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Local teenager crosses barriers playing on the girls soccer and football teams

What led Addie Stanley Jr. to be the first girls football kicker in Ausable Valley High School history

Local teenager crosses barriers playing on the girls soccer and football teams

What led Addie Stanley Jr. to be the first girls football kicker in Ausable Valley High School history

WOULD BE MEANT FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT... NOT TO REPLACE DIET AND EXERCISE FOR EVERYONE. CHOOSING THE BEST PLAYER FOR EACH POSITION IS IMPORTANT FOR ANY SPORT - AND N-B-C5'S ERIC KERR TELLS US HOW AUSABLE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DID JUST THAT. LOOKING TO THE GIRL'S SOCCER PROGRAM - FOR THEIR STARTING KICKER. Stand-Up First Shot (football field) Eric Kerr - @EricMKerr (Twitter) "Now would you expect the kicker of this Ausable Valley football team .... áNat Popá SOT (in-stand up) Football Team "One, two, three family!" Second Shot (wipe to soccer field) "To be from the high school girl's soccer team? Well, that's exactly who Addie Stanley Jr is, not only a player on this team, but also the kicker on the high school football team." SOT Carson Garcia - Senior Quarterback "She don't miss, She don't miss. Unless it gets blocked, but she don't miss when it's not blocked." SOT Zach McLean - Senior Offensive and Defensive Lineman "She can kick about 40 yards in practice pretty consistently." SOT Carson Garcia - Senior Quarterback "Yeah she's got a boot on her." TRACK ADDIE IS THE FIRST GIRL TO EVER KICK FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM - IN SCHOOL HISTORY. SOT Addie Stanley Jr. - Junior Girls Soccer Midfielder / Football Kicker "It's super awesome! Both teams have such a great atmosphere, and both are just so welcoming and open to me being able to play on both teams." TRACK SHE STARTED DURING HER SOPHOMORE YEAR - WHERE THE OPPORTUNITY CAME SOON AFTER SHE AND HER DAD - MATT STANLEY - DECIDED TO KICK SOME FOOTBALLS AROUND ONE DAY - ON THE HIGH SCHOOL FIELD. SOT Addie Stanley Jr. - Junior Girls Soccer Midfielder / Football "me and my dad kicked a few. He recorded them, sent them to the coaches and they were like 'we want her on the team." TRACK ADDIE - NOW IN HER SECOND SEASON AS KICKER - REPRESENTS NUMBER 28 ON THE TURF - AND NUMBER 20 ON THE PITCH. LIVING THAT DOUBLE LIFE -- CAN HAVE ITS CHALLENGES - SOT Addie Stanley Jr. - Junior Girls Soccer Midfielder / Football Kicker "During preseason it was super busy because I'd come from work, then I'd have to come to soccer, and I'd have to go to football after..." TRACK BUT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT IS WORTH IT - PROVING
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Local teenager crosses barriers playing on the girls soccer and football teams

What led Addie Stanley Jr. to be the first girls football kicker in Ausable Valley High School history

