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With all these articles coming out about Kerry Vera’s last win against Kim Couture and people are saying the Kerry is like the Gina Carano in the 135 division, I have to say wait! Stop the presses, many of these writers, bloggers, and columnist are way off base and need to do more research on Women’s MMA.
Yes they do say there are many other fighters out there, but they are not giving credit or saying names, either they are trying to save space when posting their articles for ads, or just don’t know who are they, they really need to pay attention who is what in Women’s MMA and look beyond the Gina’s and Kerry’s and focus on the other fighter’s out there.
They never mention Erin Toughill, Tara LaRosa or Sarah Kaufman, what about Elaina Maxwell, Roxanne Modafferi, Shayna Baszler, Kelly Kobold, Marloes Coenen, and Cindy Dandois who are ranked in position that need to be mentioned, I just wish these writers would make some effort about writing about these fighters instead of just talking who they choose, these other fighters are some of the best in the world and they seem to forget about that. Yes Kerry kick a$$ this past weekend but that was not the only fight of the weekend, Tara LaRosa vs Valerie Coolbaugh fought and Tara won by a submission and by many many people over at fightergirls.com message board believe that Tara LaRosa is number 1 P4P in the world and they never write about that, come on writers show some love for the other fighters out there instead of being picky.
Women’s MMA is here to stay for a long time and is not going anywhere. People need to understand that the women fight just as hard as the men and never get recognition from these writer’s over at sherdog, and many other places on the net. Wake up everyone this is not the 1950’s its the year 2009 and we need to show that we are capable of talking about women being in the ring or cage fighting just like the men.
I have been covering women’s professional sports for 2 years and will never cover anything else, these women put their blood, sweat, tears, just like the guys and they are proud of what they do and some cases can do better then the men.
Check out some of the interviews that me and MarQ have done over at SportsGeeks and see what these women are really about, instead of talking about their looks, they are way more than that, if you want to learn more about womens mma or even womens tackle football do some research and you will see that there are many women out there working hard.
SportsGeeks
Regan Campbell has two jobs, one by day — another by night.
In April, and until recently, her day job was for a Kansas City pharmaceutical company. It wasn’t physically demanding. She sat behind a desk.
So, when Campbell, 26, would come to work with bruises, her co-workers were confused.
Completing their daily routines, they’d walked by the desk of Campbell, they’d looked her up and down, they eyeballed the dark bruises and scrapes that coated her forearms and legs. Employees asked about the abrasions, and she answered honestly.
And others speculated the worst.
“I would come to work, and people looked at me weird,” Campbell, a 2001 graduate of Lenox High School said. “I’d come in with bruises and cuts. The ones who didn’t ask, I think believed that I had a boyfriend who hit me. There were several stories that went around.”
The truth was, during evenings, she played tackle football.
Campbell is a linebacker for the Kansas City Tribe, a women’s football team.
And a good one too.
Tribe history
The Tribe’s inaugural season, in 2008, was mediocre, finishing 4-4 overall. They did not make the playoffs. Campbell was not part of the team then.
But this year, the Tribe broke out and surpassed even their own expectations, Campbell said. The Tribe finished 11-1 overall.
They won the Midwest League, made up of the Chicago Crush and Minnesota Vixen. They won the conference at 6-1 overall. They defeated the Los Angeles Amazons 19-14 in the divisional playoff, then trounced Chicago, 40-16 in regional’s, sending them to the IWFL Championship in Round Rock, Texas.
On July 25, the Tribe defeated the DC Divas 21-18 at Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex, winning the league championship in just their second year of existence.
“It was obviously a dream season for us, from start to finish,” said Mindy White, founder and general manager of the Tribe. “We needed to make some changes, and we did that. We had a lot of good new players. The pieces fell into place, and Reagan was definitely one of those pieces.”
In high school, Campbell was a four-sport athlete at Lenox.
She even toyed with playing football under coach Alan Dukes, but never acted.
For the Tribe, she plays all three facets of the game — offense, defense and special teams. She plays outside linebacker, wide receiver and punted for Williams.
At receiver, she caught 17 passes, totaling 331 yards, scored four touchdowns and averaged 36 yards per catch — one of those touchdowns being a 20-yard hook-up with quarterback Jenny Schmidt in the championship game. As well, she averaged 30.1 yards per punt.
