Virginia Tech may get female place kicker
- Thread starter Flying Spaghetti Monster
- Start date
She didn't make the team this year, but Beamer wants her to come back and practice with the team in the spring. This says really positive things about her abilities since Frank Beamer's VTech teams have made their name in special teams and defense (aka Beamerball).
As a placekicker (not a punter) at a big D1 school like Tech, if she gets tackled something has gone terribly, terribly, horribly wrong. If the snap is fumbled, the holder will be the one to pick it up. Tackling the placekicker gets a significant penalty and except for covering kickoffs she shouldn't have to worry about major contact (and if she has to tackle a kick returner then once again something's gone wrong). The only job safer in football is Payton Manning's backup or maybe the punter.
Pretty sweet to read about though. And props to Beamer for inviting her back!
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True, but this girl could still get hurt...
^^^ So can anyone else on the team. She wants to do it, why stop her?
Not trying to. I wish her luck, he just made it seem like she couldn't get hurt.
Just pointing that she plays one of the safest positions - of course she could get hurt, it's a football game.
But I'd rather focus on the fact that she got invited to practice with them next spring than the fact that she might get hit a few times like any other player.
But I'd rather focus on the fact that she got invited to practice with them next spring than the fact that she might get hit a few times like any other player.
good call
Sounds like she played in high school, so I'm sure she has some idea, and experience, playing the game.
I don't see why anyone would get hung up on the idea that "she might get hurt".
I don't see why anyone would get hung up on the idea that "she might get hurt".
Well, if she did get hurt, if she was tackled by every player on the opposition, I'm sure there would be headlines, and I'm sure her gender would be highlighted.
Just sayin...
Just sayin...
Why? I mean, if the same near impossible event happened with a male kicker, would his sex be an issue? If not, to do so with this young woman is a blaintently sexist position.
If she has been playing all this time, she is well aware of the dangers of the game. Women are not little china dolls, especially not those who volunteer for physically dangerous sports and occupations. And if she is able to make the cut to get on the team, that should tell you something about this particular woman's capabilities and constitution.
And if other people cannot treat her the same as they would treat any other player, that's their problem, not hers.
And if other people cannot treat her the same as they would treat any other player, that's their problem, not hers.
Sure, and maybe Lane Stadium will fall into a giant sinkhole. Why would every player on the opposition tackle her? That would be the bigger story than the fact she's a girl.
Good for her, I wish her the best of luck. I'm going to have to echo the sentiments expressed above.... can she get hurt? Sure. But in all honesty, the only position that's safer than the placekicker is the third string QB. Something is going to have to go incredibly wrong for the other team to get a shot at her (barring someone playing cheap). If she's going to get hurt, she has a far better chance of it being something like a pulled muscle.
I agree. It should not be a big deal. Any player, in any sport, can get hurt. This doesn't need to be a special case.
Why does she need to be coddled if she has volunteered to play a contact sport? As long as basic decency that should be extended to any human being is maintained (and remember, unwanted sexual contact can happen to men AND women and both genders should be respected), there should be no problem.
I never said she needed to be coddled. One of the concerns expressed above was about the theoretical shit-storm and controversy that would potentially come if she was hurt. I was just agreeing with the position expressed that she is volunteering to play the safest position in the game and that she really shouldn't end up getting hurt. I agree with you- she's getting into a rough contact sport and needs to be ready for the lumps that comes with it if she wants to do it. Hell, she could even play defensive tackle if she wanted to.
Well, based on the picture of her I saw with the CBS Sports article, she probably couldn't play defensive tackle. A cornerback or possibly safety, but nowhere near the mass for DT. 
But yeah, it's not that she needs to be coddled, it's the position that she plays; kickers are protected. There was a story I think last year about a girl in Kentucky playing running back for her high school team, the starter I think too. Now there's a position that takes some brutal, brutal punishment.
But yeah, it's not that she needs to be coddled, it's the position that she plays; kickers are protected. There was a story I think last year about a girl in Kentucky playing running back for her high school team, the starter I think too. Now there's a position that takes some brutal, brutal punishment.
Hey, you know what scholastic sport has resulted in over 100 deaths and catastrophic injuries in the past 25 years or so? Cheerleading. People don't get all worked up over that, why would they get worked up over this? 
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