Today we’d like to introduce you to Ingrid Cleveland.
Hi Ingrid, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In 2016, after having my baby girl in India, I ventured off to Houston where I came across a flyer online about tryouts for full-contact women’s football!
I was a little puzzled at first because I only had a flag and powderpuff experience growing up but never knew about the full tackle. I hadn’t played sports in almost 2-3 years since I stopped running track in college after I left TAMUCC to come back home to be with family.
Once I settled in, I went to the Houston Energy tryouts and had a blast! I was in student mode at first because I had much more to learn, but as practices and games progressed I also achieved more than I expected.
It’s now 2022, and I’m still passionately in love with this sport! I currently play for the IWFA 8’s women’s tackle team based out of Austin Texas (Austin Ravens) and we are about to head into our next season coming up in June!
Aside from the tackle world, I also dipped into the flag football world as well to continue perfecting my craft as a receiver/DB.
The flag world is a whole other experience and a full weekend of fun! There are so many people from different areas and states coming out in their own uniforms and unique team names conquering the field making unbelievable highlights.
I actually earned my nickname “Turbo” from playing flag once people noticed how fast and shifty I was on the field. I’ve encountered so many other talented women and get to play either with them or against them and it’s an honor to be around them.
Fast-forwarding to the future, I will have to decide where else I want to take my talents next year for the tackle.
Will it be the WFA or WNFC? Stayed tuned!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As cool as it seems to be considered a semi-professional football player, it’s also a task to keep up with. There are fees to be paid for the season, if not most, all of us are also mothers with kids, and our jobs, of course, will probably not always allow us to have Saturdays off lol.
The majority would say, “football will always be there, just take a break”, but it’s more to the game than people know. It’s a sweet escape for us, a way to release steam, and of course, being able to win with our team and celebrate!
We will struggle, but we will also continue to sacrifice for what we love.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When it comes to working outside of football, I’m still pending on my set career.
I’m one of those percentages of people that have many skills but are not sure where exactly to apply them. Before the pandemic, I had an amazing job and position in management where I was a learning experience leader teaching new hires and classes weekly.
When it comes to creativity and people skills, I tend to have a lot of positive feedback on my graphics and how I break down things to how everyone learns in their own aspect. I love anything art related and always see an opportunity to recreate something or edit a photo/video.
I’m self-taught and watch videos to learn more skills and even take advantage of online courses so I can continue to build my portfolio and look forward to bigger opportunities in the future.
What sets me apart from others is that even in the midst of struggle, I always take time to re-evaluate, rethink and refresh so I can progress. I can only control the controllable and continue to be resilient.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Football is really starting to take off for not only the women but the youth as well! It’s very exciting to see what’s in store for them and the endless opportunities they’ll have grown up.
Thank you to the pioneer women who created the path for all of us to enjoy the game we love!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/turbojets22
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063962946495
Image Credits
Darryl Cummins & Ralph Arveson
