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MedStar SportsHealth Player Spotlight
#44 Rachelle Pecovsky, Running Back
 Sacrifice.
The game of football is replete with the complete surrender of individual
goals and ambitions. And yet the game itself remains an interesting paradigm:
team success is only possible through individual achievement. However,
there cannot be any level of personal success without an equal or greater
offering to the greater good.
Perhaps no player on the D.C. Divas roster embodies this philosophy more
than running back Rachelle Pecovsky. The all-purpose weapon out of the
Divas backfield neither works nor lives anywhere near the Washington metropolitan
area. For Rachelle a commute to even a team practice can be an odyssey
that would have made Homer proud.
Three times a week, three hours each way, Pecovsky somehow manages the
distance between her current home in Portsmouth, Virginia and the Divas
practice and game facilities in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
“Which ever way I’m going, north or south, that last hour
is always the toughest,” admits the first year Divas running back.
“I’ve had to give up a lot… but this [ D.C] is where
I really wanted to play.”
A year ago the Pennsylvania native was transplanted to the Tidewater area
of Virginia. Because of her new location there was a time when Rachelle
sometimes doubted if her football career would continue. Than came the
recruiting call from the Nation’s Capital.
“My friend, [D.C. linebacker] Amy Juang said you should come play
for us,” explains Pecovsky. “Because of the distance I didn’t
know if it would work out until Coach [Ezra] Cooper called. After I talked
to him I was ready to be a Diva.”
The effort and dedication that it takes just to attend a practice has
translated into success on the playing field. Pecovsky is only the second
back in franchise history to rush for over one thousand yards in a single
season. “I’m an interesting combination of size, speed and
power,” says Rachelle. “I think the three together is what
makes me dangerous. It’s not just me though, it’s the system…
in this offense I feel like I’m home.”
Home, however, is somewhere that Pecovsky rarely sees. Between the constant
to and fro of her commute comes the exorbitant responsibility of running
her own small business. Life as a freelance personal chef allows for a
certain amount of free time flexibility, although the wear and tear of
a thrice weekly 200-mile plus commute carries it’s own weight.
“There have been all sorts of sacrifices,” Rachelle admits,
with a wistful sigh. “Financial sacrifices, personal and relationship
sacrifices… I couldn’t do it without the support of my family,
especially my fiancé. But being with this sort of organization,
with these types of coaches and players… that’s what really
makes it all worth while.”
The delicate balance between personal, professional and athletic pursuits
brings a unique stress to Pecovsky’s daily life. Not that pressure
bothers someone like Rachelle very much. As a former college track star
and gymnast the white-hot focus of attention is something that she relishes
and enjoys. “I don’t get nervous. In fact, I love the spotlight.
I think that’s when I’m at my very best.”
That drive to excel, both literally and figuratively, is two-fold: Pecovsky’s
dedication to become a better player is only matched by her desire to
win another championship. Six years ago she won a league title as a member
of the Philadelphia Liberty Belles. But that was then, this is now.
With that in mind Rachelle recently brought her title ring to practice.
Not to gloat, but to inspire. “I wanted everyone to know what one
looks like and how special it is to have one.”
The Divas play-off push for a championship of their very own has become
an all-consuming goal for Rachelle. “I want this one even more…that
first year was such an experiment because the league was brand new. No
one knew what to expect. Are we any good? Is anyone else? Now there are
expectations. On this team there is only one goal and that’s a championship.
Nothing else is acceptable.”
by Rich Cook
Special to www.dcdivas.com
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