ANNAPOLIS, Md. –
Lolita Galdones’ introduction to rugby came one afternoon while playing soccer on a Japanese beach.
Galdones, then just a year into her military career, missed playing soccer, a sport that she competed in as a member of youth teams growing up in Texas. While she kicked around a soccer ball with friends on a stretch of white sand along the South China Sea coastline, an Army major noticed Galdones’ precision and coordination.
He invited Galdones to join a military rugby team composed of athletes from each military branch in Okinawa, Japan. After making the roster, Galdones quickly found her ability to kick and pass with precision translated well to the sport.
Galdones developed her physical strength while competing as a nationally-ranked powerlifter, which, combined with her experience on the soccer field, gave her the foundation to become a competitive rugby player.
She found her niche because of her natural ability to kick the ball accurately into space.
Galdones said accurate kickers can be a premium in rugby because teams need precision kickers during kickoffs and restart kicks, and to kick extra points between the goalposts after scoring tries.
Galdones competed at her first tournament in South Korea, eventually playing against rugby squads from Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
“I just started playing and never looked back,” she said.
In 2019, Galdones learned that the All-Army Sports program, which recruits the best athletes within the Army, would be putting together its first women’s rugby team. Seven years later, Galdones, now an Army sergeant first class and the longest tenured veteran in All-Army Rugby, helped lead Army to its sixth Armed Forces Championship on Aug. 2 at the U.S. Naval Academy. Galdones scored on a try as Army edged the All-Navy women’s team, 22-17.
Galdones has played a key role in each of Army’s championship teams, helping the squad win every Armed Forces tournament, including last year’s 15-14 triumph over Air Force.
The team has seen the likes of former West Point standouts, U.S. national team members and even an Olympian, but Galdones has made herself an invaluable part of the team at each training camp.
“She has an ability to inspire and motivate in the tough moments,” said All-Army coach Kaitlyn Kelly.
Prior to competing in Japan, Galdones’ only exposure to rugby had been during her years at Texas A&M University, where she competed as a member of the women’s powerlifting team. There, the weightlifting team captain also competed for the Aggies’ women’s rugby team, and Galdones attended rugby games as a spectator.
Standing only 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds, Galdones maintains peak physical strength to withstand physical scrums or scrambles for the ball. As a scrum half, her ability to see the field and distribute the ball to open teammates plays a pivotal role in Army’s offense.
Playing for the fallen
In 2023, the All-Army rugby team received tragic news. One of its players in its talent pipeline passed away during a vehicle accident in Germany. Hailey Hodsden, 24, a 2021 U.S. Military Academy graduate and former player, died when a vehicle hit the Stryker carrying her.
Galdones said Hodsden boasted tremendous potential to contribute to All-Army Rugby as she scored hat tricks in the 2021 Freetail 7s, a premier rugby sevens tournament, and led the Black Knights in scoring tries her senior season.
As the All-Army team captain, Galdones carries the memory of Hodsden and all Soldiers who played a part in the program or were close to the team.
The players emulate the mindset of their coach, Kelly, another former USMA player, that each player sacrifices for the good of the team; a microcosm of a Soldier’s role in the Army.
“Every time we put on the jersey, we're representing that person and their family,” said Galdones, a 12-year Army veteran. “We're representing our teammates. We're representing the people that we have lost personally while we've been in the military.”
Leader on the field
Early in her rugby career, Galdones said she was a ball hawk, intensely pursuing the ball and trying to score at every opportunity. Now, as a mature leader, she focuses on leading the team with a cool hand as a team co-captain and letting her teammates take the spotlight.
“She realized that to be a great rugby player, it's not just about how many shots you can score,” Kelly said. “It's about connecting with the other people on the team and raising the standard of the play that you bring to the table.”
While Galdones has given years of her life to the sport of rugby, the sport has also provided her with a needed outlet.
She describes military rugby as its own community, connecting players to other Soldiers across the Army with different backgrounds and military occupational specialties. It encourages Soldiers to reach out socially beyond their units.
Galdones, a 46Y visual information operation chief assigned to the U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg North Carolina, learned an outlet like rugby can be critical after spending two years as an advanced individual training drill sergeant at Fort Meade, Maryland.
“You have to separate yourself from the military, or it'll just eat you alive, because you have no turn-off switch,” she said. “So, I think that that's the biggest thing that rugby has given me … people who remind me that I'm a human being; and I'm not a robot, or a gear in a system.”
In an effort to grow the sport and capitalize on the popularity of the bronze medal-winning U.S. women’s Olympic team, members of the All-Army team are getting more involved in their communities. Last month, they read stories to students at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
“One thing that I've always loved about rugby is that it is such a diverse community,” Galdones said. “You have players of every ethnic background, religious background and body type.”
Galdones’ teammates said rugby players form strong bonds because of the physical and grueling nature of the sport. It can be a challenge to manage egos and the temperament of teammates, the Soldier said. Galdones helped the Phoenix Rugby 7s (Miami) qualify for the USA Rugby 7s National Championship, Aug. 8-9 in Madison Wisconsin. She has also competed for the Southern Pines Celts, USA Rugby South, Severn River Honey Badgers and Raleigh Rugby.
“I think that [Rugby] made me a more empathetic leader because I had to learn how to handle more sensitive situations that I would have never experienced in the military,” she added. “No matter what, you have your teammates' backs, and that's the way to be a really good leader and ensure that you have success in life and on the field.”