Interview: An Exploration of Women's Rugby in the U.S., with Alycia Washington, Kat Aversano, and Kerri Heffernan

Burn It All Down

Sports

4.5 • 729 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2022

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Jessica Luther spoke with three women in US rugby: Kerri Heffernan, who has been a part of rugby in the US for many decades and is currently the Chair of the Women’s Rugby Coaches and Referees Association; Kat Aversano, the head coach of the Howard University women’s rugby team; and Alycia Washington, one of the top current players in the US. They discuss the history of the sport, the incredible community among rugby athletes and the growing pains of the game in the U.S. Listen to get ready for the Rugby Union World Cup that starts Saturday, October 8, in New Zealand. This episode was produced by Tressa Versteeg. Shelby Weldon is our social media and website specialist. Burn It All Down is part of the Blue Wire podcast network. For show notes, transcripts, and more info about BIAD, check out our website: www.burnitalldownpod.com To get exclusive content and support the Burn It All Down podcast, become a patron: www.patreon.com/burnitalldown For BIAD merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/burn-it-all-down/ Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/BurnItDownPod; Facebook: www.facebook.com/BurnItAllDownPod/; and Instagram: www.instagram.com/burnitalldownpod/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	A note. This episode does not address World Rugby's ongoing discriminatory rules against trans athletes.
0:06.0	Thank you to K.P., who brought this critique to my attention.
0:09.2	We have discussed World Rugby's anti-trans policies on Burn It All Down on previous episodes,
0:14.0	including as far back as episode 27. More recently, you can hear my burns about it on episode 170 and episode 257.
0:22.4	We have also talked about the harms of anti-trans policies more generally in episode 195 and episode 256,
0:30.6	both of which mention World Rugby's horrific policy as part of those discussions.
0:35.4	I will also note that USA Rugby announced in September 2020, in response to World Rugby's
0:41.1	Band on Transgender Athletes that, quote, USA Rugby continues to recognize transgender athletes
0:46.5	and every diverse member represented across the rugby community, where driving the value of
0:51.4	inclusivity will remain paramount.
0:54.1	Rugby is and will continue to be a sport for all in the United States.
1:15.2	Welcome to Burn It All Down, the feminist sports podcast you need. Jessica here. The 2021 Rugby World Cup was postponed due to COVID. It will be played this year in New Zealand, starting on
1:20.1	October 8th and lasting through November 12th. I am talking about women's rugby here, but World Rugby
1:25.8	decided a while back to no longer distinguish between men's and women's World Cups, choosing instead to just call each the Rugby
1:31.7	World Cup.
1:33.5	This year also happens to be the 50th anniversary of U.S. women's rugby.
1:38.2	So I thought it would be fun to talk to a trio of women in the U.S. who have played,
1:42.4	are playing, rugby, and love the sport.
1:45.4	Carrie Heffernan, Kat Avarsano, and Alicia Washington.
1:49.3	Carrie has been a part of rugby in the U.S. for many decades and is currently the chair
1:53.5	of the Women's Rugby Coaches and Referees Association.
1:57.2	Kat is the head coach of the Howard University Women's Rugby team, and Alicia is a current rugby player and one of the top players in the U.S.
	...

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