Storm DeBarge: dancer by day, kicker by night

Raised alongside brothers her whole life, varsity football kicker Storm DeBarge (‘15) has always pushed her limits. After creating a reputation as a dancer, DeBarge became Samo’s only female football player.DeBarge began dancing at an early age and joined the Drop Dead Inc., a dance team supported by Vlado Footwear. She started uploading videos on Youtube to showcase her team’s dance routines for viewers who could not attend a live performance. Soon, she began collecting international fans from the United Kingdom and Brazil. Storm looks up to identical French twin dancers, Les Twins, for inspiration, and has even danced for them once before.Despite her dedicated involvement in dance, DeBarge was intrigued by football. With four brothers, DeBarge learned that she did not like did not like to be left out of certain activities solely due to her gender.“I have always been pushed as a little kid to do more because I was surrounded by my brothers,” DeBarge said. “I hated getting treated differently.”With this mindset, DeBarge set out to join the team. Although she had always had interest in football, DeBarge did not try out for the team until her friends encouraged her to.  According to DeBarge, only one other Samo girl has attempted to join the team but did not continue after hell week. Initially, DeBarge’s teammates tried to persuade her that she would not have the drive to make it through conditioning, telling her it was a “mans’ sport.”  But this did not prevent DeBarge.She attended tryouts with knowledge that she wanted to be a kicker, but did not know many details about what the position would entail. After she was accepted onto the team, DeBarge was faced with “Hell Week,” a time she described as the hardest week in her life.But after becoming a player on the team, DeBarge discovered much more than just how to play football. She learned how to play a typically male dominated sport and create relationships with the players much like her relationships with her brothers.“The boys on my team replace my brothers now because they are all grown up,” DeBarge said. “They act like themselves around me.”According to DeBarge, head coach Travis Clark along with the rest of the coaching staff have been father figures in her life, providing her with guidance and support beyond her football career. Clark told the team how difficult making it on Samo football used to be when he was a player here. This motivation along with daily support and advice has allowed DeBarge to feel comfortable and confident on the team.“She figured out a niche for herself and became a very pertinent and important part of our program,” Clark said.Throughout her three years on the team, DeBarge has grown as both a player and a teammate. After high school, DeBarge hopes to attend college in California and continue football and dancing.“Not only am I on the football team, but when something is wrong, they are there like my own family,” DeBarge said. “I am the only girl on the Westside on a football team and the first girl at Samo to be on one. I have pride and I’m making history.”