Saturday is the day. With only two days before game day, I'm getting prepared mentally and physically. I know my abilities as well as my team's abilities and I know that we have what it takes to get this win against the New York Sharks. Personally, I am more excited about the competition we will face this weekend than any other competition we have faced so far this season.
Our team has played against the Sharks for many years now. They are a familiar opponent and it is always a good game when we play them. We are both respectable teams who play the game the way it is supposed to be played and we step on that field with nothing but class. I've played the Sharks a few times in my career but it wasn't until this year that I knew any of the Sharks players. I got to know a few of their players when the world came together for the Women's World Football Games of 2014. I got to know one of there players a lot more than the others. One of their receivers, who just so happens to wear the same number that I do, caught my attention on several different levels. Throughout our 4 days at this event, we really began to connect and found that we wanted to keep in touch after the event was over. It turns out, that our connection was strong enough that we visited each other several times since then and are now officially a couple. I'll share our entire "story" in a later post.
A few of my teammates were at that event with me and saw the way Laura, my girlfriend, and I had hit it off. I knew they were happy for me but I wasn't sure how the rest of my team would handle me dating someone from an opposing team. This wasn't a huge concern for me because my personal life does not interfere with my football life in any way but I know that some people would think it would. Laura and I play on the same side of the ball so its not like either one of us would even have to interact with one another on the field. Also, unfortunately, Laura is dealing with a knee injury at the moment so she won't be playing in this weekend's game against us. I have made a few friends on her team that I will have to go against but when I am on that field, I don't see faces and I don't notice names. My focus is on me and my team. Every person on that team is wearing a black and blue jersey, that's all that matters to me. Once the game is over, then we can all go back to being friendly. That's the way it should be.
There will be no hard feelings because we are all there to do two things: play football and get the win for our team. We all met playing football together but we will be on different ends of the field this Saturday. Both of our teams want to make it to the championship so we will do what it takes to win this game and every other one we play. May the better team win...
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Practice Day!
Today is our last practice before this weekend's game! Thursday practices before game day usually consist of mental repitions and working out any kinks that we may have. As I said before, we are only able to practice two nights a week. This means that Tuesdays are usually our conditioning days and days we look over the team that we are to be facing next, while Thursdays are more about breaking down our offense and defense. New York is a phenomenal team and they are actually going to be our biggest competition yet this season so we need to be prepared. A lot of work is going to go into tonight's practice but to be honest, thats no different than any of our other practices. In order to be the best, we must practice hard every single chance we get. One quote that our team likes to live by is "Victory requires payment in advance". This couldn't be more true and our team knows it!
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
For the Love of the Game
The Pittsburgh Passion practices Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7pm to 10pm. This might not seem like a lot of practice for most athletes but in women's football, this is actually normal. In our sport, we do not get paid to play. Not a single penny goes into our pockets for playing what is considered a "professional" sport. We pay for our own equipment, our own travel, our own facilities for both practices and games and also pay for our own officials. The crazy thing is, we don't complain. Would it be great to be paid to play the sport that we love? Absolutely! Would it be nice to have an income from playing the sport I love just as other professional athletes do? For sure. But, unfortunately, women's football isn't quite popular enough. The fact that we don't get paid to play and we put our own time, money and effort into this sport really just goes to show that we truly play for the love of the game.
We, as women, take pride in playing a sport that is typically dominated by men. We do not play to compete with men or to take away from them but we play because full-contact football is an incredible sport and there is no reason why women shouldn't be able to take part in it. When people watch us play they are shocked that we play just as the men do. I can admit that our game speed might not be as fast or we may not play with the exact same intensity that men do but we play and it is real. Franco Harris himself has come to our games and been in awe at the way we play. We hit hard, run fast, throw long and get up for any ball that is lingering in the air. We have plays that are definitely Sports Center worthy. But, people aren't educated enough to know so. Women's football is surely more known now than it was 10 years ago, but we still have a ways to go before we are to where we want to be.
There is no doubt in my mind that some day, we will be well known all over the world; that we will get paid to play the sport that we love; that we will be on Sports Center and ESPN. All we need is a little more time and a little more exposure to tell the world that we are here, and we are serious.
