Sarah Charlsen and Brooke Kent

Emporia State women Brooke Kent and Sarah Charlsen wanted to play tackle football. They had to go to Kansas City to do it.

“I didn’t even know about women’s tackle football probably until three years ago,” Kent said. “It’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do. I don’t care if I don’t get paid – that’s not the point because football is a big part of my life.”

The two recently joined the Kansas City Storm, a women’s tackle football team that is a part of the Women’s Spring Football League. The Storm is known as the oldest women’s tackle football team in Kansas City and is very competitive, as they were crowned District Champions in 2009.

The high level of competition, along with location, is what led Kent to the Storm.

“I came across the Storm on the internet,” Kent said. “Obviously living so close to Kansas City, that was the team I looked at. They’ve been pretty good the last couple of years, so that kind of attracted me too because, you know, everybody likes winning.”

A senior psychology major originally from Kansas City, Mo., Kent has been roughhousing with boys and girls alike since early childhood.

“I’ve been playing football since I was in grade school,” Kent said. “I’d always play with the boys, and it was always tackle, so I was never afraid.”

A background involving four older brothers, one of whom is a football position coach at Indiana State University, led Charlsen, a junior computer science major from Newton, to pursue football at a higher level.

“I’ve always enjoyed football, and I’ve always wanted to actually play,” Charlsen said. “I think that having one of my friends playing with me will push me.”

A connection with a former Sigma Sigma Sigma member gave Charlsen the notion to give the women’s tackle football league a chance.

It took the support of Kent to give Charlsen the courage to fulfill that notion.

“When I was in Tri Sigma, one of the alums told me about the Storm,” Charlsen said. “She recommended me to the coach, and the coach contacted me. I just didn’t have enough guts to do it until I got Brooke into it.”

Unlike Charlsen, Kent continued competing at the college level after graduating high school. Kent currently ranks third in the nation in the triple jump and attributes her attitude towards her success in the world of track and field and, hopefully, on the gridiron.

“When I go into sports and do what I do, I think like a man would – you know, how they’re so focused and everything,” Kent said. “Some girls come in and they’re just like, ‘Oh I’m just going to try it.’ I know specifics, I know what to do. I’m shifty.”

The topic of women’s tackle football is one that often raises eyebrows. The cultural bias towards women playing football is something both Kent and Charlsen are aware of.

“Obviously men are at a different level when it comes to strength and power and all of that,” Kent said. “There are some women who know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to sports. When you play with the best with women, then you have to look at the team, and everybody has to look at everybody. They play awesome.”

Nancy Wernes, founder and president of the Kansas City Storm, talked at length about how valuable an experience playing for the Storm could be for the two ESU students.

“Players meet new friends, get in shape, compete on a competitive sports team and gain a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the game of football…there’s a lot to be gained by the women who participate and the fact that these two women are committed to travel to Kansas City to participate shows they know this,” Wernes said. “We are very excited to have them join us for the 2010 season.”

Charlsen has high hopes for her experience with the Storm.

“I hope to meet other people and actually play it for real, not flag football,” Charlsen said.

For Kent, a team-like experience is hopefully taken away from the journey with the Storm.

“I want to meet new people,” Kent said. “I want to just bond with a team. I’ve done track all of my life, and it’s a team, but it’s individual, too, mostly. I kind of just want, when we win something or make a touchdown, it is because our team did it.”

Practice for the tandem starts in June. Although there is no paycheck involved, Kent is still excited about the opportunity.

“It’s totally for the love of the game,” Kent said.

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