A passion for the game
For many women who grew up playing pick-up football games in the backyard with their brothers, they were given a chance to perform on a much larger field Saturday afternoon.
Eighty-five females showed up for the first tryout for the Passion, the newest team in the National Women's Football League.
The future members of the gridiron came in all shapes and sizes — many with knee braces — but each with the desire to be pioneers for the first such event in Pittsburgh held at Moccasin Grove in Settler's Cabin Park, Collier Township.
The Passion are scheduled to begin play in 2003. The NWFL's season opens April 20 and runs through July 20.
“I have always wanted to play football, ever since I was a little kid,” said Kim Ferguson, 31, a tax accountant from Belle Vernon. “I have been hit in the backyard playing without pads, so when I found out about this team on Wednesday, I was on the edge of my seat.”
Pittsburgh was chosen as the 23rd team in the league, but is still without an owner. The going rate for a franchise these days is $50,000. The Passion also are in search of a home field, most likely a high school or college stadium.
Unlike the NFL, these women aren't paid. They must purchase their uniforms, and they also must have their own health insurance, because the league adheres to full-contact NFL rules.
Julianne Genis knows a little bit about getting tackled.
A rugby player for Slippery Rock, she said if men can be gymnasts and ice skaters, why can't women play football?
“I grew up with two brothers, and they played football,” said Genis, 20, a Keystone Oaks graduate. “I took a semester off of rugby this year so I could try out for football. I can take a hit. I'm just glad I get to wear pads for this sport.”
Yesterday's workout was done without equipment.
The women were put through basic calisthenics, timed in the 40-yard dash and divided into groups by skill positions and linemen — or linewomen as the case may be.
To the delight of coach John Stolec, those in attendance understood the game.
“When I told them to line up at guard, they knew where to go,” said Stolec, of Center, Beaver County. “We will have to teach some things, but I think their knowledge will carry them a long way.”
Stolec also was impressed with the talent level and the fact the women seemed to get along, even when one of them knocked another over and she landed in a mud pile. They cheered for each other when one of them made a good play and offered words of encouragement on a dropped ball or a wounded-duck pass.
The second of three tryouts is set from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday at Neville Island Memorial Park on Neville Island.
Kim Guseman, 34, of Whitehall, will be there. She has played nearly every sport, so football was not out of the question. Tackle football is another choice for women once they get done with high school and college sports, Guseman said.
Laura Jack, a senior basketball player at Keystone Oaks, said women are finally getting their fair share in athletics.
Guseman and Jack weren't alone in their thinking.
“This has been a life-long dream for me,” said Torina Henley, 30, of the North Side. “I may have a small frame, but I am tough, both physically and mentally. I learned that from playing football with my brothers. Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was play football. I played with them, but now, I want to play for a team where the plays you make count.”
