Joey Payeur
It’s not so easy to be just one of the guys when you’re a girl—unless the guys are doing their part to make you feel welcome.
Sometimes, maybe even too welcome.
“I think they’re too scared to hit me in practice and they hold back,” smiled wide receiver and special teams’ unit member Chelsea Allan, one of three female players (along with fellow receiver Serene Whitecrow and offensive/defensive line specialist Macey McMillen) currently suiting up with the Muskie football team.
“If I ever get into the game on offence, I want to already be used to getting hit,” she reasoned.
All three didn’t start the season with the black-and-gold, but came on board after Fort High’s opening loss to the Kildonan East Reivers that saw the Muskies start the game with just 20 players and end it with less due to injuries.
“It’s a sport I always wanted to try,” noted Allan, who had no previous competitive football experience before this fall.
“I didn’t want to see the team fold.”
Whitecrow and McMillen played with the Fort Frances Junior Wolverines two years ago, so both had more of a sense what they were getting into.
“Football is the best,” enthused McMillen, who has participated in practice and suited up for game days, but been unable to take the field so far due to a nagging knee injury suffered while with the Wolverines.
“You get to take out all your anger,” she noted.
Whitecrow, a Grade 11 student and proud Green Bay Packers’ fan, has a more personal connection to the team: her older brother—starting quarterback and defensive back Brandon Whitecrow.
“With my brother playing his final year, this is the only chance I’ll have to play with him,” reasoned Whitecrow, who became the first female to lead the Muskies in receptions and yards in a game after making two catches for 20 yards in her season debut against the St. Norbert Celtics back on Sept. 16.
“It’s a unique situation to have your brother be the quarterback and get a chance to catch passes from him.
“I have football experience from before, but not with a team that took the game this seriously,” she added.
The trio is appreciative of the acceptance they’ve gotten from their male teammates for stepping in to help fill out the depleted roster.
“They’ve treated me like just one of the guys, which is what I was hoping for,” said McMillen, who at the same time was glad to have some company from her own gender on the team.
“It makes it a lot easier,” added the Grade 10 player and New England Patriots’ backer, who cites quarterback Tom Brady as her favourite player.
“We’re like our own little crew.”
Besides, chuckled Whitecrow, “My brother’s the quarterback. There should be no trouble from anyone.”
That trouble also possibly looms in the minds and plans of any opponents, who may not be as welcome to the idea of girls sharing the same field with them.
“There might be some fear of getting a cheap shot,” admitted McMillen. “But that wouldn’t stop me from going out there and playing.”
Meanwhile, all three are convinced this season won’t be their last on the gridiron.
“I can see myself staying with the team,” said Allan, who also is in Grade 10.
“It’s been great meeting new people, going out there and trying my best,” she remarked.
“I think I’ve been doing good but I know I have to work on not being scared to tackle.”
Any other girls considering following in the cleats of the current Muskie females can heed the words of McMillen.
“Just do it,” she advised. “Don’t even care if you’re the only [girl] or there’s five of you or a whole team.
“The only thing that matters is you love the sport, that you be dedicated to the sport and go out and just kill it.”
