Winger

Rugby is so central to Ryan Dean’s identity that his position—a “wing”, of which there are two on a team, usually positioned on the edge of a play—is the basis for his school nickname “Winger” amongst his peers. Tellingly, Annie, a girl, doesn’t call Ryan Dean Winger but rather “West” or “Ryan Dean.” suggesting that his experience of sports is heavily male-centric. Rugby facilitates a sense of self-worth as Ryan Dean’s slight stature and young age become advantages rather than drawbacks on the rugby field, or “pitch.” For a “winger”, whose job is to get the ball and outrun an opponent to score a “try,” being small and quick is an advantage. Ryan Dean tells the reader, “I might have been smaller and younger than the other boys, but I was the fastest runner in the whole school for anything up to a hundred meters, so by the end of the season last year […] I was playing wing for the varsity” (11). The sport, therefore, provides Ryan Dean with an opportunity to use the traits he doesn’t like about himself in a way that helps him feel like he can contribute to a common goal.

Significantly, most of the major characters in Winger are involved with the rugby team, including Joey, who serves as one of the team captains. The sport provides Ryan Dean with a chance to feel valuable, instilling him with a sense of belonging. It provides an opportunity to hone his skills in a way that complements his academic achievements. And his rugby skills serve as a kind of currency in the male world. For example, he bonds with Annie’s dad right away over their shared love of the sport, and Annie’s parents visit the school in the fall in part so her dad can watch Ryan Dean play. He also learns that his intensity on the pitch earns Chas’s respect, who says: “I think half your scrawny-ass weight must be taken up by balls, Winger” (427). These emotions all take on increased importance because of the few other opportunities that the boarding school atmosphere provides for students to feel kinship and trust within a group, particularly for those whose families are distant physically or emotionally. Spending most of their time outside of a traditional family structure denies these students one avenue of feeling belonging, trust, and closeness. Additionally, Ryan Dean’s living arrangement in O-Hall only reinforces his closeness with his rugby teammates rather than bringing new, close relationships. Therefore, rugby is one of his only sources for this aspect of socialization.