Janet Naclia, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, May 18, 2012
Why sign up for the physical and mental beating that is full-tackle football? Why not? says a woman who relishes the "glorious game."
Well, you should be proud," said the emergency-room doctor as she examined my dislocated knee. "You're my very first female football player. I didn't even know that Calgary had a women's tackle team." It's a common reaction. Until last year,like my emergency-room doctor I had no idea that our city had a women's full-tackle amateur football team. I learned otherwise when a friend from my boxing class, who plays on the offensive line for the Calgary Rage, invited me to tryout.
I made the team (defensiveline), which explains my visit to emergency. Trying to maintain my composure, I explained to the doctor that the Women's Western Canadian Football League (WWCFL) was founded last year and that, mere hours earlier, I'd popped out my kneecap while making a tackle during practice. I was more than a little nervous about my condition. I had big plans for that knee, plans that involved a Team Canada tryout in August.
"Youshould be back playing relatively quickly," the doctor said, sensing my growing anxiety.
"Just be careful and take it easy."
Ah, care and ease, two things most definitely not associated with my tackle-football experience so far. They were certainly nowhere to be found when I entered my rookie year as green as green could be. Offside, posts and kicks, half backs, the line of scrimmage-it was all a foreign language. What I did know, however, was that I was craving a community. I wanted to be part of a team sport and I needed a challenge. Most importantly, I was looking to be part of something significant.
Luckily, women's tackle-football in Canada is at a place right now where its goal is to attract people like me. The sport is growing, and teams are springing up in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, all looking to capture the passion, potential and dedication of able-bodied players ages 18 to 50.
As with many sports that are traditionally male-dominated (think women's hockey), women's full-tackle football in Canada is in a challenging phase of its development. Money from official governing bodies is thin, as it tends to go to more established male teams. And because the WWCFL is still in its infancy, women's football teams have to work hard and play even harder to prove their chops to football fans, coaches and potential sponsors. Yet, despite these obstacles, women across the country keep coming out to take and make their hits on the field, moving the sport towards an important tipping point.
The most common question I'm asked is "Why?" Why do football neophytes like myself grind their way through the punishing mental and physical exertions of the game? After all-dare I state the obvious- playing football is really, really hard, whether you are female or male. It's aggressive and it's physical. You leave practices and games bruised and battered, sometimes with injured knees, torn muscles and dislocated shoulders. There was one time after a playoff game last year when I didn't even have enough energy left to lift my arms up to take off my gear. Yet the more I play, the more I'm hooked on that complete and utter devotion to the sport.
It is this spark of hardcore dedication that makes even the most unlikely woman a potential football player. Our coaches demand that we leave nothing on the field, that we push ourselves to give it our all and more. You know you've accomplished this when, gratefully tucked into bed the night after a game, you are completely confident that you didn't let any of your teammates down.
So, I suppose the answer to the question, "Why are so many women now playing tackle football?," is simply this: We'vebeen given the opportunity. How often do we as women get a chance to truly push our own physical limits and receive legitimate praise for being an aggressive competitor?
One of the captains on my football team is a 2010 national-team running back named Erin Walton. Few Canadians realize that we have a women's national tackle football team, but we do, and it won a silver medal in the last International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women's World Championships, held in Sweden in 2010.
That diehard attitude will be key now that nearly 20 Rage teammates (myself included) have joined Team Alberta along with players from the Edmonton Storm and the Lethbridge Steel, making up Alberta's very first provincial team for women's tackle football. Talk about an historic moment.
Walton is one of those athletes who plays with heart, giving it her all during practices as well as games, and expects us to do the same. She shepherds an eclectic 30-player team comprised of stay-at-home moms, professionals, jocks and women of all ages and backgrounds; leads by example; and tirelessly encourages us to explore our potential. One of her favourite Calgary Rage pre-game cheers is, "Youmess with one, you mess with all."
Team Alberta is slated to play off against other provincial teams as part of the upcoming Team Canada try-outs in Montreal this August. Canada, specifically Saint John, N.B., will host the 2013 IFAF Women's World Championships and we mean to represent. I've no doubt there will be a few Calgarians on the next Team Canada.
As for my new love of football, I definitely have a greater appreciation for the physical commitment it takes to play the sport. I'm not so bold as to compare myself to the Titans in the CFL but, like them, I know the pain (and the glory) of taking on a much larger offensive lineman and-.winning! I've aced foot drills, popping drills and blocking drills-heck, even falling drills- that I didn't know existed a year ago. I'm the strongest and the fittest I've ever been and, best of all, I've found the community that I was seeking-a community of tough, smart women who are taking ownership of the glorious game of football for themselves and paving the way for future generations.
There's one truism in football: you either win or lose as a team. Ask anyone who's played-the biggest fear football players have isn't getting hurt, it's letting your teammates down by making that one mistake that costs everyone the game. This dedication to a group means that players act as mentors, passing on their knowledge and experience with the goal of making the team stronger as a whole. We've also learned that, regardless of the differences you may have with your teammates off the field, it' sour job on the gridiron to watch each other's backs, no matter what. A sour team captain says, "You mess with one, you mess with all."
The Calgary Rage plays the Lethbridge Steel, Saturday, May 19th at 2p.m. at Shouldice Athletic Park (1515 Home Rd. N.W.).
