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I love this picture so much.

Open letter to the Boston Militia upon the conclusion of the 2013 season

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I love this picture so much.
I love this picture so much.
Let’s start off by getting one thing straight here: I signed up to be a fan of a sports team, not to be a character in a feel-good movie about a sports team. So to those of you who felt the need to apologize to us after Saturday’s game: there is just no world in which that was necessary. Honestly, the thing really bothering me the most right now is the injuries that some of you had going into that game and the injuries that some of you sustained during it. It is an ongoing internal struggle for me to be so passionate about something that puts my friends in danger, albeit of their own choosing. I need to spend some time processing what it means to support something where your physical safety – while important – is not the top priority. That is hard for me.

So besides that, here is what I’ve been thinking about: you know that stuff I was saying about wanting Scout to have an experience equal to what Tiny Coach got two years ago? I realized something there at the game in Chicago: he did. Two years ago I held TC in my arms, pressed up against the storage-shed-turned-visitors-locker-room, taking shelter from the intense sun and watching a wonderful outcome on the field. Someone on the Chicago organization saw me standing there with the baby and brought me a folding chair; I still appreciate that. This year I held Scout in my arms, pressed up against the same storage shed, taking shelter from the rain and watching the opposite outcome on the field. And someone on the Boston organization saw me standing there and brought us into the shed where the whole team was waiting out the lightning delay (and really didn’t want or need any company at the moment).

There are essentially two outcomes that a game you care about can have: one good and one bad. My experiences with my kids there spanned both of them. Both came with an unexpected act of kindness from someone who didn’t know us well. In both cases, I was proud of my team when they walked on the field and I was immensely proud of them when they walked off. Please don’t let that make you uncomfortable and please don’t try to argue with it. If you’re not ready to be proud of yourself, that’s one thing. But it doesn’t invalidate my admiration and respect.

This next part is especially for the players for whom this was their last season playing. Maybe you thought your legacy was going to be a third championship, obtained through a rewrite of last year’s ending. It would have been a nice legacy, to be sure. Poetic, even. I was hoping for that, obviously, and over the past week had increasing heart palpitations and aaaahhhh!!! moments as I thought about the game. But I was honestly surprised to feel a true sense of calm once we got to the field. While in general I am not exactly boss at finding my zen, in this case my zen found me. I still don’t know why. So towards the end of the first quarter, when the score began to really not be what I was hoping to see, I just stepped back from the field a little bit and looked around.

And right there, in the grassy area outside of the fence which demarcated the actual field, were two little girls. Maybe ten or eleven years old? Somewhere around there. And they were just running around, throwing a football back and forth. Maybe not so much catching it, but definitely working on it. (One of them had a pretty good spiral going.) And I watched them, and tears came to my eyes. This, I thought. This is your legacy. I thought it was going to happen on the field where you were playing, but I was watching it happen on the grass right next to you. Backseat Coach saw it, too.

I don’t know who those girls were. I don’t even know if either of them wants to play football; maybe they were just bored and that’s what was around. But that’s not what matters here. The truth is that women’s tackle football and all that comes with it is trending upwards and no one can stop it now. Do you know about Maddy Paige? She’s a twelve-year-old girl in Georgia who was the starting left defensive tackle on her school’s football team last year, then was told by the school that she couldn’t play again this year because it was inappropriate to have a girl playing on a boys’ team. (It’s a private Christian school and thus exempt from Title IX.) Her mom started a Facebook page called “Let Her Play”, thinking that if she could get a few hundred supporters, she might be able to convince the school to change their mind. In a matter of weeks, she got almost 50,000.

Maddy Paige is your legacy. Sam Gordon is your legacy. Those girls I saw on Saturday are your legacy. My sons, who will grow up with your sport as a part of their everyday reality, are your legacy. Their understanding of women will be shaped in part by the sport you played when no one else wanted you to or thought you could. I cannot thank you enough for that. You helped create the environment that is allowing this groundswell of support to manifest. Especially those of you who started playing ten or fifteen years ago – you are pioneers. It breaks my heart that so few people will know what you did, but I promise you that I will do what I can to change that.

If you are done playing now, my family and I thank you deeply and sincerely, and we hope that you’ll remain an active part of the greater Militia family from off the field. (Come sit with us! I usually have candy!) And if you’re planning to return next year, I cannot wait to see you out there. Please get healthy and stay safe.

