by Troy Whigham, with Shannon Bennett
Ten years ago, Shannon Bennett was on her way to the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
An accomplished marksman, she had qualified for the US Olympic shooting team in the Skeet and Trap Shooting event, a sport which requires speed, discipline, self-control, nerves of steel, and phenomenal hand-eye coordination. Training since she was 14 years old, she had already won Olympic gold – twice – in the Junior Olympics and was preparing for what could be the most important sporting event of her life.
That is, until the death of her coach.
Grieving the loss of the man she considered a second father, she decided to miss the Olympic Games.
To cope, she starting giving shooting lessons to children at a local range, teaching them the same skills that her coach had taught her. It helped her to see the progress that they were making, even as she herself progressed through her grief.
But Shannon wasn’t just an expert triggerman.
“I have played sports my whole life. Growing up I took dance and gymnastics for eleven years at Kim Hall School of Dance in Brandon. I was the head cheerleader at Dowell Junior High for both 8th and 9th grades, and I ran track. I also played Little League Fast Pitch Softball as a catcher, starting when I was 10 years old, and continued playing at Durant High School and into my college days at the Plant City campus of Hillsborough Community College. After college I played on various co-ed softball teams.”
And then, ten years after turning her back on Olympic gold …
“My best friend and I were driving home from a long day of shopping and I heard a radio commercial asking something along the lines of “Are you pretty, athletic, and want to play football? Come to the St. Pete Times Forum and try-out for the Tampa Breeze Lingerie Football League team!” I remember saying to myself ‘AWESOME’! I love football! Always have. I used to tell my dad if only I was a boy, I could play FOOTBALL! I called my dad and said, “Dad, I’m going to play football after all!” (leaving out the ‘in lingerie’ part, of course. Ha!)”
Practicing on the weakside end position
She went to the try-outs. They saw that she was fast and had good coordination. Her athletic ability, along with her cheerleader-good looks, earned her a spot on the inaugural Tampa Breeze full-contact football team. With her speed, discipline, nerves of steel, and lightning-quick reflexes, she was a natural lineman, playing strongside blocker on running plays, and outlet receiver on passing plays. On defense, she showed her proficiency at strongside end and linebacker, her strikingly blonde hair streaming like a waterfall from under her black helmet.
Shannon is #11, seen here in the game against Miami
She played so well in the Breeze home opener that she became the first player inducted onto the All-Whigham team. While not exactly Olympic gold, it is still an acknowledgement of her athletic ability; it just happens to not be in any sport recognized by the International Olympic Committee. This award was earned on the football field.
Do you have any problems walking around in public?
“I have been recognized in public a few times in the Tampa area. At (a local supermarket) the bag boy said ‘Hey, you’re the football chick!” He then explained how he and his father attended our first football game and LOVED IT! Smiling from ear to ear I said ‘Yeah, thank you for supporting us, and remember, our next game is January 15’. The next time I was recognized was at the Tampa Hard Rock casino playing black jack. The gentlemen at my black jack table, sitting three seats down, asked if I was number 11 for the Breeze. In total shock I responded ‘Yes’, trying to keep my mind on the next card to be dealt. I then hit a black jack! YAYA! I gave the man at the table a high five and delightfully responded ‘GO BREEZE!’”
In a season of wins and losses, what is your most memorable moment?
“My fondest memory this season was the locker room dance off right before the Miami game. The girls had a new type of energy in the air. We were the underdogs, yet not one teammate would settle for that title. We were mentally and physically ready to, as coach would say, ‘grind’ from start to finish. Every football player was ready to ball their hearts out. The energy in the locker room made it very clear that a loss was absolutely not an option. We as a team, as a family, knew our tasks at hand and it was almost as if we could feel each others’ heartbeat. It was a very profound moment. I’ll always look back and remember that moment right before the Miami game. The Tampa Breeze became more than just a team of football players. That moment we became sisters!”
Looking back, what would you consider your proudest accomplishment?
“The proudest accomplishment of my life is without a doubt my twin boys. Kaden and Keanu are the two most amazing little boys in the world. They bring a whole new meaning to the words unconditional love. I give total credit to the Lord, for blessing me with, healthy, smart, loving and absolutely adorable children. They have recently taken an interest in the Haiti disaster and asked if they can both send their piggy banks over to help the children in need. Kaden has started making cards to tell them he loves them. He has a total of twenty-two cards that we will soon mail. Keanu has asked Jesus every night while saying bedtime prayers to make sure Haiti people don’t feel hungry. Words cannot express the pride I, their mother, hold. Kaden and Keanu are, and will always be, the very best part of me. Thank you, boys, for making me the Happiest Mommy in the world! I am so proud to be your mom.”
You were hurt in your first game and had to be carried off the field, but you came back the following week against Philadelphia and finished the season against Miami. Would you recommend playing tackle football to girls?
“I would defiantly recommend playing football to a group of young girls. Team sports in general offer a tremendous amount of responsibility. For example: showing up promptly for practices, games, and special charity events; it teaches the importance of punctuality. Trusting other teammates to perform their task and knowing your position and job, even if you’re not the person in the lime light, teaches trust and the true meaning of team networking. Sweating, fighting, and falling face down, then having friends that pick you up, dust you off, and say do it again… well that makes friends that will last a life time. Team sports have made me the individual I am today.”
And that’s really saying something, coming from a two-time medalist who was, at one point in her life, on her way to the Olympics.
Long live sport.
