Date: Sat 23-Aug-1986

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Heather-Hurricane-Football

Full Text:

Heather Davies, Newtown Pop Warner Player

B Y T.W YATT

After spending several Sundays on the couch learning and enjoying the game of

football with her family, Newtown's Heather Davies made up her mind that she

was going to get out there and play the game.

So what if Heather weighed only 63 pounds, soaking wet? So what if the

nine-year old didn't know a blitz from a blueberry? And who cares that the

only girls enrolled in the Newtown Pop Warner program - including her older

sister, Stephanie - are cheerleaders? Heather wanted to play football.

And every night for the past month that's exactly what she has done, strapping

on the pads to play for the Hurricanes.

" She's doing a real good job, " said Hurricane coach, Paul Ivey. " Heather is

a little bit timid in contact drills, but that's to be expected with all

first-year players. She just wants to play. She likes football, and she'll do

fine. "

Heather, who started the fourth grade at Middle Gate School this week,

actually wanted to play last season but her father Michael was worried that

she was too small.

" I told her to wait a year and if she still wanted to play she could, " her

father said. " She really wanted to play. So far, so good. She's got to get a

little bit more aggressive but she's getting there. She doesn't seem to be

intimidated by the boys, she seems to stay right with them. They haven't been

giving her a hard time, so that's worked out okay. They've all been helping

her out a little bit. "

At first it was a novelty to have a girl on the team, but that didn't last too

long. " The kids don't have any problem with it, " coach Ivey said. " They

don't treat her any differently, she's just treated like one of the guys.

Physically, she doesn't have a handicap out there. She hasn't really backed

down yet. We've started contact this week and its challenging for her, but

she's doing real well. "

Heather wasn't interested in playing soccer, opting instead to follow in the

footsteps of some of her favorite sports stars like Emmitt Smith. While her

father would like her to be a Giants fan, Heather likes Dallas and Green Bay

just as well.

The Newtown Hurricanes - who compete in the 7-to-10 age division and the

55-to-90-pound bracket - will be dividing up their 42-player roster to form an

89'er team in the coming weeks.

The 89'ers are eight and nine-year-old beginners, who haven't yet played

organized football, and Heather may wind up playing with that team.

" So far I've had her at split end and safety, " coach Ivey said. " I don't

want to put her in there where the heavies are, but I can use her outside

where she can run a little bit. She has good speed. "

Whether she ends up a Hurricane or an 89'er, Heather Davies will be wearing

jersey number 82 over her shoulder pads, with her name in bold capital letters

across the back, when Pop Warner kicks off with its Jamboree on Sunday,

September 1. And she'll be ready for some football.