Posted by Matt Field

This is what it comes down to, four teams have earned their spots in the Conference Playoffs in this inaugural season of Lingerie Football. One team will rise above and earn the title of Lingerie Bowl Champion. We will bring you stories over the coming events, interviews with players and coaches. If you can get to South Florida, what are you waiting for? Tickets remain for Lingerie Bowl VII, you will now want to miss a minute of the action.

One of the four teams eager to get to the Bowl is the Chicago Bliss. I caught up with the Bliss’ very own, Breanna Junea. I asked her to share her experience as member of the Bliss in this inaugural regular season of Lingerie Football. Enjoy the read.

Breanna ‘Piranha’ Junea

Matt, just let me start by thanking you for covering the Leagues most amazing athletes. I have been viewing LFLUnlaced since you first started and have been impressed with all of these lovely stories.

Now let’s talk business.

The first season of being on the Bliss has been quite an adventure. I started back on the promotional team in 2008, so I have seen girls come and go and have made some amazing friendships. When you put 14 girls together in one room or field, there is bound to be some interesting characters. The Bliss are my second family and that is no joke. These girls are dedicated, beautiful, intelligent and amazing athletes. The Bliss above all are the dream team. We all get along, have amazing abilities, talents and respect for one another. When we get on that field we take what we want and that is a W-I-N! No one can mess with family, NO ONE!

So far I believe that we have done an amazing job and it felt amazing doing it.

One memorable moment while being on the Bliss was when we were at our away game in Tampa. It was almost half-time and we were tied with Tampa. I remember going into the locker room feeling even more pissed off than ever. I was looking at the faces of my team mates, my girlfriends feeling defeated. We got our heads around the first half after a long speech from our coaches and then said a prayer before going on the field. I remember looking at my qb, Elle and Brittany our center and telling them that this win is for them. We went back in the second half and rocked Tampa. “This is our house now, we are the bliss,” we shouted. At that point  I felt not only like a team, but like a family.

A strange moment while on the bliss was when we had gotten new coaches and we all realized how different their techniques were. I thought to myself no more bearcrawls, no more wierd calistetics. Alright, are you sure? I remember how strange it felt to let go of old habits and to start doing the real work.

The bliss have been preparing for the playoffs with intense and I mean INTENSE training. We have been eating right, studying our playbooks, doing a bunch of conditioning in and out of practice and mainly getting mentally prepared.

As far as the offseason goes, I will still be continuing school and modeling as well has still conditioning in hopes of next season. There are so many things to do and I plan to be ready for anything.

As far as superbowl goes, I have no clue who will win, but if I have to guess I would say the colts.

I feel that we will win the Lingerie Bowl, hands down, no if ands or buts about it. We are the ultimate team and no matter what Miami, or anyone one else says, the HardRock Arena will be taken over by the CHICAGO BLISS! We have the skill, the drive, ability and heart. So bring it on ladies, it is all or nothing!

I would like to thank the fans for coming out and supporting the Bliss and other teams of the LFL. It is you all, who truly motivate us to come out and put on a great show. I would like to especially thank the Chicago fans, seeing as they were the ones to fill up the entire arena! I don’t believe that any other team has had as many fans as Chicago.

Thanks again Matt and if you need anything else just let me know. Hope to see you in Hollywood with a Chicago Bliss fan poster and t’shirt.

Posted by Matt Field

You may have heard that there is pretty big game coming up between the San Diego Seduction and the Los Angeles Temptation. The Temptation must win by 33 or more points in order to secure the final playoff spot. If LA hopes to put the hurt on in such a fashion, they will need a stellar effort from the Notorious One, Britainie De Garbott. I had a chance to catch up with Brit this week and had some fun getting her thoughts on the season and her future plans. Enjoy the read.

Matt Field- Thanks for the time Brit. You must be pretty pumped for the San Diego game. You need to win by 33 points in order to advance to the playoffs, how do you prepare for such a scenario?

