Junior Payton Timmons is a female football player at Gloucester High School. While she feels that she is treated the same by coaches, because she is a female player in a male-dominated sport she feels that in certain social situations she is treated differently by players.
“I am treated the same with the coaches. In social situations I don’t fit in as much with the guys. It’s awkward,” said Timmons.
Timmons expressed that she often feels out of place with the players, describing herself as feeling like an “outcast” or “out of place” but that it is something that has gotten easier to deal with over time.
“I have definitely gotten more used to the environment since eighth grade. It is easier to handle.”
Some of the more difficult parts of being a female player in a male dominated sport include not being as involved with the pre-game routines. Timmons has to change in the laundry room instead of a locker room, causing her to be left out of hype-up sessions and game conversations that happen in the locker room. While it has proven to be challenging for Timmons at times, she does not complain because she ultimately enjoys what she does.
“Football itself is already a hard sport mentally and physically. I definitely overthink a lot of things. I get in my head a lot thinking that I just can’t compete anymore,” said Timmons. In her position as defensive tackle, the physicality of the sport can take its toll. The defensive tackles role is to pressure the quarterback and to stop offensive players from entering the line of scrimmage. While traditional female football players consume less contact heavy positions, Timmons steps up to compete with the others.
According to MaxPreps, Gloucester currently has a 1-2 record and is ranked 220 in the state of VA. Payton’s position of defensive tackle has contributed to the ranking of Gloucester High School.
Despite the struggles Timmons has gone through with the sport, when asked about switching to a more female dominated sport, she mentions that she has thought about it over 100 times. However, she is dedicated to her sport and her team.
According to the National Federation of States High School Associations there has been an 18% increase in the number of young girls playing flag football. This increase in the amount of younger girls playing football is a good indicator that there will be an increase in high school girls playing football. Timmons acknowledges the impact she has on younger girls. Being a role model is not an easy task, but Timmons is up to the challenge.
When thinking about her influence on younger girls she stated, “I have seen more girls playing and maybe I have played a role in that. I don’t play for other people, I play for myself. But if I am inspiring other girls to play that’s cool. I think anybody can do anything they put their mind to if they work hard enough.”
