Vicki L. Lafferty’s first full season playing football for the Cleveland Fusion was full of ups and downs.
Playing organized football for the first time in her life, it didn’t take long for the New Philadelphia resident to understand the life of a football player.
Lafferty was browsing the web last summer and found herself looking at women’s roller derby, which really peaked her interest. But, before she could find that information, she saw the Fusion’s website and found a contact number to get all the info on how to join the team. In July of last year, she got a response back from the team about a conditioning session they were conducting on a beach in Cleveland and told her to come out. She did just that, getting her first taste of the hard work that goes into playing football.
Next up was two official days of tryouts for the Fusion at the beginning of this year. Lafferty impressed the coaches enough to make the team after just one day. But as quickly as she was given the good news, she soon was hit with bad news as she broke two fingers trying to catch a pass from the quarterback.
The 43-year-old rookie was forming more of an understanding about the constant injuries that football players deal with. As comparatively mild as two broken figures were and that she could still play football, it was what happened next to Lafferty that was the biggest obstacle she faced all season. She tore her calf muscle and had to sit out for six weeks.
Lafferty didn't miss any games, but as a rookie, practices are very important. It helps a player get a feel for the game, both physically and mentally. She was one of many Fusion players tackled by the injury bug, as seven players endured knee injuries this season. Many of those players missed the entire season.
“We play for the love of the sport and the girl lining up next to us,” said Lafferty. “We don’t get paid anything either. We have to provide our own gear and each player pays league fees.”
That's made possible by income from Lafferty's day job as a scheduler/planner for a multi-national garage door manufacturer.
The Fusion are part of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) where nearly 60 teams across the U.S. make up the entire league. Those teams are in three divisions (I, II and III), and each division has an American and National Conference. Lastly, each team is placed in a region with other teams that are close to each other. Cleveland is one of six teams in Division II, National Conference-Northeast Region. Other teams in the division include the New York Sharks, Philly Phantomz, Detroit Dark Angels, Columbus Comets and Baltimore Nighthawks.
Unfortunately for the Fusion it hasn’t been the best of seasons, as the injuries were too much to overcome. Cleveland, which finished its regular season with a loss Saturday night at Pittsburgh, finished the season with just one win, while losing seven.
The top highlight -- among few positive moments this season for Cleveland -- was in Week 4 when the team hosted the Grand Rapids Tidal Waves. It was by far the best offensive output of the season, and the most dominant game overall, winning 42-0. Unfortunately, Cleveland scored just 13 points in the other six games, being shutout five times.
Lafferty fought off her injuries and was able to play the rest of the season without any setbacks. She plays some center and defensive end, but her biggest contribution to the team was as long snapper on punts.
“This is my rookie season and I haven’t broken into the starting lineup yet," Lafferty said. "I’ve gotten some game experience at defensive end, and that is my favorite position. I only had one assisted tackle to my credit, but I expect that to change in my 'sophomore season.'”
Reach Curtis at 330-364-8434
cduffield@timesreporter.com
Twitter: @TRCDuff