Girls On The Gridiron:
Women’s Pro Football Hits Queens Hard

By Angela Montefinise

When 25-year-old Elmhurst resident Tara Passoni was growing up in Western Queens, she was the only girl in her neighborhood who loved to roll up her sleeves, pull back her hair, and play sports with the boys.

“I was the only one out there, no matter what the weather was, playing all the sports I could. No other girls played. I was kind of on my on my own, I guess,” she said.

Passoni, who once authored a story for the Queens Tribune, isn’t on her own anymore.

She is one of approximately 40 members of the world champion New York Sharks, a professional woman’s tackle football team that plays its home games at August Martin High School in Jamaica, making it Queens’ second pro team behind the New York Mets.

Passoni, who plays on both the offensive and defensive lines for the Sharks, said she “loves the game,” and said, “When I was growing up, I played touch football and I watched men’s football, but there was really no opportunity for women in that sport. Now, it’s just so sweet to play it. I love it. I love hitting people. It’s great.”

Audra Douglas is not only the owner of the Sharks, but is also a back-up quarterback. PRESS Photo by Angela Montefinise

Passoni is the only Queens members of the Sharks, which has been in existence for three years but just joined the Independent Woman’s Football League (IWFL) – a national women’s tackle football league with 14 teams across the country – this year. In their freshman effort, the Sharks were undefeated, with a four shut-outs in eight games. They went on to beat the Austin Outlaws 24-4 in the IWFL Superbowl, making them league champions. Queens Borough President Helen Marshall recently honored the team for their accomplishments.

Although the league is “professional in terms of skill and in terms of sponsorship,” according to Sharks General Manager Crystal Turpin, the players on the team are all volunteers, strapping on uniforms and helmets once a week for the “pride and desire to win and be competitive.” She said, “Hopefully in the future, we can pay them. But right now, they play solely for the love of the game.”

The women under the elbow pads and behind the chinstraps are cops, construction workers, teachers, doctors, and lawyers. There is an ex-Marine and grandmother. “We have everything,” Turpin said. “These women do everything.”

What all of the women have in common is a love for Queens, the place that the Sharks have called home for the 2002 season. From their games at August Martin in Jamaica to their post-game parties at Douglas Manor in Douglaston, Turpin said the players love the borough and its people, and said, “We have been looking for a home for a long time. The people in Queens have accepted us. They love us. They cheer for us. We feel at home here, and I think this is where we’re going to stay. This is our home.”

From her Manhattan office, Passoni the professional information security expert told the PRESS that her older brother Jason is the man who inspired and encouraged her to watch and play as many different games as possible. She said, “He got me into sports real young. I’ve been playing since I was in diapers basically. I love to play. It’s so much fun.”  

Passoni would spend her days as a kid playing softball, basketball, touch football and tennis. She has competed in Olympic weightlifting and crew. She mountain bikes in her free time, and has taught basketball. While she loved all of the sports she has played, she has never felt as at home as she does on the Sharks.

She said, “It’s so great to see other women with same passion for sports that I have. I so admire their athleticism and abilities. We are so connected on this team. It’s such a spirit of camaraderie . . . When I was in the 11- to 15-year-old range, things were a lot different than they are for 11 to 15 year olds now. There is just so much more opportunity. I have an 11-year-old sister, and I’m just so glad to see her be able to join track and field and have people not think it’s weird.”

Passoni also feels at home playing in Queens, and said, “I’ve had people come out to see me, and that’s really cool . . . This is my home, and playing here is a great thing. We really like it.”

While Passoni’s first love is sports, she also loves writing, and actually wrote a story for the Queens Tribune in 1998 about religion. She said, “I really enjoyed doing that. It was fun . . . I was friends with Jeremy Olshan, the old editor, who I went to college with at Sarah Lawrence. That was a great experience.”

Passoni and the rest of the Sharks have been destroying the competition this year under Coach Nick Giannatasio, easily winning all eight of their games to become Eastern Division champs on their way to a championship season. They managed to shut out four teams during the year, and outscored their opponents 372 to 18. The most points any team scored against The Sharks during the year was six.

Passoni said this season – her second – is all about fun. She said, “My first year was all about intensive learning. The first time you tackle someone is tough. It hurts . . . If you’ve never played in a real pro game before, with 100 yards and 21 people on the field, it’s a little intimidating, but with practice and experience, you get comfortable in what you’re doing. I sure have.”

The IWFL uses the same rules as the National Football League (NFL), and Turpin said, “We do everything the same way. We have the same excitement as any men’s team. We hit just as hard, run just as hard and play just as hard. No men’s team beats anyone 73 to nothing, I’ll tell you that.”

The Sharks went to the IWFL Superbowl in Oregon on July 6, and beat the Austin Outlaws 24-4. Turpin said before the game, “We’re confident. But we never take anything for granted.”

Maybe they don’t take anything for granted, but the Sharks know that they’re good. During the last game of the season, the Bay State Warriors scored two points on a safety, and Sharks player Anna Tate could be heard yelling with a laugh, “Man, you messed up my point spread.”

The Sharks played all of their games on Saturdays, bringing crowds of up to 300 to their games at August Martin High School. Turpin said, “We started with small crowds, and now they’re getting bigger. People are hearing about us, and people are loving us . . . It’s a fun day out. People should check it out.”

For $10, fans can watch all four quarters of football from the August Martin bleachers. There is plenty of free street parking, and a barbecue is held every game with Shark Burgers and Shark Dogs for sale. All of the ticket takers and food vendors are either former players or friends of the sharks, and Turpin said, “We’re like a family. Everyone loves the team and is proud of the game. We’re all one here.”

On the sidelines, the Sharks players can be heard cheering each other on, screaming, “Let’s go Sharks,” “Let’s go girls,” “Here we go now,” “Great hit,” and “Awesome, baby, awesome.”

While Passoni said the game is “exciting and fun,” there is a degree of seriousness to this year’s Sharks team.

On Christmas morning 2001, 28-year-old Linebacker Sharon Pascale was killed in a car crash on her way home from a family function. Passoni called Pascale, “a great girl and a great athlete,” and said, “this has been a tough year for us. It’s really emotional for all of us.”

Each member of the Sharks has the number “51” on their jersey this year in honor of Pascale, and the season has been dedicated to her. Passoni said, “It just makes the season all the more important.”

She added, “Sept. 11 made the year really tough. Girls on the team lost relatives in the collapse and everything. It was hard. It hasn’t been easy for us this season.”

Pascale was one of four Sharks who lent a hand at Ground Zero in the weeks following Sept. 11. She was there as a member of the Red Cross, Offensive Lineman Beth Nugent was there as a Nassau County Police Officer, Punter Aurora Lighthart was there as an EMT, and Offensive Lineman Nikki Cerrato was there as a construction worker helping with clean-up.

Turpin said, “We had girls there helping out. Beth pulled someone to safety at Ground Zero. They really helped.”

The IWFL was formed in 2000, and the Sharks joined this year.

All girls on the team are chosen through open try-outs, which are announced on the team website. Turpin said, “Most of the girls on the team played flag football. I used to. That’s how the learned to play.”

The owner of the Sharks is Andra Douglas, one of the team’s quarterbacks. The team is looking for more sponsors, and Turpin said, “We’re looking to expand. We are going to grow.”

For more information on the Sharks, or to suggest a name for their mascot, go to www.nysharksfootball.com, or call Turpin at 646-552-5798.