We, as women, take pride in playing a sport that is typically dominated by men. We do not play to compete with men or to take away from them but we play because full-contact football is an incredible sport and there is no reason why women shouldn't be able to take part in it. When people watch us play they are shocked that we play just as the men do. I can admit that our game speed might not be as fast or we may not play with the exact same intensity that men do but we play and it is real. Franco Harris himself has come to our games and been in awe at the way we play. We hit hard, run fast, throw long and get up for any ball that is lingering in the air. We have plays that are definitely Sports Center worthy. But, people aren't educated enough to know so. Women's football is surely more known now than it was 10 years ago, but we still have a ways to go before we are to where we want to be.
There is no doubt in my mind that some day, we will be well known all over the world; that we will get paid to play the sport that we love; that we will be on Sports Center and ESPN. All we need is a little more time and a little more exposure to tell the world that we are here, and we are serious.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Weekend of Adventure
My favorite thing about weekends in the Spring is Pittsburgh Passion football games! I used to just enjoy watching the team but in recent years I've had the honor of being a member of the team. For anyone that may not know, the Pittsburgh Passion is a women's full contact football team here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We follow NCAA football rules and wear full pads/equipment just as the guys do. The equipment includes cleats, knee pads, thigh pads, hip pads, shoulder pads, helmet and mouthpieces. Some people choose to wear other safety protectors such as rib guards, shin guards or forearm guards but I'm not one of them. That's just my personal preference.
One thing I love about being a part of this team is the travel that we do for our games. Two weeks ago we played in Durham, North Carolina and this past weekend we played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Typically, my one teammate and I make little trips out of each game. We make the trip together instead of on the team bus and choose to be adventurous before and/or after our games. This weekend, we chose to be adventurous both before and after. We traveled to Hoboken, New Jersey and stayed a little ways away from there in the town of Rahway, New Jersey. New Jersey isn't all that far from Philadelphia and we actually went there to meet up with my girlfriend who happens to live in Brooklyn, NY. On top of meeting my girlfriend, I wanted to go to Hoboken to see the Cake Boss! I didn't actually get to see him but a simple picture outside of his shop was good enough for me.
Unfortunately, my day in New Jersey was short lived and before I knew it, it was time to head down to Philadelphia to play against the Philadelphia Firebirds. Our kickoff time was at 2:30. Most of our games are played at either 6:00 or 7:00 at night but for some reason, we played early this game. I actually was happy about it. It was such a beautiful day to play football under the sun. Our team was hungry to get our second win of the season and as a matter of fact, that's exactly what we did! We defeated the Philadelphia Firebirds 42-0. This was our first shutout of the season and boy, did it feel good! I happen to be a starting receiver for the Passion and I was happy to contribute to that score in any way possible. Of course everyone wants to be that star receiver that gets all the glory and recognition for catches and touchdowns, but what people don't realize is, without the other 10 members on the field blocking and doing their job, those stars can't score or make the big plays. I've had my time in the spotlight but I also love being able to pick up a block for a teammate or run a defender out of the play so they are no longer a threat to our ball carrier. Every bit of effort on that field makes a difference in games.
After our teams shook hands, I was ready to continue on with the rest of my day. It was still pretty early on a beautiful Saturday afternoon so it only seemed right to go out and adventure some more with my teammate, who also happens to be one of my best friends. It just so happens that the team we play this upcoming week was playing a game in Brooklyn, New York that didn't kickoff until 6 o'clock that night. We were close enough to get to that game soon after kickoff so we hopped in the car and ventured up that way. The team in New York, the New York Sharks, just so happens to have a close relationship with the Pittsburgh Passion and I have recently made some friends on that team. Although they will be opponents this upcoming weekend, I'm still happy to support them against other teams and always wish to see them do well. We made it there around halftime and were able to watch them defeat the Connecticut Wreckers by a whopping 50-0. They are quite a good team and I'm definitely looking forward to the competitive game we are going to have when we face each other. After the game, we all headed up to their little after party, socialized for a bit and headed back to stay in Brooklyn.
