This Homecoming Queen Kicks Butt

[KamaAina]

https://www.yahoo.com/style/football-mary-kate-smith-homecoming-queen-97750397738.html

After school dances, most girls like to preserve their blowouts and perfectly applied makeup for as long as possible. But minutes after Mary Kate Smith is crowned homecoming queen of South Jones High School in Mississippi on Sept. 26, she’ll wash her face, throw her hair into a braid, and suit up to play in the football game.

The 17-year-old senior recently made the squad as the football team’s kicker, which makes her something of a rarity. As of 2012, fewer than 2,000 girls played football nationwide. For the last two years, peers had encouraged her to try out — she has an amazing foot, able to nail 35- to 40-yard field goals. Her natural kicking talent comes from years of playing soccer, and she has even committed to play for University of Southern Mississippi next year.

So how does she balance her girly side with the very masculine sport? Finding the fashionable side of the uniform, of course! “I’ve figured out how to adjust my pants and belt so it makes my legs look longer (that’s always a plus), and I love the dark blue color of my jersey because it brings out my eyes,” she tells Yahoo Style. As for her long, blonde hair, she avoids the dreaded helmet hair by rocking a simple three-step braid — it keeps her hair out of her face on the field but adds a little flair as well....

While her teammates poke fun, it’s all in jest. In fact, her coach, Corey Reynolds, told the Today show that “when she’s out there, she’s been like one of the guys. … It’s not like, ‘Ooh, we have a girl.’”

[El Supremo]

1. She'd kick YOU in the nuts.

[KamaAina]

3. If she was gonna kick yours,

she'd have to be as accurate as Phil Dawson.

[caraher]

2. My son's high school kicker was homecoming queen in 2006

in Indiana

She wore her football uniform (I couldn't find a picture online but I have the newspaper clipping outside my office).