Dear Sarah Fuller,

You are a trailblazer. 

On Saturday, December 12, thousands of little girls, including me, saw you become the first woman to score for a Power Five football team. As the ball soared through the bright yellow posts, you showed us that the cookie cutter, perfect woman that society has created is not a “one size fits all.” 

Many of the most impactful women in history, in fact, have bent the metal corners of this cookie cutter until they are set free. That Saturday, you showed an entire generation of girls that they can enter into the world in full force, unapologetically themselves. When they find the cure to a deadly virus or become the first female president, they will not be a doormat for men to credit themselves. They will keep your name in the back of their mind, so they can one day blaze their own trails and make history. 

You are an inspiration.

My inspiration to become a competitive gymnast came at a young age, after I became obsessed with watching Aly Raisman in World Championship competitions on my iPad mini. Watching her flip made me feel unstoppable. You can now be that person for all the little girls who come after me.

From the time we are kids, we are introduced to careers, lifestyles, cultures, personalities to help us form our own identities. However, there are walls. One such wall is, “girls don’t play football.” It is widely accepted and rarely questioned. For this reason, it is quite possibly the hardest thing to be a First.

To be a First is to trust yourself more than you trust the world. To be a First is to listen to your own voice over the voices of the doubters. And above all, to be a First is to show to the rest of the world, you, too, can be a First.

You are a groundbreaker.

The moment you scored that field goal, an immense amount of pride rose within me — not because I care about the score of any football game, but because you represented women worldwide who live life without asking for permission. You broke down a wall in a world of closed-minded people. Girls can play football too.

You are a hero.

I can only imagine the amount of times that you, just like any First, have been told the word “can’t.” Those that believe it are living comfortably in their cookie cutter. Those that don’t are making history. I see you standing among Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Katie Sowers, Amelia Earhart and the many other heroes this world has had. Your name will roam in my mind as I journey for the impossible. Sarah Fuller, you are making history. 

On behalf of girls and women everywhere, thank you.

Sincerely,

Allie Bricca