CARLYLE - Taya Stigings is a standout player on the Estevan Lions Club Oilers minor football team and has earned recognition as the only girl on her squad.
Stigings is 14 years old and in Grade 9 at the Gordon F. Kells High School in Carlyle. She lives with her parents Randy and Lorrissa Stigings and has three older siblings.
She has always enjoyed sports and during recess in Grade 6, students began to play football. She was hooked on the sport and is the first of her family to get involved in football.
She is a running back and back-up quarterback on the Oilers and loves it.
“I get more playing time and more hits, and they treat me like one of the guys,” said Stigings.
Being the only girl on the team has proven that she can hold her own on the field and she feels her teammates and coaches have been supportive of her efforts. She quickly earned their respect through her hard work and determination.
Playing football requires not only physical strength but also mental toughness, speed and agility.
The Oilers play six games in their season, with three teams in Moose Jaw, a team in Swift Current, and Weyburn, who they play twice in the season. So far, they are 2-1, and it's the first time the Oilers have ever won two straight games.
Once this season is completed, she will join the coaches and assist them and help with the minor football teams.
Baseball is another sport that she is involved in playing through the U15 Sun Devils softball team out of Weyburn and also on the U15 Swagger travelling team from Regina.
Playing all the positions in baseball except for pitcher, it is another sport that she loves due to the speed and agility needed to play.
In February, the travelling softball team will go to Florida and play in a tournament there. This is a team that requires tryouts.
Stigings looks forward to years of playing sports, is excited to be going to Florida and playing her final year of football.
