6 the clackamas print
sport
Wednesday, Oct, 28, 2.009
Ex-cheerleader tackles flag footb
By Annemarie Schulte
Assoctiate News Editor
■ I can’t believe I’m actually going
through with this. I’ve signed my
release form, I’ve bought a pair
' of cleats, I’ve gotten out of class
early...even through I’m prepared,
I’m scared out of my mind.
Besides RE. in grade school, I’ve
never played a sport in my 19yearsof
existence. Throughout high school, I
had RE. waived because I participated
in at least two seasons of cheerlead
ing a year Varsity Football and boys’
basketball cheerleading. I thanked.
God every day for not subjecting me
to P.E. and keeping my self-esteem
intact
1 am the girl who hits herself in
the face when trying to dribble a bas
ketball or Spike a volleyball and tire
girl who can watch an entire football
game and not have any idea about
what is going on in front of her. Nor
am I meant to play sports; I’m unco
ordinated and clumsy and I trip over
my own feet
' The only experience I have ever
had on a basketball court or football
field has been cheering the players
on, not playing in the game. That is
my place, my home, on the sidelines.
So why am I here standing on a field,
trying to get myself to believe that
I can play a sport? No idea. But it’s
exhilarating.
It’s my first flag football game
and I have NO idea what I’m doing.
Someone once told me to do at least
one thing a day that scares me though,
and that keeps running through my
head. It moves my legs and makes me
walk out onto the field.
TVic gam© starts loeforc I am aware’
of .it andT’m mostly standing around
for fear of getting in the way of peo-
■' pie who actually knbw where they’re
going. It’s pouring down rain and I’m
already soaked. I keep my head up
though, determined to prove myself
. as a girl, even more so as a cheer
leader.
I don’t really know what’s'going,
on. Actually, I really have no idea
what’s going on. I keep hearing terms
thrown around like “shotgun,” ‘blitz,”
and “go Short!” These boys might as
well be speaking Latin to me. In feet,
I may have a better chance of under-
. standing that
Numerous times I catch myself
Four teams of Clackamas students took to the field in an epic flag football tournament on Friday, Oct.
Oct, 23. The event
by the Associated Student Government as part of the intramural sports.
standing with the wrong team and
running after the wrong team. I’m
sure I look laughable, to tell the truth.
At least there are two other girls on the
other team and so I don’t feel so out
of place with the 15 or so other guys
sprinting around me.
While I’m daydreaming, I real
ize I’m on the wrong side of the
field. Had I realized this by myself I
wouldn’t have been so embarrassed,
but it’s when one of team mates says,
“Annemarie, over here,” and draws
everyone’s attention to me that I
blush.
During the first game Lam called
“the girl,” e.g. “someone cover the
girl, get the girl.” My team wins and
so we go on to another game. By this
time I’ve realized that every time a
ball comes even near me I run, scream
and/or duck. It’s embarrassing and I
seriously don’t know why I do it
It’s then that it hits me that it’s
my survival instinct For every sport
I cheered for, if a ball was coming
near you, you ran the other way. Run
now, ask questions later. There was
so many times I got hit by an out of
bounds ball during a game that I know
to just get out of the way. .So that’s
what I do.
Above: Garrett Schnell punts the ball to the opposing team as Annemarie Schulte hustles
down field to tackle the kick returner.
It’s the second game, and I am the
only girl on the entire field. Now-1
feel out of place. I thought there were
supposed to be two girls per team? It
makes me feel pretty self-conscious.
This team has dubbed me “Shorty”
(although at 5’6” I hardly consider
myself short for a girl, but I realize
I’m nicknamed as so because I am the
shortest player out here) and they con
stantly forget to block me. I get a pass
thrown to me because no one is ever
guarding me, but it’s too high. If only
I could have jumped a little higher, I
could have had my one moment of
sports glory.
My hair that was beautifully
straightened this morning is now drip
ping wet and tangled. My socks are
muddy, and my hands are freezing.
Still I’m not going to sit out; I don’t
want my team to think I’m-just a
wimp. But my hair is my obsession
and it’s kind of hard to get over the
state of it right now, so I just throw it
in a pony tail and try to forget about
how long it’s going to take for me to
comb it out later.
By this time the grass has been
tom up by all the cleats (which thank
fully I am wearing or else I’m sure
I’d be on my butt every other minute)
and rain, so it’s basically pure mud
and even with cleats it’s hard to get
enough grip to run fest
I’ve assisted in making a few tack
les and gotten close to getting a few
all by myself. I’m running around
and actually kind of getting the gist
of what’s going on. I’m no longer just
stumbling around a muddy football
field with a bunch of boys.
We win our second game and go
on to our third. I’m pretty surprised
we’ve managed to stay undefeated
with me on the team; I thought I was a
jinx to sports. But I’m not messing up
too bad and we’ve won all our games
so I can safely assume by this time
that my team doesn’t hate me and
most likely will allow me to continue
to play with them next week.
. We win our third and last game
(still no sign of any other girls on the
last two teams we’ve played) and
I’m so tired from runniia
A few times I believe I sa
flash before my eyes when!
rounded by six or seven gm
ing over me, running arod
or jumping too high for me
of the way.
I’ve managed to stay i
though, - and I haven’t ej
once. I’ve stayed pretty cl
hot dry) save for my socks,i
hands. Honestly, I can’t real!
it’s over. I can’t believe II
ÍÍ
//fc pourim
down rain and]
already soaked
keep my headl
though, determl
to prove mysra
a girl, even
as a cheerleai
without 1) embarrassing w
of myself 2) felling and 3)1
too big, borrowed-from-M
ketball shorts. Many a time I
dangerously low while I was
for my life.
I feel good though. 11
tiling completely out of my
zone, far from anything I wtj
do. I’m actually looking M
next Friday, and I’ve already]
promise to myself to practice
ing and catching the ball |
memorizing and learning wM
gun” means.
Hey, maybe this is what M
meant to do my whole life i
cheerleading. OK maybe no
girl can dream right? Even if I
exactly where I belong, I’m
one- hell of time playing fl
game.