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Donna
Bruce
Football
Playing football in the National Women's Football Association is about
passion and dedication. It certainly isn't about money; after two seasons
the league's stated goal of women being paid to play football has not been
realized.
But
Donna Bruce has realized a dream. When the NWFA kicked off its first season
(as the National Women's Football League) in 2001, Bruce realized a long-standing
ambition of playing football when she suited up as the starting quarterback
for the Connecticut Crush.
And with league
now in its third season, she is as enthusiastic as ever. "I love a new
challenge," she said. "When I was a little girl, I dreamed of playing football,
but there was never an arena for me to play football. Girls couldn't play
back then."
Even
without football, Bruce has been a multifaceted athlete. Her resume includes
stints playing basketball, field hockey and softball; she has also mountain
biked, run marathons and played golf. So the idea that she would try her
hand at football is not exactly surprising.
"I
played a lot of basketball," Bruce recalled. "In high school it was softball,
field hockey and basketball. Then I got into marathon running for awhile,
which was a different challenge. Anything I could find that was adventurous."
Even
as she was raising her own children (now 18 and 20), Bruce realized that
football still had a hold on her. When the Crush began holding tryouts
for their inaugural season, she signed up. "I wanted to try something new,
something different," she said. "I've always wanted to be a professional
athlete and I realized, at the age of 40, that I could still make that
ream come true. And I did. It's a wonderful feeling."
Bruce
celebrated her 43rd birthday a day after the Crush won their 2003 season
opener over Philadelphia. But her vitality and enthusiasm for the sport
remain, in no small measure due to the support she has received from her
husband Dave and her family.
"My
husband loves the fact that I play football," Bruce said. "My kids are
grown, they come to my games. I don't need to be home, so I can travel
an hour-and-a-half to practice three nights a week and travel on weekends.
I'm fortunate that as a responsibilities as a mom are a little less than
the gals who have younger kids."
While
juggling the responsibilities of football and family life, Bruce also works
as a sports guide at a ranch in Massachusetts. Her experiences in football
give her insights to pass long to the young women she works with.
"I
try to tell all the little girls 'You know what? Hold on to your dreams,"
Bruce said. "Follow them. Because, someday, no matter how old you are,
they can come true."
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