A.When I was thirteen years old, soccer was my sport. But I had an injury and I couldn't play. A year after the injury, my Dad and I were tossing a football around in our yard. I picked up the ball and kicked it. I still remember Dad’s reaction: "Holy Smokes, Kate! Can you do that again?" I did and this time I kicked it 40 yards!
Q. Were you afraid to play a sport other girls didn’t?A.When it came to sports, my parents told me that I could do it. There was only one rule: if I was going to do something I had to do it to the best of my ability and then try a little harder.
Q. Were you afraid to fail?A. We weren't afraid to fail in my family because my parents taught us that if we gave it our all, it was never failure.
Q. Tell us about trying out for the high school team.A. The first football meeting I went to was intense! I was 14 years old and it was the pre-season meeting for everyone who wanted to try out for the high school team. I was so nervous -- there were about 100 guys at the meeting, most older than me. I was the only girl.
Q. How did you get through that?!!A.I just kept telling myself to "breathe", so I would stay calm! It was weird, even though I was nervous a voice in my head told me to walk into the meeting and ignore the guys who were staring or pointing or laughing.
Q. What happened then?A.The coach looked at me when I sat down and said, "Hey there little lady. Are you here for the Girl's LaCrosse meeting?” It was so embarrassing. But I looked him in the eye with a boldness I did not know I had and said "No, I'm here for football." The guys started to laugh, but I stayed -- and I not only made the team, I became a varsity player.
Q. Weren't you also your high school's homecoming queen?A.That was crazy! It was the first time a football player had been crowned homecoming queen, and they couldn't get the homecoming queen sash around my shoulder pads. So there I was during half time with a football helmet in one hand and a crown on my head. It was fun, but what I really wanted to do was get back on the football field and the win the game.
Q. How did you become good enough to play Division I in college?A.Honestly, I worked my butt off. I practiced and I practiced and I practiced. I knew I wanted to play high school and then college football and I knew working hard was what it would take to be that good.
Q. What was it like when Teen People named you one of America's Twenty Most Influential Teens?A. I felt good that other girls could see that playing a "boy's" sport was cool. When I started playing football, I did not know any other girls who were doing that. I was glad that girls who read about me in Teen People could see that we can do things people say only boys can do.
Q. What's it like to do something that has never been done before?A.There is no instruction manual. You just go day by day. Some people criticized me for wanting to play sports in a "man's" world. It can hurt, but I just don't let that stuff stop me. It doesn't matter what other people say. What matters is that you pursue your own dream.
Q. What inspires you?A. There is a great quote from a movie I love, "A League of Their Own,” where the coach says: "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great." And you know what? It's true!
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