You may be wondering if I have come across people who say: Women can't play football. Well, I have of course but it doesn't really bother me because their arguments are just silly to my well trained ears.
I grew up a female athlete. I know that when I play pick up basketball that I have to work twice as hard and that most guys won't pass me the ball until they realize I can play. I know that women's sports haven't gotten the attention of the men.
However I firmly believe that football is a bit different. A funny thing happens when you put on shoulder pads and a helmet. People forget you are women. They start identifying you as a football player.
We might get the occassional giggle from the stands. But then we start to tackle and those same giggles turn into disblieve that a girl could hit like that.
Baseball is no longer America's favorite past time. It's now football. Football is the closest we get to the soccer holligans of the world. We watch a sport that is normally played once a week, every day of the week, multiple times a day, and on muliple screens.
I believe that once people are aware of women's football...they love it. Because it's football.
Now there are those out there as well that feel like women who play football are trying to some how be more masculine. Try Again. We just love the sport. Yes, it's rough. But who says women can't be strong? Who says women can't be empowered by using their bodies as an instrument other than for sex or birthing? Who wrote the rule that women can't be just as fierce and determined as men?
Come out and watch us play and you will realize that women playing football is not against the law of physics.
Actually Isaac Newton would probably enjoy women's football.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
LaGarrett Blount
I am also an avid Univeristy of Oregon Duck fan. This means I've been dealing with the aftermath of "The Punch" heard and seen around the world. At the time I was watching the game with my roommates and their friends who are mostly Beavers. I pretty much was like great. Where was that passion during the game?
I woke up the next day not being able to get away from it. Everyone was talking about it. At work. On the radio. It was on CNN on my phone.
At the time I thought that the 1 year suspension was a bit harsh but warranted.
Now Blount has been re-instated. This has left me torn. I have felt like in his absence, LaMichael James and his back up Barner have stepped up and have flourished in the opporunity. I feel like why would you want to mess with an offense that has been clicking on all cylinders?
But then again, I listen to the people calling in on the radio who think he should have been basically banished to Siberia without a jacket and vodka. These are the same people that think Michael Vick should have been in prison for 30 years.
I woke up the next day not being able to get away from it. Everyone was talking about it. At work. On the radio. It was on CNN on my phone.
At the time I thought that the 1 year suspension was a bit harsh but warranted.
Now Blount has been re-instated. This has left me torn. I have felt like in his absence, LaMichael James and his back up Barner have stepped up and have flourished in the opporunity. I feel like why would you want to mess with an offense that has been clicking on all cylinders?
But then again, I listen to the people calling in on the radio who think he should have been basically banished to Siberia without a jacket and vodka. These are the same people that think Michael Vick should have been in prison for 30 years.
My opinion is people deserve second chances if they complete their appointed punishment. If you commit a crime and do the time...you should have an opportunity to move on. This doesn't mean that the seas should part, but it does mean that you should have a chance to earn a life.
My problem is not that Blount is coming back. My problem is that Chip went back on his original punishment.
What exactly is this world of sports justice that we have created? Why is it so different from the real world?
Sunday, October 25, 2009
How I Got Into Women's Football Part 3
That first year we only won 2 games but it was enough for me to become formally addicted to the sport. I grew up watching football on tv and I guarentee you that I knew more than most middle-aged men. However, a funny thing happens when you actually start playing the game, you understand it on a much more technical level. It was exciting for me to notice a great increase in my understanding when I started watching football after that first season.
That October marked the beginning of an era of tumoil in my personal life. I was in the process of moving to Albany from Eugene and was in Albany at the time. My siblings were at school, my dad was at work, and my mother was at home with the dog when the fire started.
My mother heard a boom like a car accident and looked outside the house to find no sign of anything until she saw smoke coming out of the back of the house. She grabbed the dog, ran out of the house, and called 911. I got a frantic call from her and jumped in my car with the emergency lights going and flew up I-5.
