By Jessica Costello
SteelerNation.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of a few teams that give the opportunity to women to participate in a training camp that more than 300 participate in. And they're not just Pittsburgh natives, women from 23 different states took the field at St. Vincent’s Sunday afternoon.
“This is my first Steelers training camp in general and my first women’s camp,” said Ashley Morrison from Brooklyn, New York. “I am super excited. I have been a Steelers fan since I was probably two years old. This is my first time here. This was a birthday gift. Thankfully I got this and I am here now. I drove six hours by myself and I am here."
“The energy here of Steelers fans is incredible. It’s super empowering just to have women together, of all different races, coming together for one specific reason, one passion, Steelers football. It’s great,” Morrison added.
Former Steelers’ kicker Shaun Suisham was joined by four other former players including, Donnie Shell, Merril Hoge, Charlie Batch, and Greg Warren.
“It’s a great opportunity to come out and these ladies are a lot of fun,” Suisham said.
“This is a group that is so eager to learn and participate. They are always like put us through it all,” said Charlie Batch. “They are there to participate and want to see what we do. That is always the fun part. From a quarterback position, they want to know from the minute you step into the huddle what is being said and how you conduct yourself at the line of scrimmage."
“I didn’t realize how enthusiastic the ladies were,” said Donnie Shell. “It’s great to have a conversation with someone who loves football so much. Steelers Nation is Steelers Nation. It’s great to get out here and teach them some skills and see how much they retain and how much they know, and the questions you get from teaching them the skills."
To end the day, the ladies kicked Super Bowl-winning field goals.
“We set them up, we try to recreate the pressure, the situation that an NFL kicker would have in a game,” Suisham said. “We’re running from the sideline with a full operation, snap, hold, kick, under the clock. The last two times the ladies came through and we won the Super Bowl!”
Two more events are planned for the women for September 16 and again on November 1.
Have you ever been to the women's training camp, Steelers fans? Let us know about your experience in the comments section below!
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