Women's Football Explodes in Milwaukee

Published on November 3, 2004 under National Women's Football Association (NWFA) News Release

The NWFA proudly announces the Milwaukee Explosion as an expansion team for the 2005 football season. The Milwaukee Explosion is a division of Shatter The Ceiling, LLC, a company created to expand and foster opportunities for women of all ages. Shatter The Ceiling, LLC is owned by Elaine Gonya, Bridget Hubing and Amelia McCarthy.

The owners purchased the license to help young women pursue their dreams, believe in themselves and believe that anything is possible. By locating the team in Milwaukee, the owners hope to make the dream of playing women's football a reality for women athletes all across southern Wisconsin as cities such as Madison, Racine and Sheboygan are all less than an hour drive to Milwaukee. The owners are also very excited about joining the NWFA because the NWFA is widely recognized as the premier women's football league in the country.

Elaine Gonya received her master's degree at the University of Kansas, has extensive experience coaching college athletics and currently teaches for the Milwaukee Public Schools and volunteers for the Special Olympics Americorp. Bridget Hubing, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School, practices real estate litigation at the law firm of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. Amelia McCarthy, a graduate of the Marquette University Law School, is a trial attorney at the law firm of Gass Weber Mullins LLC. All three ladies have experience playing women's professional football and are determined to stay involved with the game while promoting women's opportunities in sport.

For more information on the Milwaukee Explosion, please call Bridget Hubing at 414-550-2087 or email wisconsindreams04@yahoo.com

KENTUCKY GETS ITS KARMA

The National Women's Football Association, the largest pro football league in the world for women, has announced the granting of a team license to Tom Hawkins.

The Karma, which was started by the league last year is one of the league's expansion teams for the 2005 season. Because they have been in operation for a while, the team is ready to go and has already played a few exhibition games with other teams in the NWFA. "The Karma has some outstanding athletes and we expect this team to be one of the contenders in the 2005 season," states league CEO, Catherine Masters.

"We have a proven and hard working staff," states Hawkins. Collectively we have over (80) years of experience with (4) of my coaches coaching on the high school level at present. My biggest job is just to stay out of their way!"

When asked why he decided to own a women's football team, Hawkins responded, "I see this as an opportunity to coach and own a football program that just happens to be composed of women. We look at this as football is football, where you teach blocking and tackling with the basics of the game where gender is not really an issue. I see the opportunity for women to play football as great as they are proving they are more than capable. Owning a team with the NWFA in Kentucky (Greater Louisville) has endless possibilities. The NWFA has proven to be the most successful women's football league in operation".

To help the Karma get some name recognition, the league held its 2004 World Championship Game in Louisville this past July at the Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. "We felt it was a great place to showcase the top two teams in our league and at the same time, build some name recognition for the Karma," states league Vice President, Debby Lening.

For more information about the KY Karma, please email mshtlh@bellsouth.net or call Tom Hawkins at 502-773-2607.

KANSAS CITY KRUNCH GETS NEW OWNER

The Kansas City Krunch, women's football team, has a new owner. The Krunch are members of the National Women's Football Association.

Linda Panky purchased the license for the Krunch. Panky is a resident of Overland Park Ks. Panky played for the Krunch as a defensive tackle last year.

" 2005 season will be a showcase season," states Panky. "My affiliation with the semi-professional sports started as young as 10 years old when my father played semi-professional football on the hill behind the Main Post Office with a team called the Rowdy Raiders. My husband Edmund also played semi-professional football where I worked as the Operations Coordinator. So the love for the game is in my blood," adds Panky. The Kansas City Krunch is gearing up for it's 3rd season.

The Kansas City Krunch will be holding tryouts Nov 13, 2004 at Swope Park Soccer Fields from 1pm to 3pm. Please check out kansascitykrunch.com for additional information or call 913-710-6608.

Gulf Coast Herricanes Appoint Assistant GM

In an effort to take advantage of the growth of the Gulf Coast Herricanes women's football team, the Herricanes have announced the appointment of Lori Favre as Assistant GM.

Lori worked with the Herricanes since the team started. A back injury prohibited her from playing. "I enjoy working with the Herricanes," states Favre. "I have been working closely with team owner, Tammy Long, and we have some great ideas for the 2005 season," adds Favre. Lori will be responsible for the day to day operations of the team and also assisting with the marketing of the Herricanes. "Lori has an ongoing outstanding reputation w/ our players and coaching staff," states Herricanes owner, Tammy Long. "She brings back a lot of professionalism to our entire franchise and I am grateful to have her as my right hand!" adds Long.