Britainie De Garbott- Like I always say, run until you throw up, block until you pass out and catch everything.

Matt- Good luck, it should make for a fun game. No matter the result of the Friday’s game, how have you enjoyed the first season of Temptation football?

BDG- This first season has been so exciting and I am truly proud to be a part of it. Mitch Mortaza, Heather Theisen and their partners have put so much time, effort and money into this vision for us, I’m just thankful to be here. The League has grown by leaps and bounds as well as the respect for what we do.

Matt- What have been the highest and lowest moments of your season?

BDG- My lowest moment of the season would be when I let my team down. Over the season my football IQ went from 0-160. Early on, I had questions that were not being met with answers. I admit that I let frustration get the best of me, I checked out. My team saw this happening and they called me out. That was really hard for me (that’s what she said). Shutting down the way I did was just wrong, conflicts come and go but I have learned to focus my energy to more positive solutions. Going through these trials would be pointless unless we can come together better, stronger and faster.

Matt- What have been your passions outside of football?

BDG- You mean besides chocolate? I am extremely passionate about my work. I am a registered nurse and I will be working on my Masters of Science in nursing this year. I also will put more time into my acting career, which took a backseat to football the past few months. It is insane fun for me and makes for a great release. Nurse Jackie watch out!

Matt- You have been an important part of your team’s success. How can you improve your game?

BDG- This is an easy one, it has been an item on my mind often. I need to learn take some of the heat off myself, I am terribly hard on myself and I tend to turn those negative emotions inward. I used to think as long as I take care of my link in the chain, everything will be fine. Not true. I didn’t see that when I beat myself up it was bringing my teammates down as well. I regret not being a rock for them. I didn’t realize they needed that from me. It is a character flaw and I am working on it. The league is a great venue for women to grow, learn and build support. I admire that aspect of the LFL.

Matt- Any plans for the offseason?

BDG- I plan on learning, training and traveling. Also, I hope to start booking some acting roles. Keep an eye out!

Matt- Any message you would like to send out to the fans of the LFL?

BDG- I love our fans! Just remember, the best way for us to succeed and continue to entertain on the field is if you keep telling your friends, your friend’s friends, posting on Facebook, tell you mama and your grandmama. Tell them all that there is a new game in town that will dazzle and surprise you. Come out to the games and show your support. The cities that have teams, fill the stands and keep us in your town. Those cities that want the LFL in your area, email, call, beg and Mr. Mortaza will have no choice but to come to your town with 14 beautiful, smart, athletic girls ready to lace up and throw down on the gridirion.

Matt- The Oscars are coming up soon. What has been your favorite film released over the past year?

BDG- I have to go back to 2008 for this one and say ‘Curious Case of Benjamin Button’. It made me want to grab life by the throat and make a positive impact on the people I meet.

Matt- And finally, who is your Super Bowl pick?

BDG- I want the Colts to win because I hate the Saints for beating my Vikings. I love you Brett! Call me AP! Holla! lol

Matt Field
LFLUnlaced.com Sports Editor

by Troy Whigham

Junior high school can be downright terrifying; seventh grade especially so. The innocence that is elementary school is over, and adulthood is bearing down like a freight train carrying coal to Chicago. Not only is puberty revving up its motor, but students are learning that they get six (and sometimes seven or eight) teachers instead of just one. Strangers are forced together, old friendships are torn apart, and, well, generally speaking, it is chaos. It’s a teenager’s version of Armageddon. It’s a world without order. It’s Milton’s Tartarus and Dante’s Inferno all rolled up into one.

But not for Nikki Lee.

Seventh grade was when she fell in love. Head over heels in love. It was the sort of love that stays with a woman for the rest of her life, and with Nikki, she’s still in love.

Seventh grade was when she fell in love with track and field.

