Wearing number 81, donning a ponytail and a French manicure, she waves back to me from the huddle as we arrive at the football field at Dacula High School.

It’s a sight you don’t see every day, that’s for sure. A chick. In a football uniform. But she’s got one heckuva foot. A soccer player first, Sabrina loves a challenge and wanted to be more involved in the football community. You see, the sidelines may be for some people (like me… or Jon Nelson), but not for Sabrina.

Why not? Why not try out for the football team when you have a foot like hers? So, that’s what she did. Her sophomore year, she told her parents she wanted to try out for the team. From our discussion, I think they thought she was kidding?

Her dad went to Target and bought a football. Her parents advised her not to get it dirty because once she realized how challenging it would be… they’d need to return the football.

They kept the football.

Sabrina kept knocking them straight through the uprights. From the 5… from the 10… from the 20…. You get the picture. She nailed it from somewhere around the 30 yard line when her parents knew they were in trouble. Side note: she’s good from the 50.

Once her mind is made, she gets after it.

That includes in the classroom. She’s taking 5 AP classes. FIVE. And she’s applying to the Ivy leagues… ever heard of Harvard? (“What like it’s hard?” Name that quote).

She has an opportunity to potentially play football at the college level too. The University of Pennsylvania is curious to see what she can do. It’s not an official offer, but she has the opportunity to try and walk on, if she ends up choosing to go there.

The possibilities are endless for Sabrina. She is a walking (or kicking) example of the saying “if you can dream it, you can do it.”

Aside from the … you know… helmet… pads… cleats and jersey, I’d never know she was on the football team. She is still a teenage girl at heart. Loves to shop, get her nails done and has a lot of dresses. I know this because I saw them in her room wondering if she would let me borrow one.

She never met a challenge she didn’t love. Even if it’s a “sport for boys” … she can kick with the best of ‘em. And we should all take this and put it towards our own goals in life.