A few years ago, before I joined the hordes of afternoon treadmill warriors, I was a real athlete on real teams. I never entertained illusions about playing a sport in college, but memories of the glory days still linger team bus rides, the thundering of spikes on the banked track for state meets in Boston and a few broken fingers sustained as a soccer goalie. No number of hours on the elliptical compares to actually playing a sport, and even running outside just makes me nostalgic for gossip-filled road runs.
Training for the upcoming sorority flag football tournament, however, has thrown me right back into the excitement of high school athletics. The actual competition isn't for a couple more weeks, but we've already had several practices of varying intensity. (Our Dartmouth football-player coaches have traded in their helmets for whistles and clipboards so legit.) From what I've heard, my sorority's team is weeks behind some of the other houses in terms of training, so it's about time we get serious.
As soon as we found out about the tournament, Noelle Ramirez '13 and I excitedly offered our services as captains. She's a "real" athlete a member of the softball team and I felt that my days as a football reporter would pay off. Four pages of detailed rules later, I realize the process is a bit more complicated than we expected. But as tricky as it's been for us, I think our coaches have had a tougher learning curve.
The regulations require eight players on the field and at least three substitutes, so Noelle and I were thrilled to see about 45 members sign up. Cut to the first practice and the second and, okay, the third and the turnout doesn't quite reflect the numbers on the roster. Our dedicated coaching staff has been faced with the unexpected struggle of creating drills for 10 girls, some of whom would maybe rather just "observe."
We have tons of athletic women on the squad, but it goes without saying that most of us are lacking in actual football experience. Although the coaches had to adjust the routine at first to go over the basics, now we're learning the specifics and, as a team, developing into a threat. It's all becoming a little more relatable. If, for instance, you kind of make a delta with your hands, that's kind of how you should catch a ball. Or if you change the names of the offensive routes from "button hook" to "candy cane," for example they're way easier to remember. Disclaimer: Our coaches don't support any of this sororitization.
I'm joking about this because, honestly, one really can't take a tournament like this too seriously. But our plays run smoothly and stars are emerging amidst the 40-plus names on the roster, there's a solid core of athletes who have been to every practice and know all the plays. I also wouldn't underestimate the power of an enthusiastic cheering section, or the fear that will be instilled by our uniform shirts. Unfortunately, I can't give away any more detail here who knows if the opposing teams' scouts are reading this.
Everyone has different reasons for playing, but I bet a lot of girls feel the way I do that we used to be super athletic and now we miss the fire and the competition of organized sports. Thank goodness Panhell is providing mouthguards, because even in training, the intensity has led to some mild injuries. Our practice field is studded with manhole covers and is just slippery enough so that it's pretty much impossible not to slide into people every once in a while. We're going all out, but there's one caveat the tournament ends a few hours before formal starts, so losing teeth is just not a viable option.
