Female player blazes trail

     By Judy DeLoretta
     View staff writer
      Durango High School's freshman football coach and athletics director Roger Ewan isn't doing anything different this football season.
      Well, maybe just one thing: He has to remember to address his team in a different manner.
      "Sometimes I still address the players as `gentlemen,' and have to remember to say, `lady and gentlemen,' " Ewan said.
      Fury Nelson, who only last year discovered her love for football, is the first female freshman to play for Durango High School.
      Nelson's only real experience in football was gained during the summer before the 1999-2000 school year, but she has played soccer and studied kick-boxing.
      There are no secrets in the way Nelson plays. She just found she enjoys the game.
      "I just love tackling people," Nelson, 14, said. "My friends invited me to start working out with weights and they invited me to try out for football, so I decided to try out for the team when school started."
      Any high school athlete can drop by the school during summer to work out.
      Ewan, who has been coaching the Trailblazers for six years, noticed how happy Nelson seemed to be working out and playing football for fun, so he encouraged her to try out.
      But Nelson's mother, Sally Nelson, wasn't all that excited about the prospect.
      "She didn't think it was a good idea," Nelson said. "But I insisted, and she's proud of me."
      Nelson isn't just happy to be on the team. She's thrilled to be called a linebacker. The part she still loves the most is strapping on the shoulder pads.
      "She's tough and she's learning more every day," Ewan said. "She works hard out there with the rest of the players."
      Nelson had played in three games as of last week. Although her own team members treat her equally, they do get a kick out of it when she tackles an opposing player.
      "They call me Fist of Fury," Nelson said, referring to her first name. "And they do like to tell other teams when they were tackled by a girl. I think it's kind of funny."
      Anyone, regardless of gender, is invited to try out for high school football. The only requirements by the Clark County School District are freshmen students must prove they have passing grades in at least four classes of their eighth-grade year.
      Additionally, Ewan does a grade check on every Durango athlete every three weeks. If an athlete is failing a class, he or she is placed on probation for one week.
      "I hope to learn more about the game and to get better," Nelson said. "I definitely want to play next year. I'd like to get a varsity patch for my lettermen's jacket."
      Ewan thinks she can do it. She's quick, she can tackle and is committed. The point of playing freshman football is to improve with each practice.
      And Ewan's goal is to get his players better each day to go on to the next level.
      "I'm proud of Fury," said Shannon Jones, Nelson's friend. "She can just go out there and stand up for what she believes. And we think she's the best on the team."