Page 4 of Kicked in the Heart
“Yes, Coach,” she replied, putting on her game face as she followed him into the media center.
Coach took his place behind the podium and waited as the reporters settled down. “Thank you for being here today. As you are all aware Mark Bastion, The Legends place kicker, was injured during our game against Portland. He will be out for the rest of the season.” Coach waited as the reporters shouted questions at him.
“We held an open call for a kicker early last week. Today, I am pleased to announce that The Legends have signed Rochelle Masterson as their kicker for the rest of this season. We areexcited to have the first female player in the Gridiron Warriors Football League on our team.”
The reporters shouted questions at the coach.
“How does the rest of the team feel about having a female player?”
“We’re excited to have Rocky on our team. There will be a period of adjustment just as if with any new player coming on mid-season.”
“Why did you hire a female kicker? Was it for the publicity?”
Coach smiled as he answered. “Rocky out-kicked the competition and won her place on the team. I’m sure you’ll agree when you see her kick during our game this weekend against the Chicago Engines.”
“How does it feel to be the first female player in the Warrior Sports League?”
Rocky stepped forward and adjusted the microphone. “I’m excited to be part of the Legends and I’m looking forward to practicing with my team.”
“What makes you think you can compete in the male-dominated league?”
“I’m glad you asked.” She cleared her throat and continued, “I’ve spent the last four years competing at the college level and I’ll put my kicking up against any of the kickers currently in the league.”
“Why football?”
“I’ve loved football for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching games on Sunday with my dad and playing football in the yard with the neighborhood kids. They didn’t care that I was girl. I eventually turned to soccer because there weren’t any girls’ football teams. I was good at soccer but football was always my first love.” She took a drink of water as she waited for the next question.
“What led you to being a kicker?”
“When I was a freshman in high school, our teams needed a kicker. The coach knew I could kick as he helped coach the girls’ soccer team. He asked me if I wanted to try out and I jumped at the chance. I became the first female high school kicker in Indiana. I was one of two female kickers in college.”
Coach stepped up and the reporters shouted new questions. “You’ll have the opportunity to do interviews with Rocky and all the Legends players over the next couple of weeks. Now, we need Rocky to get comfortable with the team before the game this Sunday.”
Rocky sighed in relief, she was okay doing interviews and press conferences but she’d rather be practicing. She had less than a week to practice with the holder. She followed Coach out of the room and down the hall to the tunnel.
“You ready for this, Rocky?” he asked as they stepped out onto the field.
“Yes, Coach, I’m ready.”
“Today I want you to start with the holder so you can get comfortable and then we’ll get you practicing with the special teams unit.”
As they walked toward the players, Coach yelled, “Conners!”
Practice stopped as the players stared at her as she made her way toward the sideline where the holder waited. She could feel their eyes following her, as if they were waiting for her to misstep or trip or something. Head up, she smiled at the holder and the long snapper and introduced herself.
“Hi, I’m Rocky.”
“Trey Conners, I’m the holder and also a wide receiver. Welcome to the Legends.” He smiled at her. “And this is Nelson Whitmore, the long snapper.”
“Great to meet you. I’m excited to get started. Great catch last week. The refs got it wrong, you were in bounds.”
“Thanks.” Trey stepped closer to her. “Just to warn you, a few of the guys aren’t happy about having a female on the team. Things might be tense at first.”
“Oh, I’m no stranger to that. Football has always been a boys’ club and I’ve been pushing myself into their space for years. Don’t worry, I can handle whatever they throw at me.”
“Ready to go?” Nelson asked looking from Trey to her.
“Yeah, I am.” She explained her sweet spot on the football so he could be sure to have it positioned correctly when she kicked. Then they got down to business and started to practice.