Jun. 23—Sports — specifically basketball and track and field — were always a staple in Brooke Gee's life, but she was ready to be "more than an athlete," she said.

"Well, the joke was on me," Gee said with a chuckle.

The 28-year-old Raceland graduate is now a rugby national champion.

A Human Resources representative in her day job, the 6-foot-2, 270-pound Gee became an absolute force on the rugby field. She was a main contributor for the Knoxville Minx, which won the USA Club Rugby National Championship in St. Louis earlier this month.

Gee was a student-athlete at St. Catharine College and at West Virginia Tech before cracking into coaching. She was an assistant for the University of Pikeville and WVU Tech hoops, and she earned a master's from UPIKE.

In 2019, Gee moved to Knoxville, Tennessee.

"My grandfather lived here, and I wanted to get into the mountains," she said.

After two years away from sports — "and my body thanks me for it" — she assumed a roster spot on a semi-pro football team. As a tight end and defensive end, "I was able to bully and dominate everybody."

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, football was on hiatus. When it started back up, the team was low on numbers. Gee had friends who played rugby, but she was leery of the sport that she knew little about.

"To be frank, I was terrified," Gee said. "There's no pads, no protection. Why would I want to do that? ... But I was out to lunch with a friend one day and both of us had been playing football, and we decided to try it out.

"One hit, and I loved it," Gee added. "I love the physicality of it."

Gee is still learning the game — "oh, I'm still questioning everything I do," she said with a laugh — but she's figured out her role well. She's one of 32 team members.

Gee is in the 5 position, meaning "lock" or "second row." As she explained it, 4 and 5 are the same.

"Kinda like your post, high and low," she said, comparing it to basketball.

"I'm a pretty big body, and I know how to take contact very well," Gee said. "It can get pretty brutal. I'm covered head to toe in bruises a lot of the time."

Of the 15 positions, the 9 is called the "scrum-half." For Knoxville, she's the smallest person on the team, but "she's taking the hits; she's the fiercest person on the field," Gee said.

Gee said there are two main seasons for the Minx — in the fall, games are from September through November; in the spring, it's February through May (and possibly early June).

The Minx compete in the True South Union. The group ascended to national runner-up in Gee's first year. This past season was her second.

Gee said she's the match secretary, so she handles the schedule.

"Our goal was to win nationals; that's what we strive for," Gee said. "We knew our composure and dedication had to be amplified."

The Minx tackled the True South, captured the Super Regionals title and then won it all.

Gee envisions playing rugby for the foreseeable future, and she also has settled into Tennessee well.

"I've made this my home," she said. "I absolutely love Knoxville."

Gee said she would love to see rugby become relevant in Kentucky. The Lexington Black Widows are Kentucky's only women's rugby team.