“I tell you what, she was amazing,” Williams said. “She filled in several gaps. We needed a deep threat on offense and a physical receiver, she provided that instantly. And our punter went down, and she did some punting for us, and did that well too.”
But Campbell was most impressive on defense. At 5-9, 150 pounds, she recorded 56 tackles and had one interception, a 30-yard touchdown return. Her 56 tackles ranked 20th in the 22-team league.
“What we didn’t know, when the season started, was how tough Regan was,” Williams said. “We had a player out during the season, so we put Regan at linebacker. Her form tackling was solid. We’d watch film and I’d say to them, if you want to learn to tackle, watch Reagan. She was one of the leaders in the league in tackles.”
The foundation of the IWFL is growing stronger on a national level. Locally, the Tribe’s fan base increased by 350 people this year, White said. In their final home game at Center High School, against the Chicago Force, there was an estimated 1,000 fans
And White, as well as Campbell, expects that number to rise next year.
“It’s (women) from all walks of life. You wouldn’t believe their (day) jobs,” Campbell said. “We have lawyers, personal trainers. I am a graphic designer now. We have a grandma. We have single moms. Our fans have been great to us.”
To follow Campbell, become a Tribe fan or season ticket holder, visit www.kctribe.com or contact Mindy White at kctribe@yahoo.com.
“My family has been great. We expect our fans to return next year, at least 90 percent of them,” Campbell added. “We are going to see more sponsors, spending more money. The circles of Tribe fans will continue to get bigger and bigger.”
crestonnews.com | Key addition
Regan Campbell has two jobs, one by day — another by night.
In April, and until recently, her day job was for a Kansas City pharmaceutical company. It wasn’t physically demanding. She sat behind a desk.
So, when Campbell, 26, would come to work with bruises, her co-workers were confused.
Completing their daily routines, they’d walked by the desk of Campbell, they’d looked her up and down, they eyeballed the dark bruises and scrapes that coated her forearms and legs. Employees asked about the abrasions, and she answered honestly.
And others speculated the worst.
“I would come to work, and people looked at me weird,” Campbell, a 2001 graduate of Lenox High School said. “I’d come in with bruises and cuts. The ones who didn’t ask, I think believed that I had a boyfriend who hit me. There were several stories that went around.”
The truth was, during evenings, she played tackle football.
Campbell is a linebacker for the Kansas City Tribe, a women’s football team.
And a good one too.
Tribe history
The Tribe’s inaugural season, in 2008, was mediocre, finishing 4-4 overall. They did not make the playoffs. Campbell was not part of the team then.
But this year, the Tribe broke out and surpassed even their own expectations, Campbell said. The Tribe finished 11-1 overall.
They won the Midwest League, made up of the Chicago Crush and Minnesota Vixen. They won the conference at 6-1 overall. They defeated the Los Angeles Amazons 19-14 in the divisional playoff, then trounced Chicago, 40-16 in regional’s, sending them to the IWFL Championship in Round Rock, Texas.
On July 25, the Tribe defeated the DC Divas 21-18 at Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex, winning the league championship in just their second year of existence.
“It was obviously a dream season for us, from start to finish,” said Mindy White, founder and general manager of the Tribe. “We needed to make some changes, and we did that. We had a lot of good new players. The pieces fell into place, and Reagan was definitely one of those pieces.”
In high school, Campbell was a four-sport athlete at Lenox.
She even toyed with playing football under coach Alan Dukes, but never acted.
For the Tribe, she plays all three facets of the game — offense, defense and special teams. She plays outside linebacker, wide receiver and punted for Williams.
At receiver, she caught 17 passes, totaling 331 yards, scored four touchdowns and averaged 36 yards per catch — one of those touchdowns being a 20-yard hook-up with quarterback Jenny Schmidt in the championship game. As well, she averaged 30.1 yards per punt.
“I tell you what, she was amazing,” Williams said. “She filled in several gaps. We needed a deep threat on offense and a physical receiver, she provided that instantly. And our punter went down, and she did some punting for us, and did that well too.”
But Campbell was most impressive on defense. At 5-9, 150 pounds, she recorded 56 tackles and had one interception, a 30-yard touchdown return. Her 56 tackles ranked 20th in the 22-team league.
