Reluctantly crouched at the starting line. Engines pumping and thumping in time. The green light flashes and the flags go up; churning and burning they yearn for the cup.
Those song lyrics from Cake are what play through my mind before every rugby game I've played since Jr. year of high school. That song, and a few explicit others, rage so hard my body can hardly contain itself. I am a ball of endless energy encased in bone and flesh. I must use my body as a machine, momentum flying at my opponent's shins in full force as my feet leave the field. It's a mentality- you must know what you are capable of and that no other man can stop you. No attitudes, no hero role models, and no excuses.
Our warmups were the scream metal ska songs on Kyle's iPod. The team looked to us to incite terror and panic in the hearts of men, which turned to expectancy and contentness once we started our undefeated streak to regional champions. Logic has its time and place but true rabble rousers allow others to forget their humanity.
This was straight boss-mode. I completely agree with your outlook on what it takes to play true rugby. But who is this Kyle person? And why are you listening to his ipod? Maybe you should be a little more succinct next time.
ReplyDeleteI've never played rugby but I can certainly relate to certain songs making you feel like an unstoppable force of endless energy. While you are writing about rugby, what you feel accurately describes the way I feel when I play ice hockey or lacrosse, and probably can be applied to describe most sports.
ReplyDeleteNow we're getting somewhere. Music as motivation, a soundtrack for mayhem. More specific details about the songs and the game--this starts strong but slides into abstraction (terror, panic, expectancy, contentness, humanity).
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to see more fleshed out scenes or more physical description to feel the pomp and circumstance of this setting.
ReplyDeleteI really like the language in this. It feels active, confident and intense. I especially like the phrases in the second paragraph: "a ball of endless energy encased in bone and flesh." I instantly feel this energy.
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