Jason and I met in 1993 at Gettysburg College after he had been playing rugby for 2 years for the Bullets. He was in the ROTC program at school and upon graduation was accepted into the Army Aviation program at Fort Rucker, Alabama. While he was in flight school in AL, he played for the Fort Rucker Flyers as 8-man and second row. This was my first real introduction to the fraternity of rugby as we traveled all over the south to compete in matches and tournaments. Our lab pup, Timber came to all the games to support the team and even escaped my grasp once to charge the field to get the ball. Supporting Jason and those guys at their games and traveling to tournaments was incredible and we developed friendships then that have lasted us a lifetime.
After getting married in 1995, we moved to Germany where Jason began his career as an AH-64 pilot at Illesheim Army Airfield. During our 4 years there, he served as the Captain of the Illesheim Black & Blue RFC. They played high quality rugby against teams like the Georgia National Team and the Czeche National Team as well as other high-level German teams. Each year we participated in the Amsterdam 7’s tournaments which were always amazing. Playing against teams from other countries was an extraordinary experience. Jason also had the honor of being elected to the Army Select side in 1997. He saw action against the Coast Guard and Marine Corps that year as Army beat Navy in the finals to win their fifth straight title. He was selected again in 1998, although he wasn’t able to play due to a shoulder injury.
Jason continued to play rugby in PA after returning home to the states with the Lehigh Valley Black & Blue until 2006 when we moved to Glastonbury, CT. He joined the Connecticut Grey team shortly thereafter and has been with them ever since.
Through the years, Jason and I have discovered that there is a camaraderie within the rugby community, much like in the Army. In my experience, rugby players are committed and loyal, aggressive but kind, and supportive of their community. The people we have befriended and the connections we have made are unlike any others. The rugby family, we have inherited over the years has been wonderful to us and I am always happy to be a source of support and guidance for this amazing group of people.
If I can be of assistance to you when looking for a new home or refinance, or if you have friends and family that need to connect with a loan officer they can trust, please contact me.
Stephanie Smith
NMLS# 1083107
860-335-9918
stephanie@northeast-mortgage.com
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.
The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?
