Athletes

Valerie Halesworth is the quarterback and strong safety for the undefeated New York Sharks of the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL). During the 2002 inaugural season, Halesworth led the IWFL in touchdown passes, passing yardage, touchdowns and completed passes and had a quarterback rating of 134. She held the league's No. 1 ranking in pass completion with 71% on the way to completing the Sharks perfect, 9-0 season. After playing sports all through high school, she went on to play basketball with a full scholarship for the University of Pittsburgh. Soon enough Halesworth joined a flag football team and decided to choose tackle football, eight years later. She was a nominee for the Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman on the Year award. A true role model for today's young girls facing adversity in sports, Halesworth currently is coaching basketball, field hockey and softball at Oyster Bay High School in Long Island, N.Y. (10/02)