KAYSVILLE — Frilly dresses and hair bows never really suited Lisa Jensen. Now, a football helmet and pads, that feels like a second skin.
"My mom tried to dress me in pink," said the Riverton High AP psychology teacher and volleyball coach. "When we moved to Utah, I was in sixth grade. The boys were all playing soccer at recess. The girls said, 'We don't play; we cheer.' And I said, 'I don't cheer; I'm playing soccer!' "
Jensen moved on to play volleyball, basketball and softball at Ogden High. But after that, the 27-year-old was relegated to recreation leagues that don't offer much in the way of competitive sports for women.
Then, three years ago, she saw a flier advertising something that seemed almost too good to be true — full-contact football for women.
"I was so excited to see a women's football team," she said, grinning. "I was excited to get the chance to play an aggressive sport."
The team advertising for potential players was the Northern Utah Avalanche and, so far, is the only full-contact football team for women in Utah. Those involved with the team, however, are working hard to start a state-wide league that would feature four or five teams from different geographic regions of the state. The team is holding a clinic on Saturday at the Sportsplex in Kaysville for women and girls interested in learning a little more about the game of football. The clinic runs from 10 a.m. until noon, is open to all ages and costs $10.
"It will be really fun," said Shane Andrews, one of the team's coaches. "Basically it's Football 101."
In recruiting women to play on a football team in Utah, the players and coaches know they will have some stereotypes to overcome.
"A lot of people, and I'm just going to say it, think we're a bunch of lesbians," said Yvette Zayas, a Salt Lake City police officer. "But we have married women with children, single women, gay women, single moms. We're very diverse."
The women also believe there are a lot of stereotypes about women in Utah that just aren't true. First and foremost, the one about women not wanting to play contact football.
The women and coaches have collected nearly 200 names from women who want to play full-contact football if they can organize a league. The issue, as it is with most ventures, is money.
"It can cost up to $500 to get ready to play," said Chrystle Kerfoot, a rabid, lifelong football fan. That expense, on top of finding the time to practice, can be daunting for some women, many of whom are juggling jobs, families and other hobbies.
"It's also brand new, so some people are afraid it will fall through," Zayas said. "But our goal is to put Utah on the map for women's football. It's only going to get bigger and better from here."
The others agree and are committed not just to getting better themselves, but to let other women know there is a place for them to play. They are also trying to recruit support from businesses in an effort to defray some of the costs and pay for officials.
"Once people know we're serious about this, there will be even more interest," said Lisa Langford, the team's quarterback.
Most of the women on the Avalanche roster played some kind of organized sports growing up. But football, a favorite of many, was off-limits except in flag football leagues or neighborhood pick-up leagues.
The latter is where Langford got her start. "I was always the second one picked," she said.
Kerfoot believes that a football league for women would do for little girls dreaming of the gridiron what the WNBA did for young female basketball players.
"The WNBA gave them something to look forward to," said Kerfoot.
Adds Zayas, "If they grow up playing in flag football leagues, they know 'Hey, someday I can play full-contact football.' They have something to look forward to."
More importantly, the women said, girls just need to have the choice.
"It's a big deal that girls know they have the option," said Brooke Perkins, 41. "Let girls see there is more out there."
The Avalanche give women a chance to compete on a real football team, but the players said it's about much more than winning and losing games.
"It is satisfying being part of something," said Zayas. "Being a part of a team is like having a second family."
Adds Perkins, a paramedic firefighter who describes herself as not very competitive, "I love working together as a team to accomplish something. And it is fabulous stress relief."
The women also acknowledge that some may dismiss them because they do not play the same game men play — although they guarantee the games are both competitive and entertaining.
"We also play eight-man football," Jensen said. "We're playing our own game.
"You can't be faint of heart to play the game. You get hit the first time and it's a little scary," Jensen added. "We're not just women playing football, we're athletes playing football."
Adds Zayas, "It's not powderpuff."
They are not, they insist, just trying to be men. They are women who love a sport that society, for some reason, has reserved almost exclusively for men.
"We're glad we got the opportunity," Jensen said, "and we want others to have the same chance."
A league of their own
What: The Northern Utah Avalanche women's full-contact football team is holding a clinic.
Why: To help women and girls of all ages learn more about the game football.
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Sportsplex in Kaysville
Cost: $10
e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com