It only took a few video clips for Ausable Valley High School’s football program to realize a female soccer player would be their starting kicker. Addie Stanley, a junior at Ausable Valley, along with her dad Matt Stanley went to the high school’s football field one day to kick the football around, a change from normally kicking the soccer ball as a midfielder for the school’s girls' varsity soccer squad. “One day we were here there were footballs, so me and my dad kicked a few,” Addie said. "He recorded them, sent them to the coaches and they were like, ‘we want her on the team.’”Matt’s decision to record his daughter led the coaches to give her a spot as the first girl to play on the football team by her sophomore year. The team’s players are not only in support of their coaches but are also impressed with what Addie can do.“She don’t miss,” said Ausable Valley senior quarterback Carson Garcia. “Unless it gets blocked, but she don’t miss when it’s not blocked.”“She can kick about 40 yards in practice pretty consistently,” said Ausable Valley senior lineman Zach McLean.It’s an accomplishment that is heartwarming for the Stanley family. Addie’s older sister Jenna Stanley was also thinking of kicking for the football team. While Jenna was not able to do it after graduating from Ausable Valley last year, being a part of both teams is something Addie does not take for granted. “It’s super awesome,” Addie said. “Both teams have such a great atmosphere, and both are just so welcoming and open to me being able to play on both teams.”Addie spends most of her time practicing on the pitch but will head over to the turf field to football practice after soccer practice or before a soccer match later that night. Whenever she practices with the football team, the guys appreciate her humor. “If someone messes up, she’ll say she can do something better,” Garcia said. “Throw it better than me, block better than Zach, you know, typically guy talk, but it’s coming from a girl so it’s even funnier.”Addie’s first game was during her sophomore year against Beekmantown High School. After nailing her first extra point attempt in the game, the team rewarded her the next day with a football signed by the entire team with the message: “first girl to score a point for Ausable.”“Just being able to do things like that representing my school’s soccer team and football team,” Addie said. “It’s super exciting and I’m glad to get to represent young girls, just to show that girls can play football.”Addie is not the only girl to play on Ausable Valley’s football teams, with girls playing on the modified squad and one girl playing on the junior varsity team, all of which are trying different positions other than kicker. “They’re actually tackling,” Addie said. “More girls should be playing football. I think it’s awesome that girls are showing up at a male-dominated sport.”It’s a monumental step for the program for girls like Addie to cross new barriers, leading others in the Ausable Valley community to notice what she is doing.“I think it’s great that she is able to do both,” Addie’s soccer head coach Lindsey Douglas said. “Football is mostly a male-oriented sport, so to watch a female rock in that position is incredible.” “Seeing her succeed in a sport where not many girls play is definitely a cool thing to see and special to be a part of,” Garcia said. Addie has yet to score a field goal this season but has nailed multiple PATs. Coincidentally enough, she will look to score her first field goal Friday, Oct. 7 against Beekmantown at 7:30 p.m.

It only took a few video clips for Ausable Valley High School’s football program to realize a female soccer player would be their starting kicker.

Addie Stanley, a junior at Ausable Valley, along with her dad Matt Stanley went to the high school’s football field one day to kick the football around, a change from normally kicking the soccer ball as a midfielder for the school’s girls' varsity soccer squad.

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“One day we were here there were footballs, so me and my dad kicked a few,” Addie said. "He recorded them, sent them to the coaches and they were like, ‘we want her on the team.’”

Matt’s decision to record his daughter led the coaches to give her a spot as the first girl to play on the football team by her sophomore year. The team’s players are not only in support of their coaches but are also impressed with what Addie can do.

“She don’t miss,” said Ausable Valley senior quarterback Carson Garcia. “Unless it gets blocked, but she don’t miss when it’s not blocked.”

“She can kick about 40 yards in practice pretty consistently,” said Ausable Valley senior lineman Zach McLean.

It’s an accomplishment that is heartwarming for the Stanley family. Addie’s older sister Jenna Stanley was also thinking of kicking for the football team. While Jenna was not able to do it after graduating from Ausable Valley last year, being a part of both teams is something Addie does not take for granted.

“It’s super awesome,” Addie said. “Both teams have such a great atmosphere, and both are just so welcoming and open to me being able to play on both teams.”

Addie spends most of her time practicing on the pitch but will head over to the turf field to football practice after soccer practice or before a soccer match later that night. Whenever she practices with the football team, the guys appreciate her humor.

“If someone messes up, she’ll say she can do something better,” Garcia said. “Throw it better than me, block better than Zach, you know, typically guy talk, but it’s coming from a girl so it’s even funnier.”

Addie’s first game was during her sophomore year against Beekmantown High School. After nailing her first extra point attempt in the game, the team rewarded her the next day with a football signed by the entire team with the message: “first girl to score a point for Ausable.”

“Just being able to do things like that representing my school’s soccer team and football team,” Addie said. “It’s super exciting and I’m glad to get to represent young girls, just to show that girls can play football.”

Addie is not the only girl to play on Ausable Valley’s football teams, with girls playing on the modified squad and one girl playing on the junior varsity team, all of which are trying different positions other than kicker.

“They’re actually tackling,” Addie said. “More girls should be playing football. I think it’s awesome that girls are showing up at a male-dominated sport.”

It’s a monumental step for the program for girls like Addie to cross new barriers, leading others in the Ausable Valley community to notice what she is doing.

“I think it’s great that she is able to do both,” Addie’s soccer head coach Lindsey Douglas said. “Football is mostly a male-oriented sport, so to watch a female rock in that position is incredible.”

“Seeing her succeed in a sport where not many girls play is definitely a cool thing to see and special to be a part of,” Garcia said.

Addie has yet to score a field goal this season but has nailed multiple PATs. Coincidentally enough, she will look to score her first field goal Friday, Oct. 7 against Beekmantown at 7:30 p.m.