MICHAELA COULTER & REECE BARBARA, RUGBY

Photography by Danny Fulgencio

MICHAELA COULTER (LEFT)

Of all of the girls coached by Mike Xuereb and Gabrielle “Gabi” Merani, Michaela Coulter is the team’s tiniest, but she’s all about the tackle.

STATUS: Ursuline Academy senior; plays for Dallas Bears Rugby.

TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS: State runner-up in Rugby Texas’ Division II in 2018.

HOW SHE GOT RECRUITED: “Students who are now juniors in college came to our class meeting and said, ‘Hey, join rugby. It’s really fun.’ I went to the meeting and fell in love with the sport. It’s very good for letting out anger.”

TRAINING TIME: Once a week in addition to video sessions.

WHY SHE LOVES RUGBY: “People say, ‘Wow, you’re so tiny. How do you do that?’ I’m more confident. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I tackle people.’”

MEMORABLE MOMENTS: Playing with pools of mud on the field.“YaYa (Yajunaida Torrealba, who has since graduated) tackled someone, and they both fell in a giant puddle of water. She was completely soaked for the rest of the game. It was glorious.”

FONDEST MEMORY: Playing against Celina during the championship. “It was fun playing a team that’s on the same level as you.”

FUTURE PLANS: Kansas State, studying art and architecture.

ADVICE: “Play it. Do it. Don’t be scared. Don’t be in your head. It seems hard, but once you do it, once you make that first tackle, it’s really not that bad, and you’ll only get better by practicing it.”

REECE BARBARA (RIGHT)


Reece Barbara is not your typical cheerleader. Once she’s off the sideline of the football field, you can find her blitzing with the best of them on the rugby pitch.

STATUS: Hillcrest High School senior; plays for Dallas Bears Rugby.

TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS: State runner- up in Rugby Texas’ Division II in 2018.

WHY RUGBY: “I was a cheerleader for Cistercian and needed a change. It’s good for letting go of stress. It feels empowering. I feel powerful. I feel bold.”

OTHER SPORTS: Cheer.

WHY SHE LOVES RUGBY: “I did not know anything about this sport before I came. Two practices in, we were tackling people. I feel like a boss. Rugby is a hard sport. It’s down and dirty. If I can do that, I can do anything.”

MEMORABLE MOMENTS: Playing on turf in 100 degrees and scoring for the first time. “I didn’t think I was going to be good at this sport, but it’s all mental. If you can push yourself through the game, you’re going to get through it.”

ON TEAMWORK: “You can’t look back to see who you’re passing to. You have to listen for their voice and know whether to go left, right or spin.”

WHY SHE LOVES HER TEAM: “There’s never a time when we’re not laughing. We get serious when we need to be serious, but we also have fun.”

FUTURE PLANS: Studying business at Austin Community College.

LIFE ACCORDING TO DALLAS BEARS COACH MIKE XUEREB: “Rugby has helped us learn many lessons, such as the importance of hard work, how to get back up when knocked down, learning to blaze new trails, creating a true team and overcoming preconceived notions.”