MARYSVILLE — The players that took to the Marysville-Pilchuck High School football field on June 17 were a bit older and less practiced than the usual teams, but they took the game seriously enough to impress their coaches, and they helped raise money for the regular players.
The moms of Marysville and Lakewood football players donned jerseys, pads and helmets to play an intense Powder Puff match-up, that saw the first-year players of the Marysville “Tomamamas” defeated by the second-year players of the Lakewood “Cougar Mamas” by a score of 34-6 after two hours. Lakewood’s Dana Krueger and Marysville’s Sarah “Sunshine” Chism were named the most valuable players of the game, which raised more than $3,600 through program sales.
Lakewood’s Dawn Taylor, a player and organizer of the event, explained that proceeds from program sales will be split evenly between the Lakewood Youth Football Athletic Association and the Marysville Youth Football League, while the proceeds from the tickets that were pre-sold to the Lakewood and Marysville communities will go toward the LYFAA and MYFL respectively.
“Lakewood made more than $1,400 off ticket pre-sales,” Taylor said. “Add the program sales and ticket pre-sales together, subtract our expenses and add the donations we’ve still got pending, and that’s close to $5,000 in profit going toward Lakewood football.”
While Marysville’s Cindie “Botsmama” Botsford, a fellow player and event organizer, didn’t have a final total to report, Marysville drew more than $5,700 in proceeds before expenses were deducted.
Marysville head coach Mike Thompson and Lakewood head coach Don Watts agreed that the moms came ready to give their all.
“In 10 years of coaching at Marysville, with three undefeated championship teams in five years, I’ve never had more fun,” Thompson said. “The moms are easier to coach than their sons, because they listen and don’t think they know everything,” he laughed.
“This has been one dedicated group,” Watts said. “These are busy mothers, many of them full-time workers, who have taken the time to come to practice and do all the same exercises as their sons. They’re shining examples of great moms.”
Players such as Marysville’s Caryn “Animal” Hendrickson and Lakewood’s Sarah Kummer likewise echoed similar sentiments about how much they now empathize with their sons after this experience.
“You definitely can’t just come onto the field and play,” said Kummer, a Powder Puff rookie with one son in pee-wee football. “I’m not a natural athlete, so it was hard work, but the sense of community that develops between the players is awesome.”
Hendrickson has two sons in football this year, and after seven weeks of practice for a single Powder Puff game, she’s gained a great deal of respect for her boys.
“They go through so much to do this,” said Hendrickson, who also appreciated the camaraderie she developed with her teammates. “When I threw out my back for a week, it was so hard to sit on the sidelines.”
Just as Taylor noted that some families have had to choose between extracurricular activities such as football versus basic necessities like groceries, gas and medical care, so too did Hendrickson hope that fundraisers like this Powder Puff match-up will help prevent any boys from getting benched by the economy.
