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.
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