MOMS LEARN FOOTBALL IN A SNAP: FOOTBALL CLINICS TEACH WOMEN RULES OF THE GAME

Cape Central players Lance West, left, Brad Neels, center, and Justin Wells laughed as their mothers tried to complete a football play during the Moms' Football Clinic at Cape Central High School.

The enormous popularity of football clinics for women gives credence to the theory espoused by everyone from high school coaches to National Football League owners: It's time to get women more involved in the game that takes a major chunk of time out of their sons' and husbands' lives.

No longer should the "little lady" just provide an array of game-time snacks and an occasional word of encouragement. It's time she knew the ins and outs of football.

Clinics are springing up across the country which are aimed at teaching women the rules of the game so they'll be able to take a more active role.

Central High School head football coach Lawrence Brookins takes it one step further. At his "Moms Football Clinic," not only do moms get a chance to meet coaches, inspect safety gear and learn about the rules and plays, they actually take the field for a "practice" session of their own. Brookins had witnessed the success of the clinics while at Columbia, Mo., and decided to initiate the process at Central.

The Saturday clinic, the third for the school, began with a classroom setting.

"They (the moms) are able to absorb enough information to understand what their kids are going through," said Brookins.

Brookins and his staff, Darrick Smith, CHS assistant coach; Greg Klund, assistant coach; and Steve Williams and Robert Haggerty, offensive and defensive coordinators, conducted a question/answer period covering equipment, off-season and in-season strength training, fundamental offensive and defensive concepts and alignments and assignments.

"Most moms are surprised at the amount of learning that takes place," said Brookins.

Brookins' philosophy of coaching is that "to be a good coach you have to be a good teacher."

Safety is always a number one concern for coaches as well as moms. Tom Weber and Jeanie Tanksley of HealthSouth, Inc. were on hand to explain their role in Central's football program. When a player is injured, coaches step back and let someone handle the situation who knows what they're doing.

"Terry Kitchen, Central athletic director, doesn't spare any expense when it comes to safety equipment for the boys," said Smith. "Their uniforms and equipment are as good as the NFL players have," he said.

Mary Ann Daniels was attending her first clinic. Her son Christopher will be a sophomore this fall.

"For a mother who's been watching football for years, I think this is a great thing," she said. "They show us the position our son plays and tell us what he does."

Experienced moms like Terri Welker whose son Justin will be a senior took new moms under their wings and guided them through the process.

"The clinic lets us ask questions without hearing, "Oh, Mom!" Welker said.

After the classroom session, the moms hit the field and put all their new-found knowledge to work.

The ladies began with calisthenics, a daily part of their sons' workout. Offensive and defensive squads were formed and then the real fun began.

As moms took the field, sons shouted encouragement from the sidelines:

"You'll be okay mom." "Remember on offense it's E."

Andrew Eaton, junior quarterback and defensive back, gave his mom words of advice while she waited her turn at play.

"I was telling her the plays and what steps to take," he said. "She had no idea what was going on." When the time came, he gave her a reassuring pat on the back and sent her onto the field.

"She did real good for this to be her first time," Eaton said.

"For first-time moms it's a real eye-opener," said Renee Dwyre, mom of senior son Casey, "but it was great fun."

"The clinic gives moms a chance to do something with their sons they wouldn't normally get to do," said Brookins.

Tay Moore, senior, agreed. "It brought us closer together and her closer to the team," he said. "Before, she didn't hardly know anything about the team."

The Saturday clinic served another purpose also gave the Central's Moms Club a chance to welcome new mothers and detail their activities throughout the year, including feeding the boys the night before a game, organizing tailgate parties, fixing food for players' road trips, decorating cars and lockers on game days and showing support by wearing their Moms' Club shirts. They also distributed a guide for moms which included comments on scoring, tackling, passing, player numbers, rules and even a sketch of a playing field complete with player positions.

In an effort to get more women involved in at Southeast Missouri State University, a Ladies Football Clinic will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Show-Me Center.

"Our clinic isn't just for moms," said Tony White, SEMO assistant football coach. "We've had interest from women in their 70s and 80s and as well as 21-22," he said.

All women in the area are invited to attend the clinic. The Southeast coaching staff will conduct classes on the general principals of the game followed by a question/answer session.

The clinic is free.

"This is a good way to get the community involved and for us to get to know the people," said White.