Post by Banana Cat on Oct 28, 2011 3:33:40 GMT -5
www.cantonrep.com/newsnow/x464384826/LFLs-Crush-dont-play-football-like-girls
LFL's Crush don't play football like girls
Photo courtesy of Cleveland Crush
GlenOak High School graduate Abbie Sullivan breaks away for a long run during a recent Cleveland Crush home game at Quicken Loans Arena. The Crush is part of the Lingerie Football League, which is sponsored by the NFL.
By Lisa Reicosky / CantonRep.com staff writer
Oct 21, 2011
Marija Condric says once you see the first tackle in a Cleveland Crush football game, you will forget all about what she is wearing.
Considering that the Crush is part of the Lingerie Football League, sponsored by the NFL, and she is wearing a bikini, shoulder pads, and a helmet — that may or may not be entirely true.
One thing for sure, though — it’s real, hard-hitting football.
“I love the intensity,” said Condric, 23, a 2006 Hoover High School graduate, who plays running back and linebacker. The daughter of Stephanie Condric and the late Tomo Condric, a former professional soccer player, says she is a natural competitor with an athlete’s mindset.
“It doesn’t matter what I’m wearing, I’m there to compete,” she said.
Abbie Sullivan, 25, a 2005 GlenOak High School graduate who was a three-sport standout, plays quarterback, cornerback and kicker. The daughter of Frank and Cheryl Sullivan of Plain Township said she is a “daddy’s girl” who learned to throw a football when she was very little.
She says the women can not only hit, but they can trash talk as well as any man.
“A lot of the league people want us to talk trash,” she said. “It encourages that intense competition if you develop a grudge.”
“I’m a running back and in the bottom of these tackles. They’re kicking you in the head and talking trash, but we do it right back,” said Condric with a laugh.
The women are having so much fun, in fact, they don’t mind that they are unpaid athletes.
Sullivan, a server at Rooster’s in Jackson Township (she also has a master’s degree in healthcare management from Walsh University), said the expansion team needs to prove it can be profitable.
“The league wanted players who weren’t in it for the money,” she said.
The Crush are one of three LFL expansion teams that held tryouts last March.
Dave Duncan, a former University of Akron football player, serves as the strength and conditioning coach and the skilled players coach. He said both women were standouts early on.
“Abbie had a nice tight spiral. She just had to learn the position,” Duncan said. “She’s just an all-around athlete. She does it all.”
Marija, he said, was the fastest at tryouts.
“She just looked the part,” he said of her bodybuilder’s physique.
Duncan said the women have gained confidence after getting the first game under their belts.
“Right now, they look excellent. They’re learning new techniques for their positions and they’re learning other positions because we can only take 14 players on the road,” he said, adding that the game is “very physical, very emotional and they 110 percent surprised me.”
About the only thing Condric and Sullivan are complaining about is the short season — only four games to prove they should make it to the playoffs.
Because of their first game loss, 20-19 to the Baltimore Charm last month at Quicken Loans Arena, they need to win two of the three games left to have a chance. In the case of tie records, qualifying will be based on points scored.
They play Friday in Tampa, a game that will be televised nationally on MTV2 at 10 p.m. LFL games feature a 7-on-7 format.
“We’ve made a few changes I don’t think our opponents will be able to handle,” Sullivan said. “Since I’ve got Marija, I don’t have to throw much, but I’m working on my passing game to not rely on her all the time.”
Condric, an amateur boxer and professional makeup artist, is up for the challenge.
In fact, she is often compared to Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, who shares the No. 40.
That’s an honor, said Sullivan, because teams generally require players to wear Nos. 1-20. Condric, nicknamed “The Enforcer,” also was the first woman in the league to have her own T-shirt with her image on it.
As a makeup artist, Condric gets creative with the eye-black, but balks at doing the other women’s makeup before games.
“They ask and I run and hide,” she joked, adding that they try to all wear makeup that lasts the whole game because the league wants them to look good.
What the league does not want is any kind of wardrobe malfunction.
“We take every precaution to make sure that does not happen,” said Sullivan, who takes issue with critics who think they are harming women by the uniform they wear. “Just because we play in the LFL, does not mean we promote promiscuity. We are smart females. We are athletes who take care of our bodies. We are the total package. It’s about football and we’re actually pretty good at it.”
