The Utah Falconz athletes in the huddle at the start of practice on February 24, 2015.
by BREANN HILLHOUSE
Each Falcon athlete has a driving force behind her, reasons that encourage her to play. Our regular season is rapidly approaching but we are at the hardest part of our practice season; trying to make sense of the jumble of plays streaming through our heads. Before practice began, I asked you guys to tell me why you play. Ladies, in case you’re starting to forget, here’s a reminder as to why you play.
Exercise is good. Real good.
This is a no- brainer, guys. Everyone is looking for that new fad exercise program that allows you to burn the maximum of calories, experience the minimum of drudgery while having the most fun. Um, that’s football. By joining the team you’ve signed up for a way to get your lazy bones to a two-hour workout three times a week. Some might say that sounds awful, but you’re playing a game with awesome people, like me, and practice flies by. Before you know it, you’re home and you’ve got that lovely level of exhaustion that lets you know you’ve accomplished something and kicked butt while doing it.
Feeling of empowerment
“I just want to feel like a coward.” Said no one ever. Stepping out on that field makes you feel powerful, like you could accomplish anything you set your mind to. Because you can, you little beastie. Whether your objective is that perfect pass, a solid catch, shedding the block, pulling off the pull or scoring a touchdown- accomplishing your role within the play makes you feel like you could take on the world. And you probably could, ‘cause that’s how amazing you are.
Stress release
Stress is a normal part of life, unfortunately. School, work or being mommy of the year is building your inner pressure cooker and you need to let that top blow. I mean, some people just become alcoholics but you prefer to go to football and lay your friend out. It’s not uncommon to see a teammate tackle another and you think, “Oh, she had a bad day. Clearly, she needed that.”
Being part of something bigger than yourself
Remember when your parents and teachers beat the importance of teamwork into your prepubescent skull? That’s all starting to make sense now, right? Being a Falcon makes you part of a team and together we are working towards a common goal. Knowing that people depend on you makes you feel important because sometimes being a cog in the working machine feels amazing. This breeds the knowledge that your teammates have your back on the field and you sure know you’ve got their back. That’s a unique experience you’re not going to get at work, where office politics are king. Eventually we will start to see the hard work pay off and that’s more exciting than seeing a unicorn dance ballet. Mostly because unicorns are not very graceful.
Proving a point, taking a stand and shutting up the nay-sayers!
You play football for the same reason you got that tattoo your parents never found out about. Because somebody told you that you couldn’t do it. Women have come a long way over the last half-century, but football is still considered a man’s sport. You’re going to tell them otherwise, aren’t you? You bet you are. You’re going to break down boundaries and show all the narrow-minded people out there that yes, you are super adorable and yes, you can bake a killer soufflé and yes, you can take down that giantess over there. Humph, that shut’em up, didn’t it?
To make new friends
Let’s be honest, making new friends as an adult is hard. As a kid you simply stroll up to the nearest child on the playground, share your dessert and suddenly you’re bestest friends. These days if I were to offer half of my Twinkie to a stranger they would think I am weird and/or trying to drug them. The point is moot though because I wouldn’t offer half of my Twinkie to anyone. Maybe grown-ups are more curmudgeonly than our younger selves, but I believe we find it harder to break out of our shell and form lasting bonds. In football we spend extensive time with the same group of women, testing and relying on each other, traveling together, collaborating and sharing success. You can’t help but form genuine friendships. They become family.
Love of the game
To you, football is more than just any ol’ game. You’ve been a spectator and enjoyed cheering on your favorite team with your friends and family. Perhaps you thought you could play, maybe better. So you got off the couch, stomped down from the bleachers and took the field. This is your passion, what you love to do and you want to do the game justice because this ain’t your momma’s social club!
Do something for YOU
You work hard, you bet you do. Do you ever feel like the majority of your time is at work/cleaning house/going to school, only to wake up the next day and do it all over again? I mean, there really is no end to laundry, right? You may be considering becoming a nudist just so you don’t have to do laundry again. Well, it’s illegal and also very cold outside. Instead, you do something specifically for you. It’s nice to escape from your regular daily duties and play football because it makes you happy and sometimes you just need to make yourself happy so you can survive the work week. Ironically, football does tend to yield a lot of laundry. I’m real sorry about that, but nothing can be done.
Represent the Mascot Miracles Foundation
When we take the field we are representing the Mascot Miracles Foundation, who do wonderful things for some seriously sick children. We play for the kids and let them know they have an entire football team behind them. Usually we are playing in the name of a specific child and wanting to do well for that kid is a powerful motivator. You will often see Falcon athletes sporting a token of a specific kid and whether we are hoping to give them strength or show their family that they have not been forgotten, we are playing for them.
Be a unique snowflake in our society
I guess you can succumb to the norm. I suppose you could conform to typical hobbies. Although, and this is just a suggestion, you could break out of the mold and dedicate yourself to a past-time completely unexpected. Yeah, you like that, don’t you? You enjoy seeing the raised eyebrows when you tell someone you play football. Because you’re a rare flower and you don’t want to blend in. You much prefer to stand out. And, you do.
To inspire and make them proud
One day I want to hear my grandchildren say, “My Grandma was so awesome, she played football back when it was uncommon for women to play.” It’s pretty neat to show a younger generation that women can accomplish anything. You can see the difference you’re making when you hear little girls proudly state that she’s going to be a Falcon when she grows up. Our family, significant others, friends, coworkers, neighbors and community are behind us, cheering. They give up time with us, come to our games and listen to us talk about football incessantly. The least we can do is work hard and do well to thank them for their unyielding support.
The chance to be the best
Sure, at the end of the day it’s just a game and we’re not saving the world…that we know of. But it’s our game and we know that anything worth doing is worth doing well. You are striving to be the best; the best in your position, as a team, in our division, in the country. You want to be at the top of your game, to achieve the goals you set and prove that you can push yourself to excellence when your inner, inner voice might say you’re not good enough. You can shut that monologue down because you’re stronger than you ever imagined. People might say keeping a championship in our sights is cocky to assume we’re going to make it that far, but we know the opportunity to work towards a championship is overly enticing. We’ve got our eyes set to the future because everyone wants to bring home that championship title. So whatever your reason, dear Falcon, hold onto that. Remember that you are exactly where you want to be; doing what you love with a team that is pretty awesome.
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