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Three Washington, D.C.-Area Residents Named to USA Football’s 2010 Women’s National Team
Author: For usafootball.com

Published: April 8, 2010, revised April 8, 2010

America’s First Women’s National Team in Football to Face the World’s Best in Stockholm this June
Link: http://www.usafootball.com/articles/displayArticle/7366/9220


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OKIIMA PICKETT of Glen Burnie, Md., MICHELLE RIDDLE of Washington, D.C. and DONNA WILKINSON of Wheaton, Md., have been selected to play for USA Football's 2010 Women's National Team which will compete in the sport's first women's world championship this summer in Stockholm, Sweden. USA Football is the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels. Forty-five (45) of the country's top female tackle football players have been selected to play on America's first women's national team in the sport.

Pickett, Riddle and Wilkinson each play for the D.C. Divas of the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL).

Pickett, a 5-4, 138-pound shifty and fearless running back and mother who led the IWFL in rushing last season excelled in soccer for Old Dominion University and currently works for IBM as an Information Security Specialist. Riddle, who will play center for the United States, has started at every offensive line position during her eight-year tenure with the Divas. Riddle has worked as a physical education teacher and a coach in swimming, basketball, soccer, softball and field hockey. Wilkinson is the only athlete in Columbia Union College history who started in five sports (basketball, cross country, softball, track & field and volleyball) is the Divas' all-time leader in rushing yards and scoring.

USA Football's 2010 Women's National Team will represent the United States among a six-nation field competing for the inaugural International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women's World Championship in Stockholm, from June 27-July 3. National teams competing for the historic tournament's gold medal are: Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden and the United States, respectively.

USA Football's team is assembled and managed in partnership with the IWFL, which kicked off its 10th season this month and consists of more than 1,800 female athletes across 51 teams.

Team USA is led by JOHN KONECKI of Schereville, Ind., an accomplished coaching veteran within the IWFL and high school football. The head coach of the IWFL's Chicago Force and the architect of its prolific offense, the Eastern Illinois University alumnus was named to the league's 2009 Western Conference All-Star Team coaching staff.

"These women comprise a football team built on talent and character," said Konecki, whose roster is assembled from 20 IWFL teams, with the league's Chicago Force and Dallas Diamonds having the most players on the squad (seven). The New York Sharks have the next-greatest representation with six players. "We're proud to be part of a 'first' in football, but we're more concerned right now about competing for a gold medal.

"There's no greater honor for an American coach or athlete than to represent the United States," Konecki added. "Every player and coach on this team embraces the challenge ahead of us. We know we'll be facing the best in the world - we'll be ready for Stockholm."

USA Football's 2010 Women's National Team:

