Priscilla Velez JAMESBURG — Priscilla Velez is not cute … or so she says.
The 9-year-old tackle football player would much rather be known for being tough, and her mettle stands firmly behind that goal.
“I think girls can do whatever boys can do,” Priscilla said.
When her younger brother Anthony, 7, received papers in the spring to sign up for the Monroe Wolverines Pop Warner Mitey Mites team, Priscilla told her mother, Patty Lee, that she wanted to sign up too. Initially, Lee thought her daughter meant she wanted to be a cheerleader, but Priscilla quickly set her straight.
Despite some apprehension at first, Lee agreed.
“[Priscilla] said, ‘I thought you said girls can do anything boys can do,’” Lee said.H
er daughter got her on that one, as Lee was once a self-professed “tomboy” in her younger years, when she played tackle football with her brothers. The one condition she gave Priscilla was that if she signed up, she would have to finish out the season, so as not to be a quitter. The young athlete was all for it.
“She has always been the type that’s been a go-getter,” Lee said. “She’s not afraid. She’s not afraid to play any sports. She’s a leader; she has never been a follower. She’s headstrong.”
When the Jamesburg residents arrived at sign-ups, Priscilla’s aim was again met with a bit of confusion. At first, one organizer thought she was there to register for cheerleading. When Lee clarified that her daughter wanted to play football, the woman conducting sign-ups had to inquire with someone in charge to make sure girls were permitted to play. Priscilla may have had to jump through a couple of minor hoops to reach her goal, but that did not bother her. She offered advice to other girls who might want to play football or another sport that has traditionally been for boys.
“I would say if you want to play, you can play,” Priscilla said. “I would say, do your best, it doesn’t matter what boys think.”
According to Monroe Pop Warner football director Rick Lorfing, it has been close to a decade since any girls have played tackle football in the league, but he noted that they are certainly welcome. Priscilla was also welcomed by the original team on which she and Anthony were placed among her friends, but after they missed the first couple of weeks’ practices due to being away at camp, they were moved to a different team.
“All the boys were like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s a girl on the team,’” Priscilla said. “It made me think that they think I wasn’t tough.”
Boy, were they wrong. Once Priscilla got out on the field and showed her stuff, she was quickly accepted as just another member of the team, playing offense and defense. According to Lee, Priscilla’s coaches have also been very encouraging.” Everyone seems to be embracing the fact that she’s playing,” Lee said.
Anthony is thrilled to be on the team with his big sister, Lee said, adding that she worries more about him getting hurt than she does about Priscilla, as she has the advantage of size. Lee’s other daughter, Sheyla, 11, wanted to jump on the pigskin bandwagon too, but it was too late for her to sign up, and the experience and size of boys in her age group makes the prospect a little more daunting, Lee said. Still, she said she would allow Sheyla to sign up next year if she so desires.
For Priscilla, who is at an age where she is at the same beginner’s level as her teammates, the potential for getting hurt by a bigger or more experienced player is not as likely, according to Lee.
“I wanted to play because it’s good to try out a boys’ sport,” Priscilla said. “My mom always told me she wanted me to be athletic.”
Being athletic seems to run in the family bloodline. Lee’s father played and coached basketball in the Air Force, also coaching her at high school in Edison, and in college. Her sister won a four-year scholarship to play college basketball, and Lee herself played college basketball and softball on scholarship, along with soccer as a walk-on, she said. She now coaches basketball for Jamesburg Recreation in the winter, with all three of her children under her tutelage.
Anthony, Priscilla and Sheyla have all followed in the family tradition, playing sports from the age of 5. Aside from playing football and basketball, Anthony plays hockey and soccer. An honor roll student, Sheyla plays basketball and soccer. Priscilla has played basketball and soccer for the past three years, and was the only girl on the floor hockey team last year, Lee said.
“I was a little nervous, since she was the only girl playing, but she held her own,” Lee said.
With three children involved in a number of sports, the family schedule is hectic. Lee races home from her job as a staffing coordinator during her lunch hour to cook dinner each day, so that she can get the kids to their practices on time, she said. Though the tightly packed agenda becomes tiring at times, Lee said it is good for the children to be involved in the activities, and she would not have it any other way.
“It’s good for discipline, [and] it’s good for the scheduling,” Lee said.
Priscilla and Anthony had their first game Sunday, at the Daniel P. Ryan field on State Home Road, where they tied 14- 14 against Raritan Bay.
“She’s very gung-ho about it,” Lee said. “She is definitely a tough little girl.”