#1 Chicago Force quarterback Angie Bandstra ( preparing to let one fly in the photo at left ) will help lead the Chicago Force women's full-tackle football team through another grueling season. #2 Running back Melissa Smith. Find out more about the team at www.chicagoforcefootball.com . Pics by Scott Renshaw______
A 'Force' to be Reckoned With
By Ross Forman
They have a new home field: Holmgren Athletic Complex, located at the intersection of Foster and Albany on the campus of North Park University. It's a turf field with seating capacity for just over 2,000.
However, they have the same old goal: win the championship of the Independent Women's Football League ( IWFL ) .
Welcome to the 2007 version of the Chicago Force, a women's full-tackle football team, where players step away from their real-world lives and, on Saturdays from April 28 ( a season-opener at the Iowa Crush ) through the regular-season finale on June 30 ( a home clash with the Detroit Demolition ) , become competitive athletes.
'We've had so many positive changes [ since the end of the 2006 season ] , so I'm really excited for the season,' said Linda Bache, the team's general manager, part-owner and most recent most valuable player ( MVP ) . She plays wide receiver and safety.
'I think we filled in some of the areas that we lacked last season.'
Jim Stahl, who joined the Force in 2005 as the offensive coordinator, is in his second season as head coach. By day, Stahl is a regional sales manager and proud father of four children: Matt, Jenny, Becca and Lindsey. He is a Chicago native, and was the captain and quarterback at Lane Tech High School, which, ironically, houses the Force's former home field. After graduating from Lane Tech, Stahl was an MVP at John Carroll University and North Central College.
'On the surface, sure, women playing tackle football is unique, though it doesn't seem unique to us anymore—at least not to any of the veterans,' said Bache, who lives in Rogers Park with her partner Yvette Holt. 'Basically, it's just a case of us getting the chance to do something that we've always wanted to. Football was always my favorite sport, and I'm sure many others would say the same thing. It's like we have this dream and now we're finally able to pursue it.'
Bache is optimistic about the Force. 'We have some great athletes on the team, including two great quarterbacks for the first time ever,' she said.
Rookie Samantha Grisafe, for instance, was the starting quarterback on her California high school team and, yes, it was a boy's team. 'She's awesome,' Bache said.
'What I see in the league is an upper-tier of teams, and we've always been a part of it,' she added. 'However, we've always been knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual champion or the runner-up. We have not been fortunate with our playoff draw. But, hopefully, that will change this year.'
The Force home opener is May 19 against the Detroit Demolition. The Force's top rivals are the Demolition and the Atlanta Xplosion.
'As I look at film of games from the [ team's ] first three years, we look slow and we just don't look very interesting to me; not so [ with ] this year's,' Bache said. 'The hitting, for instance, is so much more intense. The level of play has increased dramatically over the past three years. I know we have tremendous potential this season, but we have a lot of rookies on the roster. Plus, injuries can play a key role in the season. If the key players stay healthy, and the rookies play as well as they can, then I really think we'll be able to play in the championship game.'
'The quality of play is better than most expect,' she said. 'One of my favorite stories is of a former assistant coach who was breaking down a game film at the [ high ] school [ where ] he teaches when others came into the room. They were very impressed with the team in black; everyone said the team was well-coached, disciplined and tough. Everyone was surprised it was a women's team.
'The thing is, it's not a recreation league team. We're a good percent of Division I athletes [ from other sports ] who now have the chance to play tackle football.'
About 60 percent of the team is lesbian, Bache said. 'I like the diversity of the team.'
Force players to watch:
• Melissa Smith, running back
• Esther Henigan, running back
• Chrissy Fowler, cornerback and wide receiver
• Keesha Brooks, defensive lineman
• Jennifer Dulski, defensive back
• Jessica McPeake, linebacker and running back
• Kim Marks, defensive end
• Dawn Pederson, linebacker and tackle
See www.chicagoforcefootball.com .