Kowalski wins silver with Team Canada

Impact player in Game 2 before tearing ACL and MCL

Katie Brickman, Moose Jaw Times

Aimee Kowalski of Team Canada came home with a silver medal at the 2013 IFAF World Women's Football Championship held in Finland over the past two weeks.
(Photo credit: Jari Turunen, wwc2013.com)

Not only did Aimee Kowalski learn and grow as a quarterback and teammate over the past two weeks, she was an impact player.

The Moose Jaw native recently returned home with a silver medal after spending time in Vantaa, Finland competing for Team Canada at the 2013 IFAF World Women’s Football Championship.

“It was really nice and I learned a lot from the coaches,” she said. “There were lots of new plays and we had to incorporate a whole new playbook. We ended up playing and practicing 14 days straight.”

Team Canada started off strong, going 2-0 in the round robin before losing in the gold medal game to the United States. They were shutout 64-0 in the final game.

In the first game, Canada crushed Spain 50-0.

“Spain is new and this was their first year,” she said. “They didn’t score in the tournament, but they had lots of heart and (were) very proud. They enjoyed themselves.”

In the second game, they played host Finland. Team Canada was down 12-6 at the half before coming back to win it 34-12, landing them a spot in the final.

“We were actually losing in the first half. I just punted in the first half and I didn’t go in as QB until the second half. We ended up winning,” Kowalski said. “It was nice to be able to make an impact in that game and lead us to the gold medal game.”

After being a big component in helping send Canada into the final game against the United States, Kowalski didn’t even make it out of the first quarter.

“I actually blew my knee out in the first quarter. I was taken away halfway through the first quarter. I went to cut and my knee just gave out. I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus,” she stated.

She is scheduled to have surgery at some point this summer and the recovery time is about six months.

“I am a personal trainer, so from that perspective, it is just another journey and I have another experience on my resume,” she explained.

While Kowalski waits for surgery and a new Western Women’s Canadian Football League season to begin, she is already focused on bringing what she learned from this experience to the Regina Riot.

“I am really excited to apply what I learnt as a QB. I think one of the biggest things was that I have become more effective as far as footwork when handing off or when I’m throwing or on the run. I’ve really become better as a QB,” she stated.

Despite tearing her knee, the experience was positive and an honour to wear the Canadian jersey in a competition. She made sure to soak in as much as she could with all her teammates and coaches, a highlight of the trip, even if she faced some disapproval.

“I think there was some criticism if I should have made the team or not as far as my  coachability,” Kowalski said. “My quarterback coach really enjoyed working with me, so it was nice to come out and learn.”

Rookie Receiver Pam Buccini part of promising future for Calgary Rage

Mark Staffieri, Bleacher Report

(Photo credit: Candice Ward Photography)

As the 2013 edition of the Calgary Rage featured many new faces, one that showed great promise on the offensive side of the ball was wide receiver Pam Buccini. While the 2013 Western Women’s Canadian Football League season ended with the Rage posting a .500 record, an extra year of experience for Buccini could hold the key to a postseason berth in 2014.

Donning No. 88 (made famous by football players such as Michael Irvin, Lynn Swann and Marvin Harrison), Buccini attended Rage training camp at the urging of a friend. This friend would also emerge as another rookie on the Rage roster, running back Esther Hong.

“Esther Hong was joining the team this year and convinced me to come join her; she thought I would be good at it for some reason. I don't know why she thought that (laughs). I have always had an interest in sports. When I was younger, I played lots of sports; gymnastics, swimming, volleyball and softball.”

While the two were novices in football, both quickly enjoyed their new athletic endeavor. Buccini’s first WWCFL match resulted in a 33-0 blanking of the Okotoks Lady Outlawz on May 11. She quickly learned that part of being a receiver is taking hits. Proving that she was tough and durable, receiving a hit from an opposing player was far from intimidating for the ambitious rookie, “It was a rush, so awesome!”

With two members of the Calgary Rage (Erin Walton and Annie Tremblay) competing for Canada at the 2013 IFAF Women’s Worlds, Buccini is proud to call them teammates. With some of the team making the trip to host Finland to cheer on Canada at the IFAF Worlds, the display of team spirit is a point of pride for her.

“Most definitely I am! I think we would have all gone if we could. I have learned so much from these women in just a short period of time. All of them are so supportive and encouraging. I am lucky to have such great teammates.”

