Photo By Maj. Robin Allen | New York Air National Guard Tech Sgt. Chanel Kung, makes a play during a women’s...... read more read more
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Two New York Air National Guard members played in the All-Air Force women’s rugby team that competed against squads from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard during a September 6-8 tournament in Chula Vista, California.
Tech Sgt. Julia Nagy, a member of the 174th Attack Wing, and Tech Sgt. Chanel Kung, who serves in NY Air Guard headquarters, were part of the 15-member team that battled for first place in the Armed Forces Women’s Rugby Championship.
The tournament was held at the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Elite Athlete Training Site in Chula Vista.
The Air Force women lost to the Army team with a score of 14 to 15 in the final game of the tournament in which Kung scored one of two Air Force “trys” or goals.
“The team gave it all they could,” said Air Force assistant coach Paschal Paschal to the U.S. Armed Forces Sports news site. “We gave [Army] a run for their money, and we didn’t let them run all over us. We gave them a challenge.”
“They’ve been our closest competition for the past six years,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Lolita Galdones. “They (the Air Force team) have a lot of skill; they have a lot of talent. They have a ton of players who continually develop themselves.”
Being part of the Air Force women’s team was a great opportunity, the two New Yorkers said.
"It's an honor to represent the Air Force, especially as members of the New York Air National Guard, Kung said. “We often see active-duty personnel in these positions, so being selected as Guardsmen is an incredible feeling.”
"Before being selected," Nagy said, "I was still finding my place within the Air Force, navigating the transition from a demanding deployment, the high of a mission followed by the challenge of reintegrating back into regular life.”
“Seeing these incredibly strong, successful, and driven women was exactly what I needed; it was truly inspiring,” she added.
Kung began her rugby career in 2021 during her freshman year in college when she joined the women’s rugby club at SUNY Oswego.
She watched rugby being played at the Tokyo Olympics and decided she wanted to play too, Kung explained.
Nagy got into rugby while attending Syracuse University. She was on a run one day when the rugby coach asked her to join the team. She started practice the next day, she recalled.
Rugby, which was invented in England in 1823, is similar to football, but forward passes are not allowed, and players don’t wear helmets and protective padding.
“American sports are about forward momentum and aggression,” Nagy said.
“Rugby, on the other hand, requires you to unlearn everything you think you know and start from the beginning. It was a humble experience, forcing me to confront my limitations and develop a completely new mindset,” she added.
Their passion for the game led Nagy and Kung to apply for the Air Force womens’ team.
They went through a 10-day camp in August that resulted in the final Air Force women’s team selection.
“I decided to try out because I’m passionate about rugby and the opportunity to travel and compete doing what I love while representing the Air Force was something I couldn’t pass up,” said Kung, who served in the Army National Guard for six years before joining the Air Guard in 2021.
Nagy said she extended her enlistment so she could attend the August tryouts and get the chance to compete.
The discipline and camaraderie of the military seamlessly translated onto the rugby field, they said. The ability to quickly form cohesive teams, a crucial skill in both environments, proved invaluable.
"It's all about working together, meeting people you've never met before, and uniting every day in training towards one common goal: to win,” Kung said.
Nagy shared a similar sediment, "Being on the field with my team feels like a deployment. We are locked in a band of brothers and sisters working side-by-side to get the job done. It's a powerful experience, bringing together individuals from all walks of life who, on the field, are united.”
“On the field, just like in the Air Force, you have to learn to quickly build trust and work together towards a common goal,” Nagy said.
"Everyone that I have met on this team is now connected with me in some way,” Nagy said. “The team has helped me figure anything out."
In October, Kung had the opportunity to travel to New Zealand with the Air Force women’s team to participate in American, New Zealand, Australian or ANZUS tournament.
The Americans played against teams from the Royal New Zealand and Royal Australian Air Force. It was the first time that all three air forces had fielded women’s teams.
The Americans won the tournament, but the best part, Kung said, was the sense of camaraderie that developed while the women played against each other.
“There was a moment when all the players from the women’s team, to include the two other countries, huddled together after the conclusion of our last match and our captain reminded us why we play and what we play for," Kung said.
“We have a saying on the U.S. team, ‘for those who can’t,’ essentially means doing something in honor of the people before us who cannot anymore, whether they lost their lives in battle or some other way. It is a reminder that it is a privilege to be able to play and to carry their strength and spirit with us,” Kung said.
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2025 15:46 |
| Story ID: | 553887 |
| Location: | LATHAM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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