Third-year head coach Brian Allinger got into the game because his wife was a player.
As it does for Annie Hoffman, who’s played for
the Shockwave for five seasons. At 5-foot-8 and
240 pounds, she looks like she enjoys taking her
frustration out by playing tough hall on the team’s
offensive and defensive line.
“There’s nothing like it,” Hoffman says. “1 like
to play smart, and I like to play fair. When you start
screwing around—that’s when people start getting
hurt, and 1 don’t want to get hurt or hurt anyone.”
She pauses for effect. “But no one is going to
respect you if you can’t hit. 1 mean, if you hit some
one and they don’t feel it, they’ll he thinking, ‘Get
your ass off the field.’ ”
Hoffman is somewhat of an expert on kicking
ass on the field. She was named to the All Star list
during her first year in the league and was the
team’s Offensive Lineman of the Year last year.
Off the field, Hoffman recently completed her
master’s degree in education and works as a sub
stitute teacher. She is the type who is clearly well-
versed in fair play and moderation. However,
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there is an air of aggression about her—she is the
kind of woman you would want on your side if
you were in a bind. Hoffman is straight (as is
about half the team), owns her own home, is sin
gle and wants to get pregnant. (She told me to
put that in the story because her biological clock
is ticking.) As I walk away, Hoffman reminds me,
“Tell people this is real football—and they will
love watching us.”
Little-Known Facts
About Women Warriors in History #3:
Zabibi and her successor, Samsi,
reigned as Arabian warrior queens
from approximately 740 to 720 B.C.
Both commanded armies containing
large numbers of women.
Tracy Sand is another five-year veteran of the
team. She is 33, 5-foot-5 and 190 pounds and was
recruited by Hoffman when she worked at Fred
Meyer. Sand is the top recruiter for the team,
meaning many of the women playing for the
Portland Shockwave were “discovered” by her.
Sand, a lesbian, grew up loving to play “smash
mouth football”—but never was allowed to play.
She recently attended a camp at Nike with 400
other coaches—and she was the lone woman. Two
coaches approached her and apologized for their
“bad language.” They added, she remembers bliss
fully, “Sorry if we offend you.” Sand wanted to
kick their asses, but she didn’t. After a lifetime of
being told she couldn’t play football, she sucked
up the resentment in the name of “not making a
scene" and let the comment go.
I sense she is tired of letting things go—she
wants to change the world. “You can play football,”
she starts. “If you have an infinitesimal amount of
athletic ability and desire, then you can play.” Sand
adds: “If someone wants to play football but doesn’t
know how, we’ll teach them. If someone doesn’t
have equipment, we’ll help get it for them.”
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. presents
WOMEN
in Trades
Career Fair
Her contagious excitement grows. “If you want
to do this and your whole life someone said you
can’t because you were a girl, we’re here to tell you
that you can and you can do it with the us.”
Sand puts her hand on my shoulder and
solemnly looks into my eyes, as if to make sure 1
understand: “Little girls play football all the time
and can join Pop Warner, where they play accord
ing to weight. If someone’s little girl wants to play
football, then they can—all the way to high school,
when it’s hard for women to match the size of the
bigger guys. But 1 say, if they want to play, let
them."
Sand just completed her master’s in education
as well—interestingly, several players are teachers
by profession—and it is easy to see why she is so
effective as the team’s recruiter. She is affable,
funny, warm—and last year recorded nine sacks.
I’m ready to suit up.
Continued on Page 24
Sat., April 29,2006
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
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