‘no Colon, Still Rollin’’: Cass Bargell, Us Scrum-half And Ostomy Advocate, Sets Sights On World Cup

A fewer years ago, Cass Bargell gave a Ted Talk astatine Harvard, nan aforesaid assemblage wherever she studied integrative biology and played scrum-half, helping nan Crimson to a nationalist 15s title and earning nominations for US player of nan year. Onstage, visibly nervous, she clutched a rugby shot arsenic if for affectional support.

“I dropped nan ball,” she says, laughing. “They edited it out.”

Bargell didn’t driblet nan shot pinch her talk, which offered a compelling relationship of her traumatic acquisition pinch ulcerative colitis and her bonzer recovery.

It each began successful precocious 2020, pinch alarming symptoms. Bargell kept playing done quickening symptom but eventually, successful November 2021, underwent ileostomy room to region her colon and create a stoma, an opening successful her abdomen to let discarded to pass.

Just a fewer months later Bargell was backmost playing rugby, nan athletics she recovered arsenic a middle-schooler successful Summit, Colorado, arsenic fierce arsenic ever but now wearing an ostomy bag. The title of her Ted Talk sums up her determination and her emergence arsenic an advocator for life aft surgery: No Colon, Still Rollin’.

She has told her singular tale galore times, including to erstwhile NFL Man of nan Year and chap diligent Rolf Benirschke, for The Phoenix, charismatic mag of nan United Ostomy Associations of America. But now, astatine 25 and eight times capped, Bargell is astir to measurement onto nan biggest shape of each – nan 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup successful England, wherever nan US kick-off against nan hosts connected Friday. Speaking to nan Guardian, she said that though life pinch an ostomy had not “gotten immoderate easier … I deliberation I’ve gotten a batch amended astatine handling it.

“I deliberation immoderate things person really gotten harder, successful immoderate ways. The longer I’ve had it, nan much it feels for illustration this daunting point that’s gonna spell connected for ever. And I deliberation I have, like, those large affectional moments, but I’m a batch amended astatine handling it time to day. I don’t deliberation astir my container and I cognize really to alteration it overmuch faster now. I cognize really to grip my supplies.”

Bargell’s play gives nary clues of her other burden. In Washington successful July against Fiji, arsenic nan Americans struggled to clasp a narrowing lead, nan 5ft 4in dynamo forced 2 important turnovers, stealing Fijiana shot astatine nan ruck. Turning to nan nearest newsman to inquire “Who’s that flanker nan Eagles brought on?”, nan Guardian was swiftly enlightened: not only was Bargell not a forward, but also, “that’s nothing: she plays pinch an ostomy bag.”

Asked if that played connected her mind during games, she said: “No, I don’t deliberation astir it. But I’m really fortunate that I’m supported by my coaches too.

“When I’m playing and I get deed successful nan bag, I don’t consciousness anything, I don’t deliberation anything. I conscionable put nan shot backmost strongly. But if we’re successful training and we’re doing a drill … wherever we travel up and deed each different and past backpedal, reload, travel up astatine each different again, backpedal, reload, conscionable for illustration moving connected nan changeless up and back, arsenic nan attacker I was conscionable getting deed consecutive successful nan container complete and complete and over, and I was like, this ne'er happens to maine successful a game, and I’m really uncomfortable.

“I wasn’t wounded from it aliases anything. I conscionable was like, that’s wearing my container down much than I need. And my coaches are like, perfect. ‘No problem. You’ll clasp nan pad adjacent time.’ So past everyone was successful nan statement and I conscionable had a [tackle] pad, and it was fine.

“So it’s not for illustration I emotion getting deed successful nan container repetitively. It’s conscionable that erstwhile it happens, it’s not a large deal. I besides consciousness for illustration my correct fend has gotten overmuch stronger since I sewage my ostomy. I don’t for illustration group getting that close, truthful erstwhile I tin debar it, I do.”

She laughs again, and switches from hand-offs to helping hands, saluting nan power of Ilona Maher, nan US center, Olympic sevens medalist and societal media prima who has fired world liking successful nan women’s game.

“Ilona, nan type you spot connected nan net is really she is,” Bargell says. “She’s, like, a fun, large personality. And besides everything she says astir location needs to beryllium much stars [in women’s rugby] and we request to assistance much women up, she lives that and walks it pinch us. She’s helped maine truthful overmuch pinch sharing my story, pinch each nan societal media worldly and everything she talks astir successful that world.

“On nan field, she’s accelerated and she’s powerful and she’s beardown and she tin pass, and she brings truthful overmuch to our team. I emotion training pinch her. She’s besides a really beardown organizer, which I don’t deliberation group tin ever see, but she does pass a batch and helps america all.”

Bargell, Maher and nan remainder of nan Eagles whitethorn request each nan thief they tin get connected Friday: England are favorites to triumph nan World Cup, having crushed rivals France successful their last warm-up while nan US lost to Canada, different title contender. Looking astatine that game, Bargell identified a failing acquainted from nan gathering pinch Fiji successful DC: a beardown commencement not maintained.

“The first half felt easy,” says Bargell, who will commencement connected nan chair down Olivia Ortiz connected Friday. “It felt for illustration that’s what we practiced successful training, and it was conscionable astir executing it.

“We’ve been moving a batch connected uncovering our power correct aft half-time and being capable to travel retired and commencement nan 2nd half nan measurement we started nan first half, because it really wasn’t for illustration we weren’t astonishing ourselves pinch what we were doing that first half. It was what we practiced. And truthful it’s conscionable astir uncovering a measurement to support that power passim nan full game.”

‘We really rise’

Bargell is 1 of galore Eagles who this twelvemonth played successful Women’s Elite Rugby, nan semi-pro convention which has conscionable completed its first season, pinch Bargell turning retired for nan Boston Banshees while moving arsenic a information expert for nan Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

She speaks favorably of WER arsenic a measurement up from nan amateur game, if not astatine nan level of Premiership Women’s Rugby, wherever elder Eagles including Ortiz play, wherever Maher shone for Bristol, and successful which England’s Red Roses ply their fearsome trade.

“I deliberation an absorbing portion astir our squad is that we really rise,” Bargell says. “We emergence to nan occasion. And truthful I cognize we’ll emergence [against England].

“It’s an unthinkable opportunity to beryllium a portion of that opening lucifer astatine all, and I cognize everyone’s really excited for it. We’ve honestly conscionable been focused connected building our ain systems. It’s not for illustration these past 3 weeks were only focused connected England.”

True: Australia and Samoa besides await, 2 wins astir apt needed to make nan quarter-finals. Australia connection nan sterner test. In Perth successful May, nan Wallaroos downed nan Eagles, 29-17.

Bargell remains confident.

“We each judge we person a batch of threats, and for illustration who we are arsenic players,” she says. “And truthful if we tin bring our squad together successful that way, past we tin compete.”