By Darren
Steinke
Gordie Howe
Sports Complex
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| Emmarae Dale is the Hilltops first female player. |
On
September 15, the Hilltops announced that Dale was officially added to the
team’s roster at linebacker making her the team’s first female player. Having
been a member of the Saskatoon Valkyries women’s football team and the
University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s track and field team for four
seasons each, Dale expected to be interviewed by members of the Saskatoon
media, and she has interacted with a number of those media members in the past.
She did
about seven or eight interviews on the day the Hilltops made the announcement.
When she
started getting interview requests from media members all across Western Canada
including big cities like Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, the significance of
becoming the Hilltops first female player and what is believed to be the first
female added to the roster of a CJFL team became greater.
“It definitely started to get real at that point,” said
Dale, who has also done interviews for national outlets. “That was when it sort of sunk in this is something bigger than I even
realize.
“I kind of realized this is a big moment in history. It is not anything I should be taking lightly at all.”
The 22-year-old played four seasons at linebacker for the Valkyries from 2016 to 2019 helping them win Western Women’s Canadian Football League titles in 2016 and 2019. After joining the powerhouse women’s tackle football team, Dale quickly became one of the squad’s best defensive players.
On top of
playing for the Valkyries, Dale competed with the Huskies track and field team
for the last four seasons at the U Sports level in throwing events. She helped
the Huskies women’s team win the last three straight Canada West Conference
titles.
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| Emmarae Dale dished out big hits for the Valkyries. |
Dale, who
stands 5-foot-6, has been practicing with the Hilltops for the last five weeks,
and she has lost count of how many interviews she has done since news broke
that she was officially on the club’s roster. The graduate of Saskatoon’s St.
Joseph High School has done interviews with various media outlets including
newspapers, radio stations, television stations, webcasts and podcasts.
At first,
she didn’t know what it was going to be like to be interviewed by media members
from major cities.
“It is definitely a little nerve-racking,” said Dale. “You
get kind of a feel for what the questions are going to look like and feel like
just from all of the interviews.
“You still don’t really know what they are going to ask. I
think the biggest thing for me is just trying to stay articulate and take my
time in answering questions. You just don’t know what they are going to ask.
“Just trying to think of things on the spot can be a little
bit scary, but I don’t get too nervous talking to people.”
Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said Dale is on the Hilltops, because she is good enough to be on the team. Sargeant added Dale is powerful, strong and quick, and you can tell she has done a lot of good work at her training sessions at Ignite Athletics, which is on the grounds of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.
Dale also
works shifts operating the front desk at Ignite, where most of the Hilltops
also train and workout. She already knew a number of players on the team, and
Sargeant she fit in right off the bat.
“She is very comfortable out here right now, and very
relaxed,” said Sargeant. “There is always a smile on her face.
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| Emmarae Dale (#45) made big plays for the Valkyries. |
“She is a great kid to be around, and she is embracing the
situation she is in as we are. Now, it is our job to make her better, so that
she can compete at a high level and make a lot of plays for the Hilltops.”
Hilltops
defensive coordinator Jeff Yausie was Dale’s head coach during her first season
and her defensive coordinator in second season with the Valkyries. He saw Dale
playing flag football during her high school days at St. Joseph High School and
was impressed with her athletic and playmaking abilities.
Yausie, who
spent time as the head coach of Canada’s national women’s tackle football team,
talked Dale into joining the Valkyries and was amazed by how quickly she
improved in the game.
“You basically watch her mature and grow up each year and
get bigger and stronger and get more comfortable in the football systems,” said
Yausie. “To me, she has gotten better and better.
“From my experience coaching the national team, I looked at
her and I identified her as a player that she can make that level, if that is
what she wants and be dominate at that level. She has a great work ethic, and
she is tough.
“Sometimes the intangibles of football make a good football
player like toughness, mental toughness. At every practice, she works as hard
or harder than everybody else.”
As Dale
improved, she hit the point Yausie believed she could play and contribute with
the Hilltops. He figured the announcement of her being added to the roster
would perk up media interest, but he never expected how wide the interest would
spread.
“I’m surprised the amount of attention it has got,” said Yausie. “To me, I don’t think it is that big a deal.
“For me as a person, I just want a player who can play. I
don’t care if the player is male or female or whatever. It comes back to her
character.”
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| Emmarae Dale is honoured to play for the Hilltops. |
Dale is
following in the footsteps of her older brothers, Anthony and Donovan, who
played for the Hilltops in the late 2000s and early 2010s. As the weeks go on,
Emmarae said it feels more and more special to be a member of the Hilltops.
“It is pretty surreal, and it is a huge honour,” said Dale.
“I honestly have no other way to put it other than it is just really humbling
being on the team that is the best in Canada and the best in history.
“It is just a huge honour to be able to come out and run
around with the guys and compete with them. They are amazing football players,
and just to be able to be here is a huge privilege and honour that is not being
taken for granted at all.”
