Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Guts on the Gridiron

'They're proving themselves as athletes, as women trying to play football. There's a whole different level of passion involved. Plus, women are known for being more emotional than men," says So Cal Scorpions player Jody Taylor. "Now imagine you have two women on the line [ready to charge at] each other -- we almost had a brawl on Saturday, there was so much emotion charged up." The Scorpions have been playing in the Women's Professional Football League since 2004. Because they have no corporate sponsors and are not on television, female professional football players are unable to make a living from the sport. The Scorpions are able to pay each player $75 per game, in an eight-game season.

"You can't always count on your gate," explains Taylor, adding that many tickets are given to community organizations and that the team is lucky if ticket prices cover the operating costs.

The Women's Professional Football League plays by the same rules as the NFL, with three exceptions: the ball is a TDY 1000 (smaller than the 28-inch-long NFL ball), the play clock is 25 seconds rather than 45, and the kickoff is from the 45-yard line instead of the 30.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"It's full contact," says Taylor. "People will come and say, 'Wow, these kids from La Jolla are big,' and we're, like, 'Yeah, those are women,' and they're, like, 'You're kidding me! Those are women hitting [each other] that hard?' I've seen broken legs and arms; broken fingers are pretty much like breaking a nail for us."

Desiree Weimann, #2, suffered a debilitating injury to her neck two years ago. "She's a peanut: 116 pounds. A real gamer," says Taylor. "We were playing the Long Beach team, and she hit another player mid-sternum and spun around and landed face down. She didn't know if she'd walk again. Now it's last year, and she comes to tryouts, and Ann [Bagala, the team's owner] was, like, 'Desiree? No way.'" Weimann insisted she was not done playing and managed to get clearance from her neurologist after six months of rehab.

Three women on the team wear the Xena line of shoulder pads, which have extra padding for breasts, but most of the players stick with men's gear. "Women's torsos are shorter, so men's shoulder pads fit to give you breast protection. In the beginning, people thought this wasn't going to last," Taylor says of the league, which is in its ninth year. "But now vendors are coming out with more products for women, like sports bras with hard plastic shells and female mouthpieces."

Scorpions players come from all walks of life. "We have a couple of cops, a Marine, moms, and a nursing student," says Taylor. Over 100 women try out every season, and many players are recruited. Crystal Stokes, #61, was recruited by Taylor and Bagala while driving on I-8. "We're driving down the 8 at 70 miles per hour, and I look over and see these super, Lela Ali-cut arms, and I screamed out the window, 'Have you ever thought about playing football?' She screamed back, 'Let's pull over!' She's in the Marines to become a drill instructor, she's hard core, but she's also kind of like a Gidge -- the first time she nailed someone she got up and said, 'Yay, me!' She runs like a gazelle, and now she's our starting defensive end and averages two to three sacks every game."

Being big and strong, says Taylor, does not mean one must sacrifice femininity. "There's a split picture of Lela Ali, where on one side she's in an evening gown, and on the other side she's beating the hell out of somebody. You can still be a girlie-girl and have muscle." Tarrah Philpott, #52 and a linebacker, "does wedding planning, and one time she came to the stadium holding her shoulder pads and helmet, wearing a little black dress and pumps, and she left the game with a broken nose," recalls Taylor.

Not everyone is ready to accept women on the football field. "It's mostly elderly women who think we shouldn't be doing this. They're stuck in the mind-set that we should be at home, cooking for our husbands. In five years, I remember only two incidents where I've had guys challenge us." One of those times, Taylor was hanging out with Michelle Starks, #72. "We had one of those stress balls that you squeeze, and it looked like a football. This guy said, 'What a joke, women playing football.' I said, 'I'll accept that on one condition: You go over there, about 20 feet away, and I'm going to throw this ball, and you've got to catch it and run back to me.' He was, like, 'That's it?' and I said, 'Yeah, but first you have to get past her,' and Michelle, who is 320 pounds and six feet tall, stood up. He backed down." -- Barbarella

So Cal Scorpions vs. the New Mexico Burn Saturday, September 23 5 p.m. Edward's Stadium (next to La Jolla High School) 750 Nautilus Street La Jolla Cost: $8 Info: 877-717-8464 or www.socalscorpions.com

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Next Article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule

'They're proving themselves as athletes, as women trying to play football. There's a whole different level of passion involved. Plus, women are known for being more emotional than men," says So Cal Scorpions player Jody Taylor. "Now imagine you have two women on the line [ready to charge at] each other -- we almost had a brawl on Saturday, there was so much emotion charged up." The Scorpions have been playing in the Women's Professional Football League since 2004. Because they have no corporate sponsors and are not on television, female professional football players are unable to make a living from the sport. The Scorpions are able to pay each player $75 per game, in an eight-game season.