By the time she was in high school – for real high school – she was competing on the varsity team, competing in the 200m dash, the 4×200 relay, the long jump and the triple jump. She’ll proudly tell you how she set her school’s record in the long jump at 19 feet, 2.5 inches. That record still stands today. That record is why she’ll remind you that there’s a FIELD component to the track team. That record, and her strong grades, also got her some looks from college scouts.

She was also getting looks from photographers. All that running and jumping was very good to teenaged Nikki Lee. It was so good to her that people wanted to take her picture, and pay her for it. So, while studying and racing and jumping, she started doing modeling on the side. From there, she developed an interest in show business. But her entertainment career would have to wait. Her heart belonged to track (“and FIELD!”), and there was a college degree to get first.

She was so in love with track – and field – and so good at it, that she raced and jumped her way to a college scholarship at Illinois State University. There, she competed in the long jump, the triple jump, and the 4×100m relay and was made the captain of the team. But she wasn’t just another girl with blazing speed and good stride and quick foot turnover that could jump a great distance. She was, simply put, driven.

Nikki is one of the ladies holding the sign, closest to center

“The fear of failure motivates me. I am extremely scared to fail at anything. I hate losing and I don’t take no for an answer. I’m motivated by struggle and perseverance. Oh if I’m the underdog, I push twice as hard. I love a challenge. I have to motivate myself. I can’t wait for anybody to do it for me!”

Fear can be a powerful motivator. In addition to her track (and FIELD!) practices, she was on a dance team, was a marketing director for a college-based entertainment company, and made (and stayed) on the academic honor roll while balancing a full load of fifteen hours per term until she graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. But of all that, what was her greatest accomplishment at ISU?

“I would say my greatest accomplishment was GRADUATING!”

After college, she began working with several different companies on their marketing campaigns. She also leveraged her junior high school modeling experience to develop a promising career. She booked jobs in music videos, print media, billboards, and runway work. She was also an established dancer. She began to teach dance classes all over the city as well as choreograph for artist and dance competitions. Nikki Lee was on her way in show business.

But you don’t jump 19 feet, 2.5 inches, make team captain of the track (and FIELD!) team for a Division I university, and just walk away.

She was still in love with track (and FIELD!), but as she had matured, so had her tastes.

“I have always loved football. I used to watch the really fast football players and say, ‘Oh my gosh! I can do that too!’ Of course there was no option for women to play football. Or so I thought. I began to research female pro football teams. I found one in Chicago and I went to their tryouts and got a call back! A week later a friend of mine sent me info on the LFL. I was SOLD! The LFL seemed to fit my personality and lifestyle way better than the other league!”

Now Nikki Lee has a new career. She’s a pro football player. She’s part of the most potent rushing offense in the LFL – the Chicago Bliss. And people are noticing.

“I got recognized last week while at a comedy show. Some guy came running up to me saying ‘You play Lingerie Football!’ I was embarrassed a little bit. Believe it or not, I’m a little shy. But, he was super cool. He said he attended our game and I signed a poster for him. He asked me a million questions after that about the league and my personal life. (i.e. marital status…he was a nosy fan LOL). It was pretty cool though.”

And what would you tell seventh graders entering a world of madness, where society has been rendered into chaos and anarchy, and the freight train of adulthood … well, you get the idea.

“I would tell them how well rounded of a person sports made me. I learned discipline and how to be tough; both mentally and physically. I developed great social skills and long lasting friendships. I also learned the art of handling criticism. As an athlete, you are picked apart. You are under the microscope. Your teammates, coaches, media, fans are all watching you. Not only are they watching you…everybody’s an expert. (Sarcasm). So you have to listen to their advice or their ‘two cents’. A lot of people would crumble under the pressure or get mad. I thrived. Eventually, I learned how to not take things personal and apply to it to my sport and my life! Sports makes for great conversation and it looks good on a resume!”

Yes it does, Nikki.

Long live sport.

Nikki before a game

Putting the clamps on Tyrah Lusby of Philadelphia