Today we’d like to introduce you to Jewel Arroyo.
Hi Jewel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am about to enter my third year as a rugby player. I joined a bit later in life at 26, having only ever played non-contact sports like baseball, tennis, and track. When a friend was approached in Kemah about joining a Bay Area Rugby Club (BARC) women’s team and asked if I wanted to come along, I asked her, in the nicest way possible, if she was insane.
However, I had reached a point where school was over, and my friends were branching out into careers or starting families. I felt stagnant, and as someone who has always been a little awkward, making friends as an adult outside of work felt nearly impossible. So after a couple of weeks, I said “what the heck” and tried a practice. Three years later, I haven’t voluntarily missed a single one. These women became some of my closest friends, giving me a true community, an athletic outlet, and a drive to compete and earn something meaningful.
Along the way, I somehow became President. It started simply by stepping up for whatever needed to get done, whether that was hauling equipment or just always showing up. By my second year, I wanted to help propel our organization forward, so I ran and was elected as Secretary to begin learning the ropes. As life goes, that quickly expanded into taking responsibility for a lot of the behind-the-scenes work required to run a club. But seeing us make the playoffs last year made every bit of effort worth it; there’s nothing like watching your teammates thrive in what you helped build. That work led to me stepping into the President role this year, and I’m excited for even more growth to come.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The largest struggle in my experience has been, and will likely continue to be, recruitment. While rugby is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S., many people are still unaware that local teams even exist. On top of that, finding women willing to try out a full-contact sport can be a tough sell.
Rugby tends to have a bit of a misconception surrounding it. While I absolutely love the physical intensity, it’s so much more than just tackles and scrums. It’s built on respect, drive, and deep community, and I believe getting people to experience that side of it is key.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In my professional career, I work as an internal auditor specializing in the hospital and academic spaces. I started out in public accounting and later worked at the federal level, but transitioning to internal auditing has brought me far more fulfillment than my previous paths. Working internally allows me to help our organization grow from within and be a part of the solution. I take real pride in being the person people can bring their risks or challenges to, helping them build solutions so they can operate with confidence.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Funnily enough, assessing risk is literally my day job, so my default state is to look at a situation, evaluate the stakes, and decide if I’m willing to accept it or give you a full list of reasons why I’m not.
Trying something completely new in my late twenties was definitely a risk, but it paid off completely. Honestly, every time I step onto the field, I’m taking a risk. I even had to sit out part of last season after taking a hit and having to cast up, but that’s just part of the game. What makes it worth it is showing up to practice week after week and building that deep trust with my teammates, in my mind, that’s what makes risk worth it.
Pricing:
- Annual Club Dues: 155.00
- Annual USA Rugby Insurance: Est. 130.00
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barcwomensrugby?igsh=Y2ZicDJvZmc2cDBj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19KieP39Rt/?mibextid=wwXIfr
