One of the guys

Mike Sciacca

It was a typical fall Saturday for Rebecca Putt as she got ready

for the day ahead.

Getting dressed quickly in an effort to get out the door on time,

Rebecca, who turned 11 on Sept. 19, fussed with her hair, an

all-important detail that any young girl cannot overlook.

In Rebecca’s case, hair care is a must.

You see, this precarious youngster has become a master at styling

her hair quickly in a pony tail, whether she adds a twist to finish

off the coiffure or adds a rubber band at the end of it, all in an

effort to keep the pony tail neatly in place.

From there, she will either tuck her shoulder-length hair up under

her helmet, or conceal it under her shoulder pads.

Rebecca Putt, a blue-eyed brunette, is off to play in a Huntington

Beach Jr. All-America Football game.

“I don’t take that much time, really, to get ready, but having my

hair in place is important. League rules say that you can’t show any

hair,” she said.

What Rebecca, or “Becca,” as she is known, does let show, is her

meddle. She is the only girl playing Huntington Beach Jr.

All-American Football as a member of the Jr. Pee Wee Division team.

It is her first year playing contact football. She got her taste

for the game of football, she said, from playing two-handed touch

football with school friends.

“Some girl friends of mine were joking around and said that I

should try playing football, because they said that I was so

athletic” she explained. “I thought that maybe it wasn’t such a bad

idea.”

Although the idea ignited enthusiasm within, Rebecca said that she

received strong protests from her parents, Bob and Kim who, talked

things out with her.

They pointed out how tough it may be, all the while allowing their

only child to make a decision on her own once she had all the facts,

Kim Putt said.

“I just wanted to play,” Rebecca declared. “My mom first said, ‘no

-- no way,’ but we talked about it. A couple of my friends and

teammates, Ryan Zaniboni was one of them, tried to talk my mom into

allowing me to play.”

Kim Putt recalls encountering a determined young daughter.

“Her dad and I tried everything to discourage her, everything,

except to tell her, ‘no,’” Kim Putt said.

Once they consented, Rebecca signed up.

Kim Putt said it was “tough” to watch her daughter go through the

first few weeks of practice back in August, mixing it up with the

boys.

“After those two weeks -- and they were a tough two weeks for all

of the kids -- I told Rebecca that her father and I were very, very

proud of her for going through with her plans,” Kim Putt said. “All

of the other parents on the team have been very supportive of her.”

Kim Putt said that either she or her husband, Bob, attend every

Jr. Pee Wee Dolphins practice and game.

Rebecca, a sixth-grade student at Spring View Middle School, is an

athletic youngster. Prior to football, she played basketball,

softball, inline hockey and soccer.

But football, she said, was a new challenge.

“Some of the boys said that I would get killed out there, but I

wasn’t scared,” she said. “I was more nervous but the main thing is

that I wanted to play.”

Rebecca plays wide receiver for the Jr. Pee Wee Division Dolphins

and plays on the third quarter offensive team.

She is eager to catch her first pass of the season.

“I think she challenges the other boys out there. Once they see

her play, and how good she is, it pushes them to perform,” said

Anthony McLawyer, head coach of the Jr. Pee Wee Dolphins.

McLawyer said that Rebecca is the first female football player

that he has coached.

“She’s a very athletic girl who knows a lot about sports,” he

said. “She’s got tons of ability and brings plenty to this team.

Really, she’s just one of the guys. There isn’t much difference

coaching her and the rest of the team.”

Rebecca said that ribbing has been minimal and credits her

teammates with helping her adjust to playing her first year of

organized football.

“They’ve been great and we have a really good team this year,” she

said. “It’s fun to play with these guys.”

One of her best friends on the team is 11-year-old Ryan, an

offensive guard and defensive end.

“I just thought she was really, really good at it,” Ryan said.

“She’s played a lot of two-hand touch football with all of us and we

know how good she is. I think she’s doing a great job so far and she

seems to really like it.”

Rebecca had to sit out last Saturday’s 40-0 victory over the

Orange-East Chiefs due to a chest infection, but says she’ll be ready

for Saturday’s game at Norwalk/Santa Fe.

It is her “don’t give in” attitude that has allowed Rebecca to

succeed in her first year playing organized football. With the 2002

season not even at its halfway point, she said she’s already thinking

of playing next year.

“My mom doesn’t want me to go on next year. She says the guys will

be getting bigger as I get older and play in a different division,”

she said. “I know we’ll have a talk about it later, and I know I’ll

have to try again to talk her into letting me play.”