October 15, 2007 - Full contact what?
Tree Town who? Have you lost your mind? These are the questions
that flooded my brain when my husband called me one Saturday morning
and told me he ran into a recruiter from a local women’s football
team. He said that the recruiter paid more attention to him than
his female coworkers once he mentioned that his wife would be
interested!
I think my husband
was more excited than I was at the time. I was not sure if it was
something I really wanted to do or whether I could actually squeeze
it into my schedule. I had just retired about 7 months ago to stay
home and be my husband’s right-hand-woman as he pursues a doctorate
degree. Did I really want to commit to something that seemed to
need more from me that I thought I could give? What if I got
hurt? I mean, this is full contact tackle football…no little flags
hanging from your hips.
For two days I
wrestled with the idea and by midweek I had made up my mind that I
was not going to play. I didn’t see how it would fit into our plan
to get a doctorate degree and move south in the next couple years.
My husband said he’d support my decision either way, but I knew he
really wanted me get out there and see what I thought. “Just get on
the field and catch the ball a few times before deciding,” he
suggested. I was still not convinced that it was a good choice,
but I hesitantly went to the open practice that Wednesday. When my
cleats hit the grass and the leather hit my hands, I was hooked!
There was no question about it…I wanted to play!
I told my husband
about my experience and his eyes lit up. He was just as thrilled as
I was! Over the next few weeks I acquired footballs, pads, and
other equipment that have found their way permanently into the back
of our Honda Element. There’s nothing like catching the football in
full stride before turning and running up field – that’s what I got
to do for the first week or so. Then, the whole tide changed when
I expressed interest in throwing the ball.
I was quickly moved
behind center and have been baptized by fire (Spitfire!) ever since
as a rookie quarterback! I thought I was being molded to be used
in a backup or reserve capacity. I had no idea that I was being
groomed
as a starter! No
one bothered to tell ME of this plan until the beans were spilled
when we were eating a post-practice meal while watching Monday Night
Football at a nearby restaurant. I was shocked!! I think it took
about two days for this shock to slowly subside, but traces of it
are still there.
That night, after
leaving the restaurant, I ordered three footballs online. There
was no time to waste…I needed to learn to throw the correct way and
a sense of urgency overwhelmed me! The practices have continued to
be a regular overload of new terms, thought processes, rules, and
discipline.
I can’t say it’s
been easy, I’ve had to reboot after breaking down, but the
experience has been nothing less than life-changing. Friendships
have been formed that go beyond the end zone; bonds have been
created that remind me that a TEAM is more than simply a group with
a common interest; I’m breaking out of my bubble…sometimes with a
little help from my teammates; and I’m learning there’s a warrior in
me that I haven’t even seen yet, but I know she’s there!
I have an
“addiction” that keeps growing stronger as I feed it with official
weekend practices and informal weeknight practices down the street.
I go through a withdrawal of sorts when I wake on Tuesday morning
after having experienced two consecutive intense days on the field.
Waiting until the weekend again to get that leather in my hand and
throw that perfect route or hit that running back coming through the
3-hole is agony.
I pray for
lightning-free weather on practice days so that satisfaction of my
football craving won’t be delayed! I go to bed with “play-action”
and “boot” diagrams on my eyelids! I see that perfect “reverse”
cutting up-field and getting that first down in my dreams. I am an
athlete and I play premiere women’s football…I now bleed red and
black…I charge up hills and I pump iron…I am a SPITFIRE!
From inside the (tackle) Box, hoping your line
protects you 'til next time!
~Jennifer Boyce
