MANCHESTER, NH – A typical day for Ashleigh Nagy, a wide receiver and linebacker for the New Hampshire Rebellion, is to wake up at four in the morning every day for her job as a breakfast cook at Ginger and Clove in North Hampton. Though she is unable to attend Sunday morning practices, she is a regular at the late evening practices which have been taking place at Saint Anselm College.
“I get up really early in the morning,” Nagy said. “I don’t always want to come to these late-night practices. But once I get here, we always have a good time. I pretty much go to sleep an hour after game time. It’s so worth it.”
Nagy, who also played in the Rebellion’s first season last year, is a wiry player who is often tirelessly running up and down the field while the team’s quarterback, Kim Borque, slings the ball around. A 32-year-old resident of Rochester, Nagy has never shied away from long drives in her car to attend team functions – Rochester is roughly an hour’s drive from Manchester.
Nagy, like the other returning members of last year’s Rebellion team, has had to wait 336 days between games. Those days have been filled with practice sessions, long hours at work, and long drives back and forth to each. Now that the season is ready to start, Nagy is ready to, in her words, “lay people out and make some plays.”
In her third season playing women’s football, Nagy described her conditioning routine as “every type of cardio you can think of with lots of running.”
Lauren Wiroll, a versatile player who took Thursday’s practice off with a plantar fascitis injury, echoed Nagy’s excitement for the upcoming game.
“I wasn’t gonna play this season,” Wiroll said. “After this new coaching staff, I’m just personally so confident in myself, my assignment, my ability. This new coaching staff, the new players, the new vibe, it’s been a godsend for this team. I’m excited about the growth, and I’m excited for the season.”
The NH Rebellion has their home opener against the Connecticut Ambush Saturday May 11 at 6 p.m., at the West High School football field on Jack Amaro Way in Manchester. Attendance is free. Fans are advised to bring their own concessions.
Click here to check out the current roster of players, game schedule and more info.