on from the sidelines.

北京的冬季赛季从9月到11月，夏季从3月到6月。但是达克斯俱乐部整年都有训练和社交活动，而且时刻期待大家的加入！

如果您对橄榄球感兴趣，请在微信上添加Rebecca:beccykemp或在Instagram上关注俱乐部：

女子联赛：beijingduckswugby

男子联赛：beijingducksrugbyclub

The Winter rugby season in Beijing runs from September to November, and the Summer season runs from March to June.But the Ducks train and have socials all year round and are always looking for people to join!

If you’re interested in playing rugby add Rebecca on Wechat: beccykemp or follow the club on Instagram:

Women’s: beijingduckswugby

Men’s: beijingducksrugbyclub

编译：Emily，北京橄榄球志愿者Beijing Rugby helpers

图片来自球友及达克斯俱乐部