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SALT LAKE CITY -- This football season, it's not just boys padding up and working out on the field. Women's full-contact football it's starting to take off in the West, and a new team in Utah has even caught the eye of Nike.
The women of the Utah Jynx hit hard and throw like pros.
"We are Utah's premiere women's football team," Head Coach Greg Cover said during a Saturday practice at Granger High School
Full-contact women's football has been in Utah for a couple years, and Cover says it's growing.
"Women's football is the fastest-growing sport in America right now," Cover said.
Even Nike was impressed with this team. The company sent a crew to Salt Lake City this past weekend to shoot a piece on the Jynx.
"We are out here to celebrate their story," said Nike field reporter Gevrina Seferaj.
Many of the women on the team are married, have kids, work or go to school. They say they're showing that at any stage in life women can still be competitive.
"I love it! This is the best! I rank it up there with giving birth to my children," said Jynx player Shauna Loftin.
Her teammate Louise Bean said, "I always liked football growing up, and my mom didn't want me to play with the boys."
But now Bean's husband thinks it's pretty cool.
"He loves telling his guys at work and everyone we meet," she said. "He likes telling people he has a wife that plays football."
The women play NFL rules just like the guys.
The Nike spots shot over the weekend should be done in about three weeks, and you'll be able to watch them on YouTube.
E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com
