What's a scrum?

 I'm watching The Amazing Race.  I like this show because of all the sites they visit and some amazing scenery.  And, if I'm being honest, I really need a break from election returns.  My west coast brother tells me that today is "National Chaos Never Dies Day" which seems appropriated for the day after country-wide elections.  But The Amazing Race is reminding me of another kind of chaos.  The competitors are taking part in a whole series of Rugby exercises and that reminds me of my daughter's college years.  My daughter attended Earlham college where she played on the co-ed Rugby team.  I didn't know anything about the game before my husband and I drove down to watch her first game.  Turns out it's a pretty rough game, with no time-outs, frequent scrums (where all the players pile up on top of each other) and lots of running, pushing and shoving, while carrying a strangely misshapen ball.  My daughter, who is six feet tall with red hair, was easy to spot and seemed to be having a great time.  As I watched, obviously focusing on my daughter, I thought something looked strange about her hair.  When I got close to her, after the game, I saw that she had shaved her hair on the sides and back, and pulled what was left into a high pony tail.  She explained to me that she had to shave her head so she could tape her ears back, to keep them from getting torn off.  I was getting less and less fond of this game.  Happily, when she let her hair down after the game it was thick enough to completely cover the shaved areas.  She played Rugby for two years, and, after she graduated, married the student coach.  That led, quite naturally, to two grandchildren, the very best result of all that Rugby.