Women taking best shot at pro football aspirations

By Kalani Wilhelm
Special to The Advertiser

One has a doctorate, another flies commercial aircraft, and another trains military police officers and boxes professionally

Pacific Blast defensive coordinator Tony Dunbar, left, watches Mililani's Elizabeth Baker carry the ball during a team tryout. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

The game they play is not the two-hand touch or flag variety; it's tackle football and all NFL rules and regulations apply.

Women's professional football, might not be considered a novelty, since there are more than 60 teams and nine leagues in the United States.

Growing up in Warner, N.H., free safety Vicky Cozy, a military police officer, surfer and boxer, would watch football on TV and say to herself: "How come we don't get to do the cool stuff? I want to do some hitting, too."

"There's females out there who just want to get really aggressive because we have it in us, too."

The Blast's 42-player roster includes accomplished former prep athletes.

Running back Noelani Lee has 12 high school letters to her credit.

Nicole Wylie, the team owner and a player, was an accomplished tennis player in high school and still holds the national record for most singles victories with 73.

"A lot of people stereotype woman athletes. The women are looking for a new challenge. They want to play. They want to prove themselves," Wylie said. "They're not afraid of breaking a finger or breaking a nail."

The team includes players from a variety of professions. Offensive guard Danette Whyte is a commercial pilot and aerial photographer, fellow guard Verna Mae Salting is a Tahitian dancer, and receiver Liz Baker is a cryptologist.

Defensive lineman Amber Lehano is the only player on the squad with playing experience in football. Lehano played defensive line on the junior varsity team at Mililani High School and was on the varsity team at Leilehua High School.

"It's good fun. I like the training part, the hitting part, the competition part, the whole thing," Lehano said. "It's about time girls get the opportunity to show that we can play, too."

The first team to break the pigskin gender barrier here was the Hawai'i Wave in 1999.

The Wave didn't last, and other franchises such as the Hawaiian Storm and Kaua'i Thunder and Island Pride followed in its wake.

When the Hawai'i Legends were formed in 2000 women's professional football earned mild success.

The Blast, whose team colors are red, white and blue, are looking to raise the bar for women's football.

The Blast's 10-game season will feature home and road games against the Legends, the Los Angeles Amazons and the New England Storm from the Women's Professional Football League.

The Blast will open its season Oct. 27 against the Legends, though there are still several holes in the 2002-03 schedule to be filled. The Blast's home games will be played on Thursdays and Sundays at the University of Hawai'i's Cooke Field.

In January, they will play a series of games in Florida, where women's professional football has flourished. The season-ending series will be against top teams in Tampa, Orlando and Miami.

As a player for the Legends last season, Wylie noticed that the majority of the Legends' supporters were women. On that notion, she decided to start her own team to provide other women with the opportunity to play. Wylie started the Blast in January and the franchise took off immediately with 25 attending the first tryout.

"From that moment on I knew it was going to work," Wylie said. "There are enough women on the island that want to play football. I believe that having two teams here will draw more attention to the sport."

The financial risk to the players is minimal: $25 to try out for the team.

"What little we've done so far has attracted so much attention; I didn't realize it would get so big so fast," Wylie said. "The girls realize they are huge role models right now. Our goal as a team for this year is to have fun, have a winning season and establish ourselves as a major sports organization here in Hawai'i."

The players don't get paid, but, Wylie said, "If we make a profit this year, the players and coaches will receive a bonus at the end of the season. All of the coaches and most of the players said they don't want the money. They are doing it for the love and fun of the game."

To prepare for the season, head coach Joe Jost and his assistants Tony Dunbar, Daniel Sherry and Nate Watkins, used the summer to work on conditioning drills and footwork.

Once the team is familiar with the game, then Jost will concentrate on the Xs and Os.

"A lot of these girls have never played football in their lives," said Jost, whose wife, Melane, plays free safety on the team. "So we're starting from the ground up. We'll hopefully be a group of ground-breakers. Right now everybody believes, we all believe."

Local sponsors have eased the financial responsibilities of financing the team, and Wylie paid all costs — such as travel and equipment fees — out of her own pocket.

"I am not looking to turn a profit this year, although with the interest that I'm seeing in Hawai'i, I think it is completely possible," she said.