PEASE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.H. — On the massive inexperienced fields at the Cape Fear Armed Forces Rugby Championship, an Airman from the 157th Air Refueling Wing feels a well-recognized tinge of nervous pleasure earlier than her first championship with the Department of the Air Force Women’s 7s Rugby Team.
Capt. Joy Dewitt, a KC-46A Pegasus pilot with the 157th ARW, begins warm-up drills together with her teammates, taking in the palpable vitality round them. Dewitt was chosen to hitch the DAF Women’s 7s Rugby Team in the spring of 2022 after enjoying the sport for only some months.
“After becoming a mom and becoming a pilot those two things were taking up most of my space and time and I knew I needed to find an outlet for just myself,” she stated. “I found something that relit a fire in me. I was able to find the athlete inside myself again and compete in such a powerful environment.”
She began going to practices with the Seacoast Tugboats, a neighborhood rugby group on the New Hampshire seacoast in September 2021. Now after being chosen, for two weeks of the 12 months, Dewitt will get to coach and compete with high rugby athletes from lively responsibility, guard, and reserve forces round the world.
“The Air Force is giving us a platform to have athletic opportunities alongside our careers,” Dewitt defined. “It’s phenomenal that we can get a team of strong, successful, independent women working together to play a sport that embodies Air Force values.”
The DAF rugby group competes in Camp Pendleton, California and at the Cape Fear Armed Forces Championship in North Carolina annually. They are comprised of Airmen from all completely different Air Force specialties, backgrounds and ability units.
“There are lawyers, engineers, teachers and women with amazing backgrounds that all compete together as one team,” stated Dewitt. “Everyone brings different life and rugby experience and creates a space for networking and growth where people understand the military and the dynamics of our every-day work environment.”
Rugby is a bodily and mentally demanding sport. To achieve success requires an accumulation of grit, encouragement and tenacity as a group. Richie Walker, DAF Women’s 7s head coach, stated Dewitt stands out as a forceful participant who has a constructive influence on her teammates.
“Her tackles are aggressive,” stated Walker. “You can’t teach that kind of commitment on defense.”
“Dewitt has a great attitude and willingness to learn,” Walker added. “She plays with a massive smile all the time and it rubs off on her teammates.”
DAF Women’s 7s group positioned second at the Armed Forces Championship, beating the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps.
The championship gave Dewitt a mission, a group and a aim. She stated she is going to all the time be impressed by the comradery in her wingmen and their drive to all the time purpose larger collectively.
“Everyone has their reason to start serving in the military and then there’s reasons why we stay,” stated Dewitt. “Knowing that twice a year I get to play with these strong women from all over the world, as a team, in a sport we all love, is one of mine.”
