Webbready

Finally, I have an event to report.

Satuday, I was afforded the privilege to watch the Pittsburgh Passion. To the uninitiated, the Pittsburgh Passion are the local National Women’s Football Association team. This is full contact football, not flag football, so it’s very similar to going to Heinz Field to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers play, except cheaper, in better weather, and with a better view than one usually gets at Heinz Field. I should stress that am a Steelers fan, so by no means am I insulting the Steelers with this comparison; the Passion are just that good.

The NWFA provides a professional-quality play. This is in no small part due to the dedication of the players, which is astounding. These are not “weekend warriors” but women who have dedicated themselves to playing the game. They are professional athletes, in my eyes.

Given that the Passion play on a weekly basis from April to June, it may seem surprising (or bandwagon hopping) that I did not go to a game until yesterday, but I am usually preoccupied on the weekends with previous engagements that leave me unable to attend. Fortune and the Passions excellent performace — after all, this was a playoff game — allowed me to attend and write this entry. Please be aware that a more detailed account of the evening’s events can be found on the Pittsburgh Passion website.

Saturday evening was beautiful, as has nearly every Saturday been this year. The sun was warm, but not hot, and the air was wonderfully dry. When the sun set the stands were cooler but nowhere near chilly or cold. The absolute perfect nature of that day simply astonished me; this was not typical Pittsburgh weather. My only worry was that it must have been terribly hot for the players on the field, but if the heat adversely affected the Passion performance, I didn’t know it.

I arrived at the former “South Stadium” and the current George K. Cupples Stadium with my father, who was gracious enough to accompany me to the game. The line for tickets was longer than I expected, but moved very quickly. We soon took seats in the stand near the 30-yard line that was closest to the entrance. Soon after we entered, the pregame festivities began and the game was underway. Cleveland won the coin toss and elected to receive, then proceeded to drive down the field and score a touchdown. The first drive of the Passion, on the other hand, did not result in any points. I worried that I had brought bad luck with me and that despite the dominance the team displayed this season against previous opponents.

All that changed on the next drive, when the Fusion were rendered ineffective by the Passion defense, a trend that continued through the entire game. Yet the next Passion drive ended in a touchdown, one of two touchdowns that night courtesy of Torina Henley (whom last fall strongly encouraged me to come to a game). After that touchdown and all subsequent ones from the Passion, various objects such as water bottles, beads, and footballs were tossed into the crowd, many members who were eager to catch the items thrown their way.

More Passion drives ended with scores, and it impressed me that while some of the Fusion line(wo)men were larger than the Passion blockers, the Passion were often able to hold them off long enough for the plays to be executed. The execution of the plays was spot on, even when adjustments had to be made, and I had not peen present to a one-sided football perfmance in that field since I watched the players from Perry Traditional Academy humiliate the players from Westinghouse ten years ago.

The game ended with the score 49-15, although the game was essentially over long before the fourth quarter, with signs indicating the Passion were going to the NWFA Championship Game in Nashville, Tennesee. Yet once the game was over, the Passion gathered in the field and knelt in what seemed to be team prayer. Friends and family of the Passion then came onto the field to talk to the players, although at least one player met her supporters in the stands.

I wanted to congratulate Torina Henley, especially since she had strongly encouraged me to come to a game long before the season began. I was a bit nervous. After all, in neither the high school nor the NFL games I attended, were the fans actually allowed on the field after the game. But I wanted to let her know that I was there, so I stepped on the artificial turf (which was somewhat less yielding than I expected, having never actually stepped on it before now) and walked over to her. She graciously gave me a hug and was willing to pose for a picture which I may upload. Looking back I was so overcome with happiness for her that I did not personally wish her a Happy Birthday. I amend my error and write Happy Belated Birthday, Torina. It looks like you got a trip to Nashville as a present. You and your teammates deserve it!

However, even though I really didn’t do anything, by the time I got back home, I was too tired to write this entry, and I was unable to complete it until now. So many details I would have liked to recorded have already been lost, from the energetic man on the sidelines who led the crowd to cheer the Passion on, the workers who arrived to clean the stands after the game, sweeping up the trash left by the people. Yet that happiness the night filled me with still remains. I wasn’t just happy that the “hometown” team won. I was happy for the Passion, that all their hard work had finally paid off.

Seven-Seven-Oh-Seven was a wonderful day for the Passion…and for me.