"You can't always count on your gate," explains Taylor, adding that many tickets are given to community organizations and that the team is lucky if ticket prices cover the operating costs.

The Women's Professional Football League plays by the same rules as the NFL, with three exceptions: the ball is a TDY 1000 (smaller than the 28-inch-long NFL ball), the play clock is 25 seconds rather than 45, and the kickoff is from the 45-yard line instead of the 30.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"It's full contact," says Taylor. "People will come and say, 'Wow, these kids from La Jolla are big,' and we're, like, 'Yeah, those are women,' and they're, like, 'You're kidding me! Those are women hitting [each other] that hard?' I've seen broken legs and arms; broken fingers are pretty much like breaking a nail for us."

Desiree Weimann, #2, suffered a debilitating injury to her neck two years ago. "She's a peanut: 116 pounds. A real gamer," says Taylor. "We were playing the Long Beach team, and she hit another player mid-sternum and spun around and landed face down. She didn't know if she'd walk again. Now it's last year, and she comes to tryouts, and Ann [Bagala, the team's owner] was, like, 'Desiree? No way.'" Weimann insisted she was not done playing and managed to get clearance from her neurologist after six months of rehab.

Three women on the team wear the Xena line of shoulder pads, which have extra padding for breasts, but most of the players stick with men's gear. "Women's torsos are shorter, so men's shoulder pads fit to give you breast protection. In the beginning, people thought this wasn't going to last," Taylor says of the league, which is in its ninth year. "But now vendors are coming out with more products for women, like sports bras with hard plastic shells and female mouthpieces."

Scorpions players come from all walks of life. "We have a couple of cops, a Marine, moms, and a nursing student," says Taylor. Over 100 women try out every season, and many players are recruited. Crystal Stokes, #61, was recruited by Taylor and Bagala while driving on I-8. "We're driving down the 8 at 70 miles per hour, and I look over and see these super, Lela Ali-cut arms, and I screamed out the window, 'Have you ever thought about playing football?' She screamed back, 'Let's pull over!' She's in the Marines to become a drill instructor, she's hard core, but she's also kind of like a Gidge -- the first time she nailed someone she got up and said, 'Yay, me!' She runs like a gazelle, and now she's our starting defensive end and averages two to three sacks every game."

Being big and strong, says Taylor, does not mean one must sacrifice femininity. "There's a split picture of Lela Ali, where on one side she's in an evening gown, and on the other side she's beating the hell out of somebody. You can still be a girlie-girl and have muscle." Tarrah Philpott, #52 and a linebacker, "does wedding planning, and one time she came to the stadium holding her shoulder pads and helmet, wearing a little black dress and pumps, and she left the game with a broken nose," recalls Taylor.

Not everyone is ready to accept women on the football field. "It's mostly elderly women who think we shouldn't be doing this. They're stuck in the mind-set that we should be at home, cooking for our husbands. In five years, I remember only two incidents where I've had guys challenge us." One of those times, Taylor was hanging out with Michelle Starks, #72. "We had one of those stress balls that you squeeze, and it looked like a football. This guy said, 'What a joke, women playing football.' I said, 'I'll accept that on one condition: You go over there, about 20 feet away, and I'm going to throw this ball, and you've got to catch it and run back to me.' He was, like, 'That's it?' and I said, 'Yeah, but first you have to get past her,' and Michelle, who is 320 pounds and six feet tall, stood up. He backed down." -- Barbarella

So Cal Scorpions vs. the New Mexico Burn Saturday, September 23 5 p.m. Edward's Stadium (next to La Jolla High School) 750 Nautilus Street La Jolla Cost: $8 Info: 877-717-8464 or www.socalscorpions.com

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.