8th season?

(photo by Rick Rowell. me on former team, the Aftershock.)

I think this is my 8th season playing women's professional football. Professional should be in quotes, I guess. I think I got paid $10 or $20 once from shareholder money on my last team.

It's not that I'm complaining, though. A lot of the younger women who grew up with ESPN have no idea how lucky we are. Just to even get on the field. There were a couple of leagues in the early 70's when I was too young to play, but women playing tackle football was just unheard of. I remember I begged my parents to let me play Pop Warner & they were like, "no way!"

I wonder what my mom would think of me playing now. She died a year or two before I first started. My dad likes it. He just says he doesn't want me to get hurt. I'm with him there, but I've had my share of injuries.

Anyway, I didn't think I was going to play this year, just like I didn't think I was going to play the last 2 years but it keeps sucking me back in. Originally I did say I'd play until I was 40 and I just turned 40 so there you go. I'm trying to go back to school, take some classes in graphic design & photography so it's really hard to make practice. Plus I live near Glendale & the team is all the way down in Long Beach. I don't mind driving, I just hate doing it during rush hour. Last year the main reason I decided to play was because they were practicing closer. Just south of the 10 off La Brea.

I hadn't gone to any of the team functions since the season ended. Not even the end of year banquet because my email was so filled with stupid shit people were writing to each other cuz they were bored. I couldn't even check my email so I didn't RSVP to the banquet & no one even bothered to call me. Lame. Finally Deb called me to see if I was playing cuz the last tryout is this Sat, Jan 6. I told her I'd see. Then a few days later Coach Love called me & said, "I need you as my Mike Linebacker this year. You gonna play?" He pretty much promised me the position. I wasn't too worried about at least being one of the LB's. I've started just about every game since halfway thru my first season in Daytona Beach.

So I said I'd go this weekend, but I'm not in that great a shape. James & I have been doing tons o' hiking in Griffith Park w/ the dogs every weekend, but that's not the same as running & lifting. For the last 2 or 3 weeks I've been going to the gym & this week we've been running at the park w/ the dogs. I was sick right after Xmas, then some friends from college came out & I did a little partying with them so I feel like I'm still not over it. We'll see...