Mia Blocher and Raquel Muniz Bermudez, also known as Toro, from the Warsaw Community High School Girls Rugby Team got to represent their school and community in a once in a lifetime experience at the International Rugby Tour in New Zealand this summer. Their hard work and dedication to their intense sport really began to shine during this moment as both Blocher and Muniz will continue to push ahead and represent their state the best they can at the University of Notre Dame where they plan to attend in the fall.
At the beginning of their trip, both girls stated it felt like they were in a dream, and the reality hadn’t set in that they were going to be not only representing their state, but their region and country. Blocher stated “I don’t know if the weight of that privilege will ever fully hit me,” in her response to her experience and Toro felt the same way as the trip was extremely surreal for her and noted how awesome it was that she played the sport she loves in a whole different country.
While at the international tour, the girls got to speak to and experience coaching from world renowned individuals and enjoy the lush mountains and ocean view. With that, there were many challenges the girls had to face when it came to the games itself, Toro explained that the biggest confrontation was the weather. “It definitely became overwhelming when we couldn’t get any grip on the ground to push, or couldn’t catch the ball,” she said, the girls had to play in the tropical weather which included high heat and lots of rain.
Prior to the tour, Blocher had injured her hand months before, adding to the challenge. This caused her to have somewhat of a hindered ability to play. “I definitely struggled quite a bit mentally while I was there,” Blocher noted.
Because of her injury, Blocher mentioned that her anxiety was a factor, but she was able to get her head in the game and figure out ways to maneuver around the injury.
After the girls got home and were able to rest, they both took away messages that they would keep with them forever from their experiences. Blocher highlighted that New Zealand proved to her that she still has so much to learn and space to grow but it also motivated her to do so, “It makes me want to grow where I am weakest and learn how to play smarter,” she said.
Toro explained that “New Zealand really made me appreciate all the opportunities rugby has given me,” and that she plans to continue to push herself just like Blocher.
Overall, Notre Dame has gained two awesome women for their team that are ready for anything and excited for what the future holds.