Finally, you can ascribe this last part to whatever emotion you’d like but the honest truth is that it would have been accurate completely regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s game: every day, at least once a day, I stop what I’m doing and just allow myself to be grateful that Cahill is not a singer/songwriter. #thatisall

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tn

A brief list of facts which, while admittedly ridiculous, are making me feel confident about tonight’s epic matchup

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  1. Both of the Militia’s last two losses came during away games which I attended while pregnant. I am attending this away game, but I am not pregnant. I checked a few days ago. I am not making that up. So we’re all good there.
  2. This morning on the plane, I told Backseat Coach that while I was making no predictions or plans as such, it did occur to me that if the two teams that end up in the WFA final are Boston and Dallas, then holding that game in San Diego would just be stupid. I suggested a change of locale to a neutral field somewhere between the two cities – Tennessee, for example. Then we land and go pick up our rental car, and here is the license plate:
    tn
    Coincidence? I THINK NOT.
  3. When we got to the hotel, I was pushing Scout around in his stroller just checking out the scene and we ran into Cabrera (#54/DL) like right away. How is that NOT a good sign? I mean really.
  4. Scout was hanging out with some of his Militia aunties this afternoon and he was introduced to the General. “What’s Boston gonna do to the Force today?” one auntie asked him. And Scout ATE HIS ANTENNAE. Dude. That’s hardcore.

    5. Here we go, Boston, here we go!

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It’s only weird if it doesn’t work

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Your Militia Cheerleader, while not particularly superstitious, has spent enough time in New Orleans to respect the concept of juju – particularly bad juju. After the Chicago game last season, we brought all our pompoms and clackers and cowbells and beads and flags back home, but they had in them some bad juju; obviously we couldn’t bring them to this year’s game with that crap still there.

So we put it all together in a pile (click photos for larger versions):

juju1

And we waved it all around a little bit:

juju2
And then we read it a story:

juju3
…and I’m pretty sure it’s all good now.

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Omne trium perfectum, yo.

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Three is a good number. I like threes. There are three good Star Wars movies. Three kinds of medals you can get at the Olympics. Three primary colors. Rock, paper, scissors. Seriously, it’s like an actual thing. Threes make sense; they are stable and awesome.

So hey, Boston Militia, could you do me a favor? Could you win three more games this season? Just three. I’m not asking for you to go undefeated indefinitely. But three more games now would be really fantastic.

If you can do that – win your next three games – you will walk away with a brand new three: your third national championship. For a team that’s only existed for six seasons, that’s pretty damn impressive. And I really, really want to see it happen.

Backseat Coach and I were at your first championship game in Texas in 2010. (It was very hot.) Then Backseat Coach, Tiny Coach and I were at your second championship game in Texas in 2011. (It was also very hot.) This year, should you make it to the national championship game again, Backseat Coach, Scout and I hope to be there. That would be one championship for us as a couple and one for each of the boys. Stable, equal, awesome.

For a number of reasons, it is likely that this will be the last season that we can travel to far-off away games. I’m actually not even sure how we’d manage to get to the final two that I’m talking about, should that become reality, but I am committed to making it happen. I want to see you all on the field again, raising your helmets and celebrating what you’ve done. I want you to finish your unfinished business. I want you to find out what a third ring looks like.

I don’t say this to pressure or guilt trip you. I would hope you know me well enough by now to know that I have the greatest admiration for the work you do on and off the field to win these games, and that as someone who is currently still recovering from a candlepin bowling injury sustained over the Fourth of July weekend, the idea that I would have ANY ground to stand on and tell you what you should or shouldn’t be able to do is absurd.

I’m just saying this because I go a little diplomatic around the playoffs, you know? I truly do want to promote all teams and all games. I want fans in every city to be able to follow their team’s games either in person or remotely. I really do want all players to feel like their work is valued. I want to show respect to the players, coaches, management and fans of teams all across the country. I do. Reading my posts and looking at my playoffs mini-site, one could get the impression that what really matters is that women’s tackle football is promoted and played well, and that any games and any outcomes that help make that happen would be equally celebrated.

Fuck that noise. I want you to win.

Three games, Boston. #firstfanfamily is all in.

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The United States of AWESOME

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So the WFA playoffs are in hiatus for a few weeks while a bunch of players are over in Finland to kick some football ass and bring home the gold at the Women’s World Cup put on by the International Federation of American Football. What’s that you say? The games haven’t happened yet? How could I possibly know that the US will come home victorious like they did in 2010?

Because I’m awake, that’s why. I mean, come on – it’s called American football. It’s right there in the name! It seems unfair, almost. Like if you held the Triwizard Tournament and you invited Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Michigan and UMass Lowell.

So have I crossed the border from confident into cocky? Maybe. But if I have, it’s because I have absolute faith that the women representing my country have the ability to call on all of the talent and knowledge and power that they have worked so hard for at home. It’s because I saw how Team USA pulled a total Avengers Assemble last time and outscored their opponents 201 to freakin’ 0. It’s because if the 41 players that I don’t know are anything like the four that I do, Europe’s in trouble big time. Also, I might be drunk.

