Ginuwine’s hit song “Pony” normally isn’t normally heard through the halls of UB’s Natural Science’s Complex (NSC). UB women’s rugby changed the norm of both the NSC and their high stress sport when they let loose Friday night in NSC 210, performing and bonding through the team’s talent show.
“It started as a joke,” senior biological sciences major Greta Zampier said. “We said we should do team bonding, and decided we should do a talent show. We decided each grade should do a number.”
Freshmen team members kicked off the group performances singing “Trebles Finals” by the Treblemakers from the movie, “Pitch Perfect.” The energy electrified the whole room with sing-alongs and phone flashlights during the slow parts of the song medley.
The team loves the “Pitch Perfect” series. Zampier said the love is so long-standing she doesn’t remember how it started.
“It’s just a thing,” Zampier said.
The team seems to have a lot of inside “things.” The talent show commenced with not only a video of content creator Trisha Paytas’ “ASMR POV You’re my Newborn Baby,” but also a Kazoo rendition of the National Anthem. The team saluted to a picture of an American flag behind rapper Nikki Minaj.
These things don’t exactly go together, but watching the girls interact it is apparent they do. The team loves fun things that bring them together and make them laugh. This is a group of people who love and support each other.
This support was most apparent during the talent of bubble blowing. As the performer dipped her hands into soapy water, the team chanted, “Bubbles! Bubbles! Bubbles!” It was a more enthusiastic reaction to bubbles than kids at a Birthday party.
When the performer had some difficulty blowing the bubbles from her hands a team member shouted, “Turn and face!” to take some pressure off. The whole team turned around in reaction and ultimately, the act was a success.
This kind of support is what makes the rugby team so comfortable with each other. So comfortable, in fact, that the juniors dressed up as drag kings and queens for their performance.
The performance started with the song “Lay all Your Love on Me” from the movie “Mama Mia.” The performers paired off, one drag queen to one drag king. Things got heated when the couples intermingled, and possibly cheated or something of the sort.
A wrestling match went down to John Cena’s entrance theme “The Time is Now.” Physical tensions turned into sexual tensions in a strip-tease performance to Ginuwine’s “Pony.” The whole room erupted in laughter. There was not a dry eye in the house after this poetic story told through song.
Eyes teared for a different reason during the MCs’ final karaoke performance to Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’” with an added flair. Senior biomedical sciences major Bella Asmus, senior exercise science major Kayla McNall and Zampier added in the comments made in Jimmy Fallon’s skit “Peter and his Heckler” performed on “The Tonight Show.”
They said they performed the skit on a spring break trip to Margaritaville. The passion and fun mixed with nostalgia while performing exemplified the team’s energy.
The team invites everyone to share in on the fun and come to the next home game at UB on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ellicott Pitch.
Sophia Stines is the assistant features editor and can be reached at sophia.stines@ubspectrum.com
Sophia Stines is an assistant features editor.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
