{"id":41753,"date":"2022-03-12T01:34:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T08:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/girls-are-part-of-the-team-for-flc-football\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:03:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:03:06","slug":"girls-are-part-of-the-team-for-flc-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/girls-are-part-of-the-team-for-flc-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Girls are \u2018part of the team\u2019 for FLC football"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis football interns Averi Basso, Karla De La Cruz and Madison Carlton have been helping the program with its day-to-day operations while learning its ins and outs this spring. (Cody Olivas\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

When Fort Lewis College junior Averi Basso was looking for an internship this semester, her adviser suggested that she work the football team, focusing on recruiting compliance.<\/p>\n

Basso, who plays lacrosse for the Skyhawks and wants to go into sports psychology after she graduates, took a chance. She said she likes football, noting that her dad played college ball and her brother plays college football. Being involved in the male-dominated sport made her a little nervous, but those worries soon faded away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was going to be intimidating, but it has been awesome,\u201d Basso said. \u201cAll of the coaches are super-awesome and supportive of their female interns. It\u2019s been a great environment to work in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Basso is one of three female interns in the program. Junior Madison Carlton, who also cheers for the Skyhawks, and senior cross-country and track runner Karla De La Cruz also intern with the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are working directly with me on day-to-day operations,\u201d said FLC head coach Johnny Cox. In general, the interns have been helping with fundraising, recruiting athletes and taking them on campus tours; providing information to incoming freshmen; attending meetings and taking notes; and giving evaluations on potential players.<\/p>\n

In the fall, incoming freshman Alyssa Johnson also will intern with the program. Johnson, who played football four years at Vista PEAK Prep in Aurora, is coming to Fort Lewis because she wants to coach football.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m extremely excited,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping to learn how a football team is run; what offensive and defensive coordinators do and how to be a head coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson also wants to make connections to help her in the future. One of her connections, her former coach and current FLC defensive backs coach, Emmanuel Bible, helped persuade her to attend FLC.<\/p>\n

In general, Cox said he\u2019s starting to see more women involved with football programs. He called it \u201ca sign of changing times.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have four daughters, and when they were first born, I didn\u2019t think they would be able to coach with me,\u201d he said. \u201cNow as times are changing, there\u2019s a possibility I could coach with my daughters. People have unlimited possibilities when given an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlton grew up as a football fan and was excited to help out the Fort\u2019s team. \u201cI\u2019m originally from Oklahoma, and football is a big part of life down there,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt it was a great opportunity when it presented itself. I really like it; it really opened my eyes to how much detail is in the program and how much the coaches put into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlton, like Basso, wants to go into sports psychology.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to go into sports psychology and focus on football \u2013 the mental health side and the nutritional side,\u201d Carlton said. \u201cI want to be another helping hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said FLC\u2019s cheerleading program is \u201crelatively similar\u201d to football\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey both run a pretty tight ship, and all of the athletes are pretty tight-knit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In addition to attending meetings and taking notes and helping with gear, Carlton has been helping the team land recruits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re not the first faces they see, we\u2019re the second,\u201d Carlton said. \u201cWe keep their packets together and take them on tours. We really want to get them here.\u201d<\/p>\n

De La Cruz, who is minoring in coaching, said the internship has helped her learn more about football and she \u201cwould love to coach\u201d after she graduates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how different it is,\u201d De La Cruz said. \u201cIn cross-country and track, all the coaches do is tell you to go run. Football is more complex.\u201d<\/p>\n

Basso, meanwhile, has been tasked with making a poster explaining why she as an athlete chose Fort Lewis.<\/p>\n

The city of Durango itself, she said, is a big reason she chose Fort Lewis. \u201cI left my visit thinking this is the place I\u2019m supposed to be for college,\u201d Basso said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most beautiful places I\u2019ve seen, and meeting the girls on the team, it was just such a positive environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson, who described her former teammates as \u201ca whole bunch of big brothers,\u201d enjoys film analysis, looking for routes, protections, formations, motions and other team\u2019s tendencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look for small things to give the defense an edge so they know what they\u2019re looking for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

To be a successful lineman, she said, \u201cit\u2019s all about footwork and hand placement and using leverage,\u201d<\/p>\n

Cox said there is kind of a barrier for girls who want to get involved with football since most didn\u2019t play the sport, but said, \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great coaches who are male who didn\u2019t play football or weren\u2019t very good.\u201d He said players are open to advice from anyone as long as it makes them better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you communicate clearly and concisely and you\u2019re right, if you can help a player, they don\u2019t care where the advice comes from,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n

The interns, he said, are really helping the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you give people an opportunity and they do well, it opens the door for the next person,\u201d Cox said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been an asset to the program, and I\u2019m excited they\u2019re taking advantage of this opportunity. They\u2019re a part of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis football interns, from left, Madison Carlton, Karla De La Cruz and Averi Basso have been assets for the prgram. (Cody Olivas\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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