“What we didn’t know, when the season started, was how tough Regan was,” Williams said. “We had a player out during the season, so we put Regan at linebacker. Her form tackling was solid. We’d watch film and I’d say to them, if you want to learn to tackle, watch Reagan. She was one of the leaders in the league in tackles.”
The foundation of the IWFL is growing stronger on a national level. Locally, the Tribe’s fan base increased by 350 people this year, White said. In their final home game at Center High School, against the Chicago Force, there was an estimated 1,000 fans
And White, as well as Campbell, expects that number to rise next year.
“It’s (women) from all walks of life. You wouldn’t believe their (day) jobs,” Campbell said. “We have lawyers, personal trainers. I am a graphic designer now. We have a grandma. We have single moms. Our fans have been great to us.”
To follow Campbell, become a Tribe fan or season ticket holder, visit www.kctribe.com or contact Mindy White at kctribe@yahoo.com.
“My family has been great. We expect our fans to return next year, at least 90 percent of them,” Campbell added. “We are going to see more sponsors, spending more money. The circles of Tribe fans will continue to get bigger and bigger.”
crestonnews.com | Key addition
The Lone Star Mustangs will be having a cook-out by the Lake at Lynn Creek Park in
Grand Prairie, TX on Saturday August 8, 2009 starting at 11:00 AM. This park is on the
shore of Joe Poole Lake! Fans, friends, family members of all ages, players, potential
players, coaches, former or current are welcome to attend this party! The Mustangs will be
selling hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken plates! The plates include the sides and
the drink. BYOB if you desire. We will be on a swim beach with easy access to boat ramps,
a local marina, and open areas for games. Prices on food plates will be $8 for adults and
$4 for kids.
Please RSVP with approximate numbers as soon as you can via email to
info@lonestarmustangs.com or call at 972-513-6233.
By TIM FROEHLIG, Lake County Journal Twenty-eight-year-old Karissa Berg of Antioch was recently talking with one of her friends who had returned from serving in Afghanistan. Despite the fact that the friend had just come back from a combat area, Berg had one specific story that quickly topped all of his tales. "What have you been up to?" her friend asked. "I’ve been playing women’s professional football," Berg replied. She added that her friend stood there in absolute disbelief. Maybe now all Berg’s friends will believe, since she and Gurnee resident Jennifer Moore just returned home from Austin, Texas – with an Independent Women’s Football League championship trophy, of all things. "I smiled all the way home from Texas and haven’t stopped since," Moore said. "I’m feeling pretty blessed right now. I have perma-glow."
The Kansas City Tribe women’s football team won the 2009 Independent Women’s Football League championship. After beating the D.C. Divas 21-18 in a squeaker on Saturday in Austin, the team is bringing home the league’s glass trophy.
"It hasn’t quite sunk in yet," said Mindy White, the Tribe’s co-owner, general manager and linebacker, from the airport on Monday afternoon. "It’s starting to, and now that I’m sobering up a little bit, the soreness is starting to settle in. It’s the best pain ever."
Two full days after the win, the team has been celebrating non-stop, White said, her voice hoarse. White credited some outstanding defense — including a fumble recovery on the Divas’ 1-yard line, which the offense converted for a touchdown — and a consistently good offense with the victory.
The Divas brought a physical game, and White called the game "a flag-filled debacle," but after four lead changes, the Tribe sealed victory with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter that put them ahead 21-10. Two minutes later, the Divas answered with a TD and a two-point conversion, but it wasn’t enough.
White thanked the fans, about 150 of whom traveled to Austin, and promised a Tribe-style party once the team finishes shopping for a venue. Stay tuned for more details.
ThePitch Kansas City
The Kansas City Tribe women’s football team won the 2009 Independent Women’s Football League championship. After beating the D.C. Divas 21-18 in a squeaker on Saturday in Austin, the team is bringing home the league’s glass trophy.
"It hasn’t quite sunk in yet," said Mindy White, the Tribe’s co-owner, general manager and linebacker, from the airport on Monday afternoon. "It’s starting to, and now that I’m sobering up a little bit, the soreness is starting to settle in. It’s the best pain ever."
