Claire Reagan gets some double takes on the football field.
She hears reactions like, “Whoa, that’s a girl.”
Reagan is the first female kicker for Tullahoma coach John Olive, who is in his 22nd season.
“I got beat by one once upon a time back in 1999,” said Olive, referring to Kenwood all-state kicker Jenny Cox. “They beat us in overtime 17-14. It was a chip-shot field goal.”
Olive hopes Reagan will kick some big field goals for Tullahoma someday. She is the backup kicker, who will come in for point after touchdown and short field goal attempts.
The junior has gotten a lot of positive feedback for being on the team.
“Everybody thinks it’s pretty cool,” Reagan said. “I haven’t gotten any negative comments or anything. (My teammates) are really supportive. They took me in like a little sister and they’re really nice.
“My mom was a little hesitant at first, but I kind of convinced her to let me come out and just try it and see what it was like. She was nervous. She didn’t want me to get hurt or anything because you can get tackled and hurt. But she’s supportive and she thinks it’s cool, too.”
Reagan feels comfortable kicking from anywhere in the 30-yard range.
“I have a video on YouTube and I got a 40-yard field goal,” Reagan said.
Reagan also plays defensive midfielder in soccer. She goes to football practice first and leaves early to go to soccer practice.
“It makes it pretty hectic because I’m exhausted after both practices and I still have homework and everything else,” Reagan said. “Sometimes I wonder about why I chose to do two sports, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Reagan’s twin sister, Shannon, is a forward on the soccer team.
Their father, Ronald, kicked for Coffee County’s football team in the late ’70s.
“He’s taught me pretty much everything I know about it,” Claire said.
She said her dad gets a lot of kidding for having the same name as the former president.
“When we go places they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re Ronald Reagan, ha, ha,’ ” Claire said.
Senior Will Holt is Tullahoma’s first-string kicker.
“Our kicker last year, Joey Ortiz, actually sent me a video of (Claire) this summer over at the park kicking with her father,” Olive said. “In that videotape she made several from 38, 39, 40 yards out.”
Olive contacted her after that and asked her to join the team.
Reagan didn’t attempt any kicks in Tullahoma’s season-opening 42-7 loss to McGavock on Friday.
“If Claire is needed to kick a point after touchdown, we won’t hesitate to send her out there to do it,” Olive said. “If it was a short field goal or PAT and Will was struggling or something happened to him, Claire would be the next one for us to turn to.”
