Girl's Soccer Kick Earns her a Spot in Football Program

Sophomore Brianna Valente was in the weight room one day last March when Rams Football Head Coach Lou Marinelli, who was conducting the class, approached her and asked her if she might be interested in trying out as a placekicker. Coach Marinelli had seen her kicking a soccer ball around and was impressed with her leg strength. Valente had played junior varsity soccer during the 2008 season and was hoping to make varsity this fall. She had never thought about football.

Marinelli told her that the team was looking for someone to kick extra points and perhaps field goals. Kurt Ondash who had handled those duties was graduating. The kicking job was wide open. While Valente didn't have the distance for kickoffs, extra points in particular and medium range field goals were a possibility.

Valente gulped a few times, then gave it some thought and decided to give kicking a shot. She was invited by Marinelli to spring practice where she nailed four extra points in five attempts under game conditions.

As far as her male prospective teammates' reactions, Valente said, "I received some awkward glances from some of the players, but that was it."

Now it was time to inform her family and friends that she was going to try out for the football team.

"My parents kind of laughed when I broke the news to them, with a kind of 'are you kidding?' look," said the rising junior.

Her twin brothers, who are freshman at New Canaan High School this year couldn't believe it, adding that they were embarassed that their older sister would be the only girl on an otherwise all-boys team.

Valente shrugged it off. Her girl friends thought it was cool.

Where to dress wouldn't be a problem. She's been using the girls' locker room at practices and when the season starts she'll change in the cheerleaders' locker room.

Her strong showing at spring practice was all due to her natural ability. She knew she had to work on technique, so she enrolled at a football camp that specialized in kicking. She put on a helmet and full pads for the first time and realized how much more difficult it was to kick in football gear than when just wearing shorts and a T-shirt. It was "Kicking Technique 101" for Valente.

Valente then worked out on her own until fall practice started last weekend. Her quadriceps tightened up after the first practice; she simply overdid it. She sat out one workout, but this past Monday got clearance to kick five extra points in practice without equipment. She was good on four of the five tries, missing the first one, just squeezing through the second and then solid and strong on the final three.

Valente has a guaranteed spot within the football program, and she'll be competing with Jack Bennett and Evan Shapiro to be the varsity extra point kicker. The first test under game conditions is coming up Saturday when New Canaan hosts a jamboree at Dunning Field in which they'll play several teams for a quarter each. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m.