Two full days after the win, the team has been celebrating non-stop, White said, her voice hoarse. White credited some outstanding defense — including a fumble recovery on the Divas’ 1-yard line, which the offense converted for a touchdown — and a consistently good offense with the victory.
The Divas brought a physical game, and White called the game "a flag-filled debacle," but after four lead changes, the Tribe sealed victory with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter that put them ahead 21-10. Two minutes later, the Divas answered with a TD and a two-point conversion, but it wasn’t enough.
White thanked the fans, about 150 of whom traveled to Austin, and promised a Tribe-style party once the team finishes shopping for a venue. Stay tuned for more details.
ThePitch Kansas City
Coach Jon
Try-out Registration fee: $35.00
Bring Cleats, towel, and water
You will be tested in:
40 yard dash
4 corner drill
20 yard schuttle
"L" drill
Broad Jump
plus position drills
Coach Jon
Try-out Registration fee: $35.00
Bring Cleats, towel, and water
You will be tested in:
40 yard dash
4 corner drill
20 yard schuttle
"L" drill
Broad Jump
plus position drills
Al you can eat BBQ, Burgs, Dogs, music, fun and dunk tank…help celebrate the Mayhem’s Conference Championship and support their effort in heading to New Orleans in their quest for a ring.
Al you can eat BBQ, Burgs, Dogs, music, fun and dunk tank…help celebrate the Mayhem’s Conference Championship and support their effort in heading to New Orleans in their quest for a ring.
8/24 to present WFA related material for a display. We will be featured on the HOF website and allowed to do a clinic at adjacent Fawcett Stadium. I am asking all teams WFA, IWFL) if they wish to contribute anything for the display or be there with us to contact me.
John Evans
Head Coach / CoOwner
Binghamton Tiger Cats
jevans@sjfc.edu
more details and a press release coming soon, stay tuned….
8/24 to present WFA related material for a display. We will be featured on the HOF website and allowed to do a clinic at adjacent Fawcett Stadium. I am asking all teams WFA, IWFL) if they wish to contribute anything for the display or be there with us to contact me.
John Evans
Head Coach / CoOwner
Binghamton Tiger Cats
jevans@sjfc.edu
more details and a press release coming soon, stay tuned….
WHITE PLAINS – Having the ball, or going to get the ball, was always Leslie Busch’s strength. She could run and she had an excellent pair of hands, and that’s what made her an all-Section softball center fielder at White Plains High, and a basketball and field hockey player, as well.
Even in the many 3-on-3 family touch-football games in the street outside her White Plains home – where the telephone poles marked the end zones – she loved to catch the ball and run with it.
But it wasn’t until 2007 when Busch discovered hunting a ball carrier. She had graduated from the University at Albany (where she played softball), and was living temporarily in Queens (she is an assistant athletic director at Queens College) when she and some friends heard about a women’s tackle football team in New Jersey, and decided to try out.
That was when Busch was made a linebacker.
“When I used to play outside with my family, I always loved running and catching the ball,” she said. “It’s something I always found so much joy in. But when I started playing outside linebacker – and just the feeling of watching somebody running with the ball and hitting them behind the line of scrimmage and knocking them down – I don’t know if there’s anything better than that.”
Well, maybe doing it in the Independent Women’s Football League championship game. Busch, 24, who also plays the slot in a spread offense, and her new team, the Jersey Justice, will carpool to Montreal tomorrow – bunking four players to a room – and play the defending Tier II champion Blitz Saturday in a regional (semifinal) playoff game. The winner goes to Round Rock, Texas, in two weeks to play for the IWFL Tier II title.
The IWFL has been around since 2000, now boasting 41 teams in two tiers in North America. This is the first season for the Justice, because Busch and some of her teammates on the New Jersey Titans of the since-folded Women’s Professional Football League decided to break off and start their own team after one season, in 2007.
Busch, who plans to begin working on her master’s at Columbia in the fall, became the team’s general manager, and had to arrange tryouts and set up a Web site (justicefootball.com). She wanted to have some pink in the uniforms, because she thought it would be cool, so the Justice wear black, pink and gray. She brought with her ex-Titans coach Gene Basile and assistant coach Bill Lockward, who is the Justice’s owner.
