Ladies only: A Paterno takes part in Penn State camp drills giving women taste of football

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PSU ladies-only camp draws interest from a Paterno

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The giddy rookies dressed in the blue and white shirts and shorts started snapping pictures the moment they stepped out of the tunnel on to the pristine turf.

Even some good-natured yelling from Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary couldn’t dampen the spirits of these campers at Beaver Stadium, especially when the barb was targeted at someone named Paterno.

No, it wasn’t that Paterno.

Kelley Paterno — daughter-in-law of Nittany Lions’ Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno and the wife of Paterno’s son, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno — was the wide-eyed player Friday when she joined 49 other women taking part in Penn State’s first women-only football clinic.

Some schools around the country offer similar clinics to give women a taste of the male-dominated sport. Organizers at Penn State think they offer the most detailed, hands-on experience yet, including hours-long classroom sessions and a flag football game at Beaver Stadium complete with referees and some light contact.

Women made the blocks, went after the quarterback and caught some flak from coaches, too.

“Hey Paterno, get in your spot,” McQueary shouted at Kelley Paterno to the howls of onlookers watching a drill. “That is the first time I’ve been able to say that!”

The Penn State Football Ladies X’s and O’s Camp was the brainchild of Patrick Steenberge, who helps run the school’s men-only fantasy football camp, and Jay Paterno. His wife figured she’d give it a try with three of her friends.

While she has some familiarity with the sport, Kelley Paterno said she’s not an expert and hardly watches film with Jay while he’s home working.

“I see how much time my husband puts into it, and this sort of reminds me why,” she said. “I thought I was in the know.”

Several other schools hold similar events. Southern California boasts on its website a one-day “Women’s Trojan Huddle” designed to give attendees a chance to meet coaches, players and to take part in some non-contact football drills.

Clemson is in the 14th year of offering a women-only clinic that includes a behind-the-scenes tour; demonstrations of activities in the weight room; and presentations from assistant coaches. More than 700 attended last year, said Jill Wilks, the camp coordinator.

Mississippi’s women-only camp is in its 10th year and offers a similar schedule. Coordinator Chyna Ward-Poley said she came up with the idea after seeing the wives of attendees of coaches’ clinics waiting around campus.

Participants get cookbooks, a chance to shop and, this year, a new night-before fashion show featuring coaches’ wives. There’s also a non-football segment devoted to women’s health, along with sessions with assistants going over football schemes.

“There’s a market for it in any sport,” Ward-Poley said. “Women pay a lot more attention to detail.”

Steenberge and Jay Paterno said they were looking for ways to give the wives, daughters or other female relatives of attendees to the male-only football fantasy camp something to do. The women paid $395 in tuition, and Steenberge said about 50 percent of the profit would go to breast cancer research. He said they filled all 50 spots.

No husbands allowed.

“You’ll know more about football than they will at the end of the day, I promise,” McQueary said during introductions of the nearly nine hour-long camp. Many women came on their own, without a spouse or boyfriend taking part in the men’s camp.

“For me, it’s a curiosity factor, getting to meet and see some of the operations and learning some of the rules about it,” said Kathleen Fresien, 44, of Pennington, N.J.

“Holding,” Freisen’s friend and fellow camper, Kristen Mirilovich, 36, of Furlong, Pa., chimed in as an example. They described themselves as Nittany Lions fans, like many of the attendees.

“Why do they call it on every play,” Freisen immediately asked rhetorically. “We’re both pretty versed in the sport, but I’m sure there are so many more rules we need to know.”

To top the day off, they got a pep talk from Joe Paterno before their end-of-the-afternoon flag football game, in which teams ran offenses based on diagrammed plays from coaches.

“I think it’s part of the fascination of the game right now,” JoePa said “The husbands are all wrapped up in it, and women want to be part of it. It’s great.”