During the tragic flooding that occurred in mid-June in Calgary and other parts of Southern Alberta, Buccini learned the true essence of teamwork. Utilizing social media, Buccini emphasized that her residence was available as a necessary shelter, while advising others which areas were badly flooded.

A common thread throughout the season for Buccini was the fact that she was one of many mothers on the team. While juggling the responsibilities of parenting and the commitment to football makes for a unique balance, the youthful-looking Buccini found many new friends in her rookie season.

“Being able to play full-on contact football is my favorite part of playing with the Rage. Taking hits. Making hits. The whole experience and the people have just been amazing! It has been such a pleasant experience to become part of the Rage team.”

Although her rookie season resulted in missing the playoffs, Buccini was part of a breakthrough season for the franchise. Having posted losing records in 2011 and 2012, the .500 season was their first. For an ambitious franchise looking to make a playoff run, Buccini is ready to contribute and ensure that the team breaks on through toward their postseason dreams.

“We just need to stay confident and work together. I think we have the dedication and skills. We will get there.”

Washington enjoys rookie season

Ted Black, The Bowie Blade-News

When the DC Divas prevailed over the visiting Columbus Comets, 42-20, Saturday evening at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex in Landover, the victory had dual importance for Divas’ rookie and Bowie native, Melissa Washington.

Saturday the Divas (5-3) clinched their 10th division title in franchise history and will head into the Women’s Football Alliance playoffs June 22 seeking their first championship since 2006. Washington, a 2003 Largo High and 2007 Wake Forest graduate who played basketball professionally in Europe for five seasons, donned pink shoes in honor of her mother, Nicole, a two-time breast cancer survivor.

“I am so proud of my mother for how strong she has been through all of the ups and downs,” said Washington, who had 5.5 tackles in the Divas’ victory. “By looking at her and talking to her, you would never know how much she’s been through. She lives without complaining even when she has the right to do so. She is a warrior, an adapter and the most giving and genuine person I know.”

Washington is one of 35 rookies on the Divas, a squad that historically has been among the perennial powers in the WFA. After playing basketball for over a decade, Washington had to shift her focus to football when she tried out for the Divas in January.

“When I retired from basketball, I didn’t want to stop playing sports altogether,” Washington said. “I wanted to stay active. I had heard about the Divas and decided to go to the tryouts. It was different, but I felt like I could fit in. The veteran players have really made me feel welcome. (Linebacker) Trigger (McMair) has been a tremendous leader and she’s made all the rookies on defense feel like part of the team.”

Despite the squad’s youth movement, Washington has plenty of veterans to look up to on the Divas. Quarterback Allyson Hamlin, an Eleanor Roosevelt High School and University of Maryland graduate who has been the Divas’ starting quarterback since 2004, and 13-year veteran Donna Wilkinson has played running back, linebacker and tight end for the squad since her rookie season with the squad that was born of expansion in 2000.

“We have a lot of new faces on the team this year,” Hamlin said. “It’s a good thing, because it shows you that a lot of women want to come out and play for us. It’s just going to take them time to learn all of the plays. But someone like Melissa, you have to love her athleticism and enthusiasm. She’s a tremendous athlete and she’s had an excellent rookie season for us. I’m glad she’s here and I hope she stays around.”

“Seeing these younger women just inspires me to work harder,” said Wilkinson, who turned 39 before the season began and has overcome numerous serious injuries to her knees and back. “I can’t move as well or as quickly as I once could, but I’ve learned how to adjust and not only get stronger but get more nimble. I’ve been able to do that through yoga and through Asea, a natural drink that really helps the body heal itself.”

Washington and her fellow Divas’ defensive players looked too generous on the Comets’ opening possession Saturday when Columbus went right down the field on only four plays, all of them runs up the middle. But after spotting the visitors an 8-0 lead, the Divas clamped down and Hamlin led the team to three first-half scores and a 21-8 lead at the intermission.

The Divas added to their lead in the third quarter and owned a commanding 42-14 advantage when the Comets scored a meaningless touchdown with 29 seconds remaining.

Saturday the DC Divas will face the Comets again in a WFA quarterfinal game at the Sports & Learning Complex. The Comets edged the New York Sharks, 22-20, last Saturday evening in an opening round game of the WFA playoffs. DC already owns two victories over the Comets this season, taking the first one 53-20 and the most recent, 42-20.

Amanda McKenna Patrols the Defensive Backfield for the Calgary Rage

Mark Staffieri, Bleacher Report

(Photo Credit: Candice Ward Photography)

Representing the next generation of stars for the Calgary Rage of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League, Amanda McKenna is hard working, studious and determined. With little experience in competitive sport, her first experience with the Rage came at the invitation of a friend.

