There are plenty of athletic opportunities for local school kids to get involved in sports, but girls’ tackle football isn’t one of them at least not officially.
No high school in America offers a dedicated girls’ tackle football team.
Yet, Colman-Egan students Tayla Kerkhove, a freshman, and Tenley Quick, an 8th grader, dont care. They just want to play and be taken seriously for what they bring to the field.
Thanks to Title IX, they have the right to try out for the boys’ team and earn a spot. Both girls, if you attend a Hawks game this season, are right there on the field with their peers each week.
Kerkhove, who has dreamed of playing tackle football since childhood, is sidelined this season due to a health issue. Her mother, Alaina, said doctors dont believe the condition is football-related, but they want to ensure it doesnt get worse.
Still, Tayla is at every practice and every game, suited up in her jersey, cheering on and working with her team from the sidelines.
One of eight children, Kerkhove has a twin brother who also plays and two older brothers who taught her how to be tough. She started playing with Oldham-Ramona last year before her family transferred to Colman-Egan. This is No. 86’s first season with the Hawks.
The lineman, running back, and tight end hopes to suit up for the rest of her high school career if shes able.
I had some teachers tell me tackle football isnt for girls, so I didnt do it sooner. I regretted it, said Kerkhove.
Everybody talks about the rush you get on the field. Its nice to feel thatIve always been a bit more rugged.
Her mother agrees, saying it always just seemed natural that she would play a male dominated sport and along with that, be a lineman.
Tayla has walked through life taking the world by stormI have enjoyed watching her gain the confidence to stop someone twice her size, the joy of working with a team, and her willpower to break a stereotype, said Alaina.
Quick, meanwhile, gets most of her playing time with the junior varsity team as a running back, tailback, or fullback. Sometimes, she also plays safety or lines up on the offensive line.
I just like the contactits fun, said Quick, who wears No. 13. At first, you might think only boys can play this sport, but a lot of girls play tackle football.
In fact, last weeks homecoming opponent, Estelline/Hendricks, is one of the few other schools in the area thats ever had a girl on the team, they noted.
Both girls feel they still have something to prove to their male teammates, but they plan to stick with the sport.
Shes always approached it like shes just one of the guys, and her coach has been very supportive, said Quicks mother, Emily. The family backs her completely and has asked the coach to treat her like any other player.
Its fun to watch her out there, seeing things click in her head, and then she goes and gets it done. We braid her hair, and its under her helmet most teams dont even know shes a girl. Its cool to see her playing at their level, doing whats expected, and having the skills to pull it off, Emily said.
Emily added that she hopes Tenley takes away one key lesson from her football experience: confidence.
Just showing her that if you are determined and motivated to do something, you can do it, regardless of the road blocks that might come up. Youve got the skills to persevere, dont let anyone tell you no.
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