Though the IWFL considers itself a “pro” league, nobody’s getting paid. The coaches and players and support staff all volunteer and pay all their own expenses, and in fact many teams require their players to pay fees of up to and beyond $1,000 per season. The Justice instead did fund-raising: packing groceries, selling watermelons, etc.
Their roster is small – 16 or 17 players each week; 14 at the start of the divisional game two weeks ago when two players got lost driving to Medway, Mass. – so most players play offense and defense.
Busch, in that 30-7 win over the New England Intensity, had five carries for 93 yards, and caught six passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns. She attributes the numbers to New England trying to shut down standout quarterback Maegan Larsen, who played softball with Busch in college.
The league gets a little publicity – one shining moment was an 80-yard touchdown catch and run by a 40-year-old grandmother of seven who plays for the Washington Divas. It was replayed on TV news across the country.
The Justice have one player pushing 40, but most are between 20-32. They include lawyers and detectives and insurance salespeople. They are athletes from other sports – basketball, softball, rugby and soccer – transformed into a new sport.
“I watch a lot of football,” said Busch, a Jets fan. “But I don’t think I really understood the complexities of the game until I played. There’s a lot of thinking that goes into it. My knowledge of the sport has expanded considerably.
“My father tells me, ‘It just seems you’re made for this sport. Of all the sports you’ve played, this one fits you the best.’ ”
Leslie Busch of White Plains and her Jersey Justice teammates will play the Montreal Blitz tomorrow in an Independent Women’s Football League Tier II semifinal in Montreal. (Carucha L. Meuse/The Journal News)
VICKSBURG – There were new faces this year but the same result for the West Michigan Mayhem women’s football team — a perfect regular season.
After losing 13 players from last year’s National Women’s Football Association runner-up team, the Mayhem brought in 12 rookies, many of whom had never played organized football, to play in the Women’s Football Alliance.
Coach Matt Koch said that the newcomers’ impact has been incredible, especially on a stifling defense that has allowed just 15 points throughout the 8-0 season.
The Mayhem “D” will need the rookies to continue to contribute heading into the first-round playoff game against unbeaten Columbus on Saturday at Vicksburg High School.
One of those rookies, strong safety Ashley Andrews, is second on the team in tackles, despite having never set foot on a football field until this year.
“It was a lot of learning,” she said. “And the veterans knew, so they were very helpful. They had to teach us (rookies), since we were coming in not having played before.”
Andrews, who was a multi-sport athlete in high school and is a Marine, plays alongside four-year veteran free safety Lisa Luedtke. The two have developed good chemistry on and off the field.
Luedtke praised Andrews’ effort on the practice field and in studying the game, and she said the work has shown on game days.
“It’s funny, because (safeties) are usually known as the last resort, but Ashley is one of the first people in there; she’s in there with every linebacker,” Luedkte said. “The girl is absolutely fearless.”
Andrews feels more at ease playing next to a veteran.
“It’s great,” she said. “(Luedtke) helps out on every play on defense. She’s yelling out calls for what we have to do. She’s helpful because she always knows what we need to do.”
Luedtke is one of four team captains who Koch said have been instrumental in teaching the newcomers. The others are Angie Bailey on the offensive and defensive lines, linebacker Jennifer Plummer and quarterback Jody Markwart.
“I couldn’t ask for four better people,” Koch said about his captains. “Their teammates know they can rely on them and trust them. Those rookies look up to them. It says a lot about their character.”
Rookie Katie Sowers remembers early in the season when Luedtke and Plummer led study sessions to teach the rookies the basics, starting with the positions on the field.
“The veterans have been awesome,” Sowers said. “I feel like they are my second family. They have taken us in and taught us the ropes.”
The training is starting to pay off for Sowers. She had a three-interception game in the regular-season finale, a 21-0 win over Indiana.
“It was exciting for me, because I’ve been wanting to have that breakout game to show that I can really help this team,” she said.
Sowers’ twin sister, Liz, also is a rookie on the team and has contributed as a shutdown corner.
“It’s been an incredible rookie class. A minimum of half of our defense out there the entire game are rookies,” said Plummer, who leads the team in tackles. “So that’s incredible that a 50-percent rookie defense can come together with the veterans and still, in eight games, only allow 15 points.”
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