In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a girl. I may enjoy wearing my makeup and high heels from time to time, but I also enjoy my sports — especially football.

It’s just something about the adrenaline before kickoff and physical contact of the sport that gets me energized; of course the sinewy bodies don’t hurt either.

Friday night, I got to see firsthand — from a sideline view, of how the actual game of football is played. For the first time, I wasn’t watching from the stands as an aficionado, but I had the keen perspective of the coaches and referees.

Now, I grew up in a household where my parents were football connoisseurs so I knew the basic terminology — “incomplete,” “touchdown,” “no good or good,” “flag on the play” and “interception.” But when my colleague started saying things like, “number so-and-so ran such-and-such yards in this time,” he literally blew my mind! I kept thinking, “There is absolutely no hope for me.” After all, I would much rather watch as a fan.

Standing at the 20-yard line bundled up in my heavy jacket, some might have mistaken me for an Eskimo as the fur around my coat’s hood shielded my eyes.

The last few minutes of the first quarter, one of the opposing team’s players pushed a home player out of bounds, and he almost steamrolled me as if I were a bowling pin! After I quickly jumped out of the way and caught my breath, I was amazed at how aggressive a high school game could quickly get.

Being this close to wildly thrown bodies and footballs is something I could get used to!

I enjoyed hearing coaches yell out to their players the correct plays to make or members of the crowd yelling at the referees for their supposedly, unfair calls. This is what game days are made of.

Friday’s event will be one I will remember for the rest of my life.