Allison Dittmer has spent much of her life competing in sports.
Those have included volleyball, basketball and track at Round Lake.
But Dittmer thought something was missing as her senior year approached.
“I always grew up having an interest in football,” she said. “It’s been in the back of my mind as something I’d be interested in playing, but I never thought it was a possibility.”
Well, it wasn’t only possible. Dittmer has made it a reality. She’s getting reps at cornerback and wide receiver for the Panthers (1-7) this season.
Before learning how to play football, however, Dittmer had to extricate herself from Round Lake’s volleyball program.
“I love my volleyball team, but I just needed a change this year,” she said.
The change happened pretty rapidly, on a July day when everyone besides Dittmer and her mother, Jennifer, expected her to participate in summer drills with the volleyball team.
“I was a little concerned at first about her getting hurt and didn’t know if she had the nerve to go through with it,” Jennifer Dittmer said.
But soon after Allison Dittmer received the blessing of volleyball coach Grace Larson, she was on the football field with her new teammates.
“I remember the first day, we were hitting sleds, and I had obviously never done that before,” Dittmer said. “That night I went and bought football cleats.”
Just like that, the 5-foot-4, 115-pound Dittmer was a football player, and she proved to be a quick study.
“I told her that as long as she was dedicated to working and doing the things that we ask of all our players, that we’d be happy to have her,” Round Lake football coach Scott Blecha said.
Dittmer’s teammates quickly fell in line. The most public display of their support came when she got in on her first tackle. It came in run support during a Week 3 loss to Wauconda.
“I remember thinking I had to get off the block,” Dittmer said. “All my teammates on the sideline were cheering me on and yelling, ‘That’s a tackle!’ They were so excited for me. We already had that bond.”
More Top Picks Best Dinnerware Sets
Further proof of the respect Dittmer has earned from her teammates came in the run-up to the Panthers’ game against Grayslake North on Thursday.
All Round Lakes athletic programs for the past five weeks have chosen a student-athlete who epitomizes the pillars of the department’s “PRIDE” acronym. This week’s winner, connected to the “E” for “effort,” was Dittmer.
“I was shocked (about Dittmer playing) at first, but she’s worked really hard and is always asking questions,” senior Rigo Tapia said. “It’s been cool to help teach her about football.”
Dittmer’s interest in playing the sport was more than an itch. It has further strengthened the bond she still feels with her father, Mark, who died when she was in sixth grade. Her father was a 1990 Round Lake graduate who played football, basketball and baseball, and she shares his love for sports.
Dittmer’s jersey No. 14 is a take on the numbers he wore during his career.
“My family all see my dad in me, and playing is a way to keep honoring him,” Dittmer said. “Staying connected to him is something I definitely struggle with, and sports has always been something that has helped me through the day.”
While her father’s absence is never far from Dittmer’s thoughts, she’s not alone. Her parents have a total of 11 siblings, so she has a lot of relatives in the area, including six cousins who attend Round Lake.
Her mother has been in her corner all along.
“I’m so proud of her,” Jennifer Dittmer said. “I love seeing how excited she is about playing and practicing.”
Allison Dittmer is still fully absorbed in the week-to-week grind. But once her lone football season is over, she’ll have a special memory to reflect upon.
“I tell everyone I wish I had been playing forever,” she said.
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.