PLAYER POS. HT. WT. RESIDES COLLEGE OCCUPATION
Angela Bandstra LB 5-9 165 Chicago, Ill. Central Missouri State Rehabilitation Aide
Kelly Barker LB 6-2 218 Dorchester, Mass. Bentley College College Basketball Coach
Jennifer Blum WR 5-6 155 Oakland, N.J. Ithaca Attorney
Mia Brickhouse RB 5-6 150 Revere, Mass. Villanova Administrator, Big East Conf.
Keesha Brooks OL 5-10 240 Oak Lawn, Ill. Augustana Non-Profit Asst. Supervisor
Tiffany Bunton LB 5-10 210 Ft. Worth, Texas Texas State Ft. Worth Police Dept., Narcotics
Tarsha Fain T 6-1 275 Baltimore, Md. N/A TSA Security Officer
Alberta Fitcheard-Brydson CB 5-5 145 Cedar Hill, Texas Cedar Valley (Dallas) Special Event Coordinator
Melissa Gallegos QB 5-6 198 Chula Vista, Calif. San Diego State Sales Manager
Molly Goodwin LB 5-7 150 Brookline, Mass. California Financial Advisor
Sami Grisafi QB 5-11 175 Chicago, Ill. Roosevelt U.-Chicago Musician/Songwriter/Actress
Olivia Griswold DE 5-11 190 Homestead, Pa. Sanford-Brown Institute N/A
Patricia Harper WR 5-11 150 Chicago, Ill. Stetson Client Service Manager
Leah Hinkle LB 5-5 155 Albany, Ore. Western Oregon Teacher
Schandra Loveless DE 5-8 175 Cleveland, Tenn. Maryville College Family Service Worker
Sally Maple WR 5-8 155 Tequesta, Fla. Florida Atlantic Waitress
Kimberly Marks LB 5-9 200 Chicago, Ill. DePaul Tax Accountant
Knengi Martin DE 5-10 220 San Luis Obispo, Calif. N/A Football Coach & Retail Assoc.
Jamie Menzyk G 5-9 245 Chicago, Ill. Calumet-St. Joseph Customer Service
Karen Mulligan QB 5-8 175 Bronx, N.Y. Delaware Physical Education Teacher
Amanda Oppel LB 5-6 160 Glen Cove, N.Y. Temple Marketing Consultant
Dawn Pederson T 5-10 200 Harwood Heights, Ill. Ohio State Teacher/Culinary Specialist
Okiima Pickett RB 5-4 138 Glen Burnie, Md. Old Dominion Information Assurance Analyst
Melissa Pickett C 5-5 230 West Caldwell, N.J. Rider Paralegal
Jennifer Pirog CB 5-6 143 Derry, N.H. New Hampshire Hairstylist
Lauren Pringle WR 5-5 130 New York, N.Y. NYU Radio Show Producer
Brittany Reinbolt WR 5-6 150 Los Angeles, Calif. Winona (Minn.) State Teacher/Basketball & Track Coach
Ann Richardson DL 5-7 125 Bedford, Texas Colorado Technical Auto Detail Business Owner
Michelle Riddle C 5-6 210 Washington, D.C. Lock Haven Teacher
Amy Satterfield LB 5-7 175 Los Angeles, Calif. Bowling Green Physical Education Teacher
Jennifer Schmidt QB 5-9 140 Mission, Kan. Columbia Union International Business Developer
Julie Shockley (Wicher) HB 5-4 145 Roseville, Calif. San Diego Workers Comp Claims Examiner
Adrienne Smith WR 5-7 135 New York, N.Y. Washington (St. Louis) Business Entrepreneur
Angelique Smith DE 5-9 181 Costa Mesa, Calif. Cal State-Fullerton Student
Roseanna Smith C 5-6 185 Bethlehem, Ga. Iowa Director, American Jr. Golf Assoc.
Jessica Springer LB 5-9 220 Haslet, Texas Texas Women's Univ. Adapted P.E. Teacher
Tegan Stuart WR 5-6 130 Kansas City, Mo. Emporia State Executive Assistant
Emily Tidwell LB 5-7 220 Arlington, Texas Northwood (Texas) Tool Grinder & Bookkeeper
Brenda VanCuick RB 5-8 140 Kenosha, Wis. Wisconsin Firefighter & Attorney
Sharon Vasquez CB 5-10 150 Pittsburgh, Pa. Allegheny C.C. Pharmaceutical Product Specialist
Desiree Weimann RB 5-4 121 Temecula, Calif. UNLV Funeral Director
Danilynn Welniak WR 5-5 130 Keller, Texas Oklahoma State Podcast Host/Sports TV Production
Jennifer Welter LB 5-2 145 Dallas, Texas Boston College Sports Psychology Consultant
Donna Wilkinson TE 5-10 175 Wheaton, Md. Columbia Union Trainer & Business Developer
Adrienne Wilson WR 5-9 150 Spokane, Wash. Eastern Washington Student, Electronic Engineering

USA Football's Women's National Team was assembled from hundreds of premiere female athletes and selected by the team's coaching staff which is steeped in women's football experience.

USA Football's 2010 Women's National Team Coaching Staff:

COACH POSITION RESIDES EXPERIENCE
John Konecki Head Coach & Offensive Coordinator Schereville, Ind. Chicago Force (IWFL) & Crete-Monee (Ill.) H.S.
Jennifer Huston Wide Receivers Nampa, Idaho Sacramento Sirens (IWFL)
Mark McLaughlin Special Teams Coordinator & Def. Backs Madison, Wis. Wisconsin Warriors (IWFL)
Beth Nugent Defensive Line Glen Cove, N.Y. New York Sharks (IWFL)
Anthony Stone Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers Rockford, Ill. Chicago Force (IWFL)

Team USA will conduct training camp in Round Rock, Texas, in mid-June before departing for Stockholm on June 24. USA Football's national teams are supported by corporate partners Riddell, Shock Doctor, Gatorade and the Andrews Institute.

Seeding for the six nations that will send their 45-player women's national teams to Scandinavia was determined based on the number of female football participants in each country established by data recorded in the 2009 IFAF Benchmarking Study:

SEED
COUNTRY

1.
United States

2.
Canada

3.
Germany

4.
Austria

5.
Finland

6.
Sweden


The six-country tournament field will compete at the Zinkensdamms IP Stadium in Stockholm in the following groups:

GROUP A GROUP B
United States Canada
Austria Germany
Finland Sweden


2010 IFAF Women's World Championship schedule

Saturday, June 26, 2010
Teams arrive

Sunday, June 27, 2010
USA vs. Austria
Sweden vs. Canada

Monday, June 28
Rest day / Teams inactive on previous day have option to arrive

Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Finland vs. Austria
Germany vs. Sweden

Thursday, July 1, 2010
Canada vs. Germany
USA vs. Finland

Saturday, July 3, 2010
Fifth Place game
Bronze Medal game
Gold Medal game

About IFAF
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites more than 50 countries on five continents through a burgeoning international sport. With national football federations in existence for more than 75 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. The IFAF office is located near Paris, France.

About USA Football
USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and is America's sole delegate to IFAF. USA Football hosts more than 80 football training events annually offering education for coaches and game officials, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent non-profit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football (usafootball.com) is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.

Many people know me as a girl that's full of smiles, laughter, and joy. Believe me, I've definitely had my walk through life!!