By the time I got there, 3 blocks around my house were blocked off by police and fire fighters. I got clearance to get around and arrived at the front of my house to find my mother who was visibly shaken. The back of the house was engulfed in flames in a way that made you numb because that stuff only happens in movies. It didn't feel like it was my house.
Neighbors were around to try to comfort my family. Channel 2 news from Portland was there covering it. Apparently a couple of firmen got hurt. Insurance people were asking questions. My dad was fighting back tears and trying not to get pissed off at the news people. It was awful.
3 months later my mom was trying to get away and took my sister with her dune buggeying in Florence. The dune buggey caught fire and they had a hard time getting her out of it. She finally did but not before she sustaind 3rd degree burns on 8 percent of her body.
Needless to say, I was struggling with all of this. But one thing that was constant was football and my teammates. Football gave me something to focus on. My teammates were supportive and understanding. It was awesome to feel like I had a second family when I really needed it and I will always be greatful to them.
Going into the second season I felt like I had something to prove. Scratch that. I had everything to prove: to myself, to my team, to my family, to the world. Football helped me pull myself up from the the dust and emerge a much stronger, wiser, and better person.
That October marked the beginning of an era of tumoil in my personal life. I was in the process of moving to Albany from Eugene and was in Albany at the time. My siblings were at school, my dad was at work, and my mother was at home with the dog when the fire started.
My mother heard a boom like a car accident and looked outside the house to find no sign of anything until she saw smoke coming out of the back of the house. She grabbed the dog, ran out of the house, and called 911. I got a frantic call from her and jumped in my car with the emergency lights going and flew up I-5.
By the time I got there, 3 blocks around my house were blocked off by police and fire fighters. I got clearance to get around and arrived at the front of my house to find my mother who was visibly shaken. The back of the house was engulfed in flames in a way that made you numb because that stuff only happens in movies. It didn't feel like it was my house.
Neighbors were around to try to comfort my family. Channel 2 news from Portland was there covering it. Apparently a couple of firmen got hurt. Insurance people were asking questions. My dad was fighting back tears and trying not to get pissed off at the news people. It was awful.
3 months later my mom was trying to get away and took my sister with her dune buggeying in Florence. The dune buggey caught fire and they had a hard time getting her out of it. She finally did but not before she sustaind 3rd degree burns on 8 percent of her body.
Needless to say, I was struggling with all of this. But one thing that was constant was football and my teammates. Football gave me something to focus on. My teammates were supportive and understanding. It was awesome to feel like I had a second family when I really needed it and I will always be greatful to them.
Going into the second season I felt like I had something to prove. Scratch that. I had everything to prove: to myself, to my team, to my family, to the world. Football helped me pull myself up from the the dust and emerge a much stronger, wiser, and better person.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How Did I Get Into Women's Football Part 2
Where did I leave off? Oh yes. I was at a Eugene Edge game and having a blast watching these women play. I thought you know what...I could do this. Something about playing a sport that I had watched since I was little but never thought I could play was very exciting to me. So I got the information I needed to keep in contact with them.
I spent that next year going to school and watching football like always but now with a different sort of anticipation. What would I play? Would these women like me? Would this be a hobby or a passion for me?
The time came for me to meet with the Eugene players the following fall in preparation for the next season. After a couple of meetings however, the Eugene owners, who were also players, let us know that they just didn't have the funds or the players to keep us going that year but that the Corvalis Pride was willing to let us come up and play for them.
Corvallis is about a 45 minute drive from Eugene. Corvallis is also the home of my school's state rival, the Oregon State Beavers. I initially was put off by that but still the opportunity to play was too much for me to pass up so I made the trek up I-5 to the first practice. The first practice was at Corvallis High School. Of course...I got lost and was 15 minutes late to the first practice. Mind you I hate being late. I ran onto the field and was very embarrased and joined the group of women warming up in lines.
This practice also happened to be directly after a snow storm we had had in the Willamette Valley so half the field was literally covered in snow. It was freakin cold! However, I had so much fun running around and catching passes that I knew I was suppose to be there.
