Darcy Leslie earned 12 varsity letters at Mather High School, in softball ( four ) , basketball ( four ) , volleyball ( two ) and cross country ( two ) . Also, she's a four-year standout now for the Chicago Force.
"Sports have always been a big part of my life," said Leslie, wearing a black Force shirt at work, along with two Force-related wristbands.
She played middle linebacker this season and previously played defensive end.
"My Force career has been an adventure," she said. "Heck, my first year, I wanted to quit [ the team ] quite a few times. But now it's such a big part of my life. In fact, I'm afraid to think what my life would, or will, be like without football and the Force."
Leslie was a two-sport athlete ( volleyball and basketball ) at Oakton Community College, where she earned All-Conference accolades both years in both sports. "It was a great accomplishment for me, given the fact that I only had two years of volleyball background," said Leslie, who was the third-leading basketball scorer in the school's history.
Leslie's aggressive attitude on the fields of play certainly clash with her mellow approach to her daily job dealing with dogs. Force teammate Sami Grisafe tagged Leslie "Stegosaurus" because she is calm and chill off the field, yet fierce, feisty and powerful on the field.
"I'm a good athlete; I pick up on things quickly," Leslie said.
Perhaps that why, heading into her junior year at Mather, the mother of her best friend suggested she try out for the school's volleyball team. Granted, the mom also was the school's junior varsity coach, so she certainly knew of Leslie's athletic abilities.
Leslie was promoted from dog handler to manager at Canine Crews in June after about a year working there. She works about 55 hours per week and truly loves the experience with all of their four-legged "clients," including Daisy—an aggressive, territorial girl who doesn't like many, but does now like Leslie.
"I love dogs. Just being around the dogs all day is so much fun; it's amazing. It really fills my life," Leslie said.
Canine Crews offers doggie day care, boarding, pet-sitting, walking, training and more—and can house 60 dogs at its location on North Washtenaw Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
So what's more difficult, tackling a football running back or handling stubborn dogs?
"Tackling running backs is definitely a little harder," she said, laughing.
THE STATS
—Age: 25
—Lives in: Avondale
—Relationship status: Single
—Born in: Belize, moved to Chicago at age 7
—Siblings: Leslie has an older brother, an older sister and a younger sister. The siblings range in age from 18 to 32.
—Job title: Manager at Canine Crews
—High School: Mather, class of 2004
—Honor: Named the Team MVP for the Mather girl's basketball team as a freshman
—Hobbies: Sports, playing the viola, snowboarding and beach volleyball
—Dog: A boxer named Dexter
—Favorite pro team: Chicago Bears
—Favorite pro athlete: Brian Urlacher
Photos by Ross Forman
