It’s not most days that I find a high school girl who is tougher than me. OK, that’s not exactly true, but this story out of Queens about Irene Gjoka, a 17 year old who will be suiting up for the Long Island City High School football team this season puts me in my place.
Having a over-protective father, Gjoka wasn’t allowed to play any sports when she was younger living in Canada. But after questioning her high school’s football coach what she needed to do to try out, she surprised him by actually coming out and going through all the practices. “Once or twice a year, a girl will come out and say she wants to play football, and pretty much that’s it,” Coach Stephen Agresti said. The cards were stacked against her though as state rules initially barred her from playing. After getting permission from a special panel, including 2 doctors, a gym teacher and the school’s athletic director she was cleared to practice and play. I LOVE that the gym teacher was an arbiter in this matter. What kind of important knowledge could that gym teacher share? “Irene totally dominated the badminton section last spring…she’ll be fine!”
The 5 foot, 105 pound Gjoka has shown off her agility and speed on the field, impressing her coach who intends to use her on special teams. “I don’t care about bruises or anything like that,” Gjoka said as she revealed a red and purple wound that extends from her forearm to her shoulder. “Pain’s not an issue.” Meanwhile I nearly passed out when I just got a paper cut. Sigh. Continue reading ‘She Don’t Play Tight End’
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