Women Who Play Football: Shadana

Ya know, this blog is a classic case of poor timing. I started it just after the last game of the 2011 season, when all the players and fans were moving on to summertime interests. I started it after missing two seasons of Outlaws games, so my game photos go back so far only the veterans remember playing on those fields. I publish a book of blog posts right after Christmas. Would have made a great Christmas gift if I had published it a month sooner. Except for material gleaned in recent tryouts and practices, the blog and book are Outlaws history. The players I've profiled - Monica, Lily, Vero, Alex, Jill, Lorin - all retired. Or taking this season off.

Off the field Shadana is a delightful funny un-serious young
woman. On the field she gets serious. furrowed brow, focused
eyes, stiff arming would-be tacklers.

Now Shadana says she is taking a season off.  I've been collecting Shadana photos. I have interview notes from when I featured her for the Outlaws website. I planned to interview her again and update my information.  The original interview was in 2007 when she was in her second year as an Outlaw.

She told me by Facebook message that she's taking a season off to spend more time with her daughter Makayla.   So I've decided to do an abbreviated profile. Few words, lots of photos.

Shadana "Bo Peep" Hurd joined the Outlaws in 2006. At the time she was living in San Antonio where she "had great job with great company, Medi-fit, setting up fitness programs for large corporations." She taught classes, was personal trainer, set up informational visits at the facility about diabetes, breast cancer.  Then she heard about the Outlaws.

She came to Austin for tryouts. She had never played football but, at the University of Texas, San Antonio, she  Ran track four years, played basketball for a year and another year at at Garden City in Kansas. She won honors as a collegiate track sprinter. She ran an 11.8 100 Yard dash. Trying out for the Outlaws, she did a 4.7 40 yard dash in borrowed shoes. "I didn’t think to bring shoes, just had tennis shoes, and borrowed Monica’s shoes."

If Shadana gets a step on you you aren't going to catch her.

The tryouts became a mutual admiration relationship. He speed dazzled the Outlaws coaches and the Outlaws players impressed Shadana. She quit her San Antonio job and moved to Austin. And began a wonderful career eluding defensive players. If she got a step on the defense, she'd go a long way.

Makayla

She got the nickname "Bo Peep" when she came to an Outlaws meeting wearing sweater, frilly, V-Cut. Soho called her BoPeep and it stuck.

Interviewing Shadana was fun because of her excitement and energy. I asked her about the first time she ran the ball in a game and she told relived the experience. "I was in the backfield and we called a toss to right or left or something and it always worked we always scored on this play and I lined up and Monica was lead blocking on left and I’m standing there and I know it’s coming to me and I try not look like I’m getting the ball and then it is hiked I look and I ruined the play because I didn’t know where I was supposed to go so I went wide and the play was I should go tight off tackle’s butt but I go out wide and I notice they aren’t catching me and I’m like haha gotcha and we scored and coach Geoff yelled 'you’re not following directions..." She says that after that "any time I screw up a play but it works Geoff says great coaching on his part."