Elisha Okrey started working at UPS in 2009 as a truck loader and was promoted to supervisor in 2010. She says the job is fast-paced and challenging, never slow and tedious.
Her life away from work for the past two years has been all Force—the Chicago women's tackle football team that, in August, claimed its first-ever national championship.
"I've always wanted to play on a championship team, and after the painful [championship game] loss in 2012, I wanted it even more," said Okrey, 26, who plays strong safety. "Winning is thrilling and gratifying. It is great being a champion; it is the closest I'll ever be to being a celebrity."
One of Okrey's 2013 highlights was an interception she snagged against the Boston Militia. "The high I had after that game was only comparable to winning the championship and my first game ever—against the Kansas City Tribe in 2012," she said. "Those have been some of the best times of my life."
Okrey, who lives in Evanston, was the 2012 Force Defensive Rookie of the Year. "She showed a lot of promise and we needed her to develop into a consistent force on the defense this season," said Force owner/GM Linda Bache. "Her game has progressed considerably. She was around the ball, improved her tackling and pass coverage, and made�a lot�big plays for us.�She had a very good season [in 2013] and is in position to become a cornerstone of this defense."
The Force holds its 2013 team banquet on Friday, Oct. 5, starting at 7 p.m., at Spin Nighclub in Lakeview. Team awards will be presented, such as MVP, etc.
Okrey was home-schooled through high school, graduating in 2005. She graduated from Joliet Junior College in 2010, then Governors State University in May, 2013. She said she enjoyed being home-schooled during grade school, especially since she was able to play outside earlier than most kids. Her high school home-schooling was just OK, she said. "I missed having the opportunity to make friends and learn about social skills in general, which left me playing some major catch up in my early 20s. Also, I feel that if I would have been able to participate in sports in high school, I likely would have been able to obtain an athletic scholarship of some sort to help with college."
Okrey's growing-up also included being raised "extremely religiously," she said. "The best way to describe it is, Fundamentalist Christian. The girls were expected to learn home-related tasks and we were required to wear dresses or skirts at all times. We read the Bible and were trained to take it all literally. I think my background in religion has made me a better person today, even though I don't hold the same beliefs now as my parents now."
And yes, Okrey's sexual orientation absolutely was a conflict at home. "I never even considered my sexuality as something to think about. According to what I had learned my whole life, [being gay] was something unacceptable and wrong. Until recently I constantly talked myself out of thinking that I might be attracted to women."
Okrey started dating her current girlfriend this past June, coinciding with her coming-out.
"Although most of my friends suspected I was gay, I never had come out to anyone before that time," she said. "Almost everyone I tell that knows me, including my relatives, has the reaction of, 'OK, so we're all on the same page now, cool.'
"I was very distressed over having to tell my parents, but that actually went really well for two reasons. One, my older sister and her wife came out to my parents last summer and [my parents] learned to accept them. Two, my next youngest sister who I told about my new girlfriend actually tattled to my parents before I had the chance to. So they were prepared when I had that conversation with them."
Okrey added, "I am happier now than I have ever been in my life. I love my girlfriend. I love my life. And most importantly, I feel more genuine and like myself than I ever have before. When I first heard about the Force, I looked it up on my phone in between classes at school and instantly knew I wanted to be a part of it. My life has only gotten better since being a part of something so special and from meeting so many amazing women."
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