While McKenna was reserved at first, she eventually made the bold decision to partake in the game. The result has paid dividends for the Rage as McKenna has blossomed into a dependable defensive back.

“I have honestly never played a sport in my life besides gym class. I was always the one standing off to the side and praying I did not get hit by a flying ball. My friend and fellow teammate Ferne Lavers offered me to come check it out one day.  So, I went down to a sports show where the Rage was allowing people to run some drills and try on the gear.

"Again, I stood on the side and declined trying any (equipment) on. I asked Shelly (team manager) a bunch of questions and wrote my name down when no one was looking. To add to this point, three years ago, I did not know a single thing about football, down to what a receiver was.”

Like many of her teammates on the Rage, McKenna has had the experience of playing both offense and defense. While she began with the franchise as a wide receiver, she quickly discovered a preference for the defensive side of the game. In discussing what she preferred about competing as a defensive back, she remarked,

“I enjoy being a defensive back because I get to hit people (laughs), and the fact that I do not have to try and remember tons of plays. I played wide receiver one year and found it boring and frustrating when I was unable to take out my frustrations in hits.

"The challenge of trying to read the other players and decipher where the ball will be going is something else I enjoy. This year I finally had my first tackle, it was not anything big or flashy, but it sure felt amazing.”

Since the Rage have had many women compete for Team Alberta (at the 2012 National Challenge Cup) and the Canadian National Women’s Team (including the likes of Susie Childress, Annie Tremblay and Erin Walton), McKenna has many veteran stars to look up to as she perfects her game. With the strong sense of family that exists on the team, McKenna knows that she can rely on her teammates.

“I looked up to all of my teammates for guidance and advice. They all have so much to share and have always been willing to lend a hand. I have always been able to turn to anyone and get strong advice.”

While the adrenaline rush of making a tackle is one that enriches the experience of competing on the gridiron, McKenna is a willing student of the game. With the courage of candor, McKenna reflects on her initial sojourn into football, along with the tremendous personal growth that the sport has provided her, in two specific ways.

“A favorite moment, hmm. My first (favorite) was my first hit in a practice drill; might I note (that) I was the one being hit. It was my first year and we were going to run a scrimmage. I still had no idea what was going on and was trying to watch the play to figure out what I needed to do.

"My teammate at the time did not hold back, I could see her barreling towards me out of the corner of my eye and turned around just in time for the hit. She knocked me right off my feet and flat on my ass, I knew at that moment I loved football!

"Another personal moment for me is when I realized what this team has given me on an emotional level. Most people do not believe me when I say I used to be a very quiet and closed-off type of person; I would sit in a crowd and barely say a word, only there because I had to be. I feel as if this team brought me to life if you will. Each one of the women that have come and gone or are still part of the team have helped me to become more than I dreamed possible. Now I am outgoing and oh so talkative (laughs). I love who I have become.”

Her valiant play and tremendous personal transformation makes McKenna a feel-good story among the remarkable women of the WWCFL. The willingness to try something different and watch her life evolve in a positive way defines a career that is filled with hope and valor.

Her enthusiasm for the game holds the promise that even better moments are yet to come. It is part of a message of encouragement that McKenna provides to women and young girls thinking of trying the game.

“If I can do it, so can you! There is just something about putting on those pads and getting on the field; it is a feeling I cannot even describe but it makes me alive.

"The Rage is made up from such a variety of women, yet we are all one big family who will always be there for each other no matter the situation. Do not ever be afraid to try something new; if it does not work out, you can say you did it.”

PHS grad Bushman ready to play for women's football world title

Portsmouth native is one of three quarterbacks for U.S.

Mike Zhe, Seacoast Online & Foster's Daily Democrat

Portsmouth native Brittany Bushman competes in a USA Football tryout camp earlier this year in Austin, Texas. Bushman, who plays quarterback for the Dallas Diamonds of the Women's Football Alliance, will represent the U.S. in the Women's World Football Championship in Finland next week.

Even when she was young, Brittany Bushman could bring her dream into focus.

She was a top athlete in her sport, standing on the podium at the Olympics, fans cheering as the gold medal was draped around her neck.

"I always in envisioned a stadium full of people watching the USA win — pride, dignity and honor," she said, "but these dreams were always with basketball."

