Champion women’s football team hosts tryouts

EDINBURG — The group of 39 women hoping to be the McAllen Mystics next squad pushed their bodies to the limits on Saturday like any other football recruits — and that was the point.

The Mystics, one of seven teams that make up the Sugar N Spice Football League, held tryouts in Edinburg as the organization prepares for its second regular season of full-contact games to begin in May.

For League Commissioner Rebecca Garza it’s more than a game. The founder of the fledgling league views football as a vital way to empower women and recognize their determination and strength.

Garza tells players: “You’re not playing football because you’re beautiful. You’re beautiful because you’re playing football.”

Cities across Texas, including San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi, field teams. Recently, South Padre Island and Houston joined the Sugar N Spice league, and Garza said Midland and Killeen soon could sport travel squads.

The recent news that the Lingerie Football League, the organization known more for skimpy outfits than skill, would change its name and adopt actual uniforms was significant, Garza said.

“I think that that speaks volumes to the progress we’ve made,” she said. “It’s like now we’ve taken a front seat instead of a backseat.”

Women’s full-contact football has at least 20 years under its belt, but Garza admits it’s not been popular when women suit up in full protective gear.

She opted for something in-between the Lingerie Football League and the traditional look of the sport. Garza said it’s about the beauty of an athlete, not the sex appeal.

“I always thought it was a shame that they had to do it in that outfit to get people to come,” she said of the Lingerie league, adding that players remain excellent athletes regardless of what they’re wearing.

In the Sugar N Spice league, uniforms are similar to what female volleyball or track athletes wear to compete.

In a short time, the league has gone from bringing Garza to tears because of the struggle to a huge milestone — they were the first group of women to play a game of full-contact football in Cowboys stadium.

The Mystics were there for the historic moment. It was where they became the league champions.

“We carry the title forever now and they keep really good records in the (Dallas Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones world,” Garza said.

Michelle Chavez, a 43-year-old Edinburg mother of three boys, was on the team then and she was at tryouts on Saturday.

“We had a lot to prove for our Valley,” she said of the moment.

Besides being a football fanatic, the sisterhood drew her in, Chavez said. Seeing her boys cheer for her and acting as a role model for young girls are extra perks.

For first-timer Shonda Dillard, a 28-year-old enlisted in the Army for six years, the unity also appealed to her.

 “(It’s) women coming together to do something other than house duties, being house wives,” she said.

The league definitely has potential, she said.

“I’m in it to win it,” Dillard said. “I think they’ll go all the way with or without me.”

Garza believes one day more sponsors will see it that way and the league will embraced like men’s football.

“This is their playing field now,” Garza said of her players.

—

Jacqueline Armendariz covers law enforcement, courts and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at jarmendariz@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4434. 

Share and Enjoy