Officers & Captains
A mighty 1/3 of Brooklyn Women's Rugby's Jewish persuasion, Talia hails from the mean streets of Queens, or so she likes to think (Bayside to be exact). Although she only started playing rugby in late 2008, Talia has transformed herself from a collegiate softball player (Towson University Tigers, Maryland) into a BK rugger with a fiery passion for the game. On the field, she is versatile and can go from being a prop to an inside center. Talia has left the mean streets of Bayside to reside in Manhattan with her lady love and their AWESOME cat, Jonas. She teaches Phys Ed (obviously) at a private Jewish school and coaches a number of sports as well. If you can't get in touch with Talia by phone or email, you will most likely find her at the local Mexican restaurant or watering hole in Hell's Kitchen.
Leslie, “LVP” to those close to her, comes to us from the land of Syracuse. She was born and raised in that land 23 years ago and spent her college days attending Fredonia State University. On the field, Leslie plays the role of outside center plowing through her defendants with trickery and skill. Off the field, Leslie settles easily into the role of friend, daughter and sister. Her dedication to her team and teammates is legendary and she can always be depended upon during off-pitch events such as flip-cup, charades, bowling and the odd game of Looney Butt. When able to drag herself away from rugby, Leslie works as a video consultant and is a masterful and award-winning photographer dazzling all with her magnificent camera skills.
Otherwise and preferentially known as “Minkus” in the rugby circuit, Melanie has been roaming the glorious battle field since she first stepped on a pitch as an undergrad at Hofstra University in 2005. Originally coming from a non-contact background of Track and Field, she decided to go big or go home as a freshman and tried on a sport unlike any other. After unleashing the inner beast for the first time that fateful fall day, she has not been able to get enough of rugby. When not satiating her relentless blood lust as a BK rugger, she dawns the facade of a mild mannered NYU grad student studying Sociology and Education Policy. Residing on Strong Island and working by day as a public school tutor and research assistant, she has crazy hoop dreams of making a difference for the kids.
Born and raised in central Florida, Skipper meandered on up to big, bad New York City after obtaining her Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida in 2007. After a tumultuous jaunt on the Wall Street scene, Skip joined the prestigious ranks of the NYC Teaching Fellows and obtained her Masters in Education/Special Education. This background combination of law enforcement and education helps her both in the classroom and on the rugby pitch (more than you might know!). Being the social butterfly that she is, Skip has made pitstops and played for quite a few teams since leaving her UCF/Orlando Women ladies. However, she has settled down contently in the ranks of BWR. Being the team's secretary helps her to keep that spirit of "social butterfly"ness alive!