After that first practice I decided to tell my family that I was going to be playing football. I suppose they really didn't know what to think. I think my dad was secretly intrigued because he played football in college at a small school in Indiana. My mother was confused and somehow thought it was part of my "rebellion" against her (as mothers seem to think every change their child endures is). Frankly, I think she was just scared her daughter would get hurt. She insisted I play wide receiver so that the big girls wouldn't tackle me. I promised just to get her off my case.
That first year I ended up playing running back and corner on defense. I found my sport that I was always meant to play. In every sport I played I was always the hussle player that would dive into bleachers after loose basketballs. Now here was a sport that actually rewards you for that kind of hussle.
I can't explain what it's like to tackle someone. I believe that I am pretty laid back and even keel. It takes a lot to upset me. I was always aggressive in sports but never angry. Then something happen to me after I learned how to tackle. It's this amazing transference of energy. From your soul, whatever emotion you were feeling, through your body, and literally through the other person. And yet what one would think would hurt really doesn't...ok most of the time.
I have to tell you it's addicting. That feeling is actually theraputic. You go into the off season and wish you had pads if you had a bad day. It gets into your blood stream. That adrenaline and almost primal state.
I would actually argue it's not masculine. It's human. It's not even necessarily violent, at least in my eyes that's not the purpose. The purpose is to find yourself completely ok with finding your deep strength that you didn't know you had.
Stay tuned for my next blog.
I spent that next year going to school and watching football like always but now with a different sort of anticipation. What would I play? Would these women like me? Would this be a hobby or a passion for me?
The time came for me to meet with the Eugene players the following fall in preparation for the next season. After a couple of meetings however, the Eugene owners, who were also players, let us know that they just didn't have the funds or the players to keep us going that year but that the Corvalis Pride was willing to let us come up and play for them.
Corvallis is about a 45 minute drive from Eugene. Corvallis is also the home of my school's state rival, the Oregon State Beavers. I initially was put off by that but still the opportunity to play was too much for me to pass up so I made the trek up I-5 to the first practice. The first practice was at Corvallis High School. Of course...I got lost and was 15 minutes late to the first practice. Mind you I hate being late. I ran onto the field and was very embarrased and joined the group of women warming up in lines.
This practice also happened to be directly after a snow storm we had had in the Willamette Valley so half the field was literally covered in snow. It was freakin cold! However, I had so much fun running around and catching passes that I knew I was suppose to be there.
After that first practice I decided to tell my family that I was going to be playing football. I suppose they really didn't know what to think. I think my dad was secretly intrigued because he played football in college at a small school in Indiana. My mother was confused and somehow thought it was part of my "rebellion" against her (as mothers seem to think every change their child endures is). Frankly, I think she was just scared her daughter would get hurt. She insisted I play wide receiver so that the big girls wouldn't tackle me. I promised just to get her off my case.
That first year I ended up playing running back and corner on defense. I found my sport that I was always meant to play. In every sport I played I was always the hussle player that would dive into bleachers after loose basketballs. Now here was a sport that actually rewards you for that kind of hussle.
I can't explain what it's like to tackle someone. I believe that I am pretty laid back and even keel. It takes a lot to upset me. I was always aggressive in sports but never angry. Then something happen to me after I learned how to tackle. It's this amazing transference of energy. From your soul, whatever emotion you were feeling, through your body, and literally through the other person. And yet what one would think would hurt really doesn't...ok most of the time.
I have to tell you it's addicting. That feeling is actually theraputic. You go into the off season and wish you had pads if you had a bad day. It gets into your blood stream. That adrenaline and almost primal state.
I would actually argue it's not masculine. It's human. It's not even necessarily violent, at least in my eyes that's not the purpose. The purpose is to find yourself completely ok with finding your deep strength that you didn't know you had.
Stay tuned for my next blog.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
How Did I Get Into Women's Football
You might be wondering how I became a women's football player. Well, I have pretty much been an athlete my whole life. Ever since I got introduced to tee-ball at age 6 I have been playing some sort of sport. You name it, I have probably played it. I just love anything having to do with sports. I love the competition. I love the relationships you build with your teammates. I love pushing myself physically. And I love the psychology and mental challenges of outsmarting your opponent.
