Richardson represents the next generation of Storm gridiron stars
Having competed on the gridiron since her teenage years, Robyn Richardson is part of the next generation of women carrying on the proud tradition of Atlantic female football. As a member of the Saint John Storm in the Maritime Women’s Football League, she is surrounded by a remarkable group of legendary women who have carved great legacies in the game.
While she has the privilege to play alongside the likes of established superstars such as Lori Boyles, Melissa Daley, Trina Graves and Michelle Young-Mather, there is one member of the Storm that has had a tremendous impact on her young career. Lisa Harlow, the first player inducted into the Storm Ring of Honour, recruited Richardson and it would prove to be a positive life-changing experience.
“My parents have known the Harlow’s for years and Lisa contacted them when the Saint John Jr. Girls football program first began in 2008 to ask if I would play. I was not all that interested at first since I never considered myself much of an athlete, but my parents insisted I try it out, and after a few games I knew it was the sport for me.”
Graduating from the Jr. Girls football program to the MWFL represented a big step forward in her gridiron career. While the number of players on the field was comparably different to her experiences in junior, there was a desire to succeed. The encouragement of three former coaches, all of whom played with the Canadian national team at the inaugural IFAF Women’s World Championships in 2010 would set on her the right path.
“My first game for Storm was very nerve-racking, mostly because the game changed from 6-a-side to 11-a-side and the athletes in the MWFL had much more experience than me. On top of that there was the added pressure on my Junior Storm teammates and I to prove to our new team that we had the skills to compete at this level.
Luckily three of my former coaches were on the team to ease my nerves: Lisa Harlow, Lisa Rogers, and Melissa Daley. They encouraged me to stop thinking and start doing what I knew how to do, and once I did the game became really fun and a great experience.”
With Harlow as her coach in juniors, it would set the stage for the development of a fundamentally sound player in Richardson. Under the tutelage of Harlow, she would quickly learn the values of hard work and perseverance, along with the benefit of having a mentor who cares about cultivating one’s talents.
“There is one word to describe Lisa’s coaching: intense. If my teammates and I weren’t giving our all, Lisa would push us until we had “emptied our tanks”. That being said, Lisa is also very caring, and anytime anyone on the team needed something she was the first one there to help us out, both on and off the field.
I am thankful for every practice and game coached by Harlow because she not only taught me everything I know about football, she taught me a lot of invaluable life skills I will carry with me forever.”
After honing her skills for several seasons at the junior level, the opportunity to play alongside Lisa Harlow on the Saint John Storm is truly a treasured one. Ironically, Harlow’s father, Larry, serves as Richardson’s head coach with the Storm. Having gone from student of the game to teammate, Richardson is helping write a new chapter in Atlantic female football as the MWFL enters its second decade.
“It is definitely an honor to be able to call Harlow my teammate after looking up to her for so long as my coach. There is nothing more rewarding than having the person that taught me to love football to congratulate me after a good play. Having played with her for three seasons now, it is clear her ability to be a great leader shines whether she is playing or coaching.”
“All quotes obtained first hand unless otherwise indicated”
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