For more information on the Gulf Coast Herricanes, call (850) 944-4472, 888-596-1163, email at gcherricanes@aol.com or visit gcherricanes.com.

Pittsburgh Passion Players Go the Distance

By Kara Prentice For the past several years, this trio of Pittsburgh Passion football players, Teresa Conn, Lisa Horton and Jen Moody, has been busy displaying big play potential on the football field with each one a threat to score anytime she touches the ball.

They ‚¬â„¢re jersey numbers are 7 (Conn), 14 (Horton) and 21 (Moody) ‚¬" the power of seven - as in touchdown and extra point. They love the deep ball and breaking into the clear on long runs so they spend many hours perfecting their throws, catches and footwork anywhere they can find an open field around Pittsburgh. In the off season practices, ‚¬Å“Go Long ‚¬Â is a common phrase in the huddle.

On October 24, 2004, Lisa, T and Jen went the distance again - but this time it was not on the artificial turf surface at Ambridge High School ‚¬â„¢s Moe Rubenstein Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Passion. First, it was a 5 hour plane ride to the West Coast and then the threesome tackled the hills of the Nike 26.2 Marathon and Half-Marathon for Women in San Francisco.

Their playing field will be a lot longer this time -13.1 miles vs. 100 yards which presented a new challenge to which all three players eagerly awaited. Lisa, T and Jen trained for this event as part of the Team in Training Program and helped to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The fundraising goal for each of the three players was $2600 with the funds directed to support researchers in their efforts to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Lisa finished in 2:34.33, Teresa in 2:34.34 and Jen in 2:34.34. Even while running this trio was inseparable!

Congratulations to Lisa, T and Jen on their latest endeavor!

Turkey Trot with the Passion!!

PITTSBURGH, PA-- On Thanksgiving Day, November 25 2004, the Downtown Pittsburgh YMCA will be holding its 14th annual Turkey Trot Race. The YMCA Turkey Trot Race is a family oriented event that has something for all fitness levels of the entire family. This fun Thanksgiving tradition consists of the Two Mile Fun Run, which begins at 8:15 A.M., whose course is ideal to bring along your children and their strollers. The Five Mile Turkey Trot Race begins at 9:00 A.M. and rewards medals to the top three male and female finishers in each of the 14 age groups. The overall winner of the male and female categories will have an opportunity to win a brand new Precor treadmill. Members of the Pittsburgh Passion, our city ‚¬â„¢s women ‚¬â„¢s professional football team will once again be on hand to volunteer their time for the event. Lisa Horton, director of Health and Wellness for the Downtown YMCA, and quarterback of the Passion, is excited to have her fellow teammates helping out at the Turkey Trot Race. ‚¬Å“Last year, we had a great turnout form the team, and I am anticipating the same for this year ‚¬â„¢s race. The players and coaches had a great time cheering on the racers and participating in the set up and the medal ceremony, ‚¬Â said Horton. The Pittsburgh Passion, who kick off their third season in April of 2005 in the NWFA, are actively involved in numerous community events around the Pittsburgh area. All proceeds of the Turkey Trot Race benefit the Strong Families and Strong communities through subsidiaries and scholarships. Early registration is $20 runs until November 17. The registration fee after the 17th will be $25. To download the registration form online, go to www.ymcaofpgh.org. For more information on the event, please contact (412) 471-YMCA. For more information on the Pittsburgh Passion, please log onto pittsburghpassion.com, or Call (724) 452-9395.

Name the Team Contest!!!

The NWFA is holding a contest to name the newest expansion team in the league. The team is located in Shreveport, Louisiana. "We always get a lot of responses when we hold these contests," states Debby Lening, VP NWFA. "We have already had a few suggestions for team names. We will give a prize to whoever comes up with a name that we choose," adds Lening. If you would like to submit a name for the Shreveport expansion team, please email footballmedia@cs.com

Emerald Coast Sharks Announce Head Coach/Tryouts! (Panama City, FL)

Emerald Coast Sharks owner Charles E. Rowan, Jr., announced the new head coach of the team today, David L. Freeland. Freeland was the head coach of the former NWFA Franchise team, the Panama City Rumble.

Freeland has been keeping in touch with the former Rumble players and they are eager to get back to playing ball. Freeland was head coach of the Rumble for the 2003 season. Freeland has been brought aboard the Sharks to help bring women's football back to Panama City and the Emerald Coast of Florida.