I grew up playing softball, basketball, volleyball, swimming, golf, and even soccer for a couple of years. My summers were spent at sports camps. My identity was an athlete who happened to be driven academically too. My family was always supportive. My parents put a lot of time, effort, and money, to make sure I had many opporunities to pursue my love of sports. I was lucky in that regard after meeting others that had it more difficult.
In high school, I played volleyball, basketball, softball, and golf. I feel like I did ok. I was an all-around athlete. I ran against some politics that I felt hindered my potential. I also now feel like in modern day sports there is much pressure on kids to specialize in one particular sport. The fact that I played everything meant I wasn't playing one all year long like others. However, I am proud of the fact that I played everything. I'll probably devot more time to this subject later.
I also grew up an avid sports fan. I remember being 7 years old and crying when my beloved Portland Trail Blazers would lose to my mom's Utah Jazz. Additionally, my family has had season tickets to the University of Oregon Duck football games since I was probably 10 or 11. I grew up a passionate, knowledgable, and rabbid fan of football. My grandmother lived in San Francisco and through visiting her I grew up a 49ers fan. Jerry Rice was my hero. I loved everything he represented. Hard work, athletic ability, passion, and just flat out wanting it more than anyone else.
Fast foward to 2006. I had been attending the University of Oregon. When I got to college in 2002, I decided not to try to walk on in anything and just focus on school. I was like free-time? What do I do with this? I really think I didn't find myself until college because in high school I had no time to do so. It was nice to just focus on school, have fun, and trying to find out who I am.
I had played intermural sports and played club ultimate frisbee for a bit. I also worked out at the rec center and spent much time playing pick-up basketball with the boys and some football players. However, slow pitch softball and pick-up basketball games were just not doing it for me anymore.
I had a friend, who interestly enough was a stripper that I occassionally babysat for. She paid me in 1's. Lot's of 1's. I felt rich with a huge stack of money but then I realized how much it actually was. Oh well. Her father was pretty darn cool after learning I love football he informed me that there was a woman's tackle football team in Eugene, which is the city my school was in.
I thought I would check it out so we went to a game. I watched these women and I thought. Omygod! I could do this!
Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog.
Welcome to Women's Football
Hello readers!
My name is Holly Custis and I play women's tackle football. Yes. Football. Yes, we wear pads and helmets. Yes, we tackle. Yes, we are women. No, it's not soccer. No, it's not powder puff. I'm talking real, live, hard hitting, football.
I have played for 3 years for the Corvallis Pride of the IWFL. This year however, I have decided to join the newly formed Portland Fillies of the WFA. I like the direction the WFA is going on the business side of things and have decided that to play for a team in this league is worth the drive up the highway for me.
I will be writting in this blog throughout the season to give people a perspective of what it is like to play women's football. My ultimate goal is to get enough entries to write a book. I feel like this subject is interesting on many levels.
I want to give my readers access and perspective into this world. It's exciting, complicated, revealing, and interesting. I will talk about football, women, relationships, what it's like to be a woman athlete, what it's like to be a woman football player, and all the glory and pain of football.
Welcome to Women's Football.
My name is Holly Custis and I play women's tackle football. Yes. Football. Yes, we wear pads and helmets. Yes, we tackle. Yes, we are women. No, it's not soccer. No, it's not powder puff. I'm talking real, live, hard hitting, football.
I have played for 3 years for the Corvallis Pride of the IWFL. This year however, I have decided to join the newly formed Portland Fillies of the WFA. I like the direction the WFA is going on the business side of things and have decided that to play for a team in this league is worth the drive up the highway for me.
I will be writting in this blog throughout the season to give people a perspective of what it is like to play women's football. My ultimate goal is to get enough entries to write a book. I feel like this subject is interesting on many levels.
I want to give my readers access and perspective into this world. It's exciting, complicated, revealing, and interesting. I will talk about football, women, relationships, what it's like to be a woman athlete, what it's like to be a woman football player, and all the glory and pain of football.
Welcome to Women's Football.
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