Some will do anything to get attention.
On Thursday afternoon, the UCLA women’s rugby team hopes that suiting up in funky, outdated evening gowns will accomplish just that.
“The whole goal of it is just to get people to stop,” team member Carrissa Hsieh said. “The fundraising part isn’t the main goal of it, but it’s nice.”
The Bruin Rangers, the official women’s rugby club team of UCLA Recreation, will hold their annual Prom Dress Rugby fundraiser at the Intramural Field at 2 p.m. on Thursday. As part of the festivities, the team will play a full contact game of rugby while wearing colorful prom dresses.
“Rugby is supposed to be this tough sport,” Hsieh said. “It’s just funny that we play in really ridiculous dresses.”
In past years, the team has headed to thrift stores and even dug into the closet of a team member’s grandmother in search of the perfect dress.
Overall, the team looks to get a hold of the dresses that will grab the most attention.
“We find the ugliest, most ridiculous dresses ever,” Hsieh said.
But playing in a dress does have its drawbacks. For one, elaborate dresses obstruct the players’ ability to run and elude. Puffy dresses, according to Hsieh, sometimes obstruct a player’s vision.
The players are certainly not accustomed to wearing dresses during play, which Hsieh admits can be quite comical.
“People just end up grabbing onto the dress,” Hsieh said. “It’s pretty crazy.
“We’re used to just wearing shorts and shirts. But this makes it that much more fun playing against one another.”
The team, which competes at the Division I level of collegiate USA rugby, traveled to New Mexico last year to compete in nationals.
“We were No. 1 in Southern California and went undefeated (in the region),” Hsieh said of last season. “This year, our coaches are expecting the same kind of turnout.”
The women’s rugby team will kick off their season ““ this time in traditional attire ““ by competing in a tournament at Stanford on Jan. 17.