The Newest Member of the Football Team

Written by Madysyn Creighton

Around campus and throughout the community rumor has it that a girl has joined the college football team; and it’s true! Jordan Osborne, a sophomore double sport athlete standing four feet and eleven inches tall, is the newest kicker for our Yellow Jackets. Jordan grew up in Delaware, Ohio and attended Hayes High School. At Hayes she was also a dual sport athlete that lettered her senior year for her varsity football team.

As a freshman, Jordan started every game for the softball team. She earned her spot as an everyday player holding the lead-off position and playing left field. She ended the season with a .336 batting average and a .946 fielding percentage.  For those of you who do not follow softball these statistics are great numbers to end your first year in collegiate sports with. These stats lead Jordan to receive Honorable Mention All HCAC. When asking Jordan how her teammates feel about her joining another team she stated, “They love it. Both my teammates and my coaches are very supportive with the whole thing.”

On her first day of football practice Jordan described her feelings as both anxious and nervous. She stated that “Nothing went right. I missed kick after kick and only made one extra point.” However, now that she has a few weeks of practice under her belt she is comfortable and able to do exactly what she did in high school. Following her first practice Jordan remarked that “The football team was so supportive with me joining. They welcomed me in on the first day as part of the team.”

With Jordan’s busy schedule there is hardly anytime to relax. In addition to the stress of performing, there is the added stress of managing time and everything else within her daily life.  Her day typically consists of class throughout the day, thirty to forty minutes of football practice, two and a half hours of softball practice, meetings, and then to the library for work and homework. On Tuesdays she’s able to attend a full football practice. In addition, on two days of the week she and her softball teammates are up early before class starts to do conditioning. When asking some of her teammates and friends around campus how she manages it all, responses typically were “I don’t know how she does it. I would be stressed if I were in her shoes” and “She’s one of the most dedicated people I know.”

As Jordan patiently waits for her time to shine she is now cleared to play after attending the required number of practices. Come out and support her along with the rest of our Yellow Jackets football team this Saturday September 24th at 1:30 p.m. as they take on Rose-Hulman.