ARTICLE
[InC-terview] LFL Footballer Natalie Jahnke!
By InCinemas / 04 May 2013 (Saturday)
InCinemas sat down with Natalie Jahnke, captain of the three-time champion football team, LA Temptation.
(Image - From Left: Angela Rypien, Liz Gorman, Natalie Jahnke)
You can catch her and her team in the Legends Football League (LFL) showing every Sunday 10.30pm on action channel KIX (StarHub Cable TV Channel 518) and on KIX HD On Demand (SingTel mioTV Channel 308)!
The cheerful lad is happy to share her experiences, struggles and passion for football and her time playing for the LFL.
About the LFL
Since its premiere in 2009, the LFL has been touted as the ‘fastest growing pro sports league in the United States’ by NBC Sports and has drawn record television ratings for its US broadcaster. The athletes, dressed in their lingerie-inspired uniform tops and bottoms, along with customised helmet and shoulder pads, have played to sold-out crowds across America.
InCinemas: Hi Natalie, is this your first time here in Singapore?
Natalie: Yes, it’s my first time here in Singapore, it’s beautiful, clean and the people have been very hospitable. I have not tasted any local food at the moment as we just got here last night, so I ordered room service had an omelette, but I believe today we will have more Singapore cuisine.
InCinemas: Can you tell us more about your role and position in Legends Football League?
Natalie: I play on the three-time world champion in the Los Angeles Temptation, I am going to my 4th season with the league. I play center, the position that hikes the ball to the quarterback and the quarterback then throws it. I am also the captain and market manager of the team. Not only do I play on this team, I create the promotions and strategy to sell tickets for the girls and for our home games.
I’m also an ambassador where I have done a lot of promo tours like this in the past. I’ve been to Australia, Mexico, Cananda but this is the first time in Southeast Asia.
Remember to catch the LFL, shown exclusively every Sunday at 10.30pm on action channel KIX (StarHub Cable TV Channel 518) starting from April 28, and on KIX HD On Demand (SingTel mioTV Channel 308) from May 2013!
InCinemas: When did get started in football. Was it an interest since young?
Natalie: I’ve always loved football, coming from a big family that loves the Green Bay Packers (NFL team in the United States) that are solely owned by the people. What that means is that it makes people feel like they are part of the game. Just growing up with them and the family influence just got me really into football.
I’ve never played football before the LFL but I’ve always been athletic, I would say I’m the guy’s girl. I’m always out playing with the boys, riding skateboards and bikes and I play basketball, trek and all these different sports and then finally I got to play football on a competitive platform and join the LFL!
InCinemas: Cool! So how did you get your nickname ‘Powerade’?
Natalie: I got my nickname when I first join the squad. I was working for the beverage, ‘Powerade’ and we were looking to do a sponsorship and I went out and try it out. The coach had 50 girls at and you have to make yourself different. I’m always the girl that brought the drink to practice, wearing the Powerade gear and then it stuck with me because I was very strong. It was a gimmick at first but because I was bringing the heat to the game and practice, I was called ‘Powerade’.
InCinemas: What do you think contributed to the tremendous success of this show?
Natalie: I think bringing atheism and sexy together, we’ve seen it in other sports such as the WWE and girls’ volleyball. People watch it because its sexy, rough and tough. Bringing those two together really draw people to the show. The uniform gets people to the game and the football keeps you there.
InCinemas: Who would you say are women that inspire you?
Natalie: The biggest inspiration is my mother. She was a single mom and she proved to me that anything is possible through hard work and dedication. Football has never come easy for me, it’s something that I struggled with and still continue to struggle with but absolutely loved it. Through her efforts of being a single parent and through her raising of my brother and I has really been my motivation and my guideline to leading my life as well as succeeding in football
InCinemas: Did you mother say anything to you when you told her that you’re going to play football as a career?
