Lauren Silberman lined up for a kick at NFL history, took a deep breath and booted the football. It barely went anywhere, traveling 19 yards, and she grabbed at her right leg. Still, it was good enough to make her the first woman to try out at a regional combine, even if her day lasted all of two kicks. With the 36 other kickers all male a handful of scouts and more than two dozen media watching in complete silence at the New York Jets' practice facility. Silberman struggled for about 20 seconds to place the football on the tee before measuring her steps and then trying that second kick. This one went only about 13 yards. She then asked to see a trainer and left the practice field after injuring her quadriceps, and appeared to be slightly favoring her right leg. The ball certainly didn't go as far as they were in practices for her but she tried to work through the pain. She tried staying off it and waited for today. She didn't even take kicks in warm-ups, and, it's pretty hard to know that you'll be in pain, and she wanted to work through it and she certainly tried to, but she just couldn't do it today. Silberman, a former club soccer player at Wisconsin and ex-graduate student at MIT, appeared frustrated she couldn't complete her tryout. She had always been an athlete, and she had always been a gamer andwhile fighting back tears. When she had the opportunity to be in the NFL, one of the world's most competitive leagues, she absolutely had to take the chance. Silberman waited outside the facility around noon with all the other kickers, whose names were read off alphabetically as they entered the indoor practice field. Each participant was then given time to warm up before being broken into groups to attempt three kickoffs and then a set of five field goals, the first starting from 35 yards all the way up to 55 yards. Silberman paid a registration fee about $275 and just needed to show up Sunday and take her best shot at impressing scouts. Entertainment network followed her every move. Silberman's goal was to try a 60-yard field goal. That thought was squashed just minutes into her tryout.
Lauren Silberman lined up for a kick at NFL history, took a deep breath and booted the football. It barely went anywhere, traveling 19 yards, and she grabbed at her right leg. Still, it was good enough to make her the first woman to try out at a regional combine, even if her day lasted all of two kicks. With the 36 other kickers all male a handful of scouts and more than two dozen media watching in complete silence at the New York Jets' practice facility. Silberman struggled for about 20 seconds to place the football on the tee before measuring her steps and then trying that second kick. This one went only about 13 yards. She then asked to see a trainer and left the practice field after injuring her quadriceps, and appeared to be slightly favoring her right leg. The ball certainly didn't go as far as they were in practices for her but she tried to work through the pain. She tried staying off it and waited for today. She didn't even take kicks in warm-ups, and, it's pretty hard to know that you'll be in pain, and she wanted to work through it and she certainly tried to, but she just couldn't do it today. Silberman, a former club soccer player at Wisconsin and ex-graduate student at MIT, appeared frustrated she couldn't complete her tryout. She had always been an athlete, and she had always been a gamer and while fighting back tears. When she had the opportunity to be in the NFL, one of the world's most competitive leagues, she absolutely had to take the chance. Silberman waited outside the facility around noon with all the other kickers, whose names were read off alphabetically as they entered the indoor practice field. Each participant was then given time to warm up before being broken into groups to attempt three kickoffs and then a set of five field goals, the first starting from 35 yards all the way up to 55 yards. Silberman paid a registration fee about $275 and just needed to show up Sunday and take her best shot at impressing scouts. Entertainment network followed her every move. Silberman's goal was to try a 60-yard field goal. That thought was squashed just minutes into her tryout.
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