Brian Harrell: New Beginnings (Athletic Journey)


Being an athlete my entire life, I have always held sports to be one of the most, if not the most important parts of my life. Growing up, I played football, basketball, baseball, I surfed, skied, through discus; eventually earning a scholarship to play football at James Madison University. As I focused my entire life on sports (especially football) I gave everything I had in my body, heart and soul to make the most of my athletic ability. Going into my freshman year at JMU, I felt like I had made it. I reached my life long goal of earning a Division 1 (double A, not single A but i'll take it) scholarship and I truly felt on top of the world. As my football year began there, I constantly looked at my future at the school and hoped, prayed and truly believed that I would be a huge impact of the team and school. Sadly, my hopes and dreams of this impact were crushed when I was hurt (breaking my back) in my third game of my freshman year when getting hit late as I caught my first collegiate touchdown. Being injured, I felt like my entire life came crashing down, truly not understanding its reality for I have never been injured before. Hoping to make a speedy comeback, I was again crushed when I was told I would not only never be able to play football again but, I had lost my scholarship. I felt like my life was over but, this was truly a blessing in disguise. Transferring closer to home, I decided to transfer to CNU to focus solely on my education. Finishing my freshman year without sports, I felt like the biggest part of my life was gone, taken. Knowing that I could not be truly happy without sports I swore to myself to recover from my injury and return to sports. Making a miracle recovery, I returned to CNU my sophomore year looking to transfer but, this all changed when I met a rugby player in my physics class. He told me about the rugby team and convinced me to come out that night to my first practice of my rugby career. As a very weird sport at the start, I fell in love with the sport, the culture, the true beauty of the sport. For the past 3 years I have dedicated my new sports life to rugby and have not turned back. Rugby has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have made a semi-professional team, I have won 1 national championship, 2 state championships (with CNU), traveled the county from coast to coast playing my new found love. This summer I will be heading to Christchurch, New Zealand, accepting a position playing for a U21 olympic farm team. Rugby has been the most random blessing in my life, coming at truly the lowest part of my life; I owe everything to rugby for truly shaping me into the man I am today.

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