Our Easter Sunday was spent with a wonderful breakfast first thing in the morning followed by a five and a half hour car ride back to Pittsburgh. I couldn't complain about my weekend at all! Three different states in a matter of three days?? I'm happy with it! Spending time with people I love, getting a Pittsburgh Passion win, watching friends get a New York Sharks win and simply making new memories is exactly why I love weekends like this. I advise anyone and everyone to be adventurous and take trips while you can. No, I didn't have to make this weekend the adventure it was. I could've simply rode the bus there and back in the same day like many of my teammates did but that's not how I wanted to do things. These are the times that we are supposed to be making memories and traveling! Before we get settled in our jobs and/or have families, live it up! I am and I couldn't be happier about it.
One thing I love about being a part of this team is the travel that we do for our games. Two weeks ago we played in Durham, North Carolina and this past weekend we played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Typically, my one teammate and I make little trips out of each game. We make the trip together instead of on the team bus and choose to be adventurous before and/or after our games. This weekend, we chose to be adventurous both before and after. We traveled to Hoboken, New Jersey and stayed a little ways away from there in the town of Rahway, New Jersey. New Jersey isn't all that far from Philadelphia and we actually went there to meet up with my girlfriend who happens to live in Brooklyn, NY. On top of meeting my girlfriend, I wanted to go to Hoboken to see the Cake Boss! I didn't actually get to see him but a simple picture outside of his shop was good enough for me.
Unfortunately, my day in New Jersey was short lived and before I knew it, it was time to head down to Philadelphia to play against the Philadelphia Firebirds. Our kickoff time was at 2:30. Most of our games are played at either 6:00 or 7:00 at night but for some reason, we played early this game. I actually was happy about it. It was such a beautiful day to play football under the sun. Our team was hungry to get our second win of the season and as a matter of fact, that's exactly what we did! We defeated the Philadelphia Firebirds 42-0. This was our first shutout of the season and boy, did it feel good! I happen to be a starting receiver for the Passion and I was happy to contribute to that score in any way possible. Of course everyone wants to be that star receiver that gets all the glory and recognition for catches and touchdowns, but what people don't realize is, without the other 10 members on the field blocking and doing their job, those stars can't score or make the big plays. I've had my time in the spotlight but I also love being able to pick up a block for a teammate or run a defender out of the play so they are no longer a threat to our ball carrier. Every bit of effort on that field makes a difference in games.
After our teams shook hands, I was ready to continue on with the rest of my day. It was still pretty early on a beautiful Saturday afternoon so it only seemed right to go out and adventure some more with my teammate, who also happens to be one of my best friends. It just so happens that the team we play this upcoming week was playing a game in Brooklyn, New York that didn't kickoff until 6 o'clock that night. We were close enough to get to that game soon after kickoff so we hopped in the car and ventured up that way. The team in New York, the New York Sharks, just so happens to have a close relationship with the Pittsburgh Passion and I have recently made some friends on that team. Although they will be opponents this upcoming weekend, I'm still happy to support them against other teams and always wish to see them do well. We made it there around halftime and were able to watch them defeat the Connecticut Wreckers by a whopping 50-0. They are quite a good team and I'm definitely looking forward to the competitive game we are going to have when we face each other. After the game, we all headed up to their little after party, socialized for a bit and headed back to stay in Brooklyn.
Our Easter Sunday was spent with a wonderful breakfast first thing in the morning followed by a five and a half hour car ride back to Pittsburgh. I couldn't complain about my weekend at all! Three different states in a matter of three days?? I'm happy with it! Spending time with people I love, getting a Pittsburgh Passion win, watching friends get a New York Sharks win and simply making new memories is exactly why I love weekends like this. I advise anyone and everyone to be adventurous and take trips while you can. No, I didn't have to make this weekend the adventure it was. I could've simply rode the bus there and back in the same day like many of my teammates did but that's not how I wanted to do things. These are the times that we are supposed to be making memories and traveling! Before we get settled in our jobs and/or have families, live it up! I am and I couldn't be happier about it.
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