Another first-person account from the Iowa Football Ladies Academy

Marc Morehouse received a good first-person account of this weekend's Iowa Ladies Football Academy from Anne Edwards, and it tops today's On Iowa Daily Briefing.

Largely through pledges that the participants secured, this year's Academy raised over $337,000 for the UIHC Children's Hospital. That more than doubled the total from last year's initial Academy.

That's a high-powered football program using its bully pulpit to do something truly good for people. So, I'l happily add to what Anne Edwards expressed about it with another first-person account, this from Lori Flanigan of Tiffin.

Lori is a friend to my family. She didn't attend the Academy to write about it or draw attention to herself. But after I learned on Sunday that she had participated in Saturday's event at Kinnick Stadium, I asked if she would write something for me about it. She very generously took the time to do so.

Here is her report:

A few hundred women had an experience last Saturday that many of their husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, and other men would love to have, but don't have the opportunity. Those women participated in the second annual Iowa Ladies Football Academy, a fund-raising event for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Children's Hospital spearheaded by Kirk and Mary Ferentz.

These women are dedicated football fans, UI alumnae, mothers of UI football coaches, mothers of UI football players who signed up for this event in January with visions of running out of the tunnel in the familiar Iowa football swarm to the anthem "Back in Black," just as the players for each home game. Women of all ages and abilities boarded buses as they were greeted by current players. The whole day was developed to raise money for a great cause while giving women a similar experience that a UI football player goes through on a game day at Kinnick Stadium. We boarded the bus that took us around the stadium while the player on the bus answered questions shouted out to him or as he shared what the bus ride is like for the players as they arrive at Kinnick on a game day.

When exiting the bus, other players greeted everyone and provided information about what would happen next: touching the helmet on the Nile Kinnick statue as you pass it (a player tradition) and walking to the locker room. After getting our pep talk and directions in the locker room, we were led onto the Kinnick turf (not to "Back in Black"--that happens later) where dozens of players were at various stations set up around the field. Women had the option of putting on a football uniform, complete with pads; kicking a field goal; tackling drills led by linebackers; catching passes; getting an autographed schedule and poster from the head coach after he posed for photos with each person; and more. My friend and I walked around Kinnick snapping photos and sending them to our husbands, knowing those men would give anything to be in our shoes.

The players seemed to have as much fun as the women participating. They were happy to take pictures with anyone who asked, encouraged everyone at every drill, joked with everyone, and were having a good time with their friends and fans. And, the cameras were flashing at all times.

The coaches were fun to watch and listen to as they explained the basics of each position and how successful each woman was when trying to complete a warm-up drill for that position. There were only laughs and smiles on people's faces--no angst or nerves for me, unlike a lot of game days when I'm sitting in my seat 19 rows behind the Iowa bench.

Everyone also met the honorary academy captain, a girl who has spent a lot of time at UIHC and is healthy today thanks to the care and expertise she received there. That is why the Ferentzes do this--to help build a hospital for children who need it the most.

The players and coaches I met won't remember me, but I will not forget them or how they treated every one of the women on that field Saturday. When Sept. 1 rolls around and I'm in the stands of Soldier Field cheering for Iowa in the first game of the season, I will see the players who I talked with, have pictures with, and laughed with and cheer even more for them.

Let the countdown to Sept. 1 begin.