On Thursday, Bushman will get on a plane to Finland, and she and her teammates will try to win a gold medal for the U.S. in women's tackle football. The 2nd Women's World Championship, which also features national teams from Finland, Sweden, Canada, Spain and Germany, opens Sunday and concludes July 6.

"Oh, my gosh, it couldn't be higher," said Bushman, of her excitement level. "I can't believe it's actually here. I was super-happy to make the team but it's kind of surreal that this point has come."

A standout dual-threat quarterback for the Dallas Diamonds of the Women's Football Alliance, the 5-foot-8 Bushman grew up in Portsmouth starring in a different sport — basketball. She was a very good guard on some of the Clippers' last Class L teams, teaming with Sarah Barton to go 16-2 as a senior, and went on to become a 1,000-point scorer at Division III Emmanuel (Mass.) College.

But she was playing tackle football, too, first with the Little Clippers and then at the high school, earning a varsity letter as a junior and senior as a backup defensive back. During summers away from college she played for the Massachusetts Mutiny of the National Women's Football Association.

Now, she's at camp with her USA Football teammates at Lewis (Ill.) University outside of Chicago, doing two-a-day practices and some team bonding before flying to Finland on Thursday.

"Never in my wildest imaginations did I ever conceive it was even possible to win a gold medal for tackle football," she said. "Now that the opportunity and possibility is here I'm thankful I had the experience as a young athlete to learn and play the game. Having played with boys, they taught me the love, passion, hard work, dedication, enthusiasm and how football is the ultimate team sport."

Last spring, Bushman was named MVP of her conference in the WFA. Her start to this season, coming right after she was picked for Team USA after a three-day tryout in Austin, Texas, was hampered by a knee injury she suffered in the preseason.

"We were running 'option right,'" she said. "I planted with my right foot a couple times to make people miss, and then I planted a third time and felt it."

The "it" was a severe MCL strain that cost her the first three games of the season and curtailed her running. But she's been on target as a passer, hitting on 66 percent of her throws for 698 yards, 14 touchdowns and just one interception.

The Diamonds (9-0) and the rest of the WFA will take two weeks off as its top players head to Finland, and resume with playoffs on July 13.

The first Women's World Championship was held in 2010 in Sweden and the U.S. romped, beating Canada in the gold-medal game, 66-0. Of the three quarterbacks on this year's U.S. team, two — Karen Mulligan of the New York Sharks and Sami Grisafe of the Chicago Force — were holdovers from the 2010 squad; Bushman is the new face.

"No one really knows where we stand," said Bushman. "From what I've heard from the other girls that played in 2010, they try to make it pretty even in the (prelim) games and whoever plays the best (starts in the medal round)."

More than just winning a gold medal, the competition allows the women picked for the teams to be ambassador for a fledgling sport that is gaining popularity. The 36-team WFA is one of three major women's tackle football leagues in the U.S., with the Independent Women's Football League and the Women's Spring Football League.

There are 45 women from 15 states on Team USA. Linebacker Vicky Eddy of Woburn, Mass., is the only current New England resident.

"Competing on a world stage allows for women to continue on with the mission of being ambassadors for the sport," said Team USA coach John Konecki, who also coaches the Force.

It's also a great travel opportunity for Bushman, who is a teacher and AAU basketball coach in the Dallas area.

"I'm definitely looking forward to the food and seeing what Finnish culture is like," she said. "I've heard they're very fashionable."

And, maybe, she'll be on the podium with her teammates at the end, receiving the gold medal she's always dreamed about.

No matter the sport.

Women's Indoor Football League to host tryout in Birmingham

The Associated Press
Daily Journal, The Telegraph, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Republic

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The Women's Indoor Football League is planning to host a tryout in Birmingham next week to fill rosters for its teams there, in Montgomery and Atlanta.

Ray Blanchette, CEO of Blanchette Sports Holdings, told the Montgomery Advertiser the Women's Indoor Football League is meant to give women the opportunity to play at a professional level as an alternative to the Legends League — formerly known as the Lingerie Football League.

"Even though they changed the name from the Lingerie Football League to the Legends League, it's still the same thing. There's just so many things not right with the LFL," Blanchette said.

The league is expected to start out with 15 teams along the East Coast and expand from there.

The tryouts on June 30 will be similar to an NFL combine and will include passing drills, a 40-yard dash, three-cone drills and broad jumps.

Blanchette said the league is hoping at least 50 to 70 women register for tryouts to fill slots for the Birmingham Black Widows, the Montgomery Mustangs and the Atlanta Aces. Training camps for the league are expected to begin in January.

