University Welcomes First Female Kickers To Field In College’s History: What They Had To Say

The University School of Milwaukee has decided to go against the grain this year. When the placekicker from their college team was taken down by an injury, they subbed in two female kickers instead.

Sport is still, on the whole, a very gendered activity. Even sports that require very little physical difference, such as snooker or golf, are still separated by sex. However, the University School in Milwaukee is hoping to shake that up a bit.

An Injury: The college football team had a disaster when their main kicker broke his collarbone. At the season opener, he was taken down, and they were left searching for a replacement. This is when the coach decided that he would introduce the two female kickers to the college football team.

• “We are looking forward to them being able to make and create history when they are the first females to score a point at USM,” head coach Sommers said.

Giving Them A Chance

It’s an unusual decision from the coach, but one that the two women are keen to prove was a good one. They are both ready to play and feel that they are more than capable of competing alongside the men on the team.

• Gonzalez-Rodriguez, one of the two female kickers on the Milwaukee college team, told ABC about her nerves. “I am a little nervous. I feel like that is really natural. You never know when an opportunity like this is going to come around.”
• “We tried out for fun and at first we kind of thought it was kind of a joke and then we were like, well, what if we actually join because we thought we were capable, and we just decided to take the chance,” she said of the opportunity.

Their first game was a showdown with the Shoreland Lutheran college football team. Gonzales-Rodriguez was called up with her chance to kick for her college team. However, the kick was blocked by the opponents, but that didn’t put a damper on their spirits. There’s always next time.

• “They are both really solid, they are always like, what more can we do, and so we always kind of have to put to work again, and they are a big part of our program and a big part of our team,” their coach said.