Literacy Narrative

1. Joe Vergato
Professor Rebecca Agosta
UWRT 1103-007
24 September 2014
Learning Literacies Through Sports
When thinking about what literacy I wanted to write about I was stumped at first. I could
not think about anything that I was truly passionate about and could write a paper on. I then tried
to come up with some of the things that have influenced me the most in my life and are the most
important to me. I figured I should write about something that I actually cared about. After
thinking about what I cared about the most it was easy to see that I should write about sports and
learning rugby at UNCC. After all, sports have been the only consistent thing in my life that I
have truly enjoyed, learned from, and changed me as a person.
Playing sports have always been a huge part of my life. Now I know this may seem very
superficial that I am writing about playing rugby but I look at sports differently than most
people. Being on a team is something that I have always loved about playing sports. I can't get
enough of the camaraderie of being on a team with all of your best friends. Almost all of my
really good friends have been met through sports. There is a special bond that is created with you
and your teammates that just cannot be replicated with anyone else. This is one of the main
reasons I am writing about playing rugby and being on the rugby team; the literacies I have
learned while being on the team have huge importance to me and I would not be the person I am
today without them. I have learned many things while playing sports and I believe it has changed
me for the better.

2. Something many peoples do not realize about sports is the amount of literal literacies
required to play. By this I mean actual verbal and nonverbal communication. This includes
talking, listening, hand signals, and on the fly communication with teammates. There is actual
thinking and intelligence literacies required to play sports that takes time and patience to learn.
For example, in rugby, there are positions on the field that have look and access at what is going
on, decide what play to call, and then communicate to his teammates what the play is. This
communication is a code that has to be learned and incorporates words, numbers, and hand
signals! If everyone on your team does not know this literacy by heart then the entire play will be
messed up. A successful team will use this literacy flawlessly and create an unstoppable
chemistry within the team. A team that hasn't mastered their play call literacies will be no match
for the teams that have. Literacy is a crucial thing in today’s society, even in things you didn’t
expect.
One of the first things I learned when I first joined the UNNC rugby team are all of the
rules of rugby. This literacy required me to listen attentively to the coach or other players when
they were explaining the rules. I would even go online and read or watch YouTube videos to
learn more about the rules of rugby. I was very determined to learn this literacy and learn it fast.
While there was a lot of listening involved I also had to use my communication skills to ask
questions about things I didn't understand. Asking questions may seem like a simple task but
there are a lot of people out there that do not feel comfortable speaking up about what they are
confused about. This is another example about how literacy is important everywhere and you
never know when you might need to tap into your skills.
There are not just literal literacies in sports. In fact, that is just a small part of the overall
experience of playing on a team. The most rewarding literacies you learn while playing on a

3. deep come from a much deeper level. Playing on a team develops strong bonds and relationships
with your teammates. I believe that the best friendships are made with the people you see day in
and day out on the field. When you are constantly with the same people all the time and are
going through the same things, you are bound to become friends. When the conditioning work
gets too tough you need your buddies on the team to
lift you up and get you through it, they are there
pushing you to keep going. I know that on the rugby
team the guys are always shouting words of
encouragement and getting everyone pumped up to
give all of their effort. When that many people are
lifting you up to succeed, it is almost impossible to fail. That kind of friendship developed on a
team and it is tough to replicate outside of a sports team. Personally, all of my closest friends
have been made on a team.
There have been many sponsors of my sports literacy through the years. The ones who
have the most impact are my parents, coaches, and teammates. If it weren’t for my parents I
would have never played sports for as long as did. They always drove me to practice and came to
watch me play in my games. This support helped me to continue perusing playing sports and I
would not be at the level of sports literacy I am today without them. My coaches have also
sponsored me in playing sports. The coaches I have taught to persevere and to never quit or give
up. Having an inspiration coach always gave me that push to keep playing when I wanted to quit.
Lastly, my teammates I have had were a huge sponsor to me. Without the friends I have made
and the relationships I built I would have never wanted to continue playing sports. I am forever

4. in debt to all of my sponsors and I owe them everything for making me want to keep playing
sports.
Playing sports has taught me to have your
teammates back. There is no better feeling than
knowing that the guys next to you will go to
battle with you. You all have full trust in each
other and know that each and every single person
on your team has your back. Rugby is a contact
sport and if someone on the other team hits your
teammate you are obligated to give them a hit
back. This team camaraderie teaches you to be
loyal to your friends and always have their back. This is one of my favorite parts about playing
rugby; no matter what happens on, or off the field, your team has your back. One of my favorite
quotes from an old coach was, “It’s our family, verse their team.” This perfectly depicts the
attitude the rugby team has, we are a closer team than any other team in our conference and will
use this to our advantage to beat the opposition. This is something I wish everyone could
experience.
Discipline is hugely important when playing rugby or any sport. You need to be
dedicated to the sport and give it 100% of your effort. In the words of one of my teammates,
"don't half ass two things, whole ass one thing." This perfectly describes the attitude you need
when playing rugby or other sports. If you are not dedicated the whole team with suffer because
of it. Being disciplined enough to go to every practice and every game and give all of your effort
is crucial to team success.

5. Discipline is not only taught and used on the
field, it translates to everyday life. I know that when
I was in high school I got my best grades during the
seasons I was playing sports. I believe this is
because playing sports keeps you working hard and
doesn't give you the attitude to quit. Quitting is not
an option on the field and that same mentality can
help people get through tough times in your life. If
you can go through awful conditioning work at
practice every single day, then writing that big research paper isn't so hard anymore. I believe
that having a background in sports can give you that mental toughness edge to push you through
things that are not related to sports.
Playing sports has certainly changed my life for the better. I have learned valuable skills
that apply to any situation and made quality relationships along the way. Joining the rugby team
at UNCC has changed my life for the better even further. I have learned a whole new set of skills
and enhanced my literacy in sports. This is something I could not have done if I just stopped my
sports career after I finished high school. Playing rugby has opened up a whole new world of
possibilities and opportunities and I can’t wait to continue to learn and grow as a person using
sports literacies.