GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In two days, a tackle football team in Grand Rapids will begin its next season.
Yes, tackle football in the spring! We know it's not traditional, but neither is the team.
"A lot of these women have been told they can't play football. For them, I mean, if you know anything about women don't tell them, they can't do something because they'll be like, 'Oh, yeah I can. Watch me.'”
That's Stacey Davis, the head coach of the Grand Rapids Tidal Waves, a semi-professional women's tackle football team.
When those women throw on the pads, tackles aren't the only thing getting broken. Barriers and stereotypes are shattered at the same time.
“There's no reason that these women can't do what men do," Davis said.
This is her second year as the team's head coach, after getting promoted from her role as the defensive coordinator.
Davis has been with the Waves since the team was created in 2018.
Same with Cheyenne Bell, a defensive back and wide receiver. Bell said that the first season had its roadblocks.
“It was rough," she said. "We were playing with a roster of just enough to cover the field. I mean, 11, 12 players — not counting injuries that happen. We were playing both sides of the ball in 80-degree days. It was rough.”
The Waves are one of 65+ teams in the Women's Football Alliance, a nationwide league founded in 2009.
There are four divisions — Division I being the professional level, with Division IV being more of a developmental league.
This season, the Waves jumped from Division III to Division II.
That is a testament to how far the team has come in a short amount of time. Starting a women's tackle football team in Grand Rapids was not easy. These women, though, were up for the challenge.
Davis called recruiting a "full-time job." She, along with other coaches and players, will pitch the team to folks at pride parades in the area, and find other ways to spread the word.
Getting the women to commit is one thing. Teaching them football is another.
"It's absolutely teaching a new language," Davis said. "You know, when you think of men's sports, most of those men have probably been doing it since they were 8, 9 or ten years old.”
She added, "With women, you know, they might watch football, but playing it is a whole different thing. You have to understand that the nuances of the game and the actual plays and what your position is — what your position does. I usually equate it to teaching conversational Spanish to women in three months that maybe know 'Hola.' “
First-year player Caitlin Carey, whose day job is as a patrol deputy with the Kent County Sheriff's Office, comes from a football family. She said her newfound knowledge helps a lot at home.
“I get to kind of understand where things were coming from," she said. "When they would talk about stuff, now it kind of clicks in my head. We can actually have good conversations when we're at Thanksgiving dinner watching the Lions play.”
Davis said, “That's my payment. We don't get paid to do this as coaches. It's a situation where — when we see that happen, it just, you know, it makes us happy and geeked out as they are.”
Each player puts in about $450 of their own money to take the field.
However, the Waves are heavily involved in the community, helping out organizations like Kids Food Basket, Habitat for Humanity and the Boys and Girls Club.
The team usually holds six community events each season. For each one a player shows up to, they can get $25 taken off their league fees.
So that total number can be reduced to $300. Still, it's a small price to pay for a priceless feeling.
"What's it feel like to hit people?" I asked Carey.
"Great," she responded without hesitation as a smile grew on her face.
They say football is family.
“It's an amazing experience," said Patriella Whittington, the team's running back. "Honestly, it's just one big family and it just keeps growing.”
This family comes from all walks of life.
"The elevator pitch is really that we are the community....we have somebody who's working on getting their GED, to an OT therapist, to a nurse."
There's quite a wide age range as well, from 19 to 41 years old.
Andrea Gale is the 41-year-old. As the center, she anchors the offensive line on the field, while also leading a team of three kids at home.
“I still got a little gas in the tank," she said. "So, I'm trying to use it all this season. So here I am — to prove people wrong that, you know, even if you're a little bit past your prime, you've still got something left in there.”
This team isn't just out here to silence the critics. They're starving for success.
The Waves have never made it to the playoffs before, but that's just more fuel to the fire.
Bell said, "We want to play in the championship game...I want to play in Canton. I want to win. I want to win a ring.”
As far as the guys should be concerned, Carey and Whittington have a message:
“We’re coming to kick your butts," said Carey.
“I feel like anything a boy can do, a girl can do," added Whittington.
The Tidal Waves' six-game season kicks off Saturday, April 22 at 5 p.m. They play home games at Northview High School.
For tickets, or to learn more about this team, click here.