1975 Sexist OSU Newsletter
The Old Man, the newsletter of the Ohio State University Men’s Rugby club announced the formation of the Ohio State women’s team. Note the graphic illustration of a female player.
1977 The Pitch
The Tube and the Pitch, two different Ohio State Women’s team newsletters from 1977 show the grassroots organizing, bawdy nature of women’s rugby at the time.
Support us today!
When you contribute to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Foundation you become part of a movement to support girls and women involved in rugby.
We are a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.
All donations made are tax deductible.
Support us today!
When you contribute to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Foundation you become part of a movement to support girls and women involved in rugby.
We are a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.
All donations made are tax deductible.
Kim Fietek
Age: 27
Job that pays the bills: Operations Coordinator, Center for Special Surgery (Fargo, ND)
Rugby life:
Hopkins High School Rugby Football Club (Player, 2012 - 2016)
North Dakota State University Women’s Rugby Club (Player, 2016 - 2020)
YoungBloods Minneapolis Rugby (Player, 2017)
North Dakota State University Women’s Rugby Club (Coach, 2021 - 2023)
Red River Rugby Club - Roughrider Women’s Team (Co-Founder, Player, Coach, 2019 - Present)
Red River Rugby Club (Vice President, 2021 - Present)
Minnesota Rugby Union - Northern Lights Conference (College Men’s Commissioner, 2020 - Present)
Red River Rugby Club - High School Girl’s Side (Coach, 2023 - Present)
Why we love Kim:
She played a founding role in both the Red River Roughriders and the FM Flood Highschool Girls team The Roughriders being Fargo-Moorhead's first senior women's rugby club and the Flood being the first women's high school rugby team in North Dakota
She also helps with the youth rugby program when she can
"I started rugby like many do: a friend invited me to “just try it out,” assuring me that if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t need to attend another practice. This “try it out” practice led to me, unfortunately, vomiting my entire dinner on the gymnasium floor in front of the high school club. Tearfully looking in the bathroom mirror afterward, I said to myself, “I am never coming back….” But I did come back. Little did I know I had joined an inclusive, diverse, and passionate community that would teach me the importance of dedication,
humility, and respect — especially respect for myself, my community, and the sport of rugby. I was even lucky enough to meet my husband along the way.
Looking to the future, I know that the path I pave within my rugby community is only possible because of the pioneers of women’s rugby who came before me. I have been afforded these opportunities because of their courage and unwavering determination to grow the sport. For them, I am eternally grateful.
Finally, I would like to thank a few individuals who have guided me throughout my rugby career over the past twelve years: Dan Johnson, the late Thor Bolstad, Kathryn Johnson, Ellie Fromstein, Alexis Saari, Billy McDonald, and Cory Schlack. I would also like to thank my husband Jacob Fietek, my late father Alan Krattley, and my mother Kris Krattley for their steadfast support of my rugby career.
Thank you again for this opportunity to represent women’s rugby in the United States. I will continue to support my local and larger rugby community with humility, kindness, and respect."
All photos provided by the award recipient