Natalie: My mum passed away in 2008, right before I actually joined the league in 2009. But as far as the women in my life, they were a little skeptical in the beginning because the first thing that they see is skin and they were wondering is this safe, a gimmick and they will go ‘Natalie, are you crazy?’ but they slowly come to understand that I practice football three times a week for 15 hours all the time and it’s something that I’ve dedicated my life to.
My eating habits, the way that I work out, the way I do outside of football, my lifestyle has changed to conform to be a football player and all the women in my life are very supportive. I would think that my mum would be my biggest fan.
InCinemas: How are your pre-game ritual like?
Natalie: Before the game, I have this ritual of hitting one of my teammates. My coaches teach us that it’s our responsibility to go out and hit the girl first so to get our minds right and get the ‘screw loose’, while we have our pads and helmets on, my other teammates and I will just go up and hit each other and hit each other, so we can go out that to give the first hit against our opponent.
Also, before the game, we have a group prayer to bless us for the game and pray to not let any girls get hurt on the field.
InCinemas: How about pre-game meals?
Natalie: I take a pre-workout, a powder that has vitamins and the necessary energy that acts like a meal because can I get nervous and jittery and wouldn’t want to experience any sickness or so before the game.
InCinemas: How do you keep yourself so fit?
Natalie: I keep a healthy lifestyle. I think that it should be a priority for everybody, not only being a LFL athlete. I have a heavily-based protein diet based on meat. Lots of fish, chicken breast and sometimes I’ll do like a turkey burger but try to keep out the breads. My guilty, guilty pleasure is frozen yogurt so if I can get away with that once a week I will, but not so. In addition, I take my shakes and exercise regularly.
I also workout seven days a week. I don’t like running, so my form of cardio is spin class. I’ve been doing it five days a week so it’s 50 minutes of super intense cardio that really get pumped up. I also do a weightlifting regiment which is four days a week. Spin classes start from 5 -7 and weight lifting about 4. I think that women should not be afraid to lift weights as it is what that builds the muscles.
InCinemas: Have you suffered any major injuries doing the game?
Natalie: Actually I have never suffered any injuries during the game, I suffered lots of injuries at practice though. Coming from a very competitive team that won the championships in the last three years, we tend to practice more aggressively because we have more to prove.
We are on top and we want to stay on top. I’ve fractured my ribs, rolled my ankle, a tear in my MCL (Medical Collateral Ligament). We are all playing with bumps and bruises but at the same time, which athlete isn’t? It’s really football. When you’re on the field, you don’t see yourself as going against other women, it’s crazy mode at that time and just get out there, trying to win that game.
InCinemas: How do you think it’s different for women VS women and male VS male in football?
Natalie: Women really have not have this opportunity before and being women, we are like caged animals. You know how we are already with all that drama we go through everyday, this is an outlet for women to just let go and release, and that’s why I love it so much because from that day to day pressure and stress that’s on you, you can just let it loose.
I think for guys it’s different because their mentality has changed, they have had it for years at this. I definitely think that watching women is more entertaining and fun and fast paced but at the same time watching men play is great too! I do prefer LFL more than the NFL.
InCinemas: Is it comfortable playing in lingerie?
Natalie: I never know playing football in any other way, what we wear is performance wear and this (outfit), I don’t wear my uniform to bed. I definitely think that yes, they are sexy because they show our body but they hold us in and they are made to help us. These are sports performance as compared to the sexy lingerie that’s going to fall off.
InCinemas: We noticed the black lines drawn below the eye, do they have a special meaning to it?
Natalie: The black we wear underneath the eye is called the eye black and what it suppose to do is to keep the reflection of the light at the stadium out of your eye so you actually see better on the field. We wear it as we are football players. Besides the reflective purposes, it’s also a symbol of us being women football players.
InCinemas: What can the Singapore audiences expect from the show?
Natalie: The audiences will definitely see hard hits, beautiful women, and aggressiveness. Women athletes playing football. Like I said, the uniform gets you in, the football keeps you there. It’s dangerous, its risky but people like this. Thrilling exciting and exhilarating for the audiences.