Women's varsity rugby: Getting up close with The Bears

Each college semester, come rain or shine, around 30 of the US’s brightest young women head to the rugby pitch at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, to take part in some “elegant violence”. Face to armpit, gum-shields gurning, The Bears rugby team show physical and mental strength powerful enough to challenge any gender stereotype and have fun in the process.

Having photographed the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps for a previous series, Spanish photographer Alejandra Carles-Tolra, 27, spent time getting to know the team after deciding to learn more about the experiences of women who perform in male-dominated fields.

“I had recently moved from Boston to Providence, and after finding out about Brown University’s Women’s Rugby Club. I was immediately interested in learning more,” she says. “I began doing research about the team, their history, the group identity and the sport, which I knew very little about.”

After getting in touch with the captain, Carles-Tolra, who is now based in London, began attending weekly training sessions and games, taking pictures of the women of Rhode Island on a regular basis. “The first few months were the most challenging; trying to gain their confidence, understanding the reasons why they played the sport, as well as figuring out how to visually explore the sense of community and search for identity,” she says.

“Rugby has a complex identity that is often simplified, and hence the identity of those who play it, especially women, is often also simplified. Women who join the sport are commonly pictured to fit a masculine stereotype. But what does it mean to be a ‘rugby girl’? Is there such a thing as a ‘rugby girl’? Or are there just girls who play rugby?”

In exploring these questions, Carles-Tolra was able to challenge perceptions of femininity and what might be expected of a typical Ivy League student. Using fixed rather than zoom lenses, the photographer forced herself to get into the middle of the action: “I like getting close to my subjects to feel the intimacy and energy I hope to bring in my photographs”.

Close-ups of squashed faces and bruised thighs offer an insight into a pastime a world away from the flawless selfie culture and show a lesser-seen aspect of varsity life.

“It’s a tight and united group of women who are very supportive of each other. I believe many of these girls join the team not only for the sport, but as a way to be introduced to a community with a strong identity where they can find their own.”

“I’m interested in exploring who these women are and enhancing the dualities that define the sport and the athletes: violence and grace, weakness and strength, masculine and feminine,” says Carles-Tolra. “. I hope my photographs are seen as a celebration of their strength and identity, which I believe play an important role in challenging the meaning of masculine sports, and pushing the boundaries of female identity.

Brown University was one of the first to include women’s rugby as a registered sport – and 37 years on, women’s rugby is about to compete in the Olympics for the very first time.

Alejandra Carles-Tolra - www.alejandractr.com
Instagram - @alejandractr