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Meet Your Militia: Kandi (#65/OL)

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I don’t think it’s news that your Militia Cheerleader was not a lifelong die-hard fan of the game of football. I liked to watch the Pats on TV, sure, but I had never attended any kind of football game before attending a Militia game. And while that was five years ago and I’ve learned massive amounts since then, I’m still very much an amateur fan. People like Backseat Coach apparently grow like six more pairs of eyes when they watch a game – that’s the only way I can think of that they can take in so much at the same time. Unless I decide consciously to keep my eyes on a certain player before a play starts, I’m generally just looking at wherever the ball is at any given time. And I don’t think I’m alone in that. It’s no secret that the playmakers get the attention; they’re who we’re usually watching.

I think it must take a certain kind of strength and self-confidence to be someone other than them; to go out on the field play after play and know that it probably won’t be your name that people remember. To know that there’s little chance that you’ll end up in the spotlight of a press release or a news article. To know that no one off the field may ever understand exactly how good you are at what you do.

But you get to know this, too: those players in the spotlight – those stars shooting down the field or leaping above everyone else to make a catch – there’s absolutely no way they’d be able to do any of that without you there to do what you do. Their successes are your successes, even if other people don’t always know it. So yeah, I don’t think everyone could play that role. But some can. And some rock it big time. Meet Kandi.

When did you start playing football, and how have you seen the game change in the years since you started?

meet your militia.kehindaI started playing football back in 2008 when the Militia first came into existence. My best friend’s sister got me involved; I had never heard of women playing tackle football before then. I do think the knowledge of women’s tackle football is progressively increasing. I say this because when I travel to away games, more often than not I’m stopped by people in the airport as I carry my shoulder pads in one hand and my boarding pass in another. They ask me what sport I play, and when I tell them “professional women’s tackle football” I get all types of reactions. There’s old ladies who tell me how much they support women in sports and there’s manly men who bring up the Lingerie League. Sometimes I have to laugh and just educate people about the progression of this sport, where we started and where we want to go. And we have such a supportive owner who provides us with Militia-related gear which allows us to advertise for the team – and the sport – with Militia logos on our vehicles, warm-up jackets, bags, etc. Women’s football is definitely becoming more known.

Tell us about the process of making a really amazing block. Can you tell when a play is going to work before it happens? What do you look for? Are you conscious of making decisions or does it feel more instinctive? (Answer only if it doesn’t give away trade secrets!)

Ha! Trade secrets. Even if I gave the other team a hint they still couldn’t stop us ’cause we are a machine that CAN’T be stopped! Like any good athlete you have to size up your opponent. Figure out their weakness and expose it. Now there is no secret to making an amazing block; it just comes down to knowing the play and which direction it’s going. For the offensive line, you want to make your job as easy as possible. On a run play you know that the back is gonna be right on your a** – and we have some fast-a** backs so you have to say to yourself, what’s the easiest route to take to get to where I want to go? and then do it effectively. Now with certain teams like the Divas, there’s a pretty decent middle linebacker – she’s like the piece that holds everything together. If you break that piece, they start to fall apart. So in my eyes that’s my point of attack.

© Barry Millman, Threepairs Photography
© Barry Millman, Threepairs Photography
I try not to think too much on the field because being in your head just makes you over-think and you begin to second guess what you should and shouldn’t do. The key is having confidence and trust – trust in your team and confidence in your coaches, knowing that they prepared you for the battle. So when I am on the field it’s just pure instinct. The greatest feeling as a lineman is knowing you made an awesome block that allowed the back to get more than 10 yards or a touchdown on one play. Sometimes I just get amped on cracking a player and making them fall to the ground and wearing them out until they’re struggling to get back up each time. I want every team who plays the Militia to remember the Militia.

Our last Meet Your Militia participant credits you as the reason she started playing football. Do you moonlight as a recruiter or what?

Yes, I did recruit her. We played in a basketball league together and she was my biggest competition. I liked her “athletic swag”. I think that’s what I look for with any person I am trying to recruit. I mean, I don’t go out with the intention of recruiting but I guess you could say that’s the coach in me, always looking for talent. When I came onto the Militia there were tons of ladies who had been playing for six years or more already. I knew eventually it would take a toll on their bodies and the Militia would need some young new bodies to continue the march to greatness. So when I am out and I come across a female who has played a sport – particularly basketball – who I think would be a good candidate for the Militia, I go to work. Sometimes I’ll even invite them to the afterparties to meet the team and coaches. You know Beasley loves new bodies, especially tall ones. New bodies make the current players better, whether it’s making them work harder to keep their position or just giving numbers at practice to go up against. Bottom line, I am always looking to continue the existence of good talent on the Militia.

