Monica B.
Veteran
Many people don't know what it feels like to be the center of attention as an athlete on the playing field, but Monica B. does.
In addition to being a second-year Raiderette, Monica B. is also a standout soccer player at a local Bay Area college.
"I'm very busy," she says with a laugh. "I go to school three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Raiderettes are Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, so I leave soccer early and go there those days. I teach dance in between everything, so it's busy, but I don't know what I would do if I wasn't that busy. I would be very bored."
Busy might be an understatement for the two-sport athlete.
Earlier this football season she was in Seattle playing soccer for her university, then flew back to Oakland for a Raiders preseason game before hopping on another flight back to the Pacific Northwest to finish up her team's tournament.
While the constant hustle and bustle of the simultaneous seasons would seem daunting to some, it's the norm for Monica B.
"I've been playing since I was six, so I've been playing forever," she says. "I've always done both. I've always done dance and soccer. I started dancing when I was three, so it was a constant back and forth between both."
While she loves getting out on the field with her soccer teammates, she makes no secret that her first love is dance.
"Nothing compares to how I feel when I dance," she says. "Dance is my number one. When you can't explain your feelings to someone or can't explain if you had a really bad day or really good day; that's how I tell people."
She continued, "Going out there, everything just frees my mind. I'm just so happy to see everyone cheering for us and cheering for the Raiders. I love soccer as well, but nothing can compare to what I feel when I dance."
While this fast-paced life has become normal for her, Monica B. has come to realize the disparity between her two worlds.
"I have two different lives," she says. "I have no makeup my hair's a mess when I go and play soccer. I hit people and get so dirty and I smell awful after, and I come here and my hair has to be perfect and I'm in this little outfit and I'm going out there dancing. They're very different worlds but it's really fun."
As much fun as she has balancing her play on the soccer field and cheering on the Silver and Black on game days, the aspect of her life that she enjoys the most is serving as a role model for young women everywhere.
"Kids look up to you," she said. "It's very important for us to be very poised and a really good role model to everyone around us. Being able to be confident in your own skin is also very important."
Monica B. lives a very busy, multifaceted life, but for now that's just how the soccer player, dancer, teacher and Raiderette likes it.
