It’s a rough game, but Petaluma woman in control on rugby turf

Petaluma resident Lee Bryant stands at the very top of her profession - one of only a very few women in the world who have ever done what she does as well as she does it.

Bryant is a rugby referee - one of only six women ever chosen to the National Panel of rugby officials.

She was good enough to serve as an assistant referee and in-goal judge for the World Cup games.

She was an assistant referee for 11 games and an in-goal judge for another 11 games. It equates to between 6 and 8 miles a day of running/sprinting.

Bryant developed a love for the game when she was a student at the University of Nevada, Reno. In a sense, she was carrying on a family tradition, following in her father’s rugby footsteps.

One thing she noticed while playing was that women’s teams didn’t always get quality officiating. It was one of the motivating factors in leading her into refereeing after her college playing days were over.

She quickly discovered life from the other side of the whistle was much different.

“In some ways being a player made the change easier because I knew the flow of the game,” she said. “But it is a completely different paradigm. You have to have a more overall concept of the game.”

And, you have to be quicker physically and more in control emotionally.

“You have to remain calm, even when things get heated,” she said. And, she acknowledged that in a game as physical as rugby, things can get heated.

“I can feel when things are getting hot,” she said. “Most of the time we can do something about it. Sometimes you can’t.”

She said that it is important to not only be alert mentally, but also able to keep up physically.

“The game is very fast, especially the seven-player game, you can’t be behind. You have to be in as good or better shape than the athletes,” she explained.

Rugby has taken Bryant all over the world. “I do one or two international trips a year,” she said. “I’ve traveled enough linear miles to go around the world three times.”

While she enjoys traveling, she admitted that it can become difficult. “It can wear on you,” she explained.

And, it is not just the travel. Bryant has officiated some of rugby’s biggest games.

“The pressure can be immense,” she said. “There times when you feel isolated and alone.”

Bryant has been refereeing rugby for a decade, and she acknowledged it has taken awhile to feel reach a comfort level working the sport’s biggest games.

“I probably didn’t feel comfortable until the beginning of last year,” she said. “You go through a lot of growth and phases as a referee. It is impossible to grow as a referee and not as a person. As soon as you feel proficient at one level, you move up to the next so you are in a constant state of improvement.

“I think last year, all the pieces finally came together. I felt good at home. I felt confident in my own skin. I felt experienced on the field.

“I accepted my shortcomings as a referee and was good at handling the stress of big games. I finally had created ‘Lee, the referee,’ and had the experience to back it up.”

Bryant has pursued her passion, but it hasn’t come without a cost.

“It was a bit difficult at times,” she acknowledged. It is like having another job.

“I work out four or five times a week, have film coding and review after games, conferences and usually travel every other weekend.

“It takes a lot of time and energy away from my family and friends which is hard and adds stress to those relationships. I’ve missed a lot of weddings, baby showers and other things due to travel and matches.

“I’ve also had a few injuries, and it was hard to work through those wile trying to stay in shape. At one point I was running with a bulging disc, and another season with a partially torn hamstring.

“Plus, reffing doesn’t pay the bills, so I’ve usually had to work full time to support myself.”

Bryant currently works as a plan reviewer for the County of Marin.

Despite the sacrifices and hardships, she has no regrets and, at age 35, has no intentions of giving it up.

“I love it,” she said. “I wish it was all I had to do.

“This is something I only have one shot in my life to pursue and it is now. I realize this is a once in a few thousand lifetimes opportunity, so if I am going to pursue it, I am going to give 100 percent. I wouldn’t take anything back.”

Although she is one of the few women to reach her elite status, she said that for her fellow officials she is just part of a team.

“That is the beauty of this sport,” she said. “All referees, regardless of their gender, support one another. Everyone is supportive and open. We are all just co-workers.”