Although I had my son at the age of 18, I didn't let this stop me from reaching my life goals! Instead, this helped push me even more. I chose the path of a Computer Scientist/Info Sec Specialist with IBM because I refused to be another statistic. When I told my mother I was pregnant, she lost all hope of me going to college to play soccer, but I pressed on and went on to not only play soccer for Old Dominion and graduate with a Computer Science degree, but I am a successful Info Security Specialist and I play professional tackle football for women! My son is my #1 fan and my mom is a proud parent!

I would say the hardest part of getting to where I am, was the challenge of being able to juggle being a full-time single parent, a full-time student, and manage to play soccer for Old Dominion University. Not only did I have these things to juggle, I also had to worry about how I would make ends meet. When my son was about 2yrs old, his father told me that he got me pregnant on purpose because he didn't want me to leave him and go to college. A lot of people think it's the woman’s fault and they do this to trap the guy, but not in my case. Studies have shown that most teen moms grow up to be on poverty, but I refused to be another statistic.

In college, I received TANF, food stamps, WIC, Medicaid and daycare assistance to get by, which helped tremendously. I also received money back from the university to help with rent. On several occasions I stayed up all night while my son was asleep to complete homework! No matter what the weather I pressed on and graduated in 2003!

In 2007, one of my biggest supporters, my dad, passed away out of the blue from a heart attack. He attended all of my games and was the loudest person in the stands. He was at my football game one day and gone forever a few days later. Because my son and so many other people look to me for a smile, maintaining my happiness has been the biggest challenge thus far!

My main motivation is my son and the fact that I refuse to be another statistic. So many young girls in the world get pregnant and not know which way to turn. I wanted to be a role model for them and show them that the sky is the limit! Whatever it is that your heart desires in life, you CAN and will get it. It's not going to be easy, but when there's a will there's a way. As long as you have faith and God on your side anything is possible. My number one priority as a single mom is to show my son that he needs to strive for more in life, more than high school. In Dec. 2010, I will be graduating with my Master's Degree in Information Assurance!

During my journey, I have hit rock bottom and now I'm on my way to the top! After graduating from ODU, I moved to Atlanta to begin my career. I was there for 3 months and could not find a job. I took on a role as a nanny for my cousin's 2 young girls making about $25 a week or so, and my mother helped out and paid my rent. The interesting thing about my journey is that my lowest point was the turning point of my life. I lost all government assistance, TANF, food stamps, Medicaid, and daycare assistance all in the same day b/c of a mistake on their part. This same day I went to job fair and almost got killed by a random person that chased me up the street as I was walking towards the job fair building and literally threatened to take my life. A few days later I had a message on the answering machine from the recruiter I interviewed with at the job fair giving me a job offer which was the start of my career and the next message was a message stating that I would be getting back all of my government assistance.

I am now a successful Information Security Specialist with IBM by day and a professional tackle football player by night as a running back with the DC Divas! I have recently reached my 1 year anniversary working for IBM and finished my 3rd season with the Divas as the teams leading rusher as well as the league's leading rusher. This season, the hard work and determination paid off!

I am extremely excited and proud to say, that I was just selected as one of the top athletes in the country to be a running back for the first ever Team USA Women's National Tackle Football team. I have officially earned a spot on the Team USA roster and will be competing in the first ever international women's tackle football tournament hosted by IFAF in Stockholm, Sweden!!! We will be playing 5 other countries, including Germany, Finland, Sweden, Austria, and Canada and bringing home the GOLD!!!! This is history in the making and I'm so blessed to be a part of it!!!

My son is now 11 years old and is a successful 6th grader!! We are both saved and members of First Baptist Church of Glenarden!

Perseverance and determination are what keep me going. I have been told that I can be stubborn when it comes to things, but it is because of this determination that I have been able to overcome all of the obstacles that I have faced in life and press on to reaching my goals. My goal as a child was to play soccer in college, and I did whatever it took to reach this goal. My goal in college was to be on somebody's USA team, but I thought it would be for soccer! Now I'm reaching for bigger things, I'm going to start my own company and foundation, and help other teen moms achieve their goals as well!!! I always tell people to "Reach for the stars, and when you get there reach higher." Nothing can stop you from reaching your goals but yourself! Right after I had my son I did some motivational speaking for the Teen Health Department to help motivate and enlighten young girls and I continue to do this every day.

If there is anything you want to do in life, whether it is play football, a sport that people always told girls they could not play, don't let anyone stop you! Go get it, claim it, it's yours! Although I am proof that it is possible to beat the odds and not be a statistic of just another young black mother on welfare, I try to encourage abstinence. It's definitely not impossible, but when I look back and try to figure out how I did it, I can only point to the Lord above! If someone gets pregnant at a young age, at least they can look to me and know that there is hope. When I got pregnant, I had the choice of abortion, but one of my best friends told me "God will never put anything on you that you can't handle."

My friends and associates look to me for motivation when times get tough, but there are so many other people out there that may only be missing that one word for their motivation or confirmation. Hearing my testimony could be just what they need to find their own happiness! I hope reading my story makes you go out and get it too!!!

Pictured above (My dad Darrell Pickett, my son Zavion, me, and my mom Elsie Pickett)...not sure where my brother was!