What is something that’s made you feel supported as a Militia player?
Junior, Scout & Kandi
Junior & Kandi holding Baby Scout (who apparently thought this was a gameface picture)
It’s funny because earlier in my athletic career, I never really liked anyone coming to my games to cheer me on because it always made me nervous. But now that I am older, it makes me feel good when my family comes to cheer me on, yelling my name from the stands and waving. But also knowing that we as a team have so much support not only from family and friends but from the town of Somerville makes me feel good too. I like turning around and seeing the stands jammed packed with the colors of red and black and skull and crossbones paraphernalia. Or the kids running around after the game asking for our autographs. Makes me think to myself, wow, we are making such a positive impact, not just for women’s football but women’s sports. That’s an amazing feeling!

What is something you’d like to see happen that would make you feel more supported?

For the next step, I’d like to have us broadcast on TV. I mean, we already have the commercials why not go a step further and provide people who can’t physically be at the game the ability to still see us in action? Not to put Junior (#99/OL) on blast but her parents live in Western Mass, about an hour and a half away from Boston. Her dad rushes home from work to watch the game on the livestream but more often than not there are some issues and he’s unable to see the game, which makes him angry. TV broadcasting would not only allow people who can’t make the game to tune in but it would also allow us to reach an even bigger audience – which can lead to bigger opportunities.

Rarely do we here on this site explore topics as personal as addiction, but I think we’ve built up a sufficient level of trust. As such: exactly how many pairs of sneakers do you own, and which are your current favorites?
[one_half]

Ha! People have been asking me this question and it was only a matter of time before you did. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s an “addiction” – more “a love for”. Addiction sounds so bad! But I’d say I own around 70 pairs of footwear. I can totally picture people’s faces after reading that but I promise you, I am not a hoarder. I used to have more but I have been downsizing lately so for every new pair I buy, I give a pair away – usually my “bust downs” (worn out, holes, no tread, really dirty) which I’ve been told aren’t really “bust downs” because I’ve worn the shoe like once or twice. I actually considered selling them on eBay – I mean, after all, I am a Militia celebrity…someone would buy them, right? Heh.

It’s really hard to say which pairs are my favorites. I have so many. Lately I’ve been hooked on the really bright colors, like the Nike’s I bought a week or two ago. I don’t really want to reveal the name now. I am saving them for a “show-stopper” type of night. Who knows? You may see me rocking them on Saturday night after the game.

[/one_half] [one_half_last]

Sneaker Fiend

Often imitated never duplicated profiles my style
Never sport a sneaker that ain’t worthwhile
Won’t see another on the street rep like me
From the throw back Jordan’s to the current industry

Got love for my sneakers no need to say more
Especially the Vans in which I rock hardcore
You’ll be amazed, got Sperry’s for days
But don’t try to search, they’re not on eBay

Stacks of kicks, for that last minute clutch
They add to the gear and give it the final touch

As a matter of fact,
My closet’s so stacked
Had to create another rack
Just to keep them intact

Kicks so fire, too HOT for TV
Can’t go anywhere without the envy.
So I guess I am a fiend!

-Kandi

[/one_half_last]
Thanks, Kandi! We know you’ll kick some ass tomorrow in whatever footwear you sport.

Buzz Alert! have you read Backseat Coach’s Round 2 Game Previews yet? No? What the hell’s the matter with you?

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T-minus three days and counting

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Well, it’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to start getting anxious about Saturday’s game. Woo hoo! Keep in mind this is no indication that I doubt the Boston Militia’s ability to be awesome – it’s more of an indication that I’m really good at getting anxious about things. Also, despite the Militia’s track record they are, nonetheless, a sports team in Boston and as a sports fan in Boston, I have learned to take nothing for granted. So I don’t.

Here’s a recent conversation between Backseat Coach and me regarding upcoming games (certain sensitive information has been removed for security reasons):

Me: Do you ever worry about what would happen if  redacted ? I mean, what if someone just  redacted ?

BSC: Nah. If  redacted , then  redacted  would totally  redacted .

Me: Ooh! You think so?

BSC:  redacted  yeah, I do.

Buzz Alert! New stuff on the Buzz page! Recaps of all Round 1 games are here! In-depth recap of PGH/Cinci game is here!

Finally, dear whoever reached this site by Googling “cheerleader in backseat”: Ha! Sorry, bro.

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Playoff Postcards

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Dear Boston Militia Mgmt,

I hear you guys have a game coming up. Maybe you might wanna put something about it on your website sometime. ETA: Done as of this morning. Lovely. (Game time would be nice, tho.)

xo
mc

Dear Arena Football,

You are the football equivalent of just eating dessert. And not even a very good dessert. Like, some Ho Hos or something.

xo
mc

Dear Everybody,

If you know of a way to follow one of this weekend’s playoff games that is not already listed here, wouldja let me know? Thx!

xo
mc

[highlight4]Buzz Alert![/highlight4] Please buzz on over to the Buzz page where we have a guest post recapping the Atlanta/Tampa Bay game. Neat!

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