Low: Davidson football tryouts are open to girls

By Joel van der Veen
Jan. 23, 2012

DAVIDSON—The Davidson Raiders football team may hit the field this season with a bit of girl power added—if Sydney Booker has anything to say about it.

Booker, a Grade 8 student, told The Davidson Leader last week that she and some of her friends are interested in trying out for the team when it holds its training camp in May in preparation for the upcoming season.

After decades of dormancy, Davidson School revived the team last year. Beginning in September, it played its first six games with a roster of male players.

Booker, an all-around athlete who also participates in basketball, softball, badminton and volleyball, said she's played football with her brothers and other boys in the past.

"I grew up with boys," she said, explaining that playing alongside the guys doesn't really faze her, and she's confident she'll be able to compete with them. "It's like playing against girls."

And she isn't the only girl who's thinking of taking a run for the Raiders. Her classmate Tina Stone also said she's considering trying out for the team.

Stone added that she's familiar with the game, as she's had some coaching from her older brother, Kyle.

Principal Jason Low, the team's head coach, said he has no problem with girls trying out for football. Tryouts are open to all students who will be in grades 9 to 12 in the coming school year.

While some larger schools in the province's cities may be able to run a separate girls football team, he said, it's not really an option for rural schools like Davidson.

Low said Booker and a friend approached him at the end of the season to inquire whether female students would be allowed to try out for the team.

"I told them, yes, that girls were allowed to play football," he said. "We don't want to ever limit opportunities for our students."

In regard to logistics, he said, the only major concern is ensuring that separate dressing rooms could be provided for female players.

For the upcoming season, Davidson hopes to use its football field for the first time. They will also make use of the nearby Communiplex facility, which offers four dressing rooms, allowing both the home team and the visitors to use two rooms if necessary.

"You don't have to declare that you have a female player," he added.

That being said, Low acknowledged that football is a rough and intense sport, and girls who are interested in playing will have to demonstrate their commitment to the sport and try out for the team, the same way the boys do.

Low, who previously taught in Kindersley, said that at one point their high school football team had a couple of girls playing, although they didn't continue with the sport and quit partway through the season. It's not unheard of, he added, but it is uncommon.

"You just don't really see it," he said. "You don't see girls on the teams, but it's definitely an option."

Kevin Vollet, the executive director of the Saskatchewan High School Athletics Association, concurred.

"I wouldn't say it was a common thing," he said, but added that the SHSAA has no regulations against it, and that football teams in the province will occasionally compete with female players on their rosters.

For instance, F. W. Johnson Collegiate in Regina had a girl on their football team a few years ago. Sometimes, Vollet said, girls will try out for a team and decide it isn't for them.

He added that the SHSAA has never received any inquiries from opposing teams who were uncomfortable competing against female players, although he said there may have been some such concerns.

Meanwhile, coaches of the Aztecs football team—which features players from both Kenaston School and Loreburn Central School—also say they have no qualms about girls on the field, whether they're playing with or against them.

"Would I accept a girl on my team? You betcha," said Lloyd Tulp, adding the proviso, "if she shows that she belongs there."

During his own high school years in Calgary, he recalled playing football alongside a girl who was "tough as nails" and did not shy away from physical contact.

"She was not treated differently," remembered Tulp. "The expectations were just as high."

He acknowledged that many girls would be at a physical disadvantage when it comes to football, but he said the best players can overcome that by using technique and skill "instead of raw power."

Tulp said he believes there would be more interest in the sport from girls if they were introduced to football at an earlier age. He points to the growing success and popularity of women's professional football as a sign that female players are increasingly being accepted on the field.

"I think it's great for the identity of the game, and the direction that the sport is going," he said. "The opportunities are endless if they can stick with it."

He also said he believes his players would have no concerns about playing against a team with girls on its roster.

"I know my players," said Lloyd Tulp. "They would treat her the same way they would treat any opponent and give her as much respect."

Still, both he and his colleague, Tim Hom, said there can be challenges for female players when playing on teams that are male-dominated.

"There is a lot of bonding that goes on in change rooms, and you can't mix 'em," said Hom. "We've had girls try out for a few weeks (and) decide it wasn't for them."

If more girls were interested in playing, he added, that would make it easier for them to bond together.

While each of the coaches interviewed for this article had no objections to girls playing football, there were others who had a different take on the matter—Sydney Booker's mother, for instance.

"To be honest, it's kind of scary," Beth Booker said. "I'm very nervous."

As a mother of three, she's concerned for her daughter's safety, and worried about the possibility of a serious injury. Her older son, Ryan, a Grade 11 student, played on the team last year, so she's aware of the force the players use on the field.

"Those Grade 12 guys are big guys," she said. "They're gonna tackle her the same way."

Booker said she didn't think her daughter's colleagues at Davidson School were too interested in playing football, although she added she'd feel more comfortable if her daughter wasn't the only girl on the team.

At the same time, she said she can understand her daughter's feelings, since she remembers from experience what it's like to grow up in a rural setting.

"I played every sport in the country," she said. "If you didn't play with the guys, you didn't play."

The Leader spoke to a number of boys from Davidson School, each of whom played on the football team last season and planned to try out again this spring. They had a variety of opinions on the matter, although all of them said they believed it would be challenging for girls to compete with guys.

"I don't think that it is a girl's sport," said one Grade 10 student who wished to remain anonymous.

He added that he doesn't think playing casual ball in the park is good preparation for actual football, calling it "a completely different game."

Michael Kowalski, who played alongside his older brother Chris on the team last season, said he doesn't want to discourage girls from trying football.

"I really don't think that they would like it," he said, explaining that he thinks they may not enjoy the high level of contact.

Jon Taylor said he didn't think most girls would have the intensity or physical strength to continue with the sport, but he didn't think they should be denied the option.

"I think girls should be able to play," he said, "as long as they come to practice and don't skip."

Grade 11 student Kurri Reich said having girls on the team could make some players uncomfortable, including those on the opposing team.

"I don't know a guy who wants to hit a girl," he said.

For her part, Booker said she isn't sure about the older players, but she believes the ones closer to her age would treat her as an equal and wouldn't be uncomfortable playing alongside her.

Asked how she will respond if she doesn't make the cut, she said she would have to accept the coaches' decision, although she may try her hand at joining a girls' football club in the city.

And despite her reluctance, Beth Booker said she won't stand in her daughter's way, should she make it through tryouts and don the Raiders football jersey.

"She'll have to find out for herself," she said. "I'll cheer her on as best I can."

The leaderonline is a division of The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada.