BY AJ TRAGER
FLINT – In an effort to raise fairness and provide more chances for people to get involved in the sport, Louise Ogadinma and three others decided to start their own all-girls football team in Michigan's seventh largest city.
The Flint City Riveters were born out of a need for fairness. For many, football is an outlet, a way to relax and get away from the business of everyday life. Some of the Riveters found it hard to focus and have fun on their former teams, which lacked a sense of what it means to work together without worrying what is going on behind the scenes — like bags and money being stolen.
Ogadinma didn't want to tolerate that behavior anymore. It was throwing off her sense of sportsmanship and she was ready to feel like she was a part of a team. She and the other three co-owners collected $2,000 to launch the Riveters and quickly started advertising and looking for people to join.
Now, a year later and with the help of three excellent football coaches, the 26 Riveters are busy with squats and suicide runs as they prepare for their first competitive season. They have practiced every Saturday since they convened in October and according to Ogadinma, they are "rip, roaring and ready to hit the field."
"Our team's experience is all over the place. The only people who have experience with football are the owners — everyone else is brand new. But they have played a sport before. The majority of the girls have played softball. We have one girl that's a softball coach; some have played volleyball. They are very athletic. Some are not as athletic, but they fit in just as well. They have stamina," she notes. "We have great coaches who are teaching them the ins-and-outs and teaching them drills. The new girls don't feel intimidated. Every practice we have, they are all pumped. It is so refreshing."
Ogadinma has only been playing football for a handful of years. She didn't play as a kid and took the sport up in 2013 when she decided to get her weight under control. She saw that one of Michigan's all-girl football teams was looking for players and decided to tackle the sport. She was ready to be confident again. And playing football gave her that.
"It makes me feel strong and confident. When I'm playing and on the field, I feel like I could do anything," Ogadinma said. "I am confident now. I really got into it. It's the adrenaline and being on the field. I play a sport that guys don't expect females to play. That's any sport in general, but when I tell them I play football, they say, 'No way.' I play tackle football. The only difference is we are females. It brings power and makes me feel strong."
Ogadinma said that of the 26 teammates, only five or six don't identify as LGBT. In a short confession to BTL, Ogadimna said that there has been no issues with teammates dating one another and that, if they are involved romantically, that energy doesn't negatively affect their game play.
Flint Aid
With the recent water-catastrophe in Flint, the team wanted to give back. Not all members live in Flint, but since the Riveters are based in the area, they wanted to volunteer some of their time and help out where they could.
"They need the help. And for us being based out of Flint, I felt like it was important that we be a part of that. I am all about volunteering. I like helping people, that's my thing," Ogadinma said.
In an effort to lend a helping hand and get their name out there, they spent a day helping to put water on a truck. Ogadinma wished she and the team could've done more. She has a 7-year-old daughter and couldn't imagine if she received chronic issues because of drinking home tap water.
"If I could fix pipes, I'd go in there myself. It's heartbreaking to read all the stories. It's not fair because a lot of them have development issues because of that," she said. "The residents didn't even know what was going on. They have all these issues and they are going to have a hard time as they get older because those issues are never going to go away. The whole situation is sad."
There are currently two other Michigan teams competing in their league, Detroit Dark Angels and West Michigan Mayhem. The Riveters will compete in eight games beginning in April: four home and four away. Their first game will be April 2 against the Detroit Dark Angels.
The colors for the Flint City Riveters include black, silver, purple and white and will feature the image of a riveter. The tackle football team is not currently accepting new members since the season starts in seven weeks, but Ogadinma would like interested parties to come and attend one of their games to become acquainted with the team and see what it's all about. If all goes well this year, interested parties will have a chance to run with the Riveters next year in the 2017 football season.
Their first game against the Detroit Dark Angels will be at 7 p.m. on April 2 at John Glenn High School. John Glenn High School is located at 36105 Marquette St. in Westland.
For more information, visit their website at http://flintcityriveters.com or contact the team owners by email at [email protected].
