December 15, 2007
- How many women in our league can say they had the
opportunity to play football in high school? One of our own has
the honor – Holly Horodeczny played football in 7th
grade and again as a junior in high school. She says the
biggest difference between playing football in high school with
the boys to now is now she shares one locker room with 35 sweaty
women instead of having her own locker room to herself after a
team meeting with 30 sweaty high school boys.
One of Holly’s favorite
memories is playing ball with her older brother Matt. He lost
his identity that year and was known as “Holly’s older
brother.” Holly grew up with 2 older brothers, Matt (1 year
older) and Kirk (3 years older), and 2 older sisters; Kathryn
(her twin older by 1 minute), and Hillary (5 years older). She
learned to play football with her family. Her father and
brothers were her biggest influence. They would spend Sundays
not just watching football but playing in the side yard of the
farmhouse. Holly attributes her playing to her supportive
family.
After high school she never
thought she would have the chance to play again. She knew about
the Spitfire when they were in Toledo, but the drive was too
much. One day in June of 2006 the Ann Arbor News ran an article
that the Toledo Spitfire was becoming the Tree Town Spitfire
based in Ann Arbor. She no longer had the excuse that the team
was too far to play. Her best friend convinced her it was not
only worth the effort, but that she could still play ball
because of her love for the game.
With her family and friends
support she set off on a new adventure. Her family made it to
all of the home games and an away game or two, her best friend
who convinced her made it to all of her games and the scrimmage
in Pittsburgh.
Along with impacting her
brother Matt’s identity, Holly has many favorite football
memories. Watching her other brother Kirk play an intense
fullback (a tradition she will carry on this year, her father
also played fullback in high school) is one of those. She has
always said she would never want to meet a player as intense as
he was. Many of her other memories include teammates who became
dear friends, the perfect catch from former Spitfire
quarterback, Cathy Yungmann, to score 6 points at Milwaukee,
watching Jessie Cole score the winning touchdown in last
season’s Snow Bowl opener, Lelani Russell’s team record 4 TD
game, and Sarah Sharpe ripping the ball back from a defender who
intercepted and running it in for a touchdown at Erie!
Then there was her touchdown in
7th grade, one of only 3 scores the team made all
year, and her high school career was topped off by the almost
famous catch. She had her man beat, a perfect spiral came her
way, and fell right between her hands. She would have had 6
points, but then again, the all-conference center, Matt
Horodeczny, was called for holding, his only holding call ever.
Holly has many loves in her
life. She loves her nieces; Makenna, Brooke (her goddaughter),
and Lila, and her nephews; Josh, Brett, and Alex. She loves
watching them grow into wonderful young people. She loves
spending time with her family and friends, both while bailing
hay on 1,000 or so acres of farmland and sitting around the
bonfire after work. Her biggest love is her love for football.
She loves talking about it, watching it, and playing. She loves
the friends she has made and the chance to get to know her
teammates. She loves the camaraderie of the team and the
practical jokes that happen after the game, just ask former
teammate and travel companion Brenda O’Rourke. She loves
everything about football.