Tryouts will be held on Saturday, November 6, 2004 at 9am and on Saturday, November 13, 2004, at 9am. Both tryouts will be held at the Frank Brown Park, 16200 Panama City Beach Parkway, Panama City Beach, FL.

Rowan, along with Sam Terry, VP Operations/Marketing, and David Freeland, Head Coach, will be present for the tryouts. The team is looking for as many women to come out and show that men aren ‚¬â„¢t the only ones that can play full contact football.

For additional information on the Emerald Coast Sharks, please visit www.emeraldcoastsharks.com , or you may call Sam Terry, VP Operations/Marketing (334) 657-5161.

NASHVILLE DREAM TRYOUTS

The Nashville Dream Women¹s Football Team will hold tryouts for the 2005 season on Saturday, November 13th from 9:00 am - Noon at Coleman Park in Antioch, TN. Registration is from 8:30 - 9:00 am. All women interested in playing full-contact football are invited to attend. You must be at least 18, and have your own health insurance. Please wear comfortable clothes and gym shoes. Wear cleats if you have them. You do not need to know the rules of football or how to play the game. Just a desire to learn. There is a one time registration fee of $35.00. Call 615-498-3580 for more information.

The Dream, the original member of the National Women¹s Football Association (NWFA), will be heading into their 6th season. They have finished the last three seasons with records of 7-1, 5-3, and 7-1 respectively, qualifying for the playoffs all three seasons.

For more information on the Nashville Dream please call 615-498-3580 or visit their website at nashvilledream.com.

Passion Tryouts (Pittsburgh, PA)

Tryouts for the Pittsburgh Passion will be held Saturday Nov. 6th at 10am. Anyone interested in playing tackle football should attend. The tryouts will be held at Marshall Middle School. For more information, please email tconn@velocity.net or visit pittsburghpassion.com

FREEZE TRYOUTS! (Portland, ME)

Tryouts for the Maine Freeze will be held on Sunday Nov 7th 2004 starting at 11am. It will be held in Fitzpatrick Stadium Portland, Maine. "Fitzy will be a wonderful place for the 2005 tryout," says Head Coach Steve Feder, "It will give the recruits a real sense of what it is like to be on our Game Day field." Fitzpatrick Stadium is located on Deering Ave, next to Hadlock Field where the Portland Seadogs play baseball.

For more information on the Maine Freeze, please email owner@mainefreeze.com or visit their website at mainefreeze.com

Gulf Coast Herricanes Announce Tryouts (Biloxi, MS)

Tryouts for the Herricanes will be: NOV 6 @ BILOXI at Lee Field, NOV 13 @ MOBILE at Medal of Honor Park and NOV 20 @ BILOXI at Lee Field. All times: 10:00 a.m. For directions please visit gcherricanes.com, call Tammy Long at 850-944-4472 or email gcherricanes@aol.com

Pensacola Power Hosting Tryouts! (Pensacola, FL)

Tryouts for the Pensacola Power will be held November 7, 14 and 21 at 1:30 pm at Bellview Park off Longleaf Dr. by Pine Forest High. For more information please check pensacolapower.org

CT Crush Hosting Tryouts!

The Connecticut Crush, members of the National Women's Football Team, have announced tryout dates for the 2005 season.

Tryouts will be held on Sunday's - November 7th & 14th at the Sports World Indoor Complex 226 Main Street, East Windsor, CT. 06088. Registration begins at 11:00am. Anyone interested in playing, coaching or volunteering for the team should attend. There is a one time tryout fee of $35.00. Participants should dress in comfortable clothing and provide proof of health insurance. No prior football experience is necessary.

The Crush joined the NWFA in 2001. For more information about the Crush, please visit CRUSHFOOTBALL.COM or email 2005Tryouts@CtCrush.com

The NWFA has been featured in more than 250 major publications and TV networks including the CBS Evening News, The NBC Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The NBC Today Show, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, Inside Edition, SPIKE TV, BET's MAAD Sports, The New York Times, The LA Times, Nickelodeon, the Boston Globe, The Washington Post and many, many local and regional networks and publications.

For additional information on the National Women's Football Association, please visit womensfootballassociation.com. This website receives between 1 and 3 million hits per month. Or call the league office at (615) 860-4084.

National Women's Football Association Stories from November 3, 2004

• Women's Football Team Hosting Tryouts - Connecticut Crush
• Women's Football Explodes in Milwaukee - NWFA

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.