It was the last day of spring football practice. Sophomore Meghan Rai, a freshman at the the time, spent the week contemplating the decision. Was she going to do this? She finally decided that it was time. She stumbled up the stairs and to the upper field. She talked to the huge varsity players. There was no going back.

In late spring this year, Rai decided that she wanted to try something new. She didn’t really know what sport to choose, because she loves them all, but Rai felt especially drawn to the challenge of football. Being a five-foot-two-inch girl who weighs 100 pounds, football isn’t the sport that most people expected her to play. However, Rai pursued the challenge and is now on the MVHS JV football team.

“I’ve never felt like I wanted to quit football,” Rai said, looking back at her past months in spring training.

Rai recently returned to the team on Sept. 2 after a slight concussion during a tackling drill on the second day that the team had pads on.

“When we put on all our equipment and tackled for the first time, the contact was very intense,” Rai said, “so I’m really looking forward to tackling.”

But Rai did get injured — the tackle made Rai hit the ground head first. That did not discourage her. As soon as she was medically fit, she put the pads back on, entered the heat and warmed up with the rest of her team.

To Rai, her teammates have been a family that she did not expect. Even after just a few months with her coach Marlon Spencer, Rai described him as the best person she knows, explaining that he has been on her side since day one, and that their bond is quite strong. As a coach, his policy is that anyone can be a better player, regardless of their size. He is extremely supportive of all his players.

She attended all of the summer practices and feels like she really has improved. She knows that she works just as hard as any of the other guys and feels really dedicated to the sport. Every time she goes out on the field, she gives it her all and has a lot of fun doing it. To Rai, the sport is a huge challenge, because in football, one can learn for years, but still not know everything.

When JV football defensive captain sophomore Sassan Hashemi first found out Rai had joined the team, he was excited at the prospect of having a girl join the football team.

“I think she’s pretty brave if she comes to join football, that’s kind of awesome,” Hashemi said.

He heard nothing about her arrival to the team until during summer practice, and after witnessing her hard work and dedication through the preseason practices, he believes that she has really improved at all aspects of football.

“It makes our team special,” Hashemi said, “and better.”

But not everyone seems to feel that way. Rai’s friend, sophomore Kelli Russell mentions that many people call Rai’s choice to join football team a cry of feminism.

“Some people think that she’s doing it for feminist reasons, which I don’t think is why she’s doing it.” Russell said. “I think she’s doing it just doing it because she wants to play football and try something new. I’ve heard some people, mostly guys, think that she [will] end up getting hurt. But, guys get hurt in football too.”

Rai does feel the pressure of it all. She doesn’t want to let down her team. To Rai, being on the football team has everything to do with playing a sport that she loves. She joined the team for the same reason the boys joined — to play football, and her coach treats her no differently than any of the male players on the team.

Joining football does not stop Rai from pursuing traditionally female sports. She is not just a football player on her school team, but also a competitive cheerleader at All Star cheer. Playing both sports takes much of her time, but they are both sports Rai loves.

According to Rai, there has been quite a bit of direct online confrontation regarding her placement on the football team. Because more people can say things on the internet without repercussions, she’s gotten more confrontation than she’s wanted for pursuing her passion.

“People have this idea of that I or any girl should not play such a rough sport.” Rai said. “People definitely have a voice, but I shake it off. If I let their opinions affect me, it’s my fault.”

Being a girl, Rai admits feeling like she has to prove her place on the team more than any of the other boys have to. Anytime she stumbles, she understands that people will blame it on her gender more than her focus and form.

Regardless of the rumors around concerning her, she still puts on her pads and sprints on the field with the rest of her team.

Photos by Trisha Kholiya.