ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
While the National Football League becomes entrenched in the regular season, pigskin enthusiasts gather around plasma televisions from the comfort of their homes and sports bars.
Other fans that long to be closer drive to stadium parking lots in convoy-like fashion, blasting their team's tribal song, with the smells of traditional tailgate cuisine trailing in the wind.
An unlikely fan, Staff Sgt. Elisha K. Rhodes approached America's second national pastime by becoming a professional football player.
At first look, Sergeant Rhodes' quiet demeanor doesn't fit the profile of a radical football fan. In fact, to date, she has never seen a Super Bowl game.
However, today she hones her skills as an outside linebacker for the D.C. Divas, the 2006 National Women's Football League Champions.
"I became interested when I saw the D.C. Divas playing a game in the summer of 2005 and thought wow! I could do that," said Sergeant Rhodes, an aerospace medical journeyman. She was then assigned to the 79th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Aeromedical Staging Facility.
So Sergeant Rhodes surfed the Internet and found the Divas website and saw they were having tryouts for team players. She made the cut.
The fact that Sergeant Rhodes would not receive compensation for playing on a professional football team did little to discourage her dreams.
"I started out just wanting to learn the basics of the sport," said Sergeant Rhodes, a nine-year Air Force veteran. But her interest grew as she realized the team was comprised of women 18 to 45-years of age, from all walks of life - politicians, single mothers, lawyers, police officers and even the hearing impaired. "People think this is just another powder puff game, until they see someone get hit at full speed," said Sergeant Rhodes, a two-year team veteran. "I've been sore in places that I didn't even know existed. But I still get my military mission completed."
However, it took some time for Sergeant Rhodes to adapt to the physical nature and enthusiasm needed to play the contact sport.
"It was hard for me at first because I couldn't help anyone. I would hit somebody and say, 'You O.K?' because I'm used to helping people," said Sergeant Rhodes, referring to her job of providing medical care and transport support of wounded members during medical aerovac missions.
It was a behavioral change that she had to acquire to play linebacker. "But my coach told me if we didn't hear that popping sound and give pain, we were acting soft like a bunch of girls," said Sergeant Rhodes. "So after awhile, I began to enjoy the snap, crackle and pop of pads when I made a solid hit," said the 5-foot-8-inch, 170-pound Airman.
It was this change in attitude, which helped her assist her team in winning the 2006 NWFL Championship with a 11-0 season and only allowing 20 offense points during the entire season. However, Sergeant Rhodes is no stranger to the teamwork concept, attested a co-worker. "She works side-by-side with us, and she knows the ins-and-outs of the medical aerovac mission," said Senior Airman Carlotta Lewis, a 79th Medical Operation Squadron medical technician.
"As for football, Sergeant Rhodes invited me to watch her play during a local game. After watching her play, I now have a different respect for the game," said Airman Lewis. "But what I respect most about her is that she is out there helping women break barriers in that sport."
Although Sergeant Rhodes enjoys the sport, her aspirations run deeper than becoming MVP.
"What I enjoy most about the game is being a part of the beginning of what women are accomplishing in a professional sport led by men since its inception only seven years ago," said Sergeant Rhodes, who was recently reassigned to the Family Medicine Clinic. "As the Women's Football League grows and we receive more financial support, one day female players will become salaried. I'd love to do this as a full time job," said Sergeant Rhodes. "I'm truly living two dreams. I get to play professional football and serve in the United States Air Force in a rewarding career."
Sergeant Rhodes is currently playing in the Independent Women's Football League, which has 30 teams with more than 1000 participating women representing the league across the United States and Canada. Her team is ranked third in the league, completing a 9-1 season.