NightMare a Dream Come True for Female Gridders in Hartford
April 28, 2010
HARTFORD, Conn. - The first-ever home game for the New England NightMare -- the newest franchise in the Women’s Football Alliance -- turned out to be ... well, a nightmare for the home team.
The veteran-laden Philadelphia Liberty Belles rang up 28 first-quarter points en route to a 70-6 victory over the NightMare on April 24 at Dillon Stadium.
Despite the lopsided final score, the fact that the NightMare is a full-fledged female football franchise is a dream come true for the 25 women competing in shoulder pads and football helmets.
Even though they were being outplayed by the Belles, the New England players continued to give a 100 percent effort in a contest which had been decided early on when Philly’s speedy running back Marirose Roach scored four touchdowns in the first quarter.
“You can’t practice game experience,” said NightMare spokeswoman Vonda Menard. “The girls are optimistic, realizing there’s going to be some growing pains but there’s been no finger-pointing. It’s all about the team; we like to say we’re a drama-free team."
Menard said the players are optimistic about the possibilities on the horizon, gaining playing experience this year and staying together and getting better next season.
She notes that the roster is dotted with women from all walks of life, some who have been athletes all their lives, others who are enjoying their first encounter with a team sport.
“Our quarterback works at ESPN," Menard said. “We have students, police officers, even a lawyer."
Although most of the players had never played full-pads tackle football prior to signing on with the NightMare, one New England player knows her way around a gridiron.
"I’ve been playing football for the past eight years and every time I put on my helmet and pads and get ready for a game, I get a rush that I can't describe,” said Angela Mitchell, 34, of Plainville. “And I have met some great people playing this sport."
The New England NightMare has three more home games scheduled for this season, all on Saturday afternoons at Dillon Stadium: May 1 at 5 pm hosting the Keystone Assault; June 5 at 2:30 pm against the Baltimore Burn; and June 19 at 3 pm against Southern Tier.
“I think it’s good for women to be doing this, it’s something different,” said Dequan Gore of East Hartford as he watched his sister play.
He urged on the New England players even though they trailed by double digits early in the game.
“I know this is their first year, but give them a couple years and I see them as a contender,” said Gore.
Head coach Ron Pittman echoes that sentiment.
“It’s okay. I’ll get us there,” he says optimistically about the future of the franchise which he co-owns with assistant coach Tracy Parker.
Having coached women’s football in a different league prior to this year, he and Parker mulled over the idea of purchasing a franchise in the 40-team WFA which stretches from Connecticut to California.
“We wanted to see how it would be to handle all aspects of the organization, shoulder all the responsibilities,” said Pittman, who not only teaches his players the fundamentals of the game but also tries to instill a sense of confidence that they can be as good as they want to be.
And they could be as good as their male counterparts if given an even playing field on which to compete, in the opinion of Bloomfield resident Melanie Lindsay, one of the couple-hundred fans in attendance at Dillon Stadium.
“I think they should let the girls play football in high school,” said Melanie, mother of two school-age boys who play the game. “I think the girls would be more apt to play if they had their own team, because some who might want to play in high school probably don’t because they feel intimidated being the only girl out there.”
One New England player who was not intimidated during high school is Jerica "Storm" Bermudez who was an offensive lineman at Buckley High a few years ago.
“But this is a lot more fun than high school,” she said while taking a breather during the game.
Like Bermudez, most of the players on the NightMare roster are in their 20s.
Most, but not all.
At 45, Shawn "Pebbles" Bray of Westport is the oldest member of the team.
In addition to her booming punts -- which often get the NightMare out of some nightmarish field position -- Pebbles no doubt sets the tone for the younger players on the team when she is asked why she wants to play tackle football.
"Because it's bad ass!"
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