A league of their own: Women's Indoor Football League coming to the Capital City in 2014

Ali Jenkins, Montgomery Advertiser & Prattville Progress

There’s no doubt football is king in America. Whether it’s high school on Friday nights, college on Saturdays or NFL on Sunday, the entire Southeast practically shuts down three days a week to celebrate the boys and men who throw a pigskin around a 100-yard field.

Come January, women will have the opportunity to prove football isn’t just a man’s sport.

The Women’s Indoor Football League will begin training camps in January to become the nation’s first true pro women’s football league.

“Right now the only place women have to play football at a high level is the LFL,” said Ray Blanchette, President and CEO of Blanchette Sports Holdings. “Even though they changed the name from the Lingerie Football League to the Legends League, it’s still the same thing. There’s just so many things not right with the LFL.

“I figured it was time to give the women an option for a different place to play where they can play the same high level of football in groups of athletes, not that those girls aren’t athletes. I don’t know how you would word it. Keeping the quality of play high and making the level of competition even better. And not having to play in bikinis too.”

Blanchette is no stranger to pro sports. His company owns and operates the National Baseball League and the Independent Hockey League and is currently in talks to establish six more leagues in five different sports.

“I have several leagues going,” Blanchette said. “The plan was to go public with all of them once we were ready and the one that garnered the most attention, and the most attention would be the one we would move forward with first. A few of the leagues got a lot of interest, but the WIFL was the one that got the most. I never ever dreamed it would be that one. I just never thought.”

On June 30, the WIFL will hold a tryout in Birmingham to fill the rosters of the Atlanta Aces, Birmingham Black Widows and Montgomery Mustangs. It will be similar to an NFL combine, with passing drills, 40–yard dash, 3-come drill and broad jump. The tryout costs $25 and is open to any woman interested in playing football at the professional level.

“We’re realistically hoping to get 50–75 girls, at least,” Blanchette said. “It’s a good market. Montgomery has some good players. It’s a good football market. Birmingham, same thing. There are a lot of women players up there. There’s a ton in Atlanta.”

For Blanchette, the WIFL isn’t about making money or becoming a business icon. At the end of the day, all Blanchette wants is to give women an outlet to play the game they love.

“The thing that really got to me is that I know a lot of these girls, and I have for a long time,” Blanchette said. “They train year-round for this, and they only play four games in the LFL. That’s just ridiculous. How can you gather up fan support for a team that’s only going to play two games at home for the season? It just doesn’t make sense.

“On the same token, some of the girls don’t live near the team. They have to drive one or two hours each way to go to practice, and they do so because they love the game. They don’t get paid. The LFL doesn’t pay its players. I just figured it was time that these girls that are that dedicated should get rewarded with some kind of compensation and be able to play a full season. Four games? You’re just hitting your prime. It just didn’t make sense. I decided it was time to do it the right way and give them a professional league that treated its players that way and offer them the same thing that the men do. Put the sport back into it, because the LFL is not a sport. It’s like wrestling. It’s entertainment.”

Blanchette understands the reluctance of sponsors and businessmen when first approached with plans of a women’s football league, but he also knows just how successful the WIFL can be if established the right way.

“From a player standpoint, it was the easiest thing I’ve done,” Blanchette said. “From a sponsor standpoint and on a business standpoint, it was extremely hard because people hear women’s football, and they tune you out right away. They don’t consider it. The non-followers don’t realize how big of a following they actually have. There’s thousands and thousands of women’s football players around the country, and some of them are good. I mean really, really good.”

While Blanchette planned for the WIFL to have teams nationwide, he and his partners decided the initial success of the league was most important and opted to only have teams in the East for the first year. With 15 teams ranging from New York to Tampa, the WIFL will give hundreds of women the chance to play pro football for the first time.

“We think it can absolutely sustain itself for five or 10 years and hopefully a lot longer, Blanchette said. “If we market it the right way and continue down the path and provide the atmosphere and type of game and type of environment for the players that we are offering, and we can keep that up, then I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t succeed.

“Now as big as it will get? Women’s sports do not get all that big. It doesn’t matter what league it is. It just doesn’t. It can sustain, it can be a long-lasting league, it can be successful, but it’s no way going to be an NFL or anything like that. We want to be on that level where when people think of women’s sports, a lot of them think of the WNBA first. We want the WIFL in that same breath. There’s really no reason it can’t be done.”