Stansbury kicker is a girls' soccer star

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It's a familiar scene following a Friday night football game: a cheerleader and football player walking side by side to the parking lot after the stadium lights dim.

Following Stansbury's opener, however, the words uttered by a varsity cheerleader to the Stallions' short-range kicker were hardly typical.

"I always joke that we'd be a really cute couple," said Stansbury varsity cheerleader Carlie Thomsen. "If she weren't a girl, that is."

As such, in the minutes before each game, opposing teams can't help but ask if the rumors are true.

The short answer is yes -- Stansbury, indeed, has a female kicker. Yes, that girl -- senior Emily Lakin -- will suit up and take every snap for extra points during the game.

And yes, this is no joke.

"I hear people talking, asking my teammates if it's really true that there is a girl on the team," Lakin said. "It's still kind of strange for me."

But Lakin isn't obvious about the distinction. Although she suits up in a different locker room, come game-time Lakin blends into the row of players on the sideline, disguised by a matching, oversized blue jersey and full collection of pads -- though she admits she gravitates toward her fellow kickers in the lineup.

"Mostly so I don't look so small in comparison," she said.

But whenever the Stallions' newest kicker rushes the field to attempt an extra point, a long ponytail peeking out from beneath her helmet, the crowd's collective gasp -- quickly followed by applause -- gives her away. So does the swarm of cheerleaders who rush to the end zone to cheer her on.

"We're still working on a special cheer just for her," Thomsen said.

"I used to go to the games just to watch some football," Lakin's dad, Rich, said. "Now, I'm there watching my kid, and my daughter no less, play. As a father, I'm pretty proud."

For Lakin, it's been a lot to take in. But as the only female varsity football player in the state, Lakin has quickly become accustomed to the spotlight, all while mitigating that attention with the respect she knows her teammates deserve as well.

It's not as though Lakin hasn't put in the time.

Already a member of Stansbury's girls' soccer team, Lakin -- who is also the student-body secretary -- decided to add kicking to her athletic resume during last year's football season, figuring she had both the leg strength and kicking technique to be successful.

"It was really the perfect way for her to get involved," Rich Lakin said. "She already had the background and the mental strength."

Still, when Lakin first approached coach Clint Christiansen, her motivations were met with friendly skepticism.

"I'm not sure any one of us thought she'd stick with it," said Thomsen.

An entire summer of practice proved otherwise.

In the hours between offseason soccer practice, Lakin dedicated herself to her new sport, running conditioning drills and spending hours practicing punting, kickoffs and field goals. When no one else was around, Thomsen would hold the ball while Lakin practiced extra points until her leg grew too heavy to heave another kick.

"At first, I thought it was just an idea, but she really stuck with it. She proved us wrong," Thomsen said. "And she's actually really good."

The Stansbury coaching staff has noticed.

Now, following her daily grueling practice with the soccer team, Lakin rushes across campus to join Stansbury's special teams unit on the football field, followed by at least an hour-long kicking practice. By implementing her soccer experience -- "the best way to kick it is with the top of your laces, lock your ankle and try to nail it with the bone on the inside of your foot, just like in soccer," she said -- Lakin has earned her spot as the Stallions' go-to-girl, as odd as that statement still sounds, from 25 yards and in.

"A year ago, I couldn't have even pictured this," Lakin said. "But I love it. If I had choose between soccer and football, I'm not sure which I'd choose."

Still, in the minutes before her first varsity game, Lakin paced the sideline, nervously anticipating the Stallions' first touchdown -- and her first kick -- of the season.

The anticipation was exhausting.

"But that's the worst part," Lakin said. "Once I get out there, it goes well. I have more confidence than I ever expected I would."

Still, no matter how Lakin performs, the pressure will be on. Her performances will be scrutinized, especially by those not yet comfortable with a girl playing among the boys.

But Lakin isn't planning to provide any ammunition.

"Now I know what it feels like to miss a PAT. It sucks," Lakin said of her 2-for-3 extra point performance in Stansbury's 49-20 loss to Provo on Friday night. "I can tell you I won't ever be missing again. All of my teammates are supportive, but I can't let them down."