Pippi had to weigh her options, thinking how a bunch of boys were going to feel about a girl on the team. While she really wanted to try for linebacker since it would combine her speed, strength and intelligence, she knew that likely wasn't the best option for a new player (and a girl at that). As a receiver, she thought she could put her speed to use without intimidating anyone right away, so she added her name for that position on the signup sheet.
Coach Dryden introduced himself as the coach-in-charge and Coach Pope as his assistant; Pope had been the high school varsity position coach for the last three years, and was a short and stocky bulldog of a guy next to the taller and more agile Dryden. Coach Dryden talked about how the Cougars were rebuilding this year, how they had good returning players in their backfield and could probably beef up their 3-4 defense if they could frame around their center (a powerful-looking redhead named Eddie D, Pippi noted), but how overall it was about building team spirit, having fun and generally getting comfortable with the game given the number of new players. They were to do some warm-up stretching and strength training before running a few laps and performing a little basic drill, no actual playing today. The coaches needed to see where the new kids' strengths were and start deciding where they'd fit in with the team, assuming they fit in at all.
Pippi changed out of her school uniform in the girls' locker room, which was quiet as a mausoleum; cheerleading practice, girls basketball and tennis hadn't started up for the year as yet, so she was the only one in there. She put on her usual shorts, muscle shirt and sneakers as well as her long, mismatched socks before returning to the weight room with the other boys.
The returning players were already doing squats and cable shrugs under the capable eye of Coach Pope, while Coach Dryden was lining everyone else up and taking them through a quick round of stretches. She took some minor grief for her colorful socks, but not from the coach. No one was really complaining about a girl on the team yet, since a lot of the guys were as new to the school as she was. Pippi held herself back to a single 'flex' moment, doing a few one-handed pushups to amuse everyone after a brief run of crunches and lunges. That pretty well stopped the socks jokes and any urge to tweak her pigtails, everyone able to see she had plenty of muscle and poise regardless of being a girl.
Outside, they all ran a casual lap or two before being asked to push themselves. Pippi kept up with the returning players, careful not to blow them away but unable to hide the fact that she wasn't breaking a sweat. Eddie D was starting to pay attention to her now, realizing she had potential.
Then Coach Dryden took his star players out near the south goalpost while Coach Pope introduced himself and had everyone go around the circle and give their names as well as what position they were hoping to play.
Pippi wound up looking like a capable receiver, Pope running her and a few of the other receiver-hopefuls on some down-and-in routes, ten yards, then moving to longer comebacks for speed. He must have liked what he saw with Pippi. After a few sluggos, Coach Pope sent her on a streak. Pippi really opened up, nowhere close to going all-out but putting on enough speed so that, when she turned back to catch the pass Coach Pope had popped her way, she could see him looking a little slack-jawed with the rest of the new guys. Even Coach Dryden had his hand up, shielding his eyes from the sun to watch her. Pippi caught the ball easily and ran it back, just as quickly as she'd gone out.
Practice was over before she knew it. She'd shown her spunk without necessarily manifesting herself as superhuman, which Pippi thought was fine for her first day. She changed back over to her uniform without showering - she hadn't worked hard enough to perspire in the slightest - and prepared to head home.
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