ARLINGTON — Today Diana Green is back to being Mom, but for a few hours Sunday on the gridiron she was known to her children, her husband and the festive crowd as Dina-Mite.
One of 40 women — all moms — who played in a touch football game on Sunday, Green and her teammates from Arlington battled a tough squad from nearby Lakewood. Green wore a No. 32 white jersey with her number and nickname printed in hot-pink letters.
Besides adding fuel to the longtime friendly rivalry between the two communities, the 11-on-11 contest at Haller Middle School Stadium served a greater purpose: helping kids play.
Sunday’s game, the first annual Lakewood Cougar Moms vs. Arlington Eagles Moms Powder Puff Football Game, raised money for the Arlington Youth Football Association and the Lakewood Youth Football Athletic Association. Searching for a new, attention-grabbing fundraiser that would address the growing financial need of kids who play youth football, Green came up with the idea for the game and invited Lakewood to participate.
“We thought it would be a real good way to raise money,” said Green, the AYFA’s concession stand and fundraising coordinator. “We knew we could get people out to watch us.”
But Green didn’t expect so many people to pack the bleachers. Enjoying a sun-drenched evening, a crowd of more than 1,400 watched the game, which Lakewood dominated and won 16-0.
The numbers that really mattered — the teams’ respective fundraising totals — weren’t available Sunday night. Based on the suggested donation of $5 per individual or $10 per family, it’s reasonable to estimate each association generated a few thousand dollars. They also raised funds with raffles, concessions and a field-goal contest at halftime.
Proceeds go to scholarship funds that will cover the $200 per-player annual cost for kids ages 6 to 14 to play football in the respective communities.
Registration fees are more difficult for families to pay because of the still-weak economy, which left parents jobless or working fewer hours. The number of Arlington players who need help paying the fee more than doubled this year, rising from 17 to about 40, said Green. The same trend hit Lakewood, where at least a dozen players needed scholarships this year, according to LYFAA president Larry Franchimon.
It’s expensive to run a youth football league. Costs include paying officials, buying insurance, renting facilities and purchasing new equipment. Scholarship funds are an extra cost, which made Sunday’s powder-puff game so important. The donations will help youngsters stay on the field.
“We want to make sure,” said Jim Welton, AYFA’s vice president, “that every kid who wants to play can play.”
In addition to money it raised at the powder-puff game, Arlington generated $1,300, Green said, by selling ads to local businesses. The small ads appeared in a free game program. She said they raised $4,650 for the AYFA, not including money they will receive from the T-shirt vendor and kettle corn vendor.
The star of the game was Lakewood’s Dana Krueger, who made several nice receptions, including a 25-yard catch-and-run touchdown late in the fourth quarter. It gave the Cougars a 15-0 lead and capped an impressive performance by Krueger, who was named the game’s most valuable player.
“It was fun — the culmination of a lot of work,” said Krueger, whose team practiced every day for two weeks leading up to the game.
“I can’t believe how many people turned out to watch,” she said.
Fans from both sides know her well. Kreuger graduated from Arlington High in 1992 before getting married and moving to Lakewood.
“I’m a defector!” she said, laughing.
There were plenty of laughs earlier when Arlington’s enthusiastic cheer dads, who wore pink shirts and pink-and-white socks, got the crowd laughing with their halftime dance to the Black Eyed Peas’ song “I Gotta Feeling.”
It was a rough outing for Arlington’s Green, aka Dina-Mite. She watched most of the final three quarters from the sideline after straining a muscle in her right leg. It didn’t stop her from rooting for teammates and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
It meant a lot to Green to do something that helps her community; she knows what it’s like to need help. Last September her husband, Scott Green, was severely injured in a head-on car accident. Scott — who broke his pelvis, femur and tibia — was in the hospital two weeks and unable to work for three months.
The Arlington community stepped in, bringing meals to the Greens, helping them pay bills and driving their kids to activities. Organizing the powder-puff fundraiser was Diana Green’s way of giving back.
“This is really on my heart, to make sure that all these kids play football,” she said.
Green, whose husband is almost fully recovered and helped coach the Arlington moms, plans to make the game an annual event. Support for it will likely continue to grow.
“Football in Arlington is huge. This community just revolves around it,” Green said. “From the high school Friday night lights to the youth (games), it just does not end.”
Because of events like the powder-puff game, the thrill of playing organized football won’t end for dozens of kids in Arlington and Lakewood.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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