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” said Condric. “Sit down and watch. You’ll forget what we are wearing and you will be thinking about how hard that girl got hit on that last play.”
Photo courtesy of Cleveland Crush
GlenOak High School graduate Abbie Sullivan breaks away for a long run during a recent Cleveland Crush home game at Quicken Loans Arena. The Crush is part of the Lingerie Football League, which is sponsored by the NFL.
By Lisa Reicosky / CantonRep.com staff writer
Oct 21, 2011
Marija Condric says once you see the first tackle in a Cleveland Crush football game, you will forget all about what she is wearing.
Considering that the Crush is part of the Lingerie Football League, sponsored by the NFL, and she is wearing a bikini, shoulder pads, and a helmet — that may or may not be entirely true.
One thing for sure, though — it’s real, hard-hitting football.
“I love the intensity,” said Condric, 23, a 2006 Hoover High School graduate, who plays running back and linebacker. The daughter of Stephanie Condric and the late Tomo Condric, a former professional soccer player, says she is a natural competitor with an athlete’s mindset.
“It doesn’t matter what I’m wearing, I’m there to compete,” she said.
Abbie Sullivan, 25, a 2005 GlenOak High School graduate who was a three-sport standout, plays quarterback, cornerback and kicker. The daughter of Frank and Cheryl Sullivan of Plain Township said she is a “daddy’s girl” who learned to throw a football when she was very little.
She says the women can not only hit, but they can trash talk as well as any man.
“A lot of the league people want us to talk trash,” she said. “It encourages that intense competition if you develop a grudge.”
“I’m a running back and in the bottom of these tackles. They’re kicking you in the head and talking trash, but we do it right back,” said Condric with a laugh.
The women are having so much fun, in fact, they don’t mind that they are unpaid athletes.
Sullivan, a server at Rooster’s in Jackson Township (she also has a master’s degree in healthcare management from Walsh University), said the expansion team needs to prove it can be profitable.
“The league wanted players who weren’t in it for the money,” she said.
The Crush are one of three LFL expansion teams that held tryouts last March.
Dave Duncan, a former University of Akron football player, serves as the strength and conditioning coach and the skilled players coach. He said both women were standouts early on.
“Abbie had a nice tight spiral. She just had to learn the position,” Duncan said. “She’s just an all-around athlete. She does it all.”
Marija, he said, was the fastest at tryouts.
“She just looked the part,” he said of her bodybuilder’s physique.
Duncan said the women have gained confidence after getting the first game under their belts.
“Right now, they look excellent. They’re learning new techniques for their positions and they’re learning other positions because we can only take 14 players on the road,” he said, adding that the game is “very physical, very emotional and they 110 percent surprised me.”
About the only thing Condric and Sullivan are complaining about is the short season — only four games to prove they should make it to the playoffs.
Because of their first game loss, 20-19 to the Baltimore Charm last month at Quicken Loans Arena, they need to win two of the three games left to have a chance. In the case of tie records, qualifying will be based on points scored.
They play Friday in Tampa, a game that will be televised nationally on MTV2 at 10 p.m. LFL games feature a 7-on-7 format.
“We’ve made a few changes I don’t think our opponents will be able to handle,” Sullivan said. “Since I’ve got Marija, I don’t have to throw much, but I’m working on my passing game to not rely on her all the time.”
Condric, an amateur boxer and professional makeup artist, is up for the challenge.
In fact, she is often compared to Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, who shares the No. 40.
That’s an honor, said Sullivan, because teams generally require players to wear Nos. 1-20. Condric, nicknamed “The Enforcer,” also was the first woman in the league to have her own T-shirt with her image on it.
As a makeup artist, Condric gets creative with the eye-black, but balks at doing the other women’s makeup before games.
“They ask and I run and hide,” she joked, adding that they try to all wear makeup that lasts the whole game because the league wants them to look good.
What the league does not want is any kind of wardrobe malfunction.
“We take every precaution to make sure that does not happen,” said Sullivan, who takes issue with critics who think they are harming women by the uniform they wear. “Just because we play in the LFL, does not mean we promote promiscuity. We are smart females. We are athletes who take care of our bodies. We are the total package. It’s about football and we’re actually pretty good at it.”
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” said Condric. “Sit down and watch. You’ll forget what we are wearing and you